Introduction

Good morning. Let us summarise the Book of Nehemiah. What did Nehemiah accomplish? Was it effective? Not really! But I resonate strongly with Nehemiah; his actions were, in effect, a training ground for himself.

Nehemiah led the Israelites in rebuilding the city walls. After twelve years of labour, he took a brief leave, only to see it all fall apart. What was he doing with such a wretched group of Israelites? He was training himself! This foreshadowed that the Israelites would suffer more sins, endure more hardships, and incur more of God's wrath.

Some might say Nehemiah's work was "a lonely endeavour," but it was not! If we trace the Bible from Genesis onwards, we find that the main narrative thread chronicles those who pleased God. Those who displeased God are mentioned only occasionally, serving as mere foils to the righteous. Thus, they are largely ignored and unrecorded. The Bible primarily records those who pleased God.

Nehemiah's writing of the Book of Nehemiah gives us a profound understanding of human nature, teaching us to emulate people like Nehemiah and avoid those who provoke God's wrath. Let me tell you, if God's wrath is already manifest upon those who provoke Him, just watch! They will eventually "fall apart."

I do not understand why some people insist on being those who provoke God's wrath. Why can't they emulate Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, David, and Samuel? Why must they become like the Israelites who incurred God's wrath?

What did the Israelites become after all their struggles? They were all returnees from captivity. They sang Lamentations during their captivity, and even now, the Israelites often sing Lamentations, but to no avail. They never learn their lesson, which is truly regrettable!

Finally, Nehemiah did one thing: he prayed to God, "Remember me, O my God, and show me mercy." Therefore, the summary theme of the Book of Nehemiah is "My God, remember me, and show me mercy." Do you want to be someone who pleases God, someone whom God remembers? Someone whose name is written in His book of life? If you want to be such a person, follow me and learn from Nehemiah.

Nehemiah: A Man Zealous and Passionate for God's House

Nehemiah was a man zealous and passionate for God's house. This was recorded in the Bible long ago. Nehemiah deeply understood that to receive God's grace, one must live a God-centered life. Nehemiah not only desired to live a God-centered life himself but also wanted to lead the Israelites into a blessed era.

In the royal palace, Nehemiah had plenty to eat and drink, and he was doing very well. His career was progressing smoothly, and he had been a likeable person since childhood. Just as Emperor Kangxi saw his grandson Qianlong and thought, "This child looks bright and speaks well," Emperor Kangxi was overjoyed. Qianlong was his favourite grandson, and he later became Emperor Qianlong.

Similarly, Nehemiah was pleasing in God's eyes from a young age, just as Qianlong was in Kangxi's eyes. Otherwise, how could Nehemiah have become the cupbearer? He was a foreigner, not even of Persian descent, yet the Persian Empire chose Nehemiah, a Jew, to be the cupbearer. The cupbearer was the emperor's most trusted confidant, which was extraordinary! Why? Because Nehemiah had many special qualities from a young age.

Of course, you might say, "I am not Nehemiah. When I compare myself to Nehemiah, I feel distressed. I am pressured by Nehemiah." Why do you always have the habit of feeling pressured? I repeat, everything is learned. If you have the habit of feeling pressured, that is terrible, and your life will be somewhat tragic.

Nehemiah learned everything from a young age. Was he born knowing how to speak? No. Where did he learn to speak? He learned it. So, he spoke as others spoke, and he acted as others acted.

Why was Nehemiah zealous for God's house? Because he deeply knew how wonderful it is to live a God-centered life! Because Nehemiah received this kind of education from a young age. He learned it. God's word said so, so he did it, and he found it was good. Later, the results proved it was truly good!

Unlike some fools who say, "I don't believe in God." I ask, "What do you believe in?" They say, "I believe in myself." But the more they believe, the more misfortune they encounter. It is impossible for things to go well! Brothers and sisters, if you have the root of cancer or a major illness, you must be careful. Why? Because your starting point is very low. People like Nehemiah do not have major illnesses, nor did Abraham, Isaac, or Jacob.

Abraham grew old and died peacefully on his last day. Jacob grew old, but he did not undergo chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or any of those torturous treatments. He did not suffer those pains! So, those with the root of major illnesses must be careful because your starting point is not Nehemiah's starting point. You have many innate tendencies that provoke God's wrath.

