日期： 10/12/08

經文： 尼希米記 13

講題： 脫穎而出

主旨： 心靈的更新要求我們與神合作

引言：

在過去的兩年、我們經常聽聞科學家稱說有一個屬靈的基因。有這基因的人會更傾向屬靈的事、如 : 對神的追求、默想和禱告等類之事。如擁有這基因多好 ? 這樣、一些屬靈的紀律如讀經禱告就不需下任何的功夫就能得到。話又說回來、不論你有否這基因、你對自己的靈命狀況滿意嗎？若給你和神的關係打分數，從一到五分，一分表示最不滿意，五分最滿意，你會給這段關係打幾分？這幾年坊間出現許多書，不管是基督教文學或者非基督教文學，紛紛討論著一樣的主題：心靈成長。這反映了一件事，即使身處在物質主意興盛的現代社會，我們的內心深處仍然渴望某些更具意義的、能夠令人感到滿足的事物。或許我們無法具體並確切地表達我們要的是什麼，但我們都似乎期待著某種心靈層次的更新。

當我們讀著眼前的經文，我們可以看到目前猶大人的處境並不樂觀，甚可說是十足地令人失望。若你從前面的經文便開始跟著我們一起讀到這裡，甚至或許會感到有些沮喪。或許在這個節骨眼上看來，先前發生的一切似乎都是徒勞無功，並且未來好像將以混亂收場，但在我們下定論前，先仔細地來看一下這節經文的背景。

  第 12 章中我們看到以色列人在歡樂的敬拜儀式中將完工後的耶路撒冷城牆獻給了神。除了敬拜之外，他們也向神重新承諾他們願意遵守神的律法。對於重建計畫來說，那是一個幸福美滿的結局。 尼希米前後共治理猶大長達 12 年，之後他便回到了波斯為波斯王服務。又過了一段時日，他要求並獲准重新回到猶大。

  我們還記得，在他上回第一次回到猶大城的時候，他隨即徒步繞著城牆，巡視並評估城牆的破損狀況和城門的毀損程度。現在，他第二次回到猶大城，他首先巡視的是猶大居民的精神地標。在這章中我們看到一些如： 我才知道… . 我發覺… . 我看見… . 我也發現… . 的字眼。他所知道、發覺、看見、發現的都是令人沮喪的景象。然而，就像是他第一次回到耶路撒冷一樣，他並沒有受到這些負面景象的打擊，取而代之的是，他把這些當作是一項激勵，用以敦促他重建耶路撒冷人的心靈生活。從這一章當中，我們可以在尼希米身上習得重建一個人的心靈生活有哪些重要因素。

I. 心靈的更新基於我們對自己的正確評估

  尼希米知道、發覺、看見、發現了些什麼？首先：

1. 玷污神殿 ---- 世俗主義。 尼希米不在的這段期間，以利亞實祭司為多比雅騰出了一個房間供多比雅使用，那房間是往常用來收存素祭、乳香和器皿，以及當給祭司等供職的人的分用的。又是多比雅！我們在先前的故事裡也曾提到過，多比雅之前曾是重建計畫的敵人，在言詞上反對城牆重建計畫。現在，祭司在神殿的庫房裡給他預備了一個房間。你可以想像嗎？在他們的心靈生活指標的當中騰出一個空間給他們的敵人？在 13 章 1-3 節中提到，尼希米清楚地提醒猶大人：亞捫人永遠不可進入神的會。但是現況卻是，亞們人多比雅在神殿的當中得到了一個房間。這確切地表示猶大人對於神的話的漠視，他們雖有神的話語在他們當中，卻沒有盡全力去遵守。

神殿不只是被玷污，甚至還被疏忽了。在 10 章 39 節中，猶大人承諾絕不會疏忽供應神的殿。但在尼希米不在的期間，十分之一和奉獻都被停止了，他們疏忽供應了神的殿，所以供職的利未人和歌唱者都回到自己的田地去了。利未人的職責在於帶領大家讀經並教導神的話語，而歌唱者則是負責協助帶領敬拜。現在我們知道這裡發生了什麼事：當人們忽視神的話，也將同時忽視心靈生活和次序。換句話說，我們看到了一個充斥著世俗主義的團體。

