Our summer series is entitled JOURNEY with the FAITHFUL. We are looking at the lives of a number of men and women in the Bible. Each of them chose to leave their comfort zone to follow God and do what He wanted them to do. Each person had to GET UP and GO; they had to move from HERE to THERE.

Last week as we talked about the lives of Esther and Mordecai, we talked about the Carnegie Medal. Like those who receive the Carnegie Medal, Esther and Mordecai displayed extra-ordinary heroism in that they stood up and spoke up for the Hebrew people. Their efforts saved hundreds of thousands of lives because they were willing to move from their comfort zone to the faith zone. Crossing over from here to there is never easy. We have to prioritize our lives around God's purpose, not our pleasure.

Today we're looking at Nehemiah who led his people to restore their capitol city and its walls. His efforts encouraged and brought people a sense of national pride, economic prosperity, physical protection, and spiritual promise.

Background:
-Nearly 600 years before the birth of Jesus, the city of Jerusalem had been destroyed in a war by the Babylonian empire.
-In a move to DE-POPULATE the nation and DESTROY the Israelite national identity, the majority of its people were carried off to Babylon and Solomon’s Temple was destroyed.
-Jerusalem, a 1,000 miles away, lay in ruins
-When the Jews were deported to Babylon, many were enslaved.
-Some remained loyal to the Jewish faith; even through the chaos of Babylon being overrun by the Persian Empire.
-Some of these faithful Jews were raised up to places of prominence in the government sector (Daniel and Esther)
-When Persia defeated Babylon its king was named Cyrus. In answer to Biblical prophecy (Isaiah), Cyrus gave the Jewish people the opportunity to return to their homeland.
-Out of some 2-3 million Jews only 50,000 [2%] decided to return to the Promised Land under the leadership of a man named Zerubbabel.
-This became the first of several groups of Jews who returned over the years.

When was the last time you restored something?

Today we are looking at Nehemiah, the wall builder. He made significant differences in the lives of many; socially, economically, militarily, nationally, and most of all, spiritually.

Let's look at 3 actions from the life of Nehemiah that enabled him to be a difference maker for God. From each of these we can draw lessons that will help us to build and even restore our own life, family, church, business, community, and even our own nation.
Our text today is found in Nehemiah 1 & 2.

First - He listened INTENTIONALLY
Nehemiah 1:1-4
This carries the idea of "hearing and understanding with earnest and eager attention."

Second - He prayed PASSIONATELY
Nehemiah 1:5-11
Shows us key ingredients of a healthy prayer life:
v. 5 worshiping
v. 6-7 confessing
v. 8-11a asking
v. 11b responding

Third - He acted DECISIVELY
Nehemiah 2 (with a focus on vv. 17-20)
This carries the idea of "making decisions quickly and effectively to resolve an issue."

At Grace Church we are "rebuilding"...we are moving ahead with ministry. Why? As it says in verse 20, "The God of heaven will give us success."
Our mission is clear. Our message is the same. Our motivation is to honor God and help people!

Application and Discussion Questions:

1. What have you ever built or restored? Reflect upon your thoughts and planning. What were some of the issues you had to overcome, and steps you took to accomplish your goal?

2. Read Nehemiah 1-2. What questions come to mind? When was the last time your spirit was moved to accomplish something significant?

3. Review the three main points from the message. Which of these is strongest in your life, and which needs the most work?

4. What area(s) of life, family, ministry, and community stir your heart currently? What can you learn from Nehemiah’s life that will help you to make a difference in these areas?

Birthdays and Anniversaries this week:

Sunday, July 12 - Gary Nelson, Maddyson Denton, Noah Meehan, Bernie & Ruth Hickey
Monday, July 13 - Joe Mater, Mike Mater
Wednesday, July 15 - Stacy Schilz
Thursday, July 16 - Erik & Tarah Godbey
Friday, July 17 - Gavin Booher, Claude & Sherry Snider, Dustin & Tori Jones