After learning, Nehemiah found it was good, and good things happened to him! Like everyone attending the same primary school, then the same secondary school, and later, some went to prestigious universities. Of course, fewer people advance as they go higher, but good things happened to Nehemiah.

Why? Because Nehemiah deeply understood the importance of being God-centered, being zealous for God's house, and being passionate. Do you think he suddenly became zealous for God's house after becoming the cupbearer? No! He constantly inquired about the situation in Jerusalem. Whenever someone came, he would ask, "How is Jerusalem?"

He regretted it when he was young, thinking, "Alas, I have not grown up yet. If only I were Zerubbabel! I could lead the Israelites back to rebuild the temple, build the walls, and restore a God-centered life." But he missed that opportunity. He also missed the opportunity to rebuild the walls with Ezra. Finally, he could do something.

Actually, God does not focus too much on rebuilding the temple. Later, the walls were destroyed, and not one stone was left upon another. But through building the walls, Nehemiah was trained, and he became a model of pleasing God in that era.

Sometimes I advise everyone, "Live a God-centered life," but few listen! Like cancer patients, the root of discerning good and evil is already very deep, and they are also careless, indulging in the flesh, and unwilling to live a God-centered life.

Every time I lead cancer patients in prayer, I lead them to study God's word, but they seem to understand and yet not understand. I lead them to pray and declare, "I will live a God-centered life." They repeat after me, but nothing changes in their hearts. They have already suffered so much, why don't they change?

Brothers and sisters, if you have not yet contracted these major illnesses, after hearing me, you must truly know that repentance is the most wonderful choice in life. Does shouting slogans have any effect? Yes! It will lead to symptoms of release, and the condition will improve.

I deeply lament that I can lead people to shout slogans and pray, but I cannot change people's hearts or destinies. Later, I accepted my fate. God created the universe and all things. Before creation, in eternity, He chose these people. Do you want to be one of the chosen ones? I think it is a worthwhile decision, but some people always feel they are at a disadvantage.

Nehemiah: A Man of Prayer

Do not think that Nehemiah prayed little. He prayed a lot, but the Bible does not record much of it. We only see him working. When Nehemiah saw the desolate state of the walls and the church, and the oppression and plunder of God's people by foreigners, he was truly anxious and prayed.

He prayed, "God, I am willing to leave the palace and go to that 'godforsaken' Jerusalem to lead the Israelites in rebuilding the walls and restoring a God-centered life." He prayed many times, and the opportunity came. He appeared sad before the king. If the king had said, "Why do you look sad? If you are not happy coming to work, get out!" That would have been fatal! His head would have been removed!

However, the king was happy. Do you think God cannot control the king's heart? God can! If he were usually a frivolous person, and he showed sadness, the king would become angry, and he would not know what to do! He would truly be told to "go play!" But Nehemiah prayed a lot. Remember, Nehemiah was a person who loved to pray!

He was like this from a young age. He did not think prayer was a waste of time. Like Daniel, he opened the windows in his house, facing Jerusalem, and lifted his hands towards God's temple to pray. That is why he had such a good career. Without the support of prayer, he would have been a failure.

If everyone cannot pray actively on their own and only prays passively, with me reciting scriptures and you listening, it is useless and will eventually be a problem. How can that be living a God-centered life? Your mind is full of daily affairs, and you call it "God's will." Do you think prayer is useless? No, wonderful things are happening!

We have a brother who is quite interesting. He is not necessarily smart, and his IQ is still not high! Later, many of his businesses failed. Once, he was trading stocks in Hong Kong, and one day, he met us through a drinking buddy. Then, his stock trading was like having a cheat code. Everything he bought made a profit.

This drinking buddy introduced him to believe in the Lord. Interestingly, after he came to believe, he prayed a lot. Later, he also had a heart to serve, although his serving skills were not very good, but he had the heart and put in a lot of effort. Although he was not a "great Nehemiah," he was a "small Nehemiah," and he was blessed.

So, I tell you, everything depends on the opportunity at the time. If a person experiences wonderful things and beautiful accomplishments every day, what is happening? It is because the person loves to live a God-centered life. So, praying absentmindedly is useless. The key is to have that heart.

Nehemiah went to Jerusalem to build the walls and immediately encountered the "local bullies." Let me tell you, if you kick a local bully, you are amazing! How ruthless are local bullies? Even if the emperor sends an imperial envoy to that place, they have to give way to the local bullies because you cannot defeat them. Why? Like you are driving a car and everything is fine, but you don't know when you will have an accident. That is how powerful the local bullies are!

