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,"
Just Make it Simple
This episode focuses on the singular objective that should consume every believer: doing the will of God. This is what should occur in salvation according to 1 Peter 4:1-2, in which Christians identify with what Christ has done for them at Calvary, and then proceed to "arm" themselves with the same purpose, which is "to live for the will of God." Application of this simple but profound description of the Christian life would inoculate believers from unnecessary heartaches and wasted time, as we constantly look to Christ as the model. We arm ourselves with the purpose of Christ when we align our will with the Father's, echoing "I have come to do Your will" (Christ's words in Heb. 10:9) Very critically, believers are called not to live for the lusts of MEN, suggesting that believers don't just practice self-denial with respect to their own lusts, but they also refuse to cooperate with other people's self-centered desires.