Reach this City: We Need You!

Nehemiah 3:1-32

1. In verses 1-32 we saw an array of different kinds of people all working together to reach their city. We saw white collar people working next to blue collar people. The socioeconomic identifiers that typically drive societal association were broken down for sake of the God's mission in the city. Why is this important and how can our church break away from the inclination to surround ourselves with those who look and act like us?

2. We talked about the 20/80 rule of involvement that is at work in our church. How did this strike you and what do you think keeps people from participating?

3. We saw in verse 14 that some of the city leaders repaired by the Dung Gate (sewage and trash dump). What does this verse reveal about the attitude we should have when serving our city?

4. Verse 5 says that some of the nobles refused to stoop to serve their Lord. None of us wants to be remembered like these guys, but stooping to serve doesn't come naturally to us. What kind of steps can we take in our personal lives to cultivate humility that allows us to "stoop" in the way that we serve?

Shut it down:

-What did this text teach you about God?

-What did this text teach you about yourself?

-What are you going to do about it?

Summary:

*Head- It's going to take more than support of Jesus' mission to reach this city. It will require participation in Gospel activity.

*Heart-Evaluate whether or not your participation in Gospel activity has been 1. Stellar 2. In need of improvement 3. Non-existent

*Hands- Get involved in an rGroup, sign up for Big Serve, and participate in Gospel activity (involvement in neutral spaces cultivating relationships with those far from Jesus for the sake of making disciples).