Remembering the journey and responding with obedience

 “Then the nations around you that remain will know that I the Lord have rebuilt what was destroyed and have replanted what was desolate. I the Lord have spoken, and I will do it.” Ezekiel 36:36

“In all that has happened to us, you have remained righteous; you have acted faithfully, while we have acted wickedly.” (Nehemiah 9:33)

“Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other, and the Lord listened and heard... Malachi 3:16A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the Lord and honored his name.” (Malachi 3:16)

God rebuilds what we break. He does it in cities, in nations, and in hearts.

"Then the nations around you that remain will know that I the Lord have rebuilt what was destroyed and have replanted what was desolate. I the Lord have spoken, and I will do it." (Ezekiel 36:36)

Ezekiel spoke these words to people who had lost everything. Jerusalem was burned. The temple was gone. God's people lived as captives in a foreign land.

They had earned it. For hundreds of years they had turned away from God.

But God made a promise anyway. He would rebuild. He would replant. And when He did, everyone watching would know who did it.

The Wall Was Done. The Work Was Not.

Years later, God kept His word. The people came home. Under Nehemiah, they rebuilt the wall of Jerusalem in just 52 days.

You might think they would throw a party and move on. They did celebrate. But then they did something deeper.

They stopped. They gathered. They opened God's Word.

For hours they listened. Then the leaders prayed a long prayer that told their whole story. They started with Abraham. They walked through Egypt, the Red Sea, the desert, the Promised Land, the judges, the kings, and the exile.

It was not a happy story about them. It was a true story about God.

Over and over, the people failed. Over and over, God stayed faithful. Then came this line:

"In all that has happened to us, you have remained righteous; you have acted faithfully, while we have acted wickedly." (Nehemiah 9:33)

Why Remembering Matters

Remembering keeps us honest. When we look back, we see two things at once. We see our own failures. And we see God's faithfulness running through every one of them.

That is not a reason for shame. It is a reason for worship.

Think about your own journey. Where were you ten years ago? Twenty? What did God carry you through? What did He rebuild that you thought was gone for good?

We forget fast. That is why God tells His people again and again to remember. Stones were stacked by the Jordan River so children would ask, "What do these mean?" The Passover meal was eaten every year. Jesus gave us bread and the cup and said, "Do this in remembrance of me."

Remembering is not looking backward to stay there. It is looking backward so we can walk forward.

Remembering Leads to Obedience

Nehemiah's people did not stop at a prayer. Right after they remembered, they made a promise. They wrote it down. Their leaders signed it. They agreed to follow God's law, keep the Sabbath, and care for God's house.

Remembering led to action.

This is the pattern. We look back and see God's faithfulness. Then we respond with our own. Not to earn His love, but because we already have it.

Obedience that grows out of remembering is different from obedience that grows out of fear or duty. It says, "God has been so good to me. How could I not follow Him?"

God Is Listening

Now jump ahead about 100 years. Things have gone downhill again. In Malachi's day, many people said, "What's the use of serving God? It doesn't pay."

But not everyone said that.

"Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other, and the Lord listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the Lord and honored his name." (Malachi 3:16)

I love this verse. A small group of faithful people got together and talked about God. That is all. No big event. No crowd.

And God leaned in to listen.

He did more than listen. He had it written down. A scroll of remembrance. In the next verse, God says, "They will be my people. On the day when I act in judgment, they will be my own special treasure."

Here is the beautiful turn. We remember God's faithfulness. And God remembers ours.

What This Looks Like for Us

Remember on purpose. Keep a journal. Write down answered prayers. Tell your kids and grandkids the stories of what God has done in your family.

Remember honestly. Like Nehemiah's people, be willing to say, "God, You were faithful, and I was not." Confession is part of the story.

Respond with obedience. Ask one simple question: "In light of all God has done, what is my next step?" Then take it.

Remember together. The people in Malachi "talked with each other." Faith grows in groups. Around a table. In a Bible study. In a men's group on a weekday morning. When believers speak together about the Lord, heaven is listening.

The Bottom Line

God rebuilds what was destroyed. He replants what was desolate. He said He would, and He does.

Our part is to remember that journey and respond with obedience. Not once, but again and again.

And when we gather to talk about His goodness, we can know this for sure. God hears. God writes it down. And God calls us His treasure.

