Devotional A GREAT WORK

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Events THE EVANGELIZING WORK DONE

“Now it came to pass when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and Geshem the Arabian, and the rest of our enemies, heard that I had builded the wall… Sanballat and Geshem sent unto me, saying , come, let us meet together in some one of the villages in the plain of Ono. But they thought to do me mischief. And I sent messengers unto them, saying , I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down: why should the work cease, whilst I leave it, and come down to you?” Nehemiah 6:1-3.

Rev. Luis M. Ortiz

A GREAT WORK

In the times of the reconstruction of the city walls of Jerusalem under Nehemiah’s leadership, the people had to face big obstacles and open opposition that threatened the progress of the work.

The first obstacle was Sanballat’s open opposition to Nehemiah’s presence in Jerusalem to rebuild the walls (Nehemiah 4:1). He also accused Nehemiah of rebellion later on. After the beginning of the reconstruction, Sanballat and Tobiah mocked and ridiculed the work stating that if a fox went up, the stone wall would collapse (Nehemiah 4:2-3).

When the work was half finished, Sanballat, Tobiah and others conspired together to fight Jerusalem (Nehemiah 4:6-8). Nehemiah, who always faced hardship with prayer, said, “Nevertheless we made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them” (Nehemiah 4:9).

After the reconstruction was finished, Sanballat, in sheep’s clothing, sent a message to Nehemiah: “Come, let us meet together in some one of the villages in the plain of Ono,” but they actually thought to do him mischief (Nehemiah 6:2). Nehemiah answered, “I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down: why should the work cease, whilst I leave it, and come down to you?” (Nehemiah 6:3). Five times Sanballat sent the same words, and five times he was rejected by Nehemiah.

Sanballat even hired a false prophet to convince Nehemiah to hide because his life was in danger. Nehemiah did not let him intimidate him and replied, “Should such a man as I flee? and who is there, that, being as I am, would go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in” (Nehemiah 6:11).

In the end, the reconstruction of the walls were completed against all odds: “And it came to pass, that when all our enemies heard thereof, and all the heathen that were about us saw these things, they were much cast down in their own eyes: for they perceived that this work was wrought of our God” (Nehemiah 6:16).

Dear brothers, there is a clear similarity between this part of Israel’s history and the history of the humble efforts of the Worldwide Missionary Movement (WMM). We have been hit by rejection, opposition, persecution, accusations, mockery, ridicule, disdain, conspiracies, betrayal, hypocrisy, threats and false prophecies.

However, through prayer and dependence on God, we have been supported and guided to fight back. We keep moving forward knowing that God has entrusted us a great work in the world.

And this deep conviction that we do God’s will has not decreased but increased. We keep bringing with the glorious Gospel of our Lord Jesus-Christ.

Despite the rising of the Sanballats, the Tobiahs, the Geshems, the Alexanders and the Diotrephes that want to get rich with the money of God’s people and to destroy God’s work, “in all these things we are more than conquerors” (Romans 8:37), because God “always causeth us to triumph in Christ” (2 Corinthians 2:14).

God has truly entrusted us with the fulfillment of a great work: the evangelization of the world; the spreading of the true testimony of Pentecost; the protection of the light of the supernatural and miraculous ministry of the Holy Spirit’s gifts from all extremism, disbelief or fanaticism; the humble growth of our hearts; the preservation of a pure testimony without the stain of worldly things.

This conviction and understanding that the Lord has given us a great work to do is our most precious possession and passion as God’s followers.

Therefore, when someone is not faithful to God, His work or His Word, and betrays the trust of the whole congregation and the church, the Lord Himself takes them out of the way:

“The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous” (Psalm 1:4-5).

Near the end of 1960, God ordered me to leave Cuba after 17 years of missionary work because there was a great work to be done elsewhere.

I asked the Lord, “My Lord, what about the Work?” to which He answered, “This is My work.”

Then, He showed me what I had to do, and I did. This is indeed His work. This is His Work and we are His workers. This is His vineyard and we are His harvesters.

This is His vine and we are His branches. This is His church and we are His redeemed. This is His body and we are His limbs. This is His property and we are His servants. This is His kingdom and we are His subjects. This is His family and we are His children. This is His legacy and we are His heirs. This is His city and we are His citizens. Amen.