Listen link: https://podpoint.com/pastorgregory/community-commitmenrt
Selected texts in Nehemiah
The Christian pastors and Community of Cadillac came together to worship the Lord as the united body of Christ during the week of August 7-14. It was called Call to the Wall because of Pastor Will Markham saw in the book of Nehemiah. And as it turns out, he was not the only Christian in these United Sates to turn to Nehemiah for inspiration to lead the church into renewal. One of the results of that great cooperative effort has been a covenantal agreement between the pastors. It reads follows.
Greater Cadillac Nehemiah Compact/Covenant:
Whereas Ministers and Churches in this region of Northern Michigan have so had the God of Heaven put it into our hearts to agree together for the sake of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we have gathered together to join in unity. We acknowledge that the ground below us has shifted. The position the Church once held in honor and which was granted favor by the culture has now significantly diminished. That is seen in the disregard of Sunday as a day of worship, prayer in public schools, along with an understanding that the Church’s work has any sense importance to our society.
And while we realize that the stature that the church once held is often not recognized any longer, we also acknowledge that this new situation means that the congregations of our communities can no longer work in competition, but must work in cooperation.
As such, we the leaders of several of the Greater Cadillac Community of Churches commit to the following:
1. Rather than yearning for the church of the past, we boldly believe that God is up to something new in the present. We commit ourselves to the practice of loving our neighbors, believing that this is a part of the way we will be brought into the new thing God is doing with the Church as we prayerfully commit to seeing our culture redeemed.
2. We commit to working with other congregations in our community in areas of agreement, while at the same time giving space for congregations to make Christ known in their unique way as we partner to be unashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
3. We commit to living lives of truthfulness, integrity, and love so that even those opposed to what the church stands for will have nothing to hold against us.
4. We commit to being a force of good for those in jeopardy of being left behind by our community and world as we find meaningful ways of serving them.
Now, because of all this, we are making an agreement in writing. And on this document are the names of leaders of local congregations who, this day, say “Follow us as we follow Christ!” So says we the undersigned:
The next thing that happened is the development of a four sermon series, in outline form, that each pastor has agreed to give in a series of messages starting today and lasting four weeks to cover the four major points in the covenantal agreement. So today’s message will be the first of a four-part series, a series that I unfortunately will not be able to complete with you. So I do hope and pray that whoever you get for pulpit supply will be able to honor the initiative that is supported by so many pastors in our area for the sake of our unity in Christ and our common mission in his Kingdom.
The first message then is designed to expound upon and inspire us all to heed the first of the four sections of the covenant agreement. Today we are talking about Community Commitment, or each of us making a commitment to care about the entire community of believers. So once again, here is the relevant section.
“Rather than yearning for the church of the past, we boldly believe that God is up to something new in the present. We commit ourselves to the practice of loving our neighbors, believing that this is a part of the way we will be brought into the new thing God is doing with the Church as we prayerfully commit to seeing our culture redeemed.”
In keeping with this commitment, and inspired by the work of Nehemiah, our text for today starts with Nehemiah 1:3-4. “They said to me, “Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.” When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.”
The HEART of Nehemiah was broken. He was dismayed by the extent of the devastation, and the poverty in which the people were living. Jerusalem was called God’s precious jewel, the place where he would especially dwell with his people. It was known as the apple of his eye and it should have always been a place of glory, riches and beauty to impress the whole world with the power and glory of God. But instead it had become a shame and a shambles! Similarly, we can take stock of the condition of the American church today, and indeed the body of Christ in much of the rest of the Western world. It is appallingly weakened by sin and worldliness, so that many church buildings are nearly empty of worshippers. Many so called ministries are nearly fruitless of new life in Christ. Many congregations are getting older and in danger of running out of money to stay open.
But Nehemiah acknowledges that this is not God’s fault. He saw the need for spiritual renewal. We know that he was most concerned about Spiritual renewal because of the prayer he prayed next in Nehemiah 1:5-11. “Then I said: “Lord, the God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s family, have committed against you. We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses.
“Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.’
“They are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed by your great strength and your mighty hand. Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man.”