對身處 21 世紀的我們來說，這無疑是當頭棒喝。我們越來越常看到人們把聖經教導擺到一旁，不再將之當作信仰生活的圭臬。即使是我們基督徒，越來越多的人只把聖經當作一本教我們如何成為更好的人、如何經營一個更蒙祝福的家庭的書。我們常常選擇性的閱讀聖經，卻不再把它當作神的話語、必須遵守的準則。最近有人告訴我，一項針對福音派教會的調查結果顯示，在這些基督徒們當中的家庭暴力發生率，就算不比一般的社會大眾高，也只是一樣高而已。這真是令人難過，是吧？家暴、離婚、墮胎、婚前或婚外性行為、色情影片這些事的發生率在教會當中也漸漸提高了。很明顯地，我們沒有遵守神的話。

不只這樣，屬靈的事呢？敬拜、 什一奉獻、 主日學或查經班、與其他基督徒的團契生活，全被視為等而次之。就像我先前跟大家分享過的一樣，如果有一個教會活動和一個社交活動撞期，通常教會都是輸的那一方；我們很少聽到人家說：「不好意思，我沒辦法參加今晚的派對，因為我要去參加教會的聚會。」

2. 忽略安息日 ---- 物質主義。尼希米第一次與猶大人在一起的時候，吩咐過他們停止在安息日的買賣活動。當時的猶大人遵守了；然而當尼希米不在的時候，他們又故態復萌。如果沒有人在安息日買東西，賣東西的人也沒戲唱；這不僅只是不遵守法令並且褻瀆安息日，這一切也和錢及物質主義息息相關。以色列人允許自己的心跟著錢走，他們把錢看的比神還重要。

錢永遠不嫌多，是吧？ 數以百萬計的人買樂透彩券，因為大家都想做百萬富翁。但是有個百萬富翁曾說過：「這樣的生活真令人厭煩；現在我買得起任何我想買的東西了… . 但老實說，還真有點無趣。」對人來說，物質主義就像是鴉片一樣，總有一個很大的慾望，想要擁有更多的、更好的、更大的；好還要更好。社會評論家赫伯特‧ Schlossberg 在 25 年前有這樣的描述：「所有真正的需要 --- 好比食物、飲水及陪伴 --- 都可以被滿足。不合理的需要 --- 傲慢、妒忌、貪婪 ---- 無法被滿足…足夠永遠都顯得不足… .. 」這也是之所以在那尼亞傳奇的故事裡，邪惡的白女巫為什麼用火雞肉三明治便能誘惑、控制愛德蒙：我們所擁有的永遠都不夠。

我們賺的錢越多，我們追求的生活水準也越高；當初那個「簡單的生活形態」的概念離我們越來越遠。

3. 異族婚姻 ---- 多元主義。尼希米不在的那段期間，有些猶大人娶了外族女子為妻。我們之前曾學到，問題不在於這些婦女身為外族人，而是因為這些外族女子使猶大人轉離自己的神，追隨外族的偶像。所羅門王和猶大人是否忘了那位創造他們的神？就我們所知，他們並未忘記，他們仍是神的子民；然而現在，這位耶和華不再是他們唯一的神，他們還有別的神。他們完全忽略了神當初的誡命：出埃及記 20 ： 1-3 ，「 1 　神吩咐以下這一切話 ， 說 ： 2 『 我是耶和 華你的　神 ， 曾經把你從埃及地 ， 從為奴之家領出來。 3 除我以外 ， 你不可有別的神。』 」耶和華 神加上其他的外邦神，這樣的信仰是多元主義。

最近有一位印度婦女說：「我信奉印度教，但我也信耶穌。」在我們身處的社會中，總是多方強調彼此包容、維護和諧關係，我們避免那些排除異己的言論。甚或有些時候，我們對於引用耶穌基督所說的『 我就是道路、真理、生命，如果不是藉著我，沒有人能到父那裡去 』而感到尷尬難堪。使徒行傳 4 ： 12 「 12 除了他以外，別無拯救，因為在天下人間，沒有賜下別的名，我們可以靠著得救。 」在現今的年月裡，這樣的真理似乎變成非常唐突的陳述，所有的新聞媒體虎視眈眈地等待著哪位總統候選人在選前提出這樣的聲明，好大加撻伐一番。很多時候我們也努力避免提出這樣的言論，儘可能地展現包容、關懷、親切；為此，我們以一種微妙的方式，屈服於多元主義之下。我們為此失去了十架的戰鬥能力，很多時候，基督的信息在清真寺、猶太教堂、和佛教的廟宇中也一樣受歡迎。為什麼？因為我們失去了我們的獨一性。

4. 相對主義。當猶大人偏離了神的話語，他們也漸漸脫離了心靈生活，離神的真理越來越遠。他們對待神，就好比對待他們身邊其他的外邦神或偶像一樣；他們的心中不再有是非對錯，對他們來說所有神都是一樣的，只是有一些些不同而已。這聽起來並不陌生，是吧？我們稱之為相對主義，不再存在有道德上的絕對；你走你的陽關道，我過我的獨木橋，我們只是不一樣而已，沒有什麼不好的。

