LET US RISE UP & BUILD

Hey Church LET US RISE UP & BUILD. #B120

When was the last time you prayed and cried for Chennai?

LET US - OWNERSHIP
Let us take the ownership of vision and needs.
Don't become numb to the need.
Ownership is the driving force for a miracle.
Sometimes it takes a foreigner to inspire the locals to do something about their city. Don't wait for a foreigner to do the work that you're supposed to do.
The body of Christ was not called to abdicate but to take ownership.

US - UNITY
When the vision comes, you gotta fight for it. You're not just fighting for yourself. You are fighting for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.
There's a unity, there's blessing.
Their house divided against itself cannot stand.
Unity equals vision over preference.
Rather than bringing problems, you have to bring solutions. It's vision over preference.
We are the people who build up not tear down.

RISE UP - BELIEVE
We need to have faith that we can double.
When you rise up, You have to step up.
You play a vital role.
You're here for a reason. You have a gate, wall, tower to build. What you build matters. 

BUILD - SACRIFICE OUR COMFORT
We have to understands that we're standing on the shoulders of sacrifice.
Freedom Church is not built on the gifts and talents of a few but on the sacrifice of many.
Would we be willing to give up something for someone that perhaps we would never even meet? 
Would we be willing to sacrifice something huge and for that person to never know your name?
You are not too old and you are not too young. God wants to use what you have.
You might feel like a burnt stones but God wants to use whatever you give him. We need to run together as the Church.
God wants to encourage you today that whatever you give, it doesn't go unnoticed.

LET US RISE UP & BUILD

#B120 -> Build 120

We need to cross the river and receive everything that God has for us.

We want to share vision ultimately because we genuinely believe that Jesus can change the city, if you're a Christian and if you forgot that then you've got issues.

You and I need vision. Otherwise we get bored, we get distracted, we get confused and asking Lord what is your work for my life?

Nehemiah

I want to share with you some vision from the guy in the Bible who received the Godly Vision and he was famous because he saw it into completion. We can learn from anybody who receives vision, it should be someone historically completed.

We can learn from Nehemiah

Nehemiah completed the vision, but not everything's perfect.

His people have been in slavery in Babylon for 70 years that's the longer than most of you and I alive in the world. He's been slavery for 70 years and he gets news that the place where he came from is in destruction.

Nehemiah 1:1-4
In the month of Kislev in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa, 
Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men, and I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that had survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem.
They said to me, “Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.”
When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.

Nehemiah receives and hears this news of Jerusalem that's been burnt down. Immediately as he receives it, he begins to carry a burden for it.

What we need to do as a God's people? We need to carry a burden for the city.

When was the last time you prayed  and cried for Chennai?  When was the last time we wept?

We have to understand. This isn't some fairy tale stories, God put stories in for reason.

What we need to understand is, what Jerusalem represents? Jerusalem was where God's people were, and if it's good, if it's blessed, if it's prosperous that means that God's people are good. But when it's broken down, it means we got issues. it means that things weren't as good as they used to be, it means that there's some dire situation.

What we want to understand is that, with these examples of the wall represent the church.

When Nehemiah looked upon the dire destruction of the walls, it represents sometimes and I would say currently God's heart for the church.

God's heart for this city, then he called the Christians to go make an impact in. But right now, it's not where it should be or where it could be.

We're gonna understand this for the context, in many respects you can say that the city is our city. What God desires is our 120.

As he begins to get this burden, thankfully Nehemiah is the cupbearer to the king. My presumption is that he holds cups for the King.

Because once you get a vision, God give the provision to get that.

He will give the favour that you need to walk. He will give you access through the gates to the doors to fulfill what God has called you to do.

Nehemiah walks into the presence of the king. What the King doesn't know is that Nehemiah is with the presence of the king. He walks in and says I got a burden, I see what could be and I've got to do something about it. So the King says, well you'll break with I, are you going to do it? so he takes the vision, he gets permission favour from God to go and do what God called him to do. We too have that favour to do that.

Then he goes to the priests, the officials and the Bible says the people who are going to do the work. Guess what? that's you and I.

Nehemiah 2:17-18
Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.”
I also told them about the gracious hand of my God on me and what the king had said to me.
They replied, “Let us start rebuilding.” So they began this good work.

Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in: Chennai lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Chennai, and we will no longer be in disgrace.”

I also told them about the gracious hand of my God on me and what the king had said to me.
They replied, “Let us start rebuilding.” So they began this good work.

