ARISE AND BIULD 

 By Evangeline Unity Esaaba Folson 

Nehemiah 2:17-18

Then I said to them, you see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lies waste, and its gate are bumped with fire. Come and let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer be a reproach.

And I told them of the hand of my God which had been good upon me, also of the King’s words that he had spoken to me so they said “Let us rise up and build” Then they set their hands to do this good work.

Nehemiah and his men were charged to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem which had been destroyed by the enemy and took many of them into exile. Christians of today have a different charge which can be found in Matthew 28:19-20.

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost.

Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world Amen. 

The passage above is normally referred to in theology as the “Great commission”. All Christians not only Pastors, Ministers of God are called to preach the message of salvation to all nations. This is a big task.

1Peter 2:9 says 

But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood and a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praise of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.

The charge from the Lord before He departed from this world is to “go” to all nations. Meaning we should “arise and build” the kingdom of God or go to all nations and preach the word, How do we do this? We must

• Accept the gift of salvation

Ephesians 2:8-10

Romans 10:9-10

• We should prepare by 

1. Studying the word – 2Timothy 2:15
2. Obeying the word – John 15:7
3. Pray without ceasing – Ephesians 6:18, 1Thessalonians 5:17
4. Put on the whole amour of God – Ephesians 6:10-18
5. Step out in faith to preach – Ephesians 6:19, 2Corinthians 2:14

Accept the gift of salvation

Ephesians 2:8-10

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God: not of works lest any man should boast.

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. 

This passage tells us that salvation is a gift from God; we have done nothing to deserve it. It is being offered out of the great love God has for man, to deliver us from the grip of the evil.

We cannot be good ambassadors of Christ if we have not received the gift of salvation and experience the love and grace of God.

Romans 10:9-10 says if we believe and accept the work Jesus did through His death and resurrection and confess Him (Jesus) as our Lord and savior then we will be saved.

We Should Prepare 

After we are saved then we must prepare to fulfill our mission by: 

• Study the word, 2 Timothy 2:15 Study the word to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that need not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. We must the bible thoroughly so we know the right choice of scriptures we need to use to witness to every individual based on the circumstances prevailing at that time.
• Obeying the word, John 15:7 If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask what you will and it shall be done unto you.

If you learn to obey the word of God yourself, then you can guide someone else to obey the word. The example you set will encourage the person to also obey the word.

Pray without ceasing 

1Thesalonians 5:17

Pray without ceasing 

Meaning, you must be in prayer mode all throughout the day, morning, afternoon, Evening, midnight, dawn. You should pray consistently for God to direct you on:

1. Who to speak to 
2. What to say from the bible
3. What testimonies in your life to share 

Put on the whole amour of God 

This passage is very long, therefore the contents will be summarized. Once you are preaching the word to help rescue people from the grip of the evil one, he will attack you to make things difficult for you. Therefore you have to protect yourself with Spiritual weapons.

• The word of God, which is the sword of the Spirit 
• Faith which is your shield 
• The breastplate of righteousness 
• Truth which is your belt to hold the other weapons in place 
• Pray always to give you the strength you need to win the battle.

Step out in faith to preach

Ephesians 6:19

And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel. 

Like the Apostle Paul let us pray for the Holy Spirit to give us the ulterance or the right words to speak to convince the people we witness to turn to the Lord .

After praying take a bold step and win a soul for the Lord.

2Corinthians 2:14

Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savior of his knowledge by us in every place.

This verse says God will always cause us to triumph in everything including winning souls for the Lord. Step – out in faith, do not be discouraged by the negative response you might receive from some of the people you speak to. Some may be rude and impolite, others may refuse to listen or insult you. But do not get discouraged preach the word that is the charge we have been given. God will do the rest.

2Timothy 4:2 says 

Preach the word, be instant in season, out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine.

Meditate on the words of this hymn.

Rescue the perishing care for the dying snatch them in pity from sin and the grave 

Weep o’er the erring one 

Lift up the fallen 

Tell them of Jesus the mighty to save

Care for the dying 

Jesus is merciful 

Jesus will save 

Amen.

 

Reference 

1. King James Bible
2. Oxford English Dictionary
3. Google.com