Reach This City: Life Change is Contagious

Nehemiah 7:5-73

Recap:

Nehemiah chapter 7 verses 5 through 73 contains a lengthy list of names. Over 42,000 people are accounted for within this list. These are the people who returned to Jerusalem after its rebuilding. They showed up on the scene to help re-institute the worship of God within the city of God's people. It is clear that this list is the result of some godly men and women who lead their families well during 141 years of displacement. Even though they were scattered from their city and without a temple, they faithfully taught their children the scriptures and instilled in them the worship of God. This training trickled down from generation to generation such that Nehemiah ended up with some 42,000 people on the core team for his new church plant in the city of Jerusalem. This list of faith followers of God is the legacy left by the men and women who poured into their lives and cultivated them spiritually.

Questions:

-The things you do and the things you choose not do shape your family and set a trajectory for their future. Are you living your life today in light of the reality that your decisions will affect your future and the future of you family? Will you watch netflix or spend time with the kids? Will you play another round of golf or will you engage your wife spiritually?

-The primary responsibility for biblical training within the home falls on the man. Men are you doing this well both in content and in action? Can you honestly say I lead my family in a Gospel-centered direction, I talk about Jesus regularly with my kids and wife, and my actions in the home support my speech?

-Woman, the primary responsibility of spiritual leadership is placed on the man, but do not think that means this text has nothing to do with you. Below are three things to discuss specifically for woman (and the men should here this discussion!). One point to be considered for single woman desiring a man, one point for woman in dating relationships considering marriage, one point for married woman with husbands who aren't leading well, and one point for single mothers who now bear the full responsibility of leadership in the home.

1. Some of you ladies are single and want a man. DO NOT settle for a man who displays passive tendencies, laziness, and never seems to have a great deal to say about his relationship with Jesus. If he seems passive in some areas it's a matter of time before he'll be passive regarding you. If he seem lazy it's a matter of time before he becomes lazy regarding you. If he doesn't appear to be in intense pursuit of Jesus personally he will not push you toward Jesus with any intensity.

2. Some of you ladies are dating a guy. Does he talk about Jesus often? Do you see him teaching/telling others about Jesus regularly? Has he been morally upright in your relationship? Can you see him reading the Bible to your future kids in the living room and modeling the truths he reads in your home? If the answer to these questions is no, end the relationship now.

3. Some of you ladies are married to a guy who is a poor spiritual leader. That's frustrating and exhausting, but your marriage is a covenant not a contract, so don't give up. You can call the honorable man out of your husband and help him become the leader you want him to be. This is done not by brow beating or belittling but by edifying. Pray for him daily, love him sacrificially, and find ways to compliment his spiritual leadership. These things will make him want to be better! Some of you say, "How can I compliment his spiritual leadership if he is doing a poor job?" Look for any possible positive and celebrate it. Does he at least pray before a meal, does he at least take the family to church regularly, does he have a Bible in the house? Celebrate these things. Thank him for praying before meals and showing you and the kids what it looks like to be grateful to God for the things He provides, thank him for getting up on Sundays and taking the family to church, thank him for keeping God's Word in your home...let him know that you notice these things and you find them attractive...what's celebrated is duplicated. Lift him up and celebrate the things that he is doing right, this will push him toward growth and maturity because he'll realize his wife is his biggest fan (perhaps you should even tell him that)!   

4. Some of you ladies have been married and for one reason or another that marriage dissolved. If there are kids in the picture this probably left you with primary custody of the kids making you the primary spiritual leader in their lives. Let me encourage you. You've got an incredible opportunity to leave your legacy with your kids! Live in such a way that when you're gone your children might speak of you as a woman of God, a woman sacrificed for their well being, a woman who taught them the Bible and modeled its teaching. Leave your mark with your kids and let be a mark of which you're proud.  

-Teens, some of you have great parents who teach you the Bible, take you to church, and model the Gospel. Are you honoring them and following the path they've laid out?