對這個遙遠的國度、遙遠的年代的描述，讓我們心裡有些惶惶不安，是吧？在我們自己的生活周遭，不也常能嗅出那麼一些世俗主義、物質主義、多元主義、相對主義的氣息嗎？這些會不會也是讓我們的心靈生活空泛和混亂、讓我們感覺精神渙散、老是提不起勁兒的原因呢？我們都聽過那隻滾水裡的青蛙的故事；如果水一開始是燙的，青蛙會馬上跳出水壺逃走；但如果你把牠放在水壺裡，從室溫開始慢慢加熱水壺，那隻青蛙會一直待在水裡直到被煮熟而喪命。心靈的空泛和散漫不會發生在一夕之間，而是漸漸改變。我們在這裡妥協一些些，那裡改變一些些，不久以後，便失去了所有的生命力。然而，故事還沒結束。

II.    心靈的更新要求我們著意的下決定

在這段經文中我們也讀到了尼希米做了什麼來改善他所見到的問題。在他第一次回到猶大時，他看到了破損的城牆和毀壞的城門，所以他開始了重建計畫。這個過程當中，尼希米一直知道除了具體重建耶路撒冷城牆之外，還有其他的工作要做，重建人們的心靈生活也一樣的重要。他也看見人們糟透了的心靈生活，這並不讓他灰心喪志，而是轉而對此採取行動。在這段經文中記錄了尼希米採取的行動：他把多比雅一切的家具都從房間裡拋出去（第 8 節 ---- 這讓我們想起耶穌清理神殿）、責備眾官長（第 11 節）、責備猶大的貴族因允許買賣行為而褻瀆安息日（第 17 節）、在安息日關閉城門（第 19 節）、驅逐外族人（第 28 節）、他也宣讀神的話給眾人聽，並且潔淨他們。在這描述中，我觀察到：

1. 認罪。尼希米清楚地指出 猶太人 所行的那些不討神喜悅的行為。在今天的社會裡，甚至在教會裡，我們注重發展個人的潛力；我們被教導神賜予每個人不同的屬靈恩賜，而我們應該要好好的發展並使用那些恩賜。屬靈恩賜固然重要，但在神面前承認我們的罪和過失不也同樣重要嗎？我們是不是也坐視自己，讓自己對於快樂和物質滿足的追求大過對於神的追求？我們是不是也與我們的心靈生活脫軌，遠離了敬拜、主日學和團契？藉著家庭和工作時程的滿檔，我們是不是把神擠到優先次序比較不重要的地方去了？我們仍然相信這位造物主，只是相信的同時，我們也漸漸地允許其他的偶像佔據了我們的生活。

歷史上每一次基督教會的更新運動，其中總是包含了承認個人的罪。提到心靈更新，在西方，約拿單‧愛德華滋的講章《落在憤怒之神手中的罪人》曾帶領許多人回轉，來到神的面前哭泣著請求神的饒恕；在東方，山東區大幅的心靈更新，以及 宋尚節 博士當年的心靈復興，大多都伴隨著人們對前罪的悔悟。

我們也要知曉自己的罪，以及我們和神之間的距離。我們已經在罪裡容忍了太久；如果我們追求心靈的更新或復興，就得從認罪悔改開始。此外

2. 回歸神的話 。在這段經文理，我們看到尼希米不斷地重申神話語的重要性。雖然他沒有引經據典，然而他所說的話再再是基於聖經的教導。他希望人們轉回到神的話語中，以這些話語做為生命的準則。一些有關教會的增長和婚姻關係指點和亮光也是十分重要，但是在努力經營之餘，我們是否已遵守神藉著經文對我們的教導？

幾天前我接到一通電話，對方問我可否請曉士頓中國教會的人支援他們的講壇事工，我想詳細瞭解對方對於人選的部分有沒有任何的條件，好比服事經歷或者屬靈恩賜等等，沒想到對方回答：「隨便誰都可以。」這讓我感到難過，若教會不再注重話語的教導，便失去了存在的意義。身為基督徒，在個人層次上我們也應該將神的話導回我們生活中，並且放在正確的位置；每每見到我們的會眾忠實地參加主日學、查經團契或者其他屬靈團體，認真看待神的話語並努力學習，都讓我深受鼓勵。

