13/06/2026
One Team Serving One God
Book of Nehemiah; Ephesians 4:1-6, 15-16
Ptr Silvano Iligan
For our 17th church anniversary, Ptr Iligan reminded us about being united in serving God. The Lord Jesus Christ has saved us by grace through faith and called us to serve Him, together with other believers – as part of one body. Teamwork is essential in doing the work. We can see that God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit displayed teamwork. Jesus also did not do the ministry alone; He called His disciples to go with Him, further reminding us that we are not meant to be alone in our Christian walk.
In the book of Nehemiah, the wall of Jerusalem was still broken down. Nehemiah worked in the palace as cupbearer of the king, and he could have stayed there comfortably. But when he knew the situation in Jerusalem, he saw the need to have the walls rebuilt.
Nehemiah acknowledged it was a tough and great work, but in his burden and despair, he PRAYED. Prayer is important in our Christian life; it helps us to grow in humility and faith that only God has the power to accomplish what our strength cannot. Prayer is also important in the church in maintaining unity; hence, we should not neglect our prayer meeting. Nehemiah also mourned, for he knew that the Israelites had sinned against God and they must face the consequences of their actions, so he also led the Israelites, as a nation, to repent of their sins and pray to the living God.
The rebuilding did not happen without opposition – both from inside and outside of their land. In our churches today, we also face the same challenges. There are no perfect churches, perfect pastors and perfect members. Sometimes, disagreements are inevitable, but they should not lead us to fight against another and divide the body. This should be an opportunity to trust in God's wisdom, and allow the Holy Spirit to help us grow spiritually mature in being Christlike.
The wall was finished in 52 days, and they did not credit the success to anyone but God – it was by God's help that they were able to do the work together as a team.
God has given every believer unique gifts for ministry. As we serve the Lord together in unity, we grow stronger and more spiritually mature in Christ.
