Can you see beyond the Walls?

David Shannon

Do you think Nehemiah would have been honored to be remembered as the leader who built the wall? No doubt this was important, but surely it wasn't his highest priority. In the last sentence of the book he says; "Remember me, O my God, for good!" It is so easy for us to look upon facilities and other physical things as the end, instead of a means to the end. As we read through the book it is obvious the wall was needed to protect the nation against her enemies. If God's city was going to be strong, it needed to be fortified. Once they were safe, the emphasis was put upon the reading of God's Law (ch 8). He served the people as their governor without requiring the people to provide for him as previous governors had demanded (ch 5). He dealt boldly as they married foreign wives who worshiped other gods. He reminded them of the sin Solomon committed by taking pagan wives (ch 13). Isn't it interesting when we think of Nehemiah we think of a wall which took him only 52 days to build. He spent years giving of his life and means to help Israel. He loved the Lord, the Law, and purity, but we tend to see only the wall. To really appreciate him, see beyond the wall.
As we move forward with the plans to build another educational wing, I plead with you to see beyond the walls. See: We have many souls who need a classroom to learn God's word. We literally fill every classroom in our building on Sunday mornings. We even have a class that meets in the office area and others have been walking to the 2040 building and the Senior Citizens building. The next adult baptized into Christ will most likely have made contact with us by first visiting. We must ask ourselves, "Is it important for us to reach more souls?" Presently we cannot reach many more--we are full! See the Future: The walls we build now will hopefully be used for decades as a facility to teach God's living word. We aren't just making a place for hundreds, but literally thousands, perhaps tens of thousands will pass through these walls to hear God's words. See the Responsibility: The future generations can't build it. If we wait, it will be too late. The past generations can't build. If it is to be built, we must be the ones to do it! Nehemiah observed a successful construction job because "the people had a mind to work" (Neh 4:6). Our goal for giving on November 9th has been set for $125,000 toward this building. Let us see beyond the walls. Let us see the souls, the future, and our responsibility...not equal gifts, but equal sacrifice.

With God We Can
Let us rise up and build
Nehemiah 2:18

November 2, 2008



Can you see beyond the Walls? by David Shannon Do you think Nehemiah would have been honored to be remembered as the leader who built the wall? No doubt this was important, but surely it wasn't his highest priority. In the last sentence of the book he says; "Remember me, O my God, for good!" It is so easy for us to look upon facilities and other physical things as the end, instead of a means to the end. As we read through the book it is obvious the wall was needed to protect the nation against her enemies. If God's city was going to be strong, it needed to be fortified. Once they were safe, the emphasis was put upon the reading of God's Law (ch 8). He served the people as their governor without requiring the people to provide for him as previous governors had demanded (ch 5). He dealt boldly as they married foreign wives who worshiped other gods. He reminded them of the sin Solomon committed by taking pagan wives (ch 13). Isn't it interesting when we think of Nehemiah we think of a wall which took him only 52 days to build. He spent years giving of his life and means to help Israel. He loved the Lord, the Law, and purity, but we tend to see only the wall. To really appreciate him, see beyond the wall. As we move forward with the plans to build another educational wing, I plead with you to see beyond the walls. See: We have many souls who need a classroom to learn God's word. We literally fill every classroom in our building on Sunday mornings. We even have a class that meets in the office area and others have been walking to the 2040 building and the Senior Citizens building. The next adult baptized into Christ will most likely have made contact with us by first visiting. We must ask ourselves, "Is it important for us to reach more souls?" Presently we cannot reach many more--we are full! See the Future: The walls we build now will hopefully be used for decades as a facility to teach God's living word. We aren't just making a place for hundreds, but literally thousands, perhaps tens of thousands will pass through these walls to hear God's words. See the Responsibility: The future generations can't build it. If we wait, it will be too late. The past generations can't build. If it is to be built, we must be the ones to do it! Nehemiah observed a successful construction job because "the people had a mind to work" (Neh 4:6). Our goal for giving on November 9th has been set for $125,000 toward this building. Let us see beyond the walls. Let us see the souls, the future, and our responsibility...not equal gifts, but equal sacrifice. With God We Can Let us rise up and build Nehemiah 2:18 November 2, 2008	Mt. Juliet Church of Christ 1940 N. Mt. Juliet Road P.O.Box 248 Mt.Juliet, TN 37122-0248 (615)758-2274 Fax:615-754-2351 Email Worship Services: Sunday Early Worship: 8AM Sunday Bible Study: 9:15AM Sunday Late Worship: 10:15AM Night Worship: 6PM Wednesday Bible Study: 7PM