The city wall was completed in a breathtaking 52 days. When their enemies heard this, all the surrounding nations were intimidated and lost their confidence. They realized that the only way such an extraordinary thing could be done (despite all their interference, sabotage, and subterfuge) was that the task had been accomplished by God.
In Nehemiah 7, the doors of the gates are installed. Gatekeepers are appointed. Levites are appointed, to minister in the temple. Even singers are appointed! Leaders known to be fearers God and be faithful are installed in Jerusalem. They securely shut the doors, fastened the gates, and posted guards all night long and well into the morning, until the afternoon when the sun began to peak. Even the citizens were charged to help guard the city. Nehemiah 7:4 says, “The city was large and spacious, but there were few people in it, and no houses had been built yet.”
I remember the day Rick Schramm called me, on behalf of the Elders, and invited me to become Lakeside’s next preacher. At the time, Lakeside had sold its old building and was meeting in the former Charlie Sattler dealership. The church was literally worshipping in old showroom (a space affectionally called the Crystal Cathedral) and doing Bible School in the old service bays! There was sign in the service bay that read, “Service starts here.” Meanwhile the church was wrapping up construction at our current location—225 Toronto Road.
What drew me to Lakeside was this congregation’s bold faith. A church with around 150 people had left everything familiar and comfortable, risked everything, invested millions of dollars, to build for the future. The Elders didn’t have to beg me to come—I was like, “sign me up!” I remember that first year when the church was nearly 1 million dollars in debt. I remember all the conversations with Dave Humke and Pam McClelland. But you know what? God provided. A church of a few hundred, decimated a million dollars in debt in record time. I remember being filled with the Neh 6:16 sense that, “this task had been accomplished by God.”
I also remember when that core group first entered this facility. It felt so large and spacious. It may surprise you to know… one-hundred fifty people is considered a very large church by worldwide standards. But this facility was built for hundreds more! It wasn’t long before I realized, however, that just because we had this big new building, didn’t mean we had a church. And likewise, just because Nehemiah had a wall (and had even stationed leaders, ministers, guards, and singers…) didn’t mean he had a city. You only have a church, you only have a city, when you begin building the people.
Again, Nehemiah 7:4, “The city was large and spacious, but there were few people in it, and no houses had been built yet.” Do you know the American Church has mastered building buildings? If I wanted, I could place a call on behalf of Lakeside, and effortlessly secure millions of dollars in financing, and within a year we could build any sized building we could dream of. Billions of dollars are available exclusively to churches. Organizations have so much idle cash, they are begging to loan money—their afraid they won’t be able pay interest to those vested in CDs and savings accounts! Church architectural firms line up at the door when they get wind a church wants to build!
Within six months, after we moved into this building, I realized this truth, that just because you have a building doesn’t mean you have a church. Just because you built a great wall, with beautiful timber gates, and big doors doesn’t mean you have a city. From July to December, those first six months, I maintained an excel spreadsheet, that had a thousand names of all the people and families who visited Lakeside. Those are just the people who told us their name—far more siphoned through our services than just 1000 people.
I suddenly realized we had built a building, but we weren’t ready for the people to show up. Now we had leaders. We had singers. We had volunteers. We held church services. We had Sunday school classes. But we didn’t have a plan for how to help people rebuild their lives. We didn’t have a plan for how to help families rebuild their homes. We didn’t have a plan for teaching the church to build itself up in love, each part doing its work. We didn’t have a plan for evangelism, assimilation, multiplying disciplemakers, raising up leaders, building and sustaining group life, healing marriages and families, building stronger homes, binding up the broken, loving our city more deeply and profoundly. Maybe God has a strange sense of humor. He says, “So you built it and want people to come, huh? I’ll send you a thousand people. What are you going to do with them? What kind of disciples are you going to make them into?”
After stepping out on faith, after spending millions, after building big—we were still a church of 150-175 people. One of the hardest things God’s people have to do is pivot from building buildings to forming godly people and godly families for God’s own glory. I have to make a confession. It is infinitely easier to build buildings than to build people. It is infinitely easier to appoint singers and run worship services… to build pretty gates with great big doors to welcome all the people in… to have business meetings talking about finances, or building issues.