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Concepts Requiring Clarification by Background (Grace & Jesus)

The Two Most Universal Clarification Points

Across nearly every non-Christian background, two concepts require the most foundational work:

1. Grace — the idea of unearned, undeserved forgiveness initiated by God — cuts against karma, honor culture, merit-based religion, and secular self-sufficiency simultaneously.
2. The exclusive claims of Christ — "I am the way" lands very differently in pluralist, syncretist, or honor-shame cultures where claiming one path is right implicitly dishonors others' traditions and ancestors.

For people from Hindu or Buddhist backgrounds

Grace and unmerited favor — Both traditions operate on karma: you receive what you earn across lifetimes. The idea that sin is forgiven rather than repaid — and that someone else absorbs the debt — has no parallel. It can sound morally unfair or even irresponsible.

Personal God — Hinduism includes both personal and impersonal conceptions of the divine, but the idea of a God who knows you by name, grieves over you, and acts in history for individuals is far more intimate and interventionist than most Eastern frameworks allow.

Linear history with a telos — Buddhism and Hinduism operate on cyclical time (yugas, reincarnation cycles). The Christian claim that history is going somewhere — creation, fall, redemption, consummation — is a foreign framework entirely.

Bodily resurrection — In traditions that treat the body as a temporary or illusory vessel, the resurrection isn't just surprising; it can seem regressive — why would you want to return to a body?

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For people from Islamic backgrounds

The Trinity — Islam explicitly rejects Trinitarian theology as shirk (associating partners with God). The clarification needed is that Christians are not tritheists: the Trinity is one God in three persons, not three gods. The Quran likely addressed a distorted version of this.

The Incarnation — That God himself would become human is considered beneath divine dignity in Islamic thought. Allah does not "need" to enter creation. The theological work here is explaining why — that incarnation is not humiliation but the ultimate self-giving love of a personal God.

Atonement and substitution — Islam teaches that each person bears their own sin; no one can carry another's. The cross as substitutionary atonement is therefore not just unfamiliar — it's theologically objectionable without groundwork on the nature of covenant, justice, and love.

The reliability of the Bible — Islam teaches that the Torah and Gospels were corrupted (tahrif). Any engagement with Scripture must address this assumption directly or it won't be received as authoritative.

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For people from Jewish backgrounds

Messianic fulfillment — The Jewish expectation of Messiah was primarily national, political, and restorative (ending exile, rebuilding the Temple, reigning as Davidic king). A suffering, dying, rising Messiah requires reframing what the Hebrew prophets were actually pointing toward.

Individual salvation — Jewish theology is largely communal and covenantal. "Are you saved?" as an individual question can feel alien. The framing of Israel's story being fulfilled in one representative person (Jesus as the true Israel) is the bridge.

The role of Torah — For Jewish listeners, saying "the law cannot save you" sounds like an attack on Torah itself. Paul's letters (especially Romans and Galatians) require careful handling to show that Jesus fulfills Torah rather than abolishing it.

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For people from secular Western or atheist backgrounds

Sin as a category — Not just "mistakes" or "harm to others," but moral rebellion against a holy God who has a rightful claim on one's life. This requires reestablishing the concept of objective moral accountability.

The need for a mediator — If God exists at all, most secular Westerners assume he'd simply forgive without requiring anything. The concept of justice requiring satisfaction — and why a good God can't simply "overlook" sin — is foundational and often skipped.

Resurrection as historical claim — Unlike Eastern religions where myth and history are loosely related, Christianity makes a falsifiable historical claim. Secular listeners need to engage it as history, not as metaphor or spiritual experience.

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For people from animist or traditional African/Indigenous backgrounds

Relationship with ancestors — Many traditions maintain active relational obligations to ancestral spirits. Christianity's teaching that the dead are not accessible intermediaries, and that Jesus is the only mediator (1 Tim 2:5), directly challenges social and spiritual structure.

Monotheism vs. spirit hierarchy — The existence of angels, demons, and spiritual powers is actually more intuitive here than in the West — but the biblical framework of God's absolute sovereignty over all spiritual beings needs clear articulation.

Forgiveness without ritual appeasement — In many traditional systems, wrongdoing requires specific ritual acts to restore balance. Grace as God initiating reconciliation without required ritual is genuinely strange and can feel incomplete.

