Nehemiah: Building a Life of Service

The book of Nehemiah provides a great example of the struggles and rewards of serving God.  This session will focus on "six Ps" that point the way to building a life of service.

     Session 1     Pray
     Session 2     Plan
     Session 3     Persist
     Session 4     Protect
     Session 5     Prioritize
     Session 6     Praise

AN HISTORIC TIMELINE

586 BC – Babylon conquered Jerusalem, destroyed the Temple of Solomon, and took the people of Judah captive.

539 BC – 47 years later, Cyrus, King of Persia, and the Persians conquered Babylon.

538 BC – 1 year later, and 48 years after the initiation of captivity, Cyrus issued a decree allowing the Jews that wanted to to return home from exile.  Zerubbabel led the first wave of people to return.

536 BC – 2 years later, and 50 years after the initiation of captivity, the work on rebuilding the Temple of Yahweh began under the leadership of Joshua (the spiritual leader in the rebuilding of the temple, the son of Jozaddek the High Priest); Prince Zerubbabel ("son of Shealtiel, the governor of Judah", a great grandson of Hezekiah, King of Judah); and Haggai (the first prophet of the restoration).  The Old Prophet encouraged the people to repent and come back to God. Haggai encouraged "be strong, Zerubbabel—this is the Lord’s declaration. Be strong, Joshua son of Jehozadak, high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land—this is the Lord’s declaration. Work! For I am with you ..... This is the promise I made to you when you came out of Egypt, and my Spirit is present among you; don’t be afraid.’”

515 BC – 21 years later, and 70 years after the initiation of captivity,  the Temple is completed and dedicated.

458 BC – 57 years later, and 128 years after the initiation of captivity,  Ezra led a second wave of Jews home from exile.

445 BC – 13 years later, 90+ years after Cyrus' decree and 141 years after the initiation of captivity,  Nehemiah led a third wave of Jews home from exile and launched a rebuilding project to repair the walls around Jerusalem, completing its construction in 52 days.