This PRAYER of Nehemiah was repentant. Notice first that he knew who he was talking to, the God of Heaven, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and obey him. He then pleads with this loving God to hear his cry of repentance and sorrow and act according to the loving character that Nehemiah remembers is in his God, and our God. Nehemiah is not just asking God for help to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. He knows that it cannot happen without repentance that acknowledges the truth about why the walls were broken in the first place. Nehemiah knows that God had to allow that destruction of his glorious city because his people had been rebellious.
Even today, religious people, who call themselves Christians, often fail to really follow after God’s own heart and seek to do his will. We fall into our comfort zones and rather than continuing to reach out to new people with warmth and hospitality for where they are and what they are struggling with, we simply assume that they will automatically like whatever we like.
In an earlier version of the Covenant we signed, one pastor had written, truthfully I think, about the sins of the modern church. Quote: “Ministers and Churches in this region of Northern Michigan have gathered together to grieve the waywardness of, not only our nation, but of the heart of Christ’s church. And to dream again, of what God deems not only possible, but probable if we humble ourselves, pray, seek His face, and turn from our wicked, sinful ways.
Like Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Daniel and Isaiah of old, we repent of having moved away from the absolute mission of the Church that Jesus died for, and empowers His followers to carry out, for lesser things. Namely, the pursuing of goals and ends that do not find centrality in the heart of God.
I was having a conversation last week with another bus driver who used to be an airline pilot, who traveled the world. He is not a believer, but we did talk about Christianity and he told me one of the reasons he is not a believer, even though he was raised in the Anglican Church, is because many other non-Christians around the world have this view of Christianity, namely, that it is an easy and cheap and hypocritical religion that teaches that you can do whatever you want, even sin boldly, and as long as you remember to repent before you die, and tell God you’re sorry for your sins, you still get to go to heaven! Now you and I may know in theory that that is not true of our faith.
Nevertheless, I would think you have to admit, as I did, that many so called Christians actually do live that way! But I believe the Lord won’t add new believers to any church that is not concerned about holiness. And I must put in here that we need to remember that holiness is not legalism. It is not about outward behaviors or rules that are imposed upon people so they can prove how holy they are. True holiness is a disposition of love and grace and concern for others that grants them freedom to fail, forgiveness for sin and support for progress. So our godly and holy lives matter. First they prove that we have been saved from sin and truly repent of it. Second, if people who are watching us do not see holiness in us that calls out to them and convicts them of their sins, we will not be able to lead them to Christ. They will feel they are doing just fine without him. And that is exactly how my friend on the bus feels, so far.
Nehemiah, in his prayer, also acknowledges that he remembers how faithful God is to forgive those who repent. That is our only hope, for even if we repent of our sins and waywardness, that in and of itself is not enough to repair the damage we have done to the church. We must turn to God and rely on him for his strength and help. For it was God himself who said, “if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.”
God keeps his promises, and his promise here is that if we repent and keep the faith humbly and obediently, he himself will give the increase, as we saw when we looked at the New Testament church in Acts chapter two, “The Lord added to their number daily.”
Nehemiah sensed the importance of relying on God. Nehemiah recognized that without God his people and his mission would fail. That is why he said, “When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.” Similarly, as we got ready for the call to the wall community worship services many of us fasted and prayed for God’s help. And we will continue in prayer because it is required of God’s people. Nehemiah recognized that with God he and his people would succeed and he also received early signs of that success when he saw that “the gracious hand of my God was on me, the king granted my requests.”
We also need a clear vision of what the Church is supposed to be and do. That’s Church with a capitol “C” because the vision must be clear, not just for each congregation, but for all of them together. That is what is meant by the statement early in the Cadillac Compact Covenant that says, “that the congregations of our communities can no longer work in competition, but must work in cooperation.”
The VISION of Nehemiah was specific. Nehemiah 2:1-10 says, “and I answered the king, “If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my ancestors are buried so that I can rebuild it. 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? And may I have a letter to Asaph, keeper of the royal park, 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?”