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And on that day they offered great sacrifices, rejoicing because God had given them great joy. The women and children also rejoiced. The sound of rejoicing in Jerusalem could be heard far away. - Nehe 12:43

A) Leaders settle in Jerusalem from towns of Judah and Benjamin (Nehemiah 11) 

B) Priestly Lineage and Dedication of the Wall (Nehemiah 12)

C) 

12:1–7) Priests and Levites returning with Zerubbabel; continuity from exile; leadership roots reestablished

 - Life's work: Abijah to Zechariah to John the Baptist (Nehemiah 12:1-7)

8–9) Levites over thanksgiving; structured praise; worship teams organized responsively

10–11) High priest lineage; generational continuity; legitimacy of spiritual authority

12–21) Priestly heads in Joiakim’s days; administrative order; accountability across generations

22–26) Levites recorded in days of Eliashib to Jaddua; historical documentation; leadership preserved

27–30) Dedication preparation; purification of people, priests, Levites, and walls; holiness precedes celebration

31–37) First thanksgiving choir; procession on wall; public praise; God’s work visibly celebrated

38–42) Second thanksgiving choir; dual processions; unified worship; instruments and singers coordinated

43) Great sacrifices and rejoicing; joy heard far away; God gives great joy; public testimony

44–47) Provision for temple workers; tithes and offerings restored; support for singers, gatekeepers; faithfulness to ordained systems

Nehemiah 13 – Covenant Drift and Leadership Reform

13:1–3) Law read publicly; exclusion of Ammonites and Moabites enforced; separation from compromise

4–9) Eliashib’s compromise; Tobiah given temple chamber; Nehemiah confronts and cleanses; restores sacred use

10–14) Levites neglected; tithes withheld; workers abandon posts; Nehemiah corrects and reinstates provision

15–18) Sabbath violations; commerce resumes on holy day; Nehemiah rebukes leaders; connects sin to past judgment

19–22) Sabbath enforcement; gates shut; guards posted; merchants kept out; holiness protected structurally

23–27) Intermarriage with foreign women; children lose covenant identity; Nehemiah rebukes, disciplines; Solomon cited as warning

28–29) Priesthood compromised; alliance with Sanballat; Nehemiah removes defilement; prays for accountability

30–31) Final reforms; purification of priests and Levites; duties restored; wood offerings and firstfruits reestablished; “Remember me, O my God, for good”

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Holiness begins with belonging, not behaving (1 Peter 1:15-16)

Enjoyed  Our Call Holy Living – Timothy Keller Sermon his central idea is that holiness is not primarily moral rule-keeping. It is belonging to God. Peter grounds holy living in identity, redemption, and hope. Because Christ purchased us at extraordinary cost, holiness becomes the response of a person who increasingly says, “My life is His.”

Key takeaways with Scripture

1. Holiness begins with belonging, not behaving.
   To be holy means to be set apart for God and available for His purposes. Obedience follows from that new identity rather than creating it.

1 Peter 1:15–16: “Be holy, because I am holy.”
See also 1 Corinthians 6:19–20; Romans 14:7–8; Exodus 19:5–6; 2 Timothy 2:20–21.

A helpful summary is: I am not my own. I belong to God.

2. Holiness transforms the mind.
   Peter begins, “prepare your minds for action” or, literally, “gird up the loins of your mind.” Holiness requires disciplined thinking. What captures the mind eventually shapes desires, decisions, and behavior.

1 Peter 1:13
See also Romans 12:1–2; Philippians 4:8; Colossians 3:1–2; 2 Corinthians 10:5; Psalm 1:1–3.

The question shifts from simply, “What am I allowed to do?” to “What is forming the way I think?”

3. Holiness involves wholehearted obedience.
   Peter contrasts our former desires with living as “obedient children.” Biblical obedience is not selective. We increasingly surrender even those areas where God's will conflicts with our preferences.

1 Peter 1:14–15
See also John 14:15; John 14:21; Luke 6:46; James 1:22–25; Romans 6:16–18.

Jesus captures this discipleship posture in Luke 9:23: deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Him.

4. Holiness reaches every part of life.
   Peter says, “be holy in all you do.” Christianity does not divide life into sacred and secular categories. Work, money, sexuality, relationships, speech, entertainment, ambitions, and private thoughts all come under Christ's lordship.