At the end of Nehemiah 7, in Nehemiah 7:70, the governor gives “1000 gold coins to the treasury.” In Nehemiah 7:71, key families give “20,000 gold coins and 2200 silver minas for the project.” In Nehemiah 7:72, the rest of the people give “20,000 gold coins and 2000 silver minas.” Generosity always seems to function this way. First there is a huge lead gift from that 1 percenter, who individually gives a 1000 gold coins! Then there is that 10-15 percent of key families, who kick in 20,000 gold coins. And then all the other gifts, from all the other 85-90% of people, matches about what the 10-15% did alone. It’s like science—and churches have mastered the science of funding their projects.
But it’s in Nehemiah 8, when the people show up, that the really hard work begins. The first order of business in Nehemiah 8:1-6: “all the people gathered together at the square in front of the Water Gate. They asked the scribe Ezra to bring the book of the law of Moses that the Lord had given Israel. 2 On the first day of the seventh month, the priest Ezra brought the law before the assembly of men, women, and all who could listen with understanding. 3 While he was facing the square in front of the Water Gate, he read out of it from daybreak until noon before the men, the women, and those who could understand. All the people listened attentively to the book of the law. 4 The scribe Ezra stood on a high wooden platform made for this purpose. Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah stood beside him on his right; to his left were Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hash-baddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam. 5 Ezra opened the book in full view of all the people, since he was elevated above everyone. As he opened it, all the people stood up. 6 Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and with their hands uplifted all the people said, “Amen, Amen!” Then they knelt low and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.”
The single greatest key to spiritual renewal (whether in our nation, our city, our church, your family, your marriage, your life) is… reading, understanding, revering God’s Word! And the single greatest indicator of spiritual stagnation is… neglecting, abandoning, dishonoring God’s Word. The Bible in 1 Peter 1:23 declares that what gives us spiritual birth is the living and enduring word of God! We purify ourselves, we love one another from a pure heart, and why? Peter says, “because you have been born again—not of perishable seed but of imperishable—through the living and enduring word of God.” No reading, no understanding, no revering God’s Word… no new birth, no spiritual revitalization.
I’ve spent these past few weeks with leaders from all over the world in Chicago. Last week it was with people leading disciplemaking movements. This week it was with people from churches all over the United States who are quite effectively reaching people far from God, and making them disciples. I’ve never felt more encouraged and hopeful about God’s Kingdom than I do now!
But what is the secret ingredient to reaching the lost, to making them into mature disciples of Christ, to unleashing a fresh movement of disciplemaking churches, and pastors, and leaders, and especially disciplemaking parents? I heard the same thing a hundred times. I read the Bible with my wife, my husband, my kids. I asked the neighbor if they’d like to read the Bible together… a coworker, a friend. They didn’t invite them to church assembly first… they invited them to the word first. The word regenerates and renews. Hebrews 4:12, “For the word of God is living and effective and sharper than any double-edged sword, penetrating as far as the separation of soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
Nehemiah 8:6, “Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and with their hands uplifted all the people said, “Amen, Amen!” Then they knelt low and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.” Nehemiah 8:7-12, “… [the] Levites explained the law to the people as they stood in their places. 8 They read out of the book of the law of God, translating and giving the meaning so that the people could understand what was read. 9 Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to all of them, “This day is holy to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep.” For all the people were weeping as they heard the words of the law. 10 Then he said to them, “Go and eat what is rich, drink what is sweet, and send portions to those who have nothing prepared, since today is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, because the joy of the Lord is your strength.” 11 And the Levites quieted all the people, saying, “Be still, since today is holy. Don’t grieve.” 12 Then all the people began to eat and drink, send portions, and have a great celebration, because they had understood the words that were explained to them.”
It’s not just reading. It’s translating, sharing the meaning, explaining, helping people understand. It wasn’t just the Sage on the Stage doing it. It was all the ministers, all the leaders, the heads of households. And it wasn’t just one time. Nehemiah 8:18, “Ezra read out of the book of the law of God every day, from the first day to the last. The Israelites celebrated the festival for seven days, and on the eighth day there was a solemn assembly, according to the ordinance.” Nehemiah 8:17 says, “… there was tremendous joy.”
This seems oddly familiar! When did people of God become the city of God in Nehemiah 8? When did the baptized crowd of 3000 on Pentecost become the Church? When might your life be rebuilt, your home, your church, your city reborn, revitalized? Not unless or until an Nehemiah 8/Acts 2:42-48 daily rhythm is unleashed! “42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer.” “43 Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and signs were being performed through the apostles. 44 Now all the believers were together and held all things in common. 45 They sold their possessions and property and distributed the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple, and broke bread from house to house. They ate their food with joyful and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. Every day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.”