He saw exactly what needed to be done, and so must we. Now in our case we are not building a wall and a city of stone. We ourselves are the living stones being built into the holy temple of God. This building is not the church and it never will be a church. Believer don’t go to church. The church gathers in the building, or the field, or the restaurant or the workplace or wherever two or more gather to focus on worship. We are the church. And this congregation happens to occupy this building. But there is only church here when we are here. And on the grander scale, there is really only one Church and there is no building big enough to hold all of us. The Church is the living body of Christ made up of faithful and obedient believers who live their lives to worship God and enjoy him forever so that he can use us to fulfill the great commission. We will be his witnesses to all the earth when we are filled with the Holy Spirit and it shows because we love each other. By this all men will know that we are his disciples, not just in saying we are, but in proving by our lives that it really is so!
That is why all the areas churches have compacted to work together in cooperation and kill the spirit of competition that had kept us divided in the past. Our vision is to celebrate each other’s unique contributions, the various gifts and perspectives we bring to the work we share, that of caring for the needy and by that demonstration of loving concern get an opportunity to making new disciples to raise up in the faith.
Nehemiah seized the opportunity to make a difference, and so must we. Nehemiah had a nice job and personal security, but he laid it all aside to answer God’s call to make a difference for his people. That is the challenge we face as a community of churches. Will we seize the opportunity that God has presented to us to make an eternal difference in the lives of people in our region?
Rather than yearning for the church of the past, we boldly believe that God is up to something new in the present. Therefore, we commit ourselves to the practice of loving our neighbors, believing that this is a part of the way we will be brought into the new thing God is doing with the Church as we prayerfully commit to seeing our culture redeemed.
Won’t you be part of that? I must leave you to it. But I charge you as you carry on in my absence; uphold the cause of Christ by loving your brothers and sisters in other congregations. In keeping with that thought and spirit I hope and pray that I will see many of you with us tonight at the Cry Out America event in the building of the First Baptist Church. Seek peace and pursue it as far as it is humanly possible. Pray for each other in all the congregations and support each other’s work, as you have already seen so many in the community making an effort to support this one by their gift to you a couple of weeks ago. Of course it was not enough and it was just a gesture, but it is telling you that the Christians and other congregations in this city care about you in this congregation. They want to show you their love for you and will continue to offer help and support in hope of a glorious future together! Please do the same for them and all together we will be blessed by God’s good grace and pleasure! Amen.
Selected texts in Nehemiah
The Christian pastors and Community of Cadillac came together to worship the Lord as the united body of Christ during the week of August 7-14. It was called Call to the Wall because of Pastor Will Markham saw in the book of Nehemiah. And as it turns out, he was not the only Christian in these United Sates to turn to Nehemiah for inspiration to lead the church into renewal. One of the results of that great cooperative effort has been a covenantal agreement between the pastors. It reads follows.
Greater Cadillac Nehemiah Compact/Covenant:
Whereas Ministers and Churches in this region of Northern Michigan have so had the God of Heaven put it into our hearts to agree together for the sake of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we have gathered together to join in unity. We acknowledge that the ground below us has shifted. The position the Church once held in honor and which was granted favor by the culture has now significantly diminished. That is seen in the disregard of Sunday as a day of worship, prayer in public schools, along with an understanding that the Church’s work has any sense importance to our society.
And while we realize that the stature that the church once held is often not recognized any longer, we also acknowledge that this new situation means that the congregations of our communities can no longer work in competition, but must work in cooperation.
As such, we the leaders of several of the Greater Cadillac Community of Churches commit to the following:
1. Rather than yearning for the church of the past, we boldly believe that God is up to something new in the present. We commit ourselves to the practice of loving our neighbors, believing that this is a part of the way we will be brought into the new thing God is doing with the Church as we prayerfully commit to seeing our culture redeemed.
2. We commit to working with other congregations in our community in areas of agreement, while at the same time giving space for congregations to make Christ known in their unique way as we partner to be unashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
3. We commit to living lives of truthfulness, integrity, and love so that even those opposed to what the church stands for will have nothing to hold against us.
4. We commit to being a force of good for those in jeopardy of being left behind by our community and world as we find meaningful ways of serving them.