Nehemiah went to Jerusalem to build the walls. Think about how challenging this work was! A group of wretched Israelites could not build the walls for decades. What could they do? They would rent out the temple and mix with the local bullies. Everyone was involved in organized crime, from the high priest to the lesser priests. So, this was not easy work, but Nehemiah went to "wade through this muddy water."

Nehemiah: A Man of Courage

You cannot do this work without courage. It is impossible without being strong. Zerubbabel returned but could not accomplish what Nehemiah did. So, in Nehemiah's time, he continued the work, about seventy or eighty years apart. I admire Nehemiah in my heart. I do not have that kind of courage.

Nehemiah went up and started confronting the local bullies, leading a group of people who were "secretly colluding" with the local bullies. There were external enemies and internal traitors. How could this work be done? A group of "good-for-nothings," wretched Israelites. So, could Nehemiah have done this work if he were not courageous?

When Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem, he thought, "God, I should go back!" It was a fierce battle! If he were not courageous, would he have retreated? But God was with him. So, if you are a person who is zealous for God's house, you cannot fail.

Remember, a person who is willing to be zealous for God's house and passionate for God's house is someone who can accomplish anything! The local bullies cannot defeat God. We come into this world to defeat the local bullies, to fight against the devil. No matter how powerful the devil is, he is not as powerful as our God!

Our God can lead the Israelites out of Egypt. They were unarmed, yet they could defeat the most powerful army in the world. That is our God! Our God is amazing! So, I tell you, a person who lives a God-centered life and loves to pray does not shortchange himself.

We must trample the devil, our enemy, and be strong! Without strength, we cannot serve others, especially when facing such powerful adversaries. I do not now engage in discerning good and evil with those I serve, for they are gravely ill, and discerning good and evil, finding fault, has become a habit.

I must tell you, each and every one of you, prepare yourselves for future service, or why wade into such murky waters? Discerning good and evil and indulging the flesh have become ingrained habits for them; their immediate reaction is always that way. Therefore, you might inadvertently offend them, and if they engage you in discerning good and evil, and you reciprocate, you cannot win this battle.

Of course, I know what I am here to do; I am here to build God's glorious church, not merely to heal the sick and cast out demons. I truly do not care who dies, whether in this way or that; nor do I care if I die in this way or that. So, do you think I would worry about the death of others? I will not be anxious for a patient, but I will be anxious for the house of God.

Listen carefully again, everyone. Building the church means bringing God's people into God's Kingdom, into the church, to become builders of the church. Therefore, our vision and mission are to perfect those who love God. If you are not one of them, you will not understand what I am doing, but I see clearly what you are doing. Therefore, the church only treasures the valuable.

You must never show excessive kindness or righteousness, or have too much fleshly compassion. Do you understand? Be someone whom God remembers, and never bring rubbish into the church. Although we serve them as we would serve God, without complaint or regret, we must not confuse the matter, for it is not we who need them.

Many people now think that by believing in the Lord with me, they are doing me a favor. These Christians have turned the salvation of Jesus Christ into cheap trash. They think that believing in the Lord with me is a great favor to me, but I do not value such a thing. I only want treasures. When I cast a net, I gather the good into vessels and discard the bad.

In fact, I tell you, Nehemiah's building of the temple was not a futile effort; it ultimately accomplished one thing: God's remembrance. For Nehemiah was truly a treasure in God's eyes! Nehemiah did not take the things of this life seriously. What is this life worth? Therefore, be strong. If you are not afraid of death, what else should you fear? Why should I fear local bullies? If I am not afraid of death, am I afraid of offending local bullies by building the wall?

Nehemiah Was a Man Who Knew the Word of God

Nehemiah read the Pentateuch from childhood. I imagine that later, when he became a cupbearer and had money, he must have hand-copied a copy of the Pentateuch. We do not know how much he copied, but his understanding of God's Word was extraordinary. If he did not have an understanding of God's Word, how could he have done this work?

Nehemiah arranged for Ezra to lead the Israelites in reading God's Word. This was wisdom in management. In fact, Nehemiah's understanding of God's Word was deeper than that of many others; he understood God's Word better than Ezra. Who was Ezra, Nehemiah's contemporary? He was the forefather of the Pharisees.

