By pastorbillwalden
“As long as nobody gets hurt” presumes that those mutually participating in something know the entire future of their own or another’s life. 
How can we possibly know the future, and jeopardize it for the moment? We can’t possibly be sure that current actions won’t bring future hurt. Better to trust God than your own logic, IMO.
By pastorbillwalden
God has blessed our church with a new video system, and we can now do some very nice video broadcasts of our worship gatherings. Here is a link to our 2011 Father’s Day gathering. Thanks to our great staff of video and audio engineers. 
http://vimeo.com/25476074
By pastorbillwalden
In Nehemiah 5, there was strife among God’s people. The Haves and the HaveNots were in opposition.
There was a famine in those days. It wasn’t anyone’s fault. It just happened. It happened as the people of Jerusalem were rebuilding the walls around the city. The famine came, and the work stopped.
There was enough money to go around, but the Havenots apparently hadn’t planned for the future, so they ran out of money quickly. They had to sell their lands to the Haves in order to buy food. They borrowed money from the Haves, who charged them high interest. They even sent their kids into forced servitude, and handed them over to the Haves. Though the kids were now slaves, at least they would be fed.
Money problems stopped the work of God. The building of the wall ceased for a time. The Havenots were vulnerable. Apparently, they had not handled money well. We can’t be sure, but they did not have the resources to endure the famine. And so they were backed into a very ugly corner, selling their lands, borrowing money at high interest, and selling their kids.
We can presume that the Haves knew how to handle money. They were ready to buy land from their desperate brethren. They knew how to lend and charge high interest. They even knew how to acquire new slaves from desperate neighbors.
One group seemingly didn’t handle money well.
The other group handled it too well.
With both groups, the mishandling of money caused the work to stop, and left them ALL vulnerable to attack.
The wall wasn’t yet finished.
Nehemiah got mad, and rebuked them, and told them to give back the lands, the money, and the interest.
He told them that they did not fear God.
That was the root of the problem.
Wisely, the Haves complied with Nehemiah’s rebuke, and returned assets to the Havenots.
The work of God continued…eventually.
But mishandling of money from both groups caused God’s work to stop.
Are you held back from God’s work because of money?
Have you mishandled it, and had to borrow, and are now highly indebted to the lenders?
Or have you become an expert with money, even to the point of taking advantage of those in need?
We all need to take a lesson from Nehemiah 5.
Fear God, handle money well, and keep the work of God going.
Editor’s note- there are many good resources available for learning how to handle money. Dave Ramsey offers good resources, and there are other resources out there. Take to time to learn how to manage your money, and use it for God’s kingdom.
By pastorbillwalden
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By pastorbillwalden
Nehemiah 4:14 “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, great and awesome, and fight for your brethren, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses”.
God is sovereign, but man is responsible. As far as I know, no one ever accidentally ends up in heaven. There is a fight that must be fought. There was a fight that was fought to make it possible.
The people of Jerusalem had grown accustomed to the walls being torn down and lying in rubble. Decades had passed, and they had done nothing to remedy the situation. They lived in distress and reproach, but that was the new normal for them. Shame, embarrassment, stress and danger was what they settled for. They were a disheartened people.
God gave Nehemiah a burden for the people, and for the glory of the City where God dwelt. He labored in prayer, and then he labored with his hands. He inspired the people to live the way that God wanted for them. He moved them to change. They had a newfound “mind to work”. 
The enemies of God and His people were quick to attack verbally, with threats and mocking. Nehemiah countered with prayer and exhortation to the people. He told them to fight and build. They wore swords as they worked. They were inspired to do something that they had neglected for decades. They were discovering who they were in God.
Dear Christian: Is there anybody you are willing to fight for? Will you fight for them in prayer and fasting? Will you deny yourself pleasure and entertainment and even rest in order to bring the truth, hope, and love of God to them? Will you visit them, wait for them, pay for them, drive them, help them, listen to them, serve them, again and again?
Will you fight for children that are going in the wrong direction? Will you fight for your marriage, and for your spouse Will you fight for your neighbors, your community, your city, your extended family?
Will you fight for people with addictions? Will you fight for those who are self destructive? Will you spend and be spent for others? (2 Corinthians 12:15)
Does the sphere of your existence start and stop at your front door, or do you have eyes and a heart beyond your own personal world? Do you simultaneously enjoy the blessings of life, but always carry a holy burden for people, or do you avoid any “heaviness” of life, and leave people to fight for themselves?
If you know Jesus today, there was probably someone that fought for you, prayed for you when you didn’t care, thought of you when you were confused and lost, and yearned for you when you were selfish and lived only for yourself. Someone prayed you into God’s kingdom, longed for you, spoke to you, waited for you. Someone gave of themselves so that you would have ears to hear the invitation of Jesus.
Dear Christian: Be a Nehemiah. Fight for the souls and well being of others, and then inspire others to fight as well.
Why is it that you think we are here?