1 Peter 1:15
See also Colossians 3:17, 23–24; 1 Corinthians 10:31; Romans 12:1; Ephesians 4:20–24.

Holiness therefore asks: “What would it look like for this part of my life to belong completely to God?”

5. Holiness includes reverent awe, not merely discipline.
   Peter tells believers to “live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear.” Keller's point about awe is important. Holiness grows not merely from stronger willpower, but from seeing God as He truly is.

1 Peter 1:17
See also Proverbs 9:10; Isaiah 6:1–8; Hebrews 12:28–29; Psalm 96:9.

Isaiah 6 provides a powerful picture. Isaiah sees God's holiness, recognizes his own sin, receives cleansing, and then responds, “Here am I. Send me!” Holiness moves from revelation → repentance → cleansing → surrender → mission.

6. The gospel, not fear of punishment, provides the deepest motivation for holiness.
   Peter reminds Christians that they were redeemed not with silver or gold, but “with the precious blood of Christ.” Our obedience is a response to redemption already accomplished.

1 Peter 1:18–19
See also Ephesians 2:8–10; Titus 2:11–14; Romans 5:8; 2 Corinthians 5:14–15; Revelation 5:9–10.

This prevents holiness from becoming legalism. We do not become holy so Christ will redeem us. We pursue holiness because Christ has redeemed us.

7. Jesus demonstrates what complete consecration looks like.
   Keller's reference to Christ sanctifying Himself connects strongly with Jesus' prayer before the cross:

John 17:19: “For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.”

Jesus completely gives Himself to the Father's will for our sake. See also Philippians 2:5–8; Hebrews 10:5–10; Mark 10:45; Galatians 2:20.

This creates the gospel paradox: Christ gave Himself completely for us, freeing us to give ourselves completely to Him.

8. God's holiness becomes beautiful when seen through the cross.
   The Old Testament repeatedly portrays God's holiness as overwhelming. Isaiah cries, “Woe to me!” Yet in Christ, the holy God Himself provides the sacrifice that allows sinful people to approach Him.

Isaiah 6:3–7 → Hebrews 10:19–22

Also compare Exodus 33:18–23; Leviticus 11:44–45; John 1:14, 18; Hebrews 4:14–16; Revelation 4:8–11.

That helps explain Keller's description of God's holiness in Christ as not merely awesome, but gorgeous. At the cross, God's absolute holiness and extraordinary love are revealed together.

The strongest synthesis may be Belong → Behold → Become → Behave. I belong to God because Christ redeemed me. I behold God's holiness and Christ's sacrificial love. By grace I become increasingly like the One to whom I belong. Therefore, I behave differently, not to earn God's acceptance, but because I have already been claimed by Him.

Action items: For personal study, read 1 Peter 1:13–19, then Isaiah 6:1–8, Romans 12:1–2, and John 17:13–19. Ask one application question: “What part of my life am I still treating as mine rather than God's?”

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Front doors, our assumptions and how to have a KNOCK mindset

Everyone puts up a front door, some are welcoming, some are scary, some are utilitarian. Connection primer helps leaders first learn the biblical mindset, observe a model conversation, practice one-on-one across perceived differences, and receive specific coaching. The desired outcome is not simply understanding welcome. It is demonstrating curiosity, dignity, mutuality, and continued connection.

Connection Primer: Tell, Show, Let, Coach

Session outcome

By the end of the session, each leader will be able to:

• Recognize assumptions created by appearances.
• Approach someone without pity, envy, favoritism, or superiority.
• Conduct a one-on-one conversation using the KNOCK mindset.
• Identify something to receive from the other person.
• Make a specific commitment to continue the relationship.

Ask:

“If these doors represented people, which would you approach first? Which would you avoid? What story have you already created about the person behind each door?”

Explain:

“The doors represent how people show up, not what they are worth. We naturally rank people by appearance, condition, influence, education, confidence, and usefulness. The gospel teaches us to cross the sidewalk without ranking the person behind the door.”

Biblical foundation

James 1:9–11: Status is reversed

• The person in humble circumstances has a high position in Christ.
• The wealthy person must remember their low position before God.
• Visible circumstances are real, but they do not determine eternal worth.
• Both people need an identity that circumstances cannot provide.

