This episode mostly addresses the hesitancy of many believers to engage in ministry based on a sense of unworthiness. Of course, none of us are "worthy" in and of ourselves, but we have been made worthy through the imputed righteousness of Christ. Yet even when believers have a proper understanding of the basis of righteousness, if they don't engage in ministry, the sense of unworthiness is more pronounced since sin issues are the primary focus. The answer to this skewed perspective is the half-and-half approach where believers do ministry while they address issues of sin. Interestingly, ministry itself often unlocks the grace of God, the grace to do ministry through our weaknesses.
Motivated For Ministry and Sanctification
This episode spells out the positive synergistic effect of the half-and-half approach of Nehemiah applied to the NT Body of Christ. Believers are called to actively work in ministry, while aggressively confronting their own sinful sympathies. This synergistic approach maximizes ministry and victory over sin. A life centered on ministry chokes out sin opportunities. On the flip side, an aggressive warfare posture against our own sin (2 Cor. 10:3-4) humbles us and makes us more effective in reaching others for Christ. This episode highlights a balanced Christian life , in which Christians are active ministers in the army of the Lord while they themselves aggressively undo the power of sin with the help of the Body.
Salvation, More than an Individual Affair
This episode addresses the hesitancy of many in engaging the rest of the body of Christ concerning personal issues with sin. Many refuse to make themselves accountable to others because of a faulty individualistic view of salvation: salvation is mostly about forgiveness of sins but is not about service to the living God. (Heb. 9:14) A natural bi-product of this incomplete understanding of salvation is a failure to see the collective impact of personal sin on the rest of the Body. For if salvation is singularly about the forgiveness of sins, without embracing a ministry dimension, then personal struggles with sin are minimized since the FAILURE to do ministry, working collectively with other, is not really a concern. People isolate and battle sin individually without aid from the rest of the Body because their basic understanding of salvation is flawed. Sanctification and ministry are collective efforts and mirror the holistic Biblical view of salvation.
Don’t Let Your Gifting Lead to a Sifting
This is a follow up episode addressing the half-and-half strategy of Nehemiah, in which builders are called to carry a sword while they build. In like manner, believers in the body of Christ should actively engage in ministry but also adopt a defensive posture against their own residual evil. But the struggle against the flesh should never be waged alone. Just as the trumpeter along the wall of Nehemiah alerted other builders to come to "hot spots" on the wall, so every believer should avail himself of the assistance of other Christians in their struggles with sin. The alternative strategy of maverick Christianity, where builders struggle against sin alone, is often based on presumptuous self-confidence and leads to a "sifting." A half-and-half strategy is ultimately more effective in building the kingdom.
Build the Wall and Bring Your Sword
This episode provides a realistic picture of ministry based on Nehemiah 4:16-23. Opposition to the rebuilding of the wall of Jerusalem necessitated that half defended while the other half worked. This strategy is carried over into the New Testament where believers are called to aggressively seize the kingdom while putting on the whole armor of God (Luke 16:16, Eph. 6:10-17). While all believers are transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of Christ (Col. 1:13), we are nevertheless all under construction, where the Holy Spirit progressively drives out our remaining sympathies with the evil one. This suggests that a balanced approach to ministry is preserving what God has already done while He directs us to build and expand His kingdom. And the local body of Christ, where "every joint supplies,"
Your Calling and the Local Church
This episode is a realistic primer on encountering opposition when doing ministry. The presumption so far has been that most opposition comes from unbelievers outside of the church. But Christ's own description of the visible church indicates that both wheat and tare would congregate together. Together with carnal believers, ministers of the gospel should expect opposition and resistance from both groups, who naturally voice their opinions based on the degree of carnality in which they operate. All the lessons of Nehemiah still apply: whether doing ministry in the church or outside, Christians are called to remain focused on executing their tasks based on God's vision for their lives, not dwelling on the discouraging comments of the unspiritual.