Nehemiah: Prevail.
Week #6
Opening Reflections.
Where have you seen God at work in your life this week?
Share any brief examples and encouragements.
So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days… After the wall had been rebuilt and I had set the doors in place, the gatekeepers, the musicians and the Levites were appointed.
Nehemiah 6:16, 7:1
Read Nehemiah 6:15-7:3.
1. After months of prayer, planning and preparation, Nehemiah’s grand project – rebuilding the broken-down walls of Jerusalem – took just 52 days to complete. Even though there had been few people technically qualified for the task, everyone had played their part, and even their critics could see that the work had been accomplished with God’s help.
What would like to see accomplished to transform your community? What sort of town, city or village do you want to see?
What would it look like if it happened in just 52 days? What if the dream is close?
If you knew it was actually possible to complete your big dream project within the next couple of months, how would it change the way you think and act?
2. Nehemiah didn’t stop when the walls were rebuilt – he put people in place. Gatekeepers, singers / musicians, Levites (equivalent of ‘Church workers’ of various sorts) and leaders for the city.
Gatekeepers and city leaders make sense, but why Levites and Singers? Why do you think Nehemiah took them from the Temple to the city walls?
What difference does it make if the task all along really has been all about worship and not about a project for ‘building walls’?
What do you think God wants to do in your ‘city’? What do you think a Kingdom-transformed Guildford or Woking could mean to the UK and beyond?
What sort of leadership qualities are needed for the job?
Closing Reflections.
Is there anything you will take away from this study and discussion?
What has stood out that you can take into your week ahead?
Pray together (in pairs or small groups) for each other, in response to your answers.