Do you know about the 7% Christians, Some people tell me that planning to plant church in Chennai because there is too many Christians. It's 80% other religions. Its our job to do.

We need to get bulletin for our city.

As he shares the vision what was their response? go away??? No. I don't want nothing to do with it??? No. I prefer my monthly work hours at work??? No I think that's just for the pastor??? No. What did they say let us rise up and build.

So they strengthen their hands for the good work. Once he received a burden, he presented vision and all of the people said let us go and do this, let us respond. 

What I want us to get the framework of how hard for you is that you would be commissioned to be able to say let us raise up and build. That is our heart for you today.

If you receive the visions, you hear it, what does the Bible(Habakkuk 2:2) say Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it.

We are builders:

Did you know that every single one of us are builders? and did you know that there's a good chance that you're currently building?

You may not be building physical houses but certainly building something. Either you're building your career, or you're building your education to get those three little letters, or you're building an image, you're building a name for yourself, you're building a home where kids can be, maybe your job is to literally build people. Whatever it is, we're builders.

I realize it's from a very young age that I like to build business. It's really not going for well but the desire was always within me. so from the age of 10, I used to hire myself out to my mother and I would charge 100 rupees to work for the day. and I stopped doing it because its look likes slavery. So that was the age of 10.

At the age of 12, I will call all my friends together and said I would have million-dollar idea, working pounds but it's a million-dollar idea. So what we're going to do is, we're going to get all of the stuff in our house that we don't want and we're going to sell them at school. so you know this was the idea, Do you want my PlayStation game? Do you want color T-Shirt? When going to sell them, I realized that I am the only one who provides the good and I have to split the profits.

At the age of 14 -15, I really interested shares in the stock market. I don't know why? I don't know numbers much, But my fascinating. So me and my grandma, we would go to back in the newspaper, and there are things with penny shares. I don't know if you have here. The penny shares, basically when a company first goes on the stock market, don't worry if this isn't making sense, stay with me. so we literally just watched these shares, maybe one rupee each and the hope and desire would be that times are multiplied by 500 times and then you make your money. I was really interested in and research so much so that I would have stockbrokers from the London stock market calling my parents, my home phone saying hello this is Mr.XXXX. My dad would answer, I need to discover that they weren't talking to him, it was the little boy. so I pick up the phone to call the stock market and  they are saying Is it Mr.XXXX? I said yes, this is Mr.XXXX speaking, and they said would you like to invest in the London Stack Market? My dad was furious about this because 90% of our phone calls from these people. Yes I said I would like to invest. But there was a one problem, I don't really match your criteria. What you mean? How old are you? I am only 14. He said that you are the youngest person i have spoken.

From my early stage, I began to discover that I have to build stuff.

Every single one of us, everybody wants to feel like they're part of something big.

Why do you want to give to charity? why do we change your jobs? because we know that what we're doing is making a difference. that's within Millennial's, especially with such a high employee turnover, because the moment we don't feel like we're making a difference opportunity, we looking for the next job.

The reality is what I've discovered is that every single one of us want to be a part of something bigger.

What I realized as I was going to journey of building my own name, my own reputation, my own career. Literally, I had plans for my life.

As I was building towards that, something rudely interrupted my plans, he was called Jesus, it was called Freedom Church. All of a sudden I had a glimpse of something that it could be. All of a sudden I had a glimpse of something that actually met that when I get part of this, somebody else's eternity can change.

What else can you do, when somebody else's eternity can change.

I need to tell you this morning that there is nothing like the kingdom of Heaven. Bible(Matthew 13:45) says when you get glimpse of the kingdom of heaven is like a pearl that you would sell everything for.

What I'm saying is, there's nothing greater than the church you can be a part of. Trust me I'm not saying this as a Pastor. I knew this before I was a Pastor.

God took over my life and he gave me something to build. I believe that the same vision that same how that's something that Nehemiah had. I found something worth building, I found something worth being a part of. So we're going to discover what those things were?

When I talk about today is, what is it going to take for us to say let us raise up and build? so we're gonna break it down really simply.

LET US - OWNERSHIP

For me, the word LET US is declaration that says ownership, this declaration that says this is no longer Nehemiah's vision, this is our vision.

Here's what you need to cross. This 120 isn't my vision, this is our vision and that only takes place for ownership.

So this concept that has to be gone to the next level. LET US means ownership.

Nehemiah's vision became their vision. Ownership says, this is no longer your vision, it is mine and it's ours. First we need to take ownership of the vision.

Secondly we need to take ownership of the need.

Once you take ownership of the vision, I think that actually ownership of the need prevails your ownership of the vision.