Do you know where the Pharisees came from? They came from Ezra. But Nehemiah was not the forefather of the Pharisees; he was pleasing to God, a very remarkable man. Let us talk about his remarkable qualities.

Nehemiah Was a Man of Great Engineering Ability

Everyone should consider this: engineering ability is a basic quality of a person. To live, one must possess a certain level of engineering ability. If you do not have engineering ability, that is terrible. I am an engineer, but I am not boasting.

An engineer has a set of engineering thinking, and you will surely be able to accomplish things. If you do not have this way of thinking, your work is often disorganized and unreliable. I lament that people do not like to put in effort, but in fact, engineering ability is not difficult.

Yesterday, I was discussing with a pastor how to serve a sister. I said to train her engineering thinking. Why? Because engineering thinking is the thinking that gets things done! Write it down, everyone. If you do not have engineering thinking, it is difficult to accomplish things; you are likely to make a mess of things.

Our God is a God who accomplishes things, "and it was so." There are no unfinished projects in God's hands. Those who trust in God, those who are anxious for the house of God, also have no unfinished projects; they will surely be able to accomplish them! No matter how desolate the era, they can still accomplish them.

Therefore, I have a big difference from pastors of other backgrounds: I have engineering thinking. In the past few years, I have not had a single project that was left unfinished. As long as I want to do it, I will definitely accomplish it.

Engineering thinking includes planning ability, implementation management, project management, human resource management, and management of various resources. Therefore, you will find that Nehemiah, David, and Moses were all very good at drawing diagrams and describing things clearly.

So, when Nehemiah looked at the wall, models and plans immediately came to his mind, and then he arranged things properly. Therefore, building the wall was an engineering project, a project, and project management is the most basic management ability of a person.

Huawei has some interesting descriptions. It says, "Those who cannot be company commanders cannot be generals." What is a company commander? It is someone who can handle a project, leading troops in battle at the forefront. That is a company commander. A general commands from behind, so if you cannot be a company commander, how can you be a general? Generals all climb up from company commanders.

And sometimes generals have to be sent out to be company commanders. For example, if the battle in a certain place is too intense or too difficult, a general must be sent to manage the project, a senior executive must be sent to manage the project. This is not looking down on you; it is crucial. So, Nehemiah's engineering ability was particularly remarkable, and we all have to practice in this area. If you study literature, your ability in this area is very poor.

One of our sisters is a language teacher. Her house was quite dilapidated. She took advantage of the holiday to renovate her house. Who trained her? I trained her, and I am quite proud that a language teacher can do renovations.

When she renovated, she did not look for a designer or a contractor, because she was the designer and contractor herself. Then she hired hourly workers. Hourly workers are great; they cost four hundred yuan a day, and they do whatever you tell them to do. As a result, after the whole project was completed, the renovation was very satisfactory.

She has grown so fast that she is equivalent to being a company commander, and she will be qualified to be a general in the future. If you cannot even be a company commander, how can you be a general? She has done the whole project, from design, implementation, and planning. Originally, she was just a language teacher. Does everyone want to be Nehemiah a little bit?

The key is saving money, which touches everyone's core interests. If you hire someone to do it, it would cost at least seventy or eighty thousand, but she only spent more than twenty thousand, less than thirty thousand, to do it herself. Do you understand? Does everyone know what it means to hire hourly workers? You must have engineering ability, and this will become a very important training project for future small pastors.

Nehemiah Was a Man of Management Wisdom

Do you know how Nehemiah managed? Nehemiah even worked while eating. Why did he slaughter cattle and sheep and have a feast every ten days? In fact, it was not a feast; it was everyone eating the beef and mutton he provided. At that time, Nehemiah was doing people's ideological work, he was doing management work, and he was arranging the entire development strategy of Jerusalem. He was very remarkable.

Nehemiah was able to make a covenant with God. Do you think he was just making a covenant with God? Does God really need that? No, he thought about it and came up with a set of wisdom, and then everyone signed it enthusiastically. As a result, even those who were embarrassed could only sign. So, a sense of ritual is a kind of wisdom.

Someone said, "Teacher, why do we not have a sense of ritual?" In fact, I canceled it because we are not at that level. Why would I do that? In the early days, our sense of ritual was very strong. I designed "baptism certificates," and after baptism, we issued "baptism certificates." That was very ritualistic. Does everyone understand now? You have to think about this.

