I did read the Book of Nehemiah during my time away. And I was blessed by things that I had either overlooked or sensed for the very first time in this re-reading. I recommend you read a chapter a day of this great biblical book on re-building. It's the story after a loss, to reassess the state of things and to make corrections or recommendations about where one finds oneself or in this case where the nation found itself. It was broken down. In the first chapter when Nehi (my nickname for the writer; hey, it's easier than typing the whole name!) asks about how the Jewish remnant in Jerusalem was doing, this was the report, "They...are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire." This made Nehi weep and pray a prayer for God to help lead him to what needed to be done.
The result was not so much the structure as it was the spirit. The people found themselves alienated from God and the structure reflected that. Last night at an Intro meeting at one of my churches, I felt a wonderful spirit as I always do with these kind folk, and as they talked and shared about what they do as a church I discovered, their structure is blessed because their spirit is right with God. They do for others. They sponsor youth going into Teen Challenge to get their lives straightened out in a spiritual manner. They organized and help feed the people with a food pantry. They raise good money to share with our mission home in San Antonio. They know to give and God has given to them. The know how to love and they are loved. They said things I wish I heard more churches say. To the new pastor, "We are the church, you are our leader; if we need to change, we'll change!" (What??) I usually hear the opposite, usually not at first, but later when the church complains about the new direction the pastor is trying to share with them. And the usually hateful, "We were here before you got here, and we'll be here after you leave..." Structure vs. Spirit. Didn't someone say you reap what you sow? Nehi says when we seek God and know God, true rebuilding will begin in our spirit and then that will bless and transform our structure.
