Work It!

The Text says, “All they that were come out of the captivity unto Jerusalem.” I remember in the days leading up to the first Gulf War. You remember back in August 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait and threatened to invade Saudi Arabia. Within just a few days, the US began one of the biggest military mobilizations in history as we started Operation DESERT SHIELD. What was amazing about that time in the military was all the preparation that was put into practice. For several years after the collapse of communism in the Soviet Union, most people thought of their military service as just another job. It was routine. It was a day-to-day way to get a steady paycheck. But that day to day job was really just the preparation for what the real mission was. And when it was time for the real mission to happen, that’s when the military mobilized. And it was such a big operation that it affected everybody. That’s what a true mobilization does. It affects everybody. For the military, that meant clerks, cooks and comm guys like me. Not just the pilots and infantrymen and tank drivers. Full mobilization involves everybody. Just like it did with the remnant. ALL they that were come out of the captivity. Everybody was mobilized to accomplish the mission. Each and every one of them had a part in building the foundation. Now, I want you to picture that group of people for a minute. Do you suppose that each and every one of them had on their carpenter aprons? Do you suppose that each and every one of them had a trowel and a level in their hands? Of course not. So if they were ALL mobilized into action, but they all weren’t builders—what did they do? They did whatever they were able to do. They did whatever they were gifted to do. The ones who could build—built. The ones who couldn’t—did other things. Oh, that it might be that way with us when God calls us to a work. Not everyone in this church has the same abilities. Not everyone in this church has the same gifts. Not everyone can do the same things. You know what? God designed it that way. Some are called to do the prep work. We have preachers and teachers and servers and comforters and exhorters. But not everyone can teach. Not everyone can preach. But everyone can do something. And everyone is all it takes to do God’s work the right way. I think that is part of the problem with the church in America today. We have work that God has called us to do, but only parts of the church mobilize to do it. If God calls us to do a work with children, like He has with AWANAS and some of our other classes, the whole church needs to mobilize to do it. That doesn’t mean that everybody needs to teach. Just like the remnant being called to build the temple didn’t mean that everybody needed to grab a trowel. But it does mean that everybody needs to mobilize. If you can’t teach, support the teachers. Pray for them. Cook for them. Help them with their materials. Something—everybody can do something. And that’s just an example of something God’s already doing through us. There will be other things. When they come, are you ready to mobilize? No matter how you’re gifted or able, are you ready to mobilize? A working church is mobilized. A working church is also organized. Look back at verse 8—only especially the second part.

EZRA 3:8b

A working church is organized. Organized—