Don't become numb to the need:

There is a need for these walls to be built. I don't know if you got the memo, but there is a need for this morning that is why I'm going to give every sweat on this stage, this floor, this morning. Because there is a wall that needs to be built, yeah there is a need that can only be prevailed through Jesus.

Why do I do anything else? there is a need out there that can only be prevailed through Jesus.

Though Israelites went to Babylon and were in slavery, there are also some that stay behind. So that tells me that there is a whole group of Israelites were still in the city. It means that they saw what Nehemiah saw. They saw the issue, they saw the need. But it became the status quote, it became normal. They let it pass their minds that actually what they were saying was, I'm not going to take responsibility for this, this is someone else's problem.

There are some Israelites still in Jerusalem, but everyone else said, this is somebody else's problem. No offense, there's something pretty offensive someone might speak to me after this. But why is this such a garbage problem in India? because someone says this isn't my problem, What can I do with it?

But the same kind of mentality happens to the church. So when we share your vision, you say that's your problem and yet we become apathetic, we become familiar, we forgot the ownership of the vision. We became numb to the need.

The God is waking up as courage to say there is a need that you can prefill, then there is an ownership that you can have you.

When you see Nehemiah, he was the difference-maker. He said no longer am I just gonna look past it, but I'm going to engage with it. He chooses to own it rather than avoid it.

This message is not to the leaders. This vision is not for the leaders. It is for you. If you are here today, this vision is for you. This requires your ownership.

You need to understand that ownership is the driving force for a miracle. We have to take ownership to see it take place.

What I love about this story is that once the Israelites were in Babylon for 70 years. Did you know that Nehamiah, though he was an Israelite was born in Babylon? that tells me that all this time whilst Jerusalem and the walls were burned down and all of this destruction took place, Nehamiah never actually saw it until chapter 1 someone tells them about it.

In other words, what this tells me is that Nehamiah wasn't from there. He was Israelite by blood but not by name.He was grown up in Babylon. He was born somewhere different.

Sometimes it takes a foreigner to inspire the locals to do something about their city. Don't wait for a foreigner to do the work that you're supposed to do.

This is more serious not funny. There's nothing wrong being a foreigner. I am gonna be a foreigner for rest of my life. You're gonna take responsibility, It's your vision, your church, your city.

It's easy to look at the pastor and say Hey, you do sacrifice, you can put these hours of the week but I'll continue doing my stuff. I'll continue doing my thing and there's no real ownership. But it to someone else to come and step in and saying you needs to get a heart for your city.

Can I just break these walls and these chairs because I feel like there's bit of a barrier between us. God brought me here today and he told me to bring you guys here today and to tell you you needs to get a heart for your city.

You need to say this is my vision. You need to take a ownership of it. you're obeying matters.

Nehamiah understood that in order to for this wall to be built, I need to take ownership for it.

The body of Christ was not called to abdicate but to take ownership.

So how can you take ownership of this vision? do not just gets up in series on, you need to get your hands dirty.

How can we take ownership? we need to say these are my people. You need to take ownership these people in this city.

I have a heart to give, I have a burden to pray. I'm going to serve my king, I don't serve money. this is how if you take ownership LET US.There's no separation here, this is part together.

You and I need to take a ownership because it is the vehicle for a miracle.

US - UNITY

US represents Unity.

Unity verse disunity. If we're going to see this happen, it's gonna require our unity. We're gonna stand in this together.

Nehamiah 4:14
After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, "Don't be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.

When the vision comes, you gotta fight for it. Also you're not just fighting for yourself. Never said fight for yourself. Fight for brothers and sisters next to you. You are gonna fight for this vision Church. Its about unity, it's about Brotherhood sisterhood standing together.

They had a lot of backlash but in the one place that we do not have disunity is inside the wall. All the gossip and the stuff happened outside of the walls, but can we not have it inside the walls? because it is in the inside walls that God's people are and we need to protect and fight.

Do you know why the church fails to be a powerful one? because it fails to be a united one.

Bible says that There's a unity, there's blessing. Our unity matters more than you could ever imagine. How we speak? what we say? what we think?

Bible says that their house divided against itself cannot stand. So what I'm saying is today they notice if you've got issues you got to deal with it. Because there is more at stake than our preferences.

We need to understand vision and unity. Unity equals vision over preference.

Real simple, unity means that it's not about my preference, but it's about the bigger picture.

Disunity means that we have lost sight of the vision.

Let me give you some examples. Now it's not the time to complain about song choices, it's time to get a burden for change.

