A Movement is Like a Tide

NEHEMIAH 1

Nehemiah, an exiled Israelite, became a trusted official in the Persian Kingdom, eventually serving in the king’s palace in Susa the capital city of Persia. A close advisor to the king, he was in charge of food supply and security. This involved making sure that food served to the king was sufficient, not contaminated or even poisoned by enemies. Nehemiah had regular close contact with King Artaxerxes.

The world had crushed Israel (the church) as a movement, and people like Nehemiah were living (just hanging on) by their personal faith in God. This is the problem that the church in New Zealand faces. The church has taken on board so much world culture, that it has lost its distinctiveness. God has progressively withdrawn his blessing so as not to have his name associated with such compromise.

What is left is a remnant of believers. Genuine Christians tend to live as individuals following their personal faith in God, rather than as part of a movement which advances against the strongholds that hold people captive to sin and death. As we look into Nehemiah’s response to his situation, we must examine our situation and look for the parallels. Look and learn how God stirred Nehemiah into a movement and pray that God will do a similar thing with us.

A movement is not just an organisation. A movement is like a tide. People who share an idea or belief begin to shift in a new direction. A current is created and more and more people are drawn to accept the core idea. Communism is an example of a movement which in the early 20th century tapped into the frustration of ordinary people who felt oppressed by the rich. Then when it failed, capitalism and democracy moved the people to revolt against communism.

The church is the movement above all movements because it is GOD’s movement - the ideas at its centre are the Word of God and the energy that drives it is the Spirit of God.

The church embodies God’s movement in the world. His purpose is to reveal to all who love him the full extent of his glory. He teaches humankind about his grace and rescues people in rebellion against him, so they can experience his grace and experience his glory forever.

It is not enough to be a lone Christian with beliefs. Christ works through his Church, the ultimate movement. We must learn how to be carried forward together by him and work with him to gather more and more people into the current of his will. To be outside his movement is to be in the downward drifting current that carries people over a cataract of judgement.

Therefore, the first lesson from Nehemiah’s experience: Don’t accept the church the way it is.

Get involved in a Spirit-directed movement. See a bigger thing than your own personal journey. Find out about Christ’s strategy for the church and how it moves and gathers men and woman in each generation and in each place.