Nehemiah
Announcements
Paul & Emily Lanphierstepping off formal staff (as of June), moving to volunteer capacity
Paul balanced ministry and full-time business; felt led to fully embrace business
Will continue preaching, teaching, and serving in volunteer roles
Ken and Erin taking four weeks off: mid-July to mid-August
Guest preaching schedule during the break:
July 19: Emily Lanphier
July 26: Taylor Foster
Aug 2: Paul Lanphier
Aug 9: Taylor Foster
Series theme: Lasting Transformation (strongly encouraged to attend!)
End of the Old Testament Series
Nehemiah is the chronological end of the Old Testament
Ken began the Old Testament series on January 23, 2022: four and a half years completed
Nehemiah sits at the end of a three-wave return from exile (Ezra, Esther, Nehemiah covering ~100 years)
Zerubabbal: rebuilt the temple
Ezra: taught Torah
Nehemiah: returned in 444 BC to rebuild the city walls
The broken walls = metaphor for broken societal systems (politics, medicine, education)
Nehemiah rebuilt in 52 days what had been broken for 100 years
The Book of Nehemiah: Leadership and the City
Nehemiah as a model: “study like a scholar, listen like a prophet, act like an apostle”
Nehemiah’s role: cupbearer and high-level personal assistant to King Artaxerxes
Heard Jerusalem’s walls were destroyed; entered four months of prayer and fasting
Presented the king with a specific list of needs (timber, authority, men, resources)
Inspected the walls at night before revealing his plan to any official
Wall built shoulder to shoulder by ordinary people: priests, craftsmen, gatekeepers, families
Each person built in front of their own house, owning their section
Opposition escalated throughout: mockery, false accusation, public humiliation, personal threats, fear campaigns, economic hardship, distraction, false prophecy
Nehemiah’s response: “The God of heaven will give us success”
City Transformation: The Seven-Step Template
Pray first: every move of God ignited by prayer (Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah all modeled this)
Take a risk: the gap between dream and destiny is willingness to trust God and act
Examples: Peter getting out of the boat; Bill Bose entering politics
Get educated: become useful, develop skill, blend spiritual principles with competence
Gather friends and cast a vision: the kingdom is built shoulder to shoulder, not by one person
Create ownership: each person rebuilds the section of wall in front of their own house
Persevere through opposition: expect it, don’t be surprised, don’t go it alone
Celebrate: the book ends in feasting; “the joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah)
Worship framed as warfare: changes spiritual atmosphere, which changes hearts and reality
Vision for Tribe Church
Church as a community of “warrior city builders”: not religious, but hearing God’s voice
Reclaim worship (warfare), reclaim prayer, teach the word, then go build
Examples of wall-building: Bloom Dance Studio rewriting the dance industry; Chick-fil-A as a kingdom-shaped business
Each person’s passion points to their section of the wall: business, healthcare, education, politics, ministry
Closing prayer emphasis: gifts of wisdom, prophetic listening, kingdom downloads into every sphere
Lunch question posed to congregation: “What part of the wall am I supposed to build?”