Nehemiah's management wisdom, making a covenant with God, was playing with emotional value. Everyone was enthusiastic, tearful, and emotionally excited. As for when they went home, lay in bed, slowly calmed down, and then found that it was "pure nonsense," why? Because their values had not changed, but at that time, Nehemiah needed this sense of ritual very much.

If everyone was like Nehemiah, with the same heart, the same vision, the same Mingding Doctrine, and anxious for the house of God, that would be wisdom. For example, the complaints of the poor, the problems of the rich, and then Nehemiah solved many problems, which were full of wisdom. So, if you read the Book of Nehemiah and sort it out in the way I have described, it will be very clear.

Nehemiah Was a Man Who Confessed and Repented

Someone said, "Nehemiah is very good, what sins does he have to confess?" I tell you, Nehemiah had an overall concept, confessing and repenting for his ancestors and the Israelites of that generation. So, he was not doing it for himself, but for the entire nation, which is not the breadth of mind of ordinary people.

God does not care much about an individual; God cares about a whole. Therefore, our church should still confess and repent together. We are too far from the image of Jesus Christ. If we still think we are good, then we are completely ruined. I tell you, repentance is a lifelong lesson.

Nehemiah Was a Man Who Got Things Done

Nehemiah was able to get things done. He repaired the wall in fifty-two days, and then began to restore a God-centered life. He got things done. As for whether people's hearts changed? In fact, that is not important; it is OK if their hearts do not change. But I tell you, a person must get things done.

One day, I shared with someone, "A person must be joyful, he must be someone who gets things done." For example, if you build a company, and later the company not only goes bankrupt, but also owes a lot of money, who would be happy? Or if you build a building, and later the building is left unfinished, would you be happy? I do not believe you would be happy.

Whether you agree or not, it is difficult for a person who cannot get things done to be a happy person. But some people think that the process of doing things is important. In fact, it is not; the result of doing things is important. If you develop the habit of not being able to get things done, when you are old, you will be a failure.

Everyone should know that pastoring a person who is a failure is a very difficult thing. If a person is in their forties, fifties, or sixties and is still a failure, they will only sponge off their parents. Such people are difficult to pastor; you really do not know what to do. If a person is in their twenties and is a failure, they can still be trained; if they are in their thirties and are a failure, there is still a chance to correct them. If they are old, you cannot correct them; if you try to correct them, they will feel they have lost face.

Once, I was sending someone to the airport, and I treated him to a meal at the airport. He said to me, "Oh, Pastor Liu, I actually have many good friends. We play cards together, and we only lose eight or nine hundred a day, not much." I am definitely an amateur when it comes to this, but that is all he can do, he cannot do anything else. I ask you, how painful must this person be in his heart? Very painful!

Never believe that a person who cannot get things done will still be very joyful. Why? Because people see him as dog feces, and he sees himself as dog feces. Would he be comfortable? He would not be comfortable. Nehemiah got things done, while others made a mess of everything. I tell you, they will suffer from "unfinished project-itis" for the rest of their lives, which is very painful.

If you are a person who loves God, love God well, and you will definitely be able to get things done. If you always cannot get things done, how can you be a person who loves God? I say this may stimulate some brothers and sisters. Some people cannot even sweep the floor clean, what can you do? But they still want people to honor them! With your abilities, why should people honor you? They want to be honored, but they have nothing worthy of honor. This person is very twisted in their heart. Everyone, learn slowly!

This is the person whom God remembers. Nehemiah said, "Remember me, my God, and show me favor." This is a cry from the heart, because what he did was too difficult, the water he waded through was too muddy, and the people he encountered were too rotten and too bad. It was very hard.

Brothers and sisters, I wish you could become Nehemiah. Do not learn from those Israelites. I was thinking that some churches have many people, but they are all rotten. What can you do? If I were to be the pastor there, I could not manage it. So, from the beginning, I screened people well, because good people have fewer problems.

Our pastors and small pastors should know that we are building the body of Jesus Christ, and we cannot put rubbish into the body of Jesus Christ, or we will be unlucky. May God remember us and show us favor. Amen! I summarize this chapter in this way. Do you all feel that it is talking about these things?

We will share this much this time. May God bless everyone!

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