Rebuilding Your World #2 | Team Work Matters
All of us experience loss or a breakdown in an area of life.
Some of it is good and some of it is not.
God is a God of:
- Restoration
- Rebuilding
- Redemption
God is able to take:
- What the world does to us
- What the devil tries to do to us
- What people try to do to us
- What we sometimes do to ourselves
And make them turn out better than before!
Romans 8:28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose
Everything is either sent by God or used by God. The Bible is full of people who faced obstacles or failures and rose up to write a great next chapter.
In Nehemiah’s story, the walls around Jerusalem lie desolate for 90 years. We see that he gets a burden to restore and rebuild the walls.
- You’ve got to want it – All In Wins
Desire is a powerful force. You may not be the smartest, strongest, or most talented. But a strong desire will take you a long way. Team Work Matters.
The whole story of Rebuilding the Wall contains the story of connections, people working together, and the incredible power of Teamwork.
All of Nehemiah 3 is a list of people and projects people did together:
Nehemiah 3:1 Then Eliashib the high priest arose with his brothers the priests and built the Sheep Gate; they consecrated it and hung its doors. They consecrated the wall to the Tower of the Hundred and the Tower of Hananel.
Nehemiah 3:2 Next to him the men of Jericho built, and next to them Zaccur the son of Imri built.
Nehemiah 3:3 Now the sons of Hassenaah built the Fish Gate; they laid its beams and hung its doors with its bolts and bars.
Nehemiah 3:4 Next to them Meremoth the son of Uriah the son of Hakkoz made repairs. And next to him Meshullam the son of Berechiah the son of Meshezabel made repairs. And next to him Zadok the son of Baana also made repairs.
Next to him built. Next to him made repairs.Nothing great is ever accomplished alone.
Learning how to work together with others is an essential element in building, or rebuilding your world. You have to buy the idea that Life is a team sport.
The whole pandemic season has pushed us toward isolation and separation
Life generally can do that:
- Bad experiences
- Hurts
- Disappointments
- Sour Outlook
I’ve known super smart, super talented people who have a tendency toward isolation… who want to be separated.
Something always comes up that ends up separating them. They find a flaw… things don’t go their way… It’s not good enough – “they’re” not good enough.
The first thing God called ‘not good’ was being alone.
Genesis 2:18 Then the LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.
Two are better than one!
Ecclesiastes 4:9 Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor.
We is better than me. You can be right or you can have relationships. That’s a lesson I wish I had known many years earlier than I did. Grace & forgiveness are two essential elements in maintaining relationships.
- Teaming Up With God Matters
God always works together… with & through His people.
The walls remain broken down until God finds a teammate. It had been that way for 90 years.
Think of a farmer with a beautiful farm. God has really blessed you and given you a great place here. You should have seen it when God only had it to Himself.
God will help you. God wants to help you. But we have to give Him something to bless.
Give Him your 5 loaves and 2 fish. He won’t do it for you. But He will do it with you.
- Your Team in Life Matters
The people who are in your world… You become like the people you team up with.
Social scientists will tell you that one of the biggest influencers on your mindset and behavior is your tribe.
Want a great marriage? Hang around people who have great marriages.
Want to live healthy? Hang around healthy.
Want to live victorious? Hang around the victorious.
Want to live full of faith? Hang around faith.
Want to be successful? Hang around the successful.
But if you hang around:
- Negative people
- Cynical people
- Excuse making people
Then those are the things you will become. Hang around with dogs – you get fleas.
This is why church matters so much. Church is not a meeting you go to once in a while. It’s a tribe. It’s a family. It’s a shared life.
Church is not a meeting you attend – it’s a life you share
- Rebuilding God’s House Matters
Every family had a place of rebuilding responsibility in Jerusalem.
If you did not rebuild your part of the wall or gates then it wouldn’t get done. The time for rebuilding God’s great church is now. Church is essential.
Until there’s somebody who will step up and say yes to a partnership with God and God’s people, the walls remain broken down.
There is a place on the wall that God has called you to build. A place that He has called you to repair.
Partner with God in the story of restoration. Partner with God’s people in the restoration story.
A disease called COVID has attacked our nation and our world.
There are diseases attacking the church:
- Apathy
- Consumerism
Apathy is a lack of feeling, emotion, interest, or concern about something. Apathy is characterized by feelings of indifference and lack of emotion. When we don’t see the essential need for church to be strong in our day – Apathy has set in.
I get it – so much has happened we can get de-sensitized. It’s hard to juggle all the balls. But we have to see the big picture of the need for strong, prevailing, victorious church.
The disease of consumerism becomes consumer vs. contributor.
When God calls you to a church, it isn’t just because the menu is right for your consumption.
He gives you a gift… a place on the wall… a responsibility. You have a job to do, a part to play, a role to fulfill.
Moses is leading the building of the tabernacle. People are asked to become contributors to that cause.
“and they said to Moses, “The people are bringing much more than enough for the construction work which the LORD commanded us to perform.” So Moses issued a command, and circulated a proclamation throughout the camp, saying, “No man or woman is to perform work any longer for the contributions of the sanctuary.” So the people were restrained from bringing any more. For the material they had was sufficient and more than enough for all the work, to perform it.”
The people are bringing much more than enough for the construction work which the LORD commanded us to perform
What a powerful episode in the story of the nation of Israel. Everyone willingly brought so much to the offering that they had to be told to stop giving!
Giving is not just financial:
- It’s time
- It’s prayer
- It’s serving
- It’s worshiping
- It’s loving
- It’s helping
Exodus 35:21 Everyone whose heart stirred him and everyone whose spirit moved him came and brought the LORD’S contribution for the work of the tent of meeting and for all its service and for the holy garments
We have to have willing hearts. We can’t do anything with the unwilling, you can really only work with the willing.
We will come out of the pandemic season with a sense of purpose. It’s not just – no disease, it’s each one of us contributing to a sense of purpose.
- Team Work with God
- Team Work with your tribe
- Team Work in Rebuilding God’s House