06/24/2018
I’m finally finishing up a book I’ve been at for years! Here’s a taste:
“Focusing on the wrong thing will affect how we see people. In Nehemiah chapter 4, the people of God had a vision and a purpose in rebuilding the wall in Jerusalem. Just like today, God was restoring the dignity, authority and glory of his people. But something went wrong. Something stopped the work from going forward. Nehemiah 4 says, “The strength of the laborers is giving out, and there is so much rubble that we cannot rebuild the wall.” They became tired and discouraged when the rubble became their focus. I believe that these burnt and dislocated stones could easily represent the ‘unchurched’ Christians today; people who once held a place in the community and household of faith. Their security, identity and belonging were disrupted by some manner of crisis, and we find them scattered, disjointed and discouraged. Instead of seeing these burnt stones as building material, they saw only the baggage, and in turn saw them as a hindrance to God’s plan. How often do we reject the building materials that God himself has sent to us for the building of his house? Yes, they are burnt. Yes they are dislocated and often bitter at how they have been discarded, but God wants to restore them and their place in the body of Christ. This is a perfect example of misdirected focus which has proven to be the root of the apathy and rejection involved in an orphan mentality. Maybe you are one of the growing number of people who have been hurt by the church. Surely you don’t want to make your camp there and build an altar of remembrance to your pain.”
