Nehemiah: Memoirs of an Ordinary Man

About This Series:

For those who are not quite sure if Humpty Dumpty can be put together again, or whether or not you have what it takes to reconstruct broken things, Nehemiah just might change your mind. Although he would never have volunteered for model status over the last several thousand years, his life has been just that. I think he would have argued that the spotlight should shine on another more deserving follower of God...but he would have been wrong. As you dust off the memoirs of this ordinary man, you will likely be inspired to serve the faithful God whom Nehemiah followed...the One who led His obedient servant to attempt impossible, extraordinary things for His glory.

1 - Introducing An Ordinary Man

What the Church needs today are ordinary people who are highly motivated to advance Christ's gospel in a world that desperately needs to hear it. In other words . . . we need more Nehemiahs.

2 - Weeping Over Humpty Dumpty

Has you heart ever been broken over something and you knew the sorrow came directly from God. Maybe you saw kids starving in Africa and you wept because of what little they had. Maybe you watched a friend lose his or her life to drugs and alcohol and your heart broke from their emptiness. Well in Nehemiah chapter 1, Nehemiah's heart is broken as he witnesses how broken his people are. God, however, is about to put both Nehemiah's heart and His people back together.

3 - The Prayer Path

Nehemiah is known for rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. But the walls weren't built just with stones and morter. They were built with constant prayers. What Stephen reminds us in this message, as he takes us through this study of Nehemiah's life and ministry, is that prayer provides the building blocks for faith. If you want to take a stand for God . . . you have to stay on your knees!

4 - In Jesus' Name, Amen

What kind of prayers does God listen to? How do you gain God's maximum attention? Nehemiah shows us.

5 - The Real McCoy

Do you want to be a Real McCoy spiritually? Then follow the example of Nehemiah and allow yourself to be the instrument in the hands of God. Nehemiah watched God accomplish great things through Him but never sought to take the credit for himself. Stephen challenges us to do the same.

6 - Blood, Sweat & Tears

Actions speak louder than words . . . and they also affirm the words. So being a Christian is more than just putting a Jesus bumper sticker on your car or wearing a W.W.J.D bracelet. It's carrying a cross . . . no matter what the cost.

7 - Construction Sites & Church Cafeterias

Construction sites and cafeterias are not glamorous places to work, but they are God-ordained and God-honoring places where the work is never done in vain. In fact, the results will last forever. Why? Because we are not in the business of building buildings . . . we are in the business of building people. And people last forever!

8 - Sticks & Stones May Break My Bones . . .

The old nursery rhyme goes, 'Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.' If only that were true! But the fact is, ridicule does hurt, and it can cripple a person's self-esteem. So how can we make that rhyme come true in our lives? Like Nehemiah, we have to rely on God's Word. No matter what the world tells you, keep listening to what God tells you.

9 - Halfway!

As believers we sometimes wage war against the devil unarmed and unprepared, like soldiers on horseback fighting against a tank! We forget that Satan is on a search and destroy mission and he'll stop at nothing to hinder God's work in us. So join Stephen in this message as he shows us how to defend ourselves against the never-ending attack of the enemy.

10 - Me, Myself & I

The greatest opponent of the church is often the church. The thing that keeps the church from reaching the world is the world inside the church. We might sing songs to God on Sunday mornings but our theme song every other day of the week is often "Me, myself and I." How do we change that? Nehemiah chapter 5 gives us some clues.

11 - Psst . . . Have You Heard?

The Devil is a whisperer, a schemer, and a blasphemer. Remember what happened in the Garden of Eden? He merely posed a question to Eve; that's all. He placed a shadow of doubt in her mind and it was enough to lure her into disobedience. What is Satan whispering into your ear today? Is it working?

12 - Roll The Credits

Every believer is a gate-keeper, and gates are only as good as the character of the guards. In this message Stephen warns us to guard carefully what we allow through the gates of our life knowing that what we take in through our minds will ultimately effect our souls.

13 - Lord, Send A Re-Bible

The Church has lost her moral courage to communicate the message of Jesus. Believers today are just as materialistic and promiscuous as unbelievers. At the moment when our generation is desperately asking life's most important questions, Christians aren't standing up to give the answer. We, like the people in Nehemiah's day, need a revival. Join Stephen now to find out how to start one.

14 - True Confession

Revival is the natural result of an encounter with God. Whenever God's Word exposes us for who we truly are and we respond by confessing our sins to Him, that is when our hearts find restoration. As Stephen will remind us today, repentance is the road to revolution . . . and there is no alternate route.

15 - Declaration of Dependence

Revival is like remodeling your kitchen. It takes longer than you planned, makes a bigger mess than you thought possible, and costs more than you hoped! But as Stephen reminds us in this message, the outcome is always worth the effort.

16 - The Making of a Pearl

Just when we expect an elderly Nehemiah to walk away from trouble and reach for the rocking chair, he thrusts himself right back into ministry. Those who think we should retire from God's work at a certain age should read Nehemiah 13 and think again!

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