Romans 5:8: Love initiates

“While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Christ did not wait for us to become presentable before moving toward us.

Romans 15:7: Welcome reproduces grace

“Welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you.”

We extend the kind of welcome we have already received.

Define belonging before belief

“Belonging before belief means relational welcome before agreement. It does not mean agreement is unnecessary, truth is unimportant, or boundaries disappear. It means dignity, attention, and relationship are not rewards people must earn by becoming like us.”

Teach the KNOCK mindset

• K: Kill the ranking. Place neither person above the other.
• N: Notice assumptions. Separate what you know from what you inferred.
• O: Offer welcome. Communicate interest without requiring performance.
• C: Come ready to receive. Believe the other person carries something you need.
• K: Keep showing up. Move from a pleasant encounter to a continuing relationship.

Show Model conversation

Leader:
“Thanks for taking a few minutes with me. I realized that I know what you do, but I do not know much about what has shaped you. What has been significant in your life recently?”

Other person:
“Most people assume everything is going well. Work has gone well, but caring for my father has been difficult.”

Leader:
“I would not have known that. What has that season been teaching you?”

Other person:
“It has been teaching me that I cannot control everything. I have had to ask for help.”

Leader:
“That challenges an assumption I had. I thought you were probably the person everyone else depended on. What kind of support would be meaningful to you?”

Other person:
“Honestly, having someone check in without asking me to solve another problem would help.”

Leader:
“I can do that. I would also like to learn more about what you are discovering. Would it be all right if I checked in next week?”
Observation questions


Ask the group:

• Where did the leader avoid ranking?
• What assumption was corrected?
• Which question invited honesty?
• What did the leader receive?
• How did the conversation create a next step?

Behaviors to notice

Mindset ->Observable behavior

• Kill the ranking -> Speaks as an equal
• Notice assumptions -> Admits an incomplete perception
• Offer welcome -> Expresses sincere interest
• Come ready to receive -> Asks what the experience is teaching
• Keep showing up -> Establishes a specific follow-up

3. Let: Practice one-on-one

Time: 10 minutes
Purpose: Let leaders exercise the mindset together in a real conversation.

Pair leaders with someone they know less well. If possible, pair people who differ in age, personality, professional background, culture, life stage, or visible circumstances.

 

Step 1: Name the door

Before beginning, each person privately selects the door that best represents how they currently feel they are showing up. They may explain their choice, but they are not required to disclose anything they wish to keep private.

Step 2: Begin with curiosity

The initiating leader may use one of these questions:
“What is something people might assume about you that is incomplete?”
“What experience is shaping you right now?”
“Where have you experienced unexpected encouragement?”
“What is God teaching you through your present circumstances?”
“What do you wish people would ask instead of assuming?”
“What strength has God developed in you that others may not immediately see?”

Step 3: Listen for the gift

The initiator must identify something they can receive from the other person:
Wisdom
Perspective
Encouragement
Correction
Experience
Prayer
A different way of seeing the situation

This keeps the conversation reciprocal. The other person is not treated as a problem, project, or ministry assignment.

Step 4: Reflect what you heard

Use this pattern:


“What I hear you saying is…”
“Something I respect in your story is…”
“Something I can learn from you is…”

The other person may clarify or correct the reflection.

Step 5: Create a next step

Close with one question:

“What would meaningful connection after today look like?”

Possible next steps include:

• A follow-up conversation
• A prayer check-in
• Sharing a meal
• Attending something important to the person
• Introducing them to another leader
• Serving together
• Practice boundaries

Leaders should not:

• Give advice unless it is requested.
• Correct theology during the exercise.
• Compare the story to their own too quickly.
• Ask for traumatic details.
• Promise confidentiality they cannot maintain.
• Turn the conversation into recruitment or problem-solving.

4. Coach: Reflect and improve

Time: 3 minute
Purpose: Convert experience into repeatable leadership behavior.

Partners first coach each other using the following questions.
Peer-coaching questions

• When did you feel most heard?
• Which question helped you open up?
• Did anything feel assumed, rushed, or overly directive?
• Did the conversation feel mutual?
• What should the leader repeat?
• What is one adjustment that would improve the next conversation?

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