Building Smart
February 25, 2007
Nehemiah – Cupbearer to the King
Begin with the Goal in Mind
19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Matthew 28:19-20
To begin with the goal in mind you must understand what the goal is! Sounds simple – but people often make this first critical mistake. They don’t recognize the goal.
You say, “huh”! That’s easy! The goal is building a church building. I say, “No, that is not the goal. The goal is building a church.
The building is simply one of the many tools that help us to accomplish the mission our Lord gave all of his followers just before he ascended into heaven.
We find this mission in his last words, “Go therefore and make disciples…”
The goal is not a building – the goal is a growing and dynamic church filled with God’s people. The goal is building up the family of God and a place we can use to help us accomplish this objective is part of our strategic initiative to do the mission.
To create this tool we must count the costs, plan the tactics, and work to make it happen.
Jesus also said that we must count the cost…
Building Smart
28 “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? 29 For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, 30 saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’
Luke 14:28-30
To create this tool for dynamic ministry it will take a mixture of faith, determination, common sense and sight.
There is a very real tension between faith and sight when a church sets out to accomplish the vision for ministry which God has given into its hands.
We are to live by faith but we also need to have some common sense mixed in – but how much of each? How much faith and how much sight?
Two parts faith and one part commonsense? Or maybe three parts sight and one part faith? Or maybe the recipe is a tablespoon of determination, a cup of common sense, and a dash of faith. What does it take to accomplish a great task that is goes beyond that ability and sight of a people?
Nehemiah took on such a task when he built a wall around the city of Jerusalem. It was a formidable task and many said that it simply could not be done – and yet he built the wall in 52 day – 52 years, not 52 months – 52 days – an almost impossible task.
Nehemiah built smart - in the eyes of men and in the sight of God.
As we are now engaging in a vast project we would be wise to learn from his tactics and to emulate them.
Let me look with you at the second chapter of Nehemiah as we examine how he built those walls and how we are going to build ours!
Rally the People
17 Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.”
Nehemiah 2:17
Nehemiah saw that the real issue was not the walls. He had plenty of resources available to him. There were rocks all over the ground. What he needed was people – motivated, excited, willing, challenged, committed and hardworking people.
One of the difficulties that Nehemiah faced was dealing with a people who had grown used to living a life which was full of trouble and slathered with a thick layer of disgrace. They were willing to settle for less than what God wanted them to have.
Listen, we may not be living in trouble and we have nothing to be ashamed of here… but I do not believe that we are now enjoying the best of what God wants for us – not for a minute.
We have been gathering the resources. $530,000 was committed in November of last year. Since then over $120,000 dollars have been given. And let me simply say this… I am encouraged and impressed. Many are giving up little luxuries like coffees, cable tv, and personal extras so they can give. Some are selling stuff on ebay while others are working extra so they can give offerings. I thank all of you.
Now is the time for all of us to pour on the giving! Now is the time for us to build this place with walls of joy and excellence. Now is the time for everyone of us to do our best before God.
Survey the Ground
11 I went to Jerusalem, and after staying there three days 12 I set out during the night with a few men. I had not told anyone what my God had put in my heart to do for Jerusalem. There were no mounts with me except the one I was riding on.
Nehemiah 2:11-16
Before Nehemiah even thought about building the walls of Jerusalem he quietly surveyed the challenge. In fact he did it at night, with one horse and a few trusted advisors. He didn’t want anyone to know what he was doing.
Nehemiah knew that there would be some who opposed his work. Nehemiah knew there would be some who would not understand the size of the task and would distract him from learning what he needed to know.
And there would be some who would get so excited that they would get in the way.
We have followed the example of Nehemiah.
For the past year we have quietly met with township officials, county drain commissioner, the road commission, with engineers and architects. We have surveyed the land, counted the cars, imagined the landscape, and planned the utilities.
In short we have surveyed the task and assessed the challenge.
Support of the King
7 I also said to him, “If it pleases the king, may I have letters to the governors of Trans-Euphrates, so that they will provide me safe-conduct until I arrive in Judah?
Support of the King
8 And may I have a letter to Asaph, keeper of the king’s forest, so he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel by the temple and for the city wall and for the residence I will occupy?”
Support of the King
And because the gracious hand of my God was upon me, the king granted my requests.
Nehemiah 2:7-8
King – support
Governors – tacit support
Tribal Leaders - opposition
Nehemiah went to the king and asked for his support. He went to the local governor and asked for his help. He went to the local leaders and got opposition.
Nehemiah followed the rules and went according to the processes and procedures set out by his king.
And he prayed for God’s hand to be upon him.
We will do the same… because we not only need to build smart in the eyes of man but to also build smart in the sight of God.
The Gracious Hand of God
But our trust is not in men… it is in God for he has given us a task… It is not the building of a church building anymore than Nehemiah was called to build a wall.
Nehemiah was not building a wall. He was building a place of safety and security for the present and future. He was building a city filled with life. He was building for a countryside that would become abundantly blessed by the people.
We are not building a church building. We are building more than a place of worship. We are building a place of safety and security for us and our children to explore the love of God. It will be a city filled with life and the whole of the countryside will be blessed by our presence.
Not everyone understands our work. Some will oppose us for a variety of reasons. They see only block and steel. They have eyes only for the tool not for the task.
My prayer today is that you would see beyond the physical walls. That you would see and understand the great vision we are called to accomplish. We are building a church – a church which is not made up of roof and walls, wood and steel, or brick and mortar but of people who are God’s children.
It’s not about a building a church building. It’s about building a church.
What we are doing is answering the call of God to reach into our community with the good news of Jesus Christ.
Elder let prayer…
Don and Building Team down front
Staff down front
Special Use Permit Process with Meridian Township.