Now is not the time to get hurt about how someone spoke to you, it's time to get a heart for salvation.

Rather than bringing problems, you have to bring solutions. It's vision over preference.

As we do, We will build the walls of God city. Unity matters.

How do we talking and thinking about one another is matters. I am not gonna talk about you, you're not gonna talk about me. But one thing I do promise is that people outside world. You just got to deal with it, because nothing good came easy.

If all we here doing good stuff, all we here is pleasing people. You are gonna upset the people in the way to the vision for the vision. We need to make sure that there is no gossip inside.

How many volunteers we got engaged doesn't matter. Because it's vision over preference. That is how we build the walls of God city.

We are the people who build up not tear down.

What they did when enemy came, they fought with one hand and build with another. Keep protect church. We need our unity.

RISE UP - BELIEVE

Rise means Believe.

We have to believe. Do you believe that God's hand is upon us to finish? But that is exactly Nehamiah believed.

Next time, you tell your parents and friends. What are you doing? 120 because the Lord's hand is upon me.

We have to believe. I have faith life matters. I have believe about this vision matters. We need to have faith that we can double. We need to believe in what we're apart. We need to rise up.

These people have been in slavery for 70 years. It takes some sort of faith together and stand up and said I'm gonna go again.

This wasn't the first time when walls went down. After 70 years of failure, disappointment and frustration, they said I'm going to rise up. 

If you're in that place, you to need to rise up and believe.

Are there any Christians here today who are going to rise up for that city?

STEP UP:

When you rise up, You have to step up.

You play a vital role.

Nehemiah 3:22-24
The repairs next to him were made by the priests from the surrounding region.
Beyond them, Benjamin and Hasshub made repairs in front of their house; and next to them, Azariah son of Maaseiah, the son of Ananiah, made repairs beside his house
Next to him, Binnui son of Henadad repaired another section, from Azariah’s house to the angle and the corner

It says how individual got involved and how they were used to build they were designed to build.

What you see in this chapter is name after name after name.

You have something to build. You are here because God called you to build part of the gate. God brought you here because there is a people only you can impact. God called us to influence and impact.

There was name and something that they built. They remembered for eternity. that means that what we built matters.

You're here for a reason. What you build matters. You have a gate, wall, tower to build.

We have to watch out not to neglect. you act that we are responsible

You are not here by mistake. Fundamentally believe that. You here for reason and you have a vital role to play.

I'm so serious, this is the only reason we came to Chennai. Because we're so passionate about your potential and what is in you. You have a part to play.

To see something that's never been done before is going to call us to do something that is never been done before.

Maybe never tried, maybe never served, maybe you've never seen him move when it was time to step up.

BELIEVE:

Why we have to believe? Is other churches not doing anything? Because we forgot that church is the home of God. We forgot that there is no bond between mankind.

We got to believe what Jesus died for is to give life for.

Jim Cymbala says "I despaired at the thought that my life might slip by without seeing God show himself mightily on our behalf"

It's crazy, it's stupid, it doesn't make sense. but maybe We might see God move in our heart.

BUILD - SACRIFICE OUR COMFORT

We're gonna build. Our involvement, a part to play in this matters.

When Nehamiah shared the vision with them, these guys they got up and they worked hard

Nehamiah4:6
So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart.

All of their heart. They gave it everything. Blood, sweat and tears they worked hard.

We understand that working hard at work because we getting paid for it. But this does voluntary, but it's not shallow.

When action we can see eternity change. When action we can see we will believe.

This is requires a sacrifice.

Would we be willing to give up something for someone that perhaps we would never even meet? 

Would we be willing to sacrifice something huge and for that person to never know your name?

These people knew what it meant to sacrifice.

December 2015: this is actual church plant team. A team of a 18, came all the way in 2015 to start a church in Chennai and now We are here.

What I love to found passionating is most of us, We don't even know their names. We don't know their names but yet they were willing to sacrifice everything so that we could be here today.

We have to understands that we're standing on the shoulders of sacrifice.

If we're going to see 120, 150, 200, We can get out of this hotel. They just may not know our names. But I thought today I'll take a picture. When the room is full and they don't know your names I'll be able to take and show them a picture. There are people that were willing to sacrifice and the people that were willing to say I'll do whatever it takes. it doesn't matter whether they know me just so that we can see God's church expand and run.

Freedom Church is not built on the gifts and talents of a few but on the sacrifice of many.

Mine and your sacrifice is how we're going to get there.There is a 120 will or will not be here based on the sacrifice of people in this room.