Now, because of all this, we are making an agreement in writing. And on this document are the names of leaders of local congregations who, this day, say “Follow us as we follow Christ!” So says we the undersigned:
The next thing that happened is the development of a four sermon series, in outline form, that each pastor has agreed to give in a series of messages starting today and lasting four weeks to cover the four major points in the covenantal agreement. So today’s message will be the first of a four-part series, a series that I unfortunately will not be able to complete with you. So I do hope and pray that whoever you get for pulpit supply will be able to honor the initiative that is supported by so many pastors in our area for the sake of our unity in Christ and our common mission in his Kingdom.
The first message then is designed to expound upon and inspire us all to heed the first of the four sections of the covenant agreement. Today we are talking about Community Commitment, or each of us making a commitment to care about the entire community of believers. So once again, here is the relevant section.
“Rather than yearning for the church of the past, we boldly believe that God is up to something new in the present. We commit ourselves to the practice of loving our neighbors, believing that this is a part of the way we will be brought into the new thing God is doing with the Church as we prayerfully commit to seeing our culture redeemed.”
In keeping with this commitment, and inspired by the work of Nehemiah, our text for today starts with Nehemiah 1:3-4. “They said to me, “Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.” When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.”
The HEART of Nehemiah was broken. He was dismayed by the extent of the devastation, and the poverty in which the people were living. Jerusalem was called God’s precious jewel, the place where he would especially dwell with his people. It was known as the apple of his eye and it should have always been a place of glory, riches and beauty to impress the whole world with the power and glory of God. But instead it had become a shame and a shambles! Similarly, we can take stock of the condition of the American church today, and indeed the body of Christ in much of the rest of the Western world. It is appallingly weakened by sin and worldliness, so that many church buildings are nearly empty of worshippers. Many so called ministries are nearly fruitless of new life in Christ. Many congregations are getting older and in danger of running out of money to stay open.
But Nehemiah acknowledges that this is not God’s fault. He saw the need for spiritual renewal. We know that he was most concerned about Spiritual renewal because of the prayer he prayed next in Nehemiah 1:5-11. “Then I said: “Lord, the God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s family, have committed against you. We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses.
“Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.’
“They are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed by your great strength and your mighty hand. Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man.”
This PRAYER of Nehemiah was repentant. Notice first that he knew who he was talking to, the God of Heaven, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and obey him. He then pleads with this loving God to hear his cry of repentance and sorrow and act according to the loving character that Nehemiah remembers is in his God, and our God. Nehemiah is not just asking God for help to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. He knows that it cannot happen without repentance that acknowledges the truth about why the walls were broken in the first place. Nehemiah knows that God had to allow that destruction of his glorious city because his people had been rebellious.
Even today, religious people, who call themselves Christians, often fail to really follow after God’s own heart and seek to do his will. We fall into our comfort zones and rather than continuing to reach out to new people with warmth and hospitality for where they are and what they are struggling with, we simply assume that they will automatically like whatever we like.
In an earlier version of the Covenant we signed, one pastor had written, truthfully I think, about the sins of the modern church. Quote: “Ministers and Churches in this region of Northern Michigan have gathered together to grieve the waywardness of, not only our nation, but of the heart of Christ’s church. And to dream again, of what God deems not only possible, but probable if we humble ourselves, pray, seek His face, and turn from our wicked, sinful ways.
Like Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Daniel and Isaiah of old, we repent of having moved away from the absolute mission of the Church that Jesus died for, and empowers His followers to carry out, for lesser things. Namely, the pursuing of goals and ends that do not find centrality in the heart of God.
I was having a conversation last week with another bus driver who used to be an airline pilot, who traveled the world. He is not a believer, but we did talk about Christianity and he told me one of the reasons he is not a believer, even though he was raised in the Anglican Church, is because many other non-Christians around the world have this view of Christianity, namely, that it is an easy and cheap and hypocritical religion that teaches that you can do whatever you want, even sin boldly, and as long as you remember to repent before you die, and tell God you’re sorry for your sins, you still get to go to heaven! Now you and I may know in theory that that is not true of our faith.
Nevertheless, I would think you have to admit, as I did, that many so called Christians actually do live that way! But I believe the Lord won’t add new believers to any church that is not concerned about holiness. And I must put in here that we need to remember that holiness is not legalism. It is not about outward behaviors or rules that are imposed upon people so they can prove how holy they are. True holiness is a disposition of love and grace and concern for others that grants them freedom to fail, forgiveness for sin and support for progress. So our godly and holy lives matter. First they prove that we have been saved from sin and truly repent of it. Second, if people who are watching us do not see holiness in us that calls out to them and convicts them of their sins, we will not be able to lead them to Christ. They will feel they are doing just fine without him. And that is exactly how my friend on the bus feels, so far.
