As our week of prayer comes to an end, we want to celebrate together and demonstrate what it means to be a people who belong.
Jesus spent much of his time sharing a meal with people from all walks of life.
Lk 19: 1-10 Jesus invited himself to Zacchaeus’ house, a tax collector
Lk 10: 38-42 A woman named Martha opened her home to Jesus
Lk 7: 36-50 A Pharisee invited Jesus to have dinner with him
There are many more stories in gospels like this.
Sharing meals creates a space for people to feel loved and accepted, heard and connected. We can encounter God and one another and demonstrate hospitality in a tangible way.
As we begin our journey together, creating a community of people who belong, let’s celebrate the end of our prayer journey around a table and share a meal together.
My Prayer Response:
Ask God to show you who you can invite to the table
Ask God to show you who to pray with
Ask God to make you a listening presence for someone
Paul the Apostle, writing to the church at Phillipi, encouraged them to continue growing in Christlikeness through every season of their lives. He uses the image of an athlete in a race:
Philippians 3:13-15 (NIV)
But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
We are all running our own spiritual long-distance race and it’s important that we regularly reflect on where we’ve been and where we are going.
First, reflect on your own personal journey of following Jesus. Our stories are all unique because each one of us is unique, bearing the image of God.
His Goodness
His Faithfulness
My Gratitude
My Worship
My Service
And then transition to this past week and the themes of our devotions and prayers.
What do they mean for our personal lives and the race we are running?
What do they mean for us individual as we find ourselves in a community of people – His church?
What do they mean for us as a community as we live out our lives together?
What’s your next step? Bring your brick.
Identify distractions. Don’t stop walking.
Clarify your focus. Build a people who belong.
Participate with people. Live your legacy through a Kingdom community.
Pray to the promise keeper. Surrender your life to God’s sovereignty.
What we prioritise in our lives is expressed through our practical living.
This means our vision needs to move from our hearts and toward our hands where we can work toward achieving measurable goals.
Nehemiah’s vision of a secure and thriving community was expressed through his practical act of rebuilding the city walls together with God’s people. So, how can we express the priority of building a people who belong in a practical way?
By building a space in which God can work with us so that we become a more connected community of people who belong, just as the restored walls of Jerusalem created a safe space in which the Israelites could belong and thrive for generations.
This is our wall of Jerusalem to rebuild in this season of our journey together, and it will involve partnering in the work together with our time, talents and treasure.
In Philippians 1:3-8 (AMP) Paul the apostle thanks the church for their “participation and partnership [both your comforting fellowship and gracious contributions] in [advancing] the good news”
The word partnership here is a Greek word, koinonia, often translated ‘fellowship’. It means a sharing in something, participating in something divine and eternal.
This partnership could be seen through the way the Israelites rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem together.
Nehemiah 3:1-4 (NIV) describes people partnering when,
Eliashib the high priest and his fellow priests went to work and rebuilt the Sheep Gate.
The men of Jericho built the adjoining section,
Zakkur son of Imri built next to them.
The Fish Gate was rebuilt by the sons of Hassenaah.
Meremoth, repaired the next section.
Next to him Meshullam, made repairs, and next to him
Zadok also made repairs.
If you and I were to partner in building together, what next step could I take? The answer is: bring your brick! That’s how the Israelites did it in alignment with their vision.
Like Eliashib, Hananel and Zadok each contributed to rebuilding the walls as we read earlier in Nehemiah 3, so too you and I bring our brick to contribute to building the space God has given us a vision for. And that brick is represented by your financial contribution over and above your tithe toward achieving the total sum of R300 000 to complete the work.
My prayer response:
Ask God to guide you in preparing your contribution toward building the walls as a partner in Southside Church.
Pray for our miracle offering services on Sunday the 4th of May and Gods provision of more than we could ask or imagine in resources.
Acknowledge that all provision comes from God and surrender your trust to Him for the areas in your life in which you need provision.
My daily practice:
Adopt an attitude of gratitude.
As you go through your day recognize the many blessings Gods given you that you may usually overlook. Think about your job, or your health.
As you come to the end of your day pray back to God with gratitude for the many blessings you recognized he bestows upon your life.
Gratitude makes what we have enough and helps us see Gods provision in our personal lives. “I am blessed to be a blessing.” (Genesis.12:2)
Because I am blessed, I can bring my brick in being a blessing to others.
An area of focus is about where God is inviting us to participate as a body with Him as He builds His church now. Just as a builder would focus on certain areas of a structure in completing it, so too does God call us to areas of focus in His work of building the church in certain seasons.
At one point in Jesus’ mission, for example, he called his disciples to specifically focus on evangelism in Luke 10:1-2. That was a specific area of focus for a specific time in Jesus preparation of his people.
We believe that God has called us, in this season of our journey as a church to a specific focus.
We believe that focus is – building a people who belong. Belonging to God’s Kingdom and His church means we are fully known, fully loved, and never alone. It’s an identity, a mission, and a family.
AND
Where we belong, we are able to build and live out a life which leaves a legacy.
It was in their belonging as God’s people that the Israelites, working under Nehemiah’s vision, rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem together, leaving a legacy for others. And their legacy protected the “belonging” of future generations.
My personal legacy is lived out through the kingdom community I belong to.
“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.”
Helen Keller
Consider the significance of belonging to a church community and how important it is in your personal life and the legacy you will leave for others. Consider how Jesus described the father’s embrace of the prodigal son in belonging (Luke.15: 11 – 28), even when he had been so rebellious and sinful. Are we allowing ourselves to belong within our church community and are we building safe spaces for prodigal sons and daughters to “come home” because our focus is building a people who belong.
My Prayer Response:
Share with God your gratitude for belonging to Him as His child in His Kingdom.
Confess to your Heavenly Father the things that make you feel unworthy of belonging to Him.
Ask God to help you to accept your belonging and live from His love and not for His approval.
Ask God to help you in building a people who belong with your church community and commit yourself to Him in this journey.
My daily practice:
As someone who belongs to Gods kingdom and is part of our church, think about an individual in our congregation you appreciate.
Pray for them and then send them a message sharing your appreciation for them and encouraging them with a scripture verse or kind words.
Recognize that you are part of something precious.
Remember that your legacy is lived out through this kingdom community you are part of.
