This episode applies the "half-and-half" strategy of Nehemiah to the body of Christ, in which, on the one hand, we're called to actively work in ministry, but on the other, we protect the progress we've made up to that point. All of Nehemiah's men participated in building the wall, but carried swords while they were building. Every Christian should work in ministry in some capacity, while adopting a defensive posture to protect what the Holy Spirit has done. Interestingly, the primary adversary of the Christian is not the "evil" out there, but his own residual sympathies towards evil, in which casting down thoughts, imaginations and strongholds is the responsibility of every Christian when dealing with himself. This defensive posture is absolutely necessary when actively working to build up the body of Christ.