Nehemiah, in his prayer, also acknowledges that he remembers how faithful God is to forgive those who repent. That is our only hope, for even if we repent of our sins and waywardness, that in and of itself is not enough to repair the damage we have done to the church. We must turn to God and rely on him for his strength and help. For it was God himself who said, “if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.”
God keeps his promises, and his promise here is that if we repent and keep the faith humbly and obediently, he himself will give the increase, as we saw when we looked at the New Testament church in Acts chapter two, “The Lord added to their number daily.”
Nehemiah sensed the importance of relying on God. Nehemiah recognized that without God his people and his mission would fail. That is why he said, “When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.” Similarly, as we got ready for the call to the wall community worship services many of us fasted and prayed for God’s help. And we will continue in prayer because it is required of God’s people. Nehemiah recognized that with God he and his people would succeed and he also received early signs of that success when he saw that “the gracious hand of my God was on me, the king granted my requests.”
We also need a clear vision of what the Church is supposed to be and do. That’s Church with a capitol “C” because the vision must be clear, not just for each congregation, but for all of them together. That is what is meant by the statement early in the Cadillac Compact Covenant that says, “that the congregations of our communities can no longer work in competition, but must work in cooperation.”
The VISION of Nehemiah was specific. Nehemiah 2:1-10 says, “and I answered the king, “If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my ancestors are buried so that I can rebuild it. 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? And may I have a letter to Asaph, keeper of the royal park, 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?”
He saw exactly what needed to be done, and so must we. Now in our case we are not building a wall and a city of stone. We ourselves are the living stones being built into the holy temple of God. This building is not the church and it never will be a church. Believer don’t go to church. The church gathers in the building, or the field, or the restaurant or the workplace or wherever two or more gather to focus on worship. We are the church. And this congregation happens to occupy this building. But there is only church here when we are here. And on the grander scale, there is really only one Church and there is no building big enough to hold all of us. The Church is the living body of Christ made up of faithful and obedient believers who live their lives to worship God and enjoy him forever so that he can use us to fulfill the great commission. We will be his witnesses to all the earth when we are filled with the Holy Spirit and it shows because we love each other. By this all men will know that we are his disciples, not just in saying we are, but in proving by our lives that it really is so!
That is why all the areas churches have compacted to work together in cooperation and kill the spirit of competition that had kept us divided in the past. Our vision is to celebrate each other’s unique contributions, the various gifts and perspectives we bring to the work we share, that of caring for the needy and by that demonstration of loving concern get an opportunity to making new disciples to raise up in the faith.
Nehemiah seized the opportunity to make a difference, and so must we. Nehemiah had a nice job and personal security, but he laid it all aside to answer God’s call to make a difference for his people. That is the challenge we face as a community of churches. Will we seize the opportunity that God has presented to us to make an eternal difference in the lives of people in our region?
Rather than yearning for the church of the past, we boldly believe that God is up to something new in the present. Therefore, we commit ourselves to the practice of loving our neighbors, believing that this is a part of the way we will be brought into the new thing God is doing with the Church as we prayerfully commit to seeing our culture redeemed.
Won’t you be part of that? I must leave you to it. But I charge you as you carry on in my absence; uphold the cause of Christ by loving your brothers and sisters in other congregations. In keeping with that thought and spirit I hope and pray that I will see many of you with us tonight at the Cry Out America event in the building of the First Baptist Church. Seek peace and pursue it as far as it is humanly possible. Pray for each other in all the congregations and support each other’s work, as you have already seen so many in the community making an effort to support this one by their gift to you a couple of weeks ago. Of course it was not enough and it was just a gesture, but it is telling you that the Christians and other congregations in this city care about you in this congregation. They want to show you their love for you and will continue to offer help and support in hope of a glorious future together! Please do the same for them and all together we will be blessed by God’s good grace and pleasure! Amen.
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