Having a Heart to Build the Church and being Properly Aggressive for God’s Interest

We need to have a heart to build the church and be properly aggressive for God’s interest on the earth.

Nehemiah was a pattern of one who had a dispensational value to God, for he was properly aggressive and had a heart to build the city of God so that the interests of God may be protected; we need to be such ones today.

If you read the book of Nehemiah you will be very impressed with this person, Nehemiah, who was serving as the cup-bearer before the king, but he had a heart for God’s people and for the city of God.

Nehemiah heard from one of the fellow Jews who returned from Jerusalem that the city and the people of Israel who returned to the good land were in a bad state.

The wall was torn down, and it was consumed by fire. Nehemiah’s response was to pray, sit down, and weep before the Lord; he mourned for some days, and he fasted and prayed. Then, He prayed according to the word of God.

He prayed the word of God and His promise to Him, reminding Him that, even though the people have left Him for idols and He disciplined them by allowing them to be in captivity, He now needs to remember His word to Moses.

Yes, God has scattered His people among many nations, but if they repent and return, He will gather them.

What an aggressive person he was.

He reminded God that, if His people repent and keep His commandments, which Nehemiah and many others did, God would bring them back from any place they are scattered unto, and He will cause His name to dwell among them in the place chosen by Him.

After Nehemiah prayed in this way, he was serving the cup of wine to the king, and the king asked him, Why are you sad? This must be a sadness of the heart.

Nehemiah was never sad in the presence of the king, and the king was surprised to see Nehemiah sad.

He had an important function there, being the cup-bearer, even risking his life for the king, and he was always happy.

But now, he was sad in his heart, for he heard the news concerning the situation of the people and the city of God in Jerusalem.

So Nehemiah prayed and answered the king, telling him that the city of his parents, where his ancestors’ graves are, is torn down, and the wall is burned with fire.

So the king asked him, what do you want to do, what are you asking? Wow.

God gave Nehemiah favour in the eyes of the king, and the king gave Nehemiah everything that he asked.

Nehemiah was a person who was properly aggressive and had a heart to build the house of God and the city of God.

He is a pattern of one who, in spite of the desolate and degraded situation around him, was an overcomer whom God could use to turn the age.

He contacted God and was one with God, and he was in a constant fellowship with God, inquiring of Him, bringing everything before Him in prayer, and asking Him and receiving answers from Him.

May the Lord show us the pattern of Nehemiah and may we learn to follow such a pattern in spirit, being one with the Lord to be aggressive in a proper way and to have a heart to build up the church as the house of God and the kingdom of God for the Lord to return and bring in His kingdom on the earth.

Having a Heart to Build the Church as the City and the House of God

Even though the people of Israel were taken into captivity for seventy years, and even though it seems that outwardly not much was possible for God to have a house and a kingdom, God still had a dispensational move. He had Nehemiah. Nehemiah was a true overcomer.

He was serving a foreign king, but in his heart, he was preparing to go back to Jerusalem, for he had a heart to build the city of God and the house of God.

Because God gained a person such as Nehemiah, He could make a dispensational move.

In the book of Ezra, we see the history of the return of Israel’s captivity and the rebuilding of the house of God as the initiation of God’s recovery among His elect for His testimony on the earth, according to God’s economy.

In the book of Nehemiah, we see the history of the rebuilding of the wall of the city of Jerusalem, the city of God on earth, as a continual recovery among His chosen ones for His testimony, for the accomplishment of His economy.

In Nehemiah, we see that the city of Jerusalem had to be built, for this city was a safeguard and a protection for the house of God.

The house of God was in the city of Jerusalem, but the walls of the city were torn down and burned by fire.

There was the need for the rebuilding not only of the temple as the house of God but even more, of the wall of the city for the protection and safeguarding of God’s house.

The church today must be built not only as the house of God for His satisfaction and our dwelling together in peace and joy but also as the kingdom of God, the city of God, for the safeguarding and protection of God’s interests on the earth.

There’s the need for the recovery of the degraded church, and there’s the need for the recovery of the church as the kingdom of God.

We need to be those who see God’s need and have a heart to build the church as the house of God and as the city of God.

The rebuilding of the temple as the house of God is a type of God’s recovery of the building up of the church as the house of God.

The rebuilding of the wall of the city of Jerusalem is a type of God’s recovery of the building up of the church as the kingdom of God.

The church as the house of God needs the kingdom of God to safeguard the house and to carry out God’s eternal economy (Matt. 16:18-19).

In Neh. 2:17-20 we see something concerning the rebuilding of the wall of Jerusalem.

The enemies of the children of Israel, the Moabites and Ammonites, despised the children of Israel and mocked them, asking them if they are rebelling against the king by rebuilding the wall of the city.

But Nehemiah told them, The God of heaven Himself will make us prosper; therefore we His servants will rise up and build.

But you have no portion nor right nor memorial in Jerusalem.

So all the people had a heart to build, and they worked to build the wall, joining it together to half of its height (4:4-6).

Today we may be mocked and despised, but we should still have a heart to build.

We need to come to the Lord again and again so that the zeal of His house would be infused into us.

We need to come together with the saints and enjoy the Lord to catch the divine fire and have a burden for the building up of the church as the house of God.

May we all have a heart to build up the church as the house of God and as the kingdom of God so that He may have a way to bring in His kingdom on earth.

May we not look at the opposition or the mocking from others, but look to the Lord and stand with Him and with one another for the building up of the church.

And may we bring our hearts with our desires, inclinations, purposes and decisions to the Lord, always checking with Him and asking Him to infuse us with what He is so that our heart may become a duplication of His heart.

