Nehemiah’s heart grieved for the brokenness of Jerusalem (Nehemiah 1:4-11). In response to the cry of his heart, the Lord put a desire in Nehemiah to rebuild the ruins of Jerusalem. Nehemiah’s passion to undertake the restoration and reformation of his city motivates us to do the same today.
While Durham is blessed by God is many ways and we do know His favor, many evidences of ruin and the effects of sin still remain: poverty, violence, addiction, crime, injustice, homelessness, gangs, family breakdown, division, strife, perversion, broken relationships, fear, isolation, hopelessness, and lives lived separated from God’s ways and His purposes. The Lord’s heart is that our city would be restored and that none should perish. We believe that Nehemiah’s model for city reformation can be simplified into three key components: Connect, Pray, Serve.
Connect - God gives us two job descriptions in Isaiah 58:12: “Repairer of Broken Walls” and “Restorer of Streets with Dwellings. Those working with Nehemiah to rebuild Jerusalem, chose a place near their house to rebuild the wall and gates of their city. This is our work! We must CONNECT with our city and “find our place on the wall” of Durham. BlessDurham provides you an opportunity to “explore the walls” of Durham and connect with the things that interest you and your household. Here are some ways to connect to Durham.
Pray - While Nehemiah and the people were rebuilding the city, the enemies of the Kingdom of God noticed and decided to resist God’s work and the advance of His Kingdom. Nehemiah had to use wisdom and discernment to respond to the taunts, intimidation and subterfuge of those enemies who did not want to see Jerusalem rebuilt. God’s people had to work with a weapon in one hand at all times (Neh. 4:13-23).
Today, God’s enemies are still very real but our weapons are spiritual (2 Cor. 10:4). We must PRAY! We must pray to defend and protect God’s restoration work in our places on “the wall”. Nehemiah wrote, “Our God will fight for us!” (Neh. 4:20). Jesus promised that “the gates of hell shall not prevail against [His] church”, which includes His church in Durham (Matt. 16:18). BlessDurham gives you some oppertunties to connect with our city through the power of prayer. Here are some ways you can pray for Durham.
Serve - The people of Jerusalem came together to give their time, talents, energy, and tools to rebuild their part of the wall. Not only are we “living stones…being built into a spiritual house” by God (1 Pet. 2:5), but we have each been given natural and spiritual gifts with which to serve God and His city: “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Eph. 2:10).
Ultimately, our Lord gave us the greatest example of how we are to SERVE in John 13, where He washed the disciples’ feet. He was willing to do even the most lowly of tasks to minister to the needs of others. BlessDurham seeks to provide many connection points for you to use your gifts and talents to meet both spiritual and practical needs in the city. Find places where you can serve the people of Durham with your particular skill set today!