So what does sacrifice look like? I think they put in extra hours to build the wall. It means serving and volunteering, it means giving what you have, it means being more time, it means inviting like maybe never invited before, it means making time for this vision in your life. It's about getting uncomfortable.

Did you know? God didn't bring you here so that you would be comfortable. God didn't bring you to this church so you're comfortable. He brought him here so that you would sacrifice and so that you'd see a miracle.

Comfort that the world brings will rob you of what he has for you. 

Am I willing to allow my comfort to decrease so that my local people can increase? Ask Jesus he knew that felt like for his comfort to decrease on that cross so his love for people could increase, that is what we need to do to let us-Ownership, us-unity, rise up - believe,  build - sacrifice our comfort. So that we can see a miracle happen.

Nehemiah 4:1
When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and was greatly incensed. He ridiculed the Jews,
and in the presence of his associates and the army of Samaria, he said, "What are those feeble Jews doing? Will they restore their wall? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble--burned as they are?"

What did they use to build the walls? so if the enemy comes to Nehemiah and mocks him. There might be some mocker's at the end of today, there might be some people who leave the church at the end of day.

What are these people Christians doing? you and I thinking of doubling. you're crazy.

It's amazing how they'll take God vision and make it your vision.

They says can they sacrifices? can they finish in a day? can they revive the stones from the dusty rubble even the burnt ones?

What's it going to do with anything that last question, can they revive the stones from the dusty rubble even the burnt ones?

What we need to understand is the way that they built the wall was through the stones they were previously used, they were the stones that had been burnt during the destruction of the former city, they were the ones that would be the previous failures, these stones that have come to destruction, come to nothing run out of hope, these were the stones church that have baggage in issues, these were the stones that people said were useless, good-for-nothing, will never matter to anything,

These were the stones that God use to build his wall. They are the same stones and God is going to use to build his Church.

Because there are people here today and you feel like burnt stones. You feel like you've been through stuff, maybe you being part of other churches or you need a part places that seem so full of potential and you're thinking where did it all go wrong? there might be even tell about disappointment that you're carrying for your past. But I'm here to tell you today, there may be the things that seem insignificant or no value or a beating through the trials, it is burned stones that God is going to use today.

You are matter to God:
If you're feeling unworthy or insignificant, you're just right for God. Because he love those burnt stones.

I'm here to tell you that you are here for a reason. I want to tell you that you matter. your role to play is important.

You are not too old and you are not too young. God wants to use.

There is nothing in your life that grace can't get to, he has the plan for your life, you can make an impact. God sees your service, he will reward your pursuit, it is not all of a church, the church is the hope of the world. and you are the part of it.

I want you to know today that you are matter. You might feel like a burnt stones but God wants to use whatever you give him. We need to run together as the Church.

It doesn't matter what I feel like, I have or don't have, whatever it is, it's significance and matters

Every time you give in that offering bucket make a difference.

Every time you encourage the person, don't forget that person might have hard week. God might use you to encourage that person.

Every time you serving in the church, you laying down the brick to build the Church.

Every time you invite, you building the wall of the city.

Every time you care and waiting up for somebody, you are laying the stone that could be used by God.

Every time you sacrifice and you feel like nobody is seeing it, you are laying the stone that is seeing by God.

Every time you give your talents and you said God I don't have much ideas and gifting, you layed something for God's wall.

Every time you pray, I don't know what to pray and I don't pray loud, you are laying the stone for the Church.

God wants to encourage you today that whatever you give, it doesn't go unnoticed.

The fact that you sat in this seat or read this, You don't have to be here but you are. My prayer today is you would be overwhelmed by vision. You want to say, God I want to use whatever I have, whatever it takes, I'm gonna work hard. I'm gonna do it with ownership. I'm gonna do it in unity. I'm gonna believe. I'm gonna build. and when you do, we see something incredible happen. You are here for a reason, God wants to use what you have.

LET US RISE UP & BUILD

#B120 -> Build 120

I believe today that God is capturing your heart with vision and you've been wondering why I am even here? what is my purpose? What might been a part of this place? why do I bother coming this morning? and God told me to tell you that you are here for a reason. It's calling you to build and be a part of something bigger and you can ever imagine. so there's a call for us to respond. I want you to ask the Holy Spirit is Holy Spirit, what more are you calling me to give? God how can I get involved? God no longer I am gonna go from me and stay on the outside, watch. I'm not going to observe but I'm going to own. I'm going to be a part of this. God I'm going to make the decision to build your church.

Amen.