We need to be honest with the Lord and ask Him,

Lord Jesus, make our heart a duplication of Your heart. You desire to obtain the church as the house of God and as the kingdom of God. Amen, Lord, grant us to have a heart to build the church today. May Your desire become our desire. May we be one with You to put all things aside so that Your church may be built up. Amen, Lord, may we cooperate with You to build the church as the dwelling place of God, the temple of God, and also as the kingdom of God! May Your kingdom come! May there be the solid wall around the church so that the interests of God may be safeguarded and protected! Amen, Lord, make us those who have a heart to build up the church today for You to gain Your house and Your kingdom on the earth!

Learning from Nehemiah to be Properly Aggressive for the Building up of the Church

The people of Israel had a heart to build up the wall of the city so that the house of God may be protected and safeguarded.

Even more, Nehemiah was a person who was properly aggressive for the Lord’s interest.

He risked his life and his job when he served the king with an unhappy heart, and later he risked everything by asking the king to let him go and rebuild the wall of the city.

Furthermore, when he was in Jerusalem, Nehemiah had a proper aggressiveness in regard to the rebuilding of the wall and the purification of the people. He was not passive.

Rather, as he realized that the enemies are mocking him and getting ready to attack the people of Israel, he trusted in God and was also ready to fight.

He was not cowardly when mocking, persecution, and attacks came; rather, he trusted in God and fought for God’s people.

Therefore, God was on his side, and the building work continued until it was finished.

Some may say that God will help us, so there’s no need to do anything; these are like cowards, waiting passively for God to help them while they don’t do anything. Oh, Lord.

In a very real sense, God will help those who help themselves. God will help and give help to those who are properly aggressive for the Lord’s interest.

This can be seen throughout the centuries in the lives of so many brothers and sisters.

Some saints were raised up and stirred up by God, and they were properly aggressive for Him; therefore, He helped them and was with them, giving them favour and taking them on with Him.

Some others volunteered to the Lord, and He also helped them.

Some were in a high position, and some were common people. But they all had something in common: they didn’t just wait passively for God to do something for them.

Rather, they were aggressive for the Lord and had a heart to build the church as the house and kingdom of God.

If we want to be used by God for His interest and purpose today, we need to be properly aggressive for the Lord’s interest.

If we look at history, Martin Luther was not just one who saw something concerning justification by faith, but also someone who was aggressive for this truth, fighting for the truth.

Therefore, God helped him, and he brought in a great recovery to the Body of Christ.

Similarly, brothers Watchman Nee and Witness Lee saw so many things in the word of God and were not passive concerning these.

They spoke and ministered and wrote, and we as the Body of Christ enjoy the great benefit of their ministry.

Nehemiah was an aggressive person; he was properly aggressive for God, and sometimes he even did some things that were a bit radical, but his heart was for the Lord and His interest.

Nehemiah had a heart to build and was also properly aggressive for the Lord’s interest and for the burden that the Lord gave him.

We need to learn from him and be properly aggressive today for the burden that the Lord has given us, the building up of the church as the Body of Christ and the kingdom of God.

May we not be cowardly but rather, be burning in spirit; God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but of power and of love and of sober-mindedness.

When we exercise our spirit and live in spirit, we are filled with zeal for the house of God, we have a heart to build the church, and we are properly aggressive.

Lord Jesus, infuse us with the zeal for Your house. Grant us to be properly aggressive for the building up of the church as the house and the kingdom of God. Amen, Lord, thank You for our spirit! Hallelujah, our spirit is not of cowardice but of power and of love and of sober-mindedness! Lord, we turn to our spirit. We want to live in spirit. We want to serve in spirit. We want to do everything in the mingled spirit. Infuse us with what You are and make us properly aggressive for the building up of the church. Make us properly aggressive for being purified from anything that does not match God. Lord, we are here for You and for the building up of Your house. We are here for Your kingdom. May Your kingdom come and Your will be done!

References and Hymns on this Topic

• Inspiration for this article/sharing comes from the Word of God, the enjoyment in the ministry, a sharing by Ed Marks in the message for this week, and portions from, Life-study of Nehemiah, msg. 1 (by Witness Lee), as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Crystallization-study of 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther (2022 winter training), week 7, entitled, Nehemiah – a Pattern of One who has Dispensational Value to God.
• Hymns on this topic:
  – This is the time for building the temple of the Lord / That all the local churches may fully be restored. / ’Tis not the time for our house while God’s house lieth waste— / O brothers, for God’s building, rise up, make haste! / Be strong, be strong, God’s dwelling place to build! / The Lord of hosts is with us, with His glory ’twill be filled! / Be strong, be strong, and work in one accord, / That all the nations may behold the temple of the Lord. (Hymns #1254 stanza 1 and chorus)
  – O Lord, against these days, / Inspire some for Your building, / Just as in David’s day— / A remnant who are willing / To come and work in Your house, / Oh, what a blessed charge! / Your heart’s desire, is our desire— / We come, O Lord, to build. / Within those whom You’d call / Put such a restless caring / For building to give all— / These times are for preparing; / The gates of hell cannot prevail / Against the builded Church! / The hours are few, the builders too— / Lord, build, O build in us! (Hymns #1248 stanzas 3-4)
  – May Thy rich grace impart / Strength to my fainting heart, / My zeal inspire; / As Thou hast died for me, / Oh, may my love to Thee / Pure, warm, and changeless be, / A living fire. (Hymns #429 stanza 2)