the Nehemiah Challenge

Pastor Nathan has been taking us on a journey through Nehemiah. I don't know about you, but personally I have been convicted and encouraged. There have been several things that have “stuck out” to me that I have never really known about Nehemiah. First, no matter what he was doing, he prayed. He prayed and sought God's face before making any decisions. There was a time in Chapter 1 that he fasted and prayed. I know that in my own life I get caught up in making decisions and then pray and ask God “Did I make the right decision?” It should be right the opposite. We should all pray and seek God's face first and then we will know that we are making the right decisions. Secondly, Nehemiah and the people of Jerusalem displayed joy and excitement over building the wall even though there was opposition. The opposition came in the form of Sanballet and Tobiah. Chapter 4 discusses how they arose to the opposition and were ready. Nehemiah's distractions came in many different ways. How do your distractions come? I know that I can relate to Nathan when he speaks of the endless chatter that comes around us. The enemy tries to distract and take us down so that we are not following God's leading. Lastly, Nehemiah was a leader. He arose to the challenge that was set before him and rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem. He worked along side his neighbors and friends. He led them to a place no one else had. He showed them how to be a leader by example. What does a leader look like to you? Has God asked you to lead? Have you accepted His call?

My challenge to you is this: I want you to find one area of Nehemiah's life whether it is prayer, joy during opposition, leadership or something that has spoken to you and truly practice it. My personal challenge is going to be a time of prayer and fasting. There are some specific requests that I will be taking to God. I will be participating in a modified Daniel fast for 7 days. I encourage you to share your thoughts. I want to know if you will accept this challenge.

Dondra

Upcoming Events and Dates

I wanted to remind each of you about some dates coming up.

April 4th: Easter Sunday- We ask that you make every effort to be here for this important day. If you are a teacher that works on a rotation and you know you are going to be here, we would welcome some help on this Sunday. It would be great to have extra greeters, people to walk visitors to and from classrooms, and extra teachers. Please let me know if you are available to help out. After each service, we will be having an Easter egg hunt and a time for you to have a family picture made.

April 11th: Training for Teachers Birth thru 4 years old- this is our make-up training from February. We will be offering it at 8:15 am or 11:30 am. It will be about 25-30 minutes long. A light breakfast will be served. Please rsvp to Dondra as to when you are coming.

May 1st & 2nd- Family Weekend- We will be having Little Sprouts and Alliance Christian Academy's dinner theatre and auction on Saturday. Our family day service will be on that Sunday. This event will be like last year, one service under the big tent. If you know that you are available to work that Sunday, we would appreciate you letting us know as soon as possible. We will need alot of help on this weekend.

June 5th- Teacher Training for Kindergarten thru 5th grade

June 21st-25th Vacation Bible School


We appreciate each of you and your willingness to serve. May God bless you.

Growing in Christ

As teachers, ministers, and parents we have witnessed the below scenario.

A baby, a child, that is very "needy." He is crying. He is whining. He is unconsolable. He wants your undivided attention and will do anything he can to get it. You are trying. You are frustrated. You want him to understand that he will be okay. As you are helping him you remember that he is just a baby, a child and really does not know any better. Fast forward until he is an adult. He is poised. He is good-looking. He is educated. When you are around him, he is silly. He acts stupid. He is an adult but acts like a child. He is immature. He knows better. As we look at these scenarios, it is easy to complain about each one. Think about it on a spiritual level. Think about how God views us as Christians. Are we babies? Not really knowing any better? or are we the adult acting like a child in Christ?

I want to look at two different scriptures this week. The first is Ephesians 4:14-16. It says " We will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by the wind of teaching and by the cunning and crafitness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ." The second passage is Matthew 22:37-39. It says " Jesus replied, Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is this...love you neighbor as yourself."

I want to focus on the scripture in Matthew. The first commandment is to love God. How do we love God? We love God by having a personal relationship with Him. We love God by reading His Word and remembering it. We love God by praying. The second commandment is to love our neighbor. To love others. How do we love others? We love others through service. We can serve by teaching kids their Bible lesson on Sundays, we serve by volunteering at our child's school, we serve by offering dinner to a friend. The main thing to notice is that neither one of these can be done without the other. We can not love others without loving God first. We can not love God without loving others. When we are growing into maturity with Christ, we will be doing both. We will be loving God. We will be loving others.

What does this look like to you? Are you growing into full maturity in Christ?