3. 委身於聖潔 。在第 30-31 節，「 30 這樣，我就潔淨了他們，使他們脫離一切外族人的污穢，又重新指派祭司和利未人的職責，各人有自己的工作。 31 我又指派人按時供應木柴和奉獻初熟之物。 … . 」在指正過那些官長並糾正他們的行為之後，尼希米潔淨他們。他知道聖潔對神的子民的重要性，他們的所作所為影響世人對於神聖潔與否的印象，所以他們需要再次被潔淨；所以在這場心靈更新的最後，尼希米再次潔淨他們。身為廿一世紀的信徒，我們要謹記在心，聖潔並不只在於列出一張行為表，標上什麼該做什麼不該做；而是不論在家庭裡、工作上、教會中、各方面的生活都順從神的話。我們應該時常自我檢視、反省，我是否在言詞上、舉止上、態度上都能討神的喜悅？

有一位基督徒的醫生朋友和我們有這樣的分享 . 他教會的一位執事邀請他和太太去他湖邊房子 抓螃蟹。但當地有一法令是不能抓雌螃蟹、如抓到的話需要放回水裡。但也有許多人喜歡吃雌螃蟹裡的卵、這執事的太太說 : 我們就留這幾隻蟹、是沒人知道的。聽了這話、這醫生覺得很不安、就向這執事夫婦解釋這是不對的、是不刻作的事。你看、聖潔是要滲透我們生命的每一角落。

聖潔應該落實於生活的各個層面中。

4. 倚靠神。在這一章中，「神啊！求祢紀念我！」這句話出現了三次。每次尼希米糾正了什麼行為，並將好行為付諸行動之後，他便向神獻上這樣的禱告。尼希米知曉他不是獨自完成這些事的，他也知道單靠人的力量，這些更新不會持續太久。即使稍後在猶大人的歷史裡，我們讀到這樣的更新的確歷時不長，不久後人們便又故態復萌。直到耶穌基督降世，再次號召眾人跟隨祂，提供世人跟隨、順服的目標。神不只立下要我們遵行的規矩，也允諾要給予我們順服的力量。祂承諾我們祂永遠的同在，並因著祂的同在，我們能夠有能力遵守祂的話語。使徒保羅在腓立比書 4 章 13 節寫道：「 13 我靠著那加給我能力的，凡是都能作。」

結語：

如真有這屬靈的基因、那聖經裡許多的教導對我們就沒多大的意義了。如我沒這基因的話、你再多要我讀經禱告、我也是作不到。我相信這不是神的設計、祂將一個渴慕祂的心放在我們的心中、在心靈的深處我們願意更多的認識祂、更多的親近祂。我們渴慕一個與神更密切的關係。 但如要滿足這渴慕的話、我們必須面對自己生命裡的罪、除了知道這些罪、也要悔改歸向神。

約莫三年前，我遇到一位在其他教會聚會的基督徒。在一次的講座之後她上前來，與我分享她當時那陣子的生活體驗，她說她感到心靈乾渴已有一段時間，很渴望更深入地追求。因此，她開始參加各種聚會：從受膏禮到醫治服事。各種聚會一開始好像還能夠滿足她，但久而久之，那種乾涸和渴望又再次襲擊她。然後她說「經過這許多年，我終於明白我所應該做的，就是回到神的話語當中。」我們都需要回到神的話語當中，不只是閱讀和研習，且應當順服教導並身體力行。

Date:   10/12/08

Text;   Nehemiah 13

Title:   Spiritual Renewal

Theme: Spiritual renewal requires human effort and cooperation with God.

Introduction:

  During the last two years we hear about the possible discovery of a spiritual gene. For those with this gene, they have the propensity to focus on spiritual matters. Such as search for God, in touch with the spiritual world. Wouldn't it be nice to have this gene? If so, then those spiritual disciplines; reading and meditating on the Scriptures, long hours of prayers will be a cinch.

Well, with or without this gene, how satisfied are you with your spiritual life? On a scale of 1 to 5, one being the lowest and 5, the highest, how would you rate your relationship with God? In recent years, many books, both Christian and non-Christian, have been written about spirituality or spiritual formation. This reflects that even in the midst of material prosperity, deep within, we're yearning for something more meaningful and satisfying. We may be very vague or unsure of our search, nonetheless, many of us are seeking for some form of spiritual renewal.

  As we read the passage before us, the situation in Judah was not a very pleasant picture, but rather downright disappointing. For those of us weekly following this story, may even feel slightly distressed. As if everything that happened prior ended in disarray leading to feelings of futility. Before we jump into any conclusions, let's first take a look at the background of this passage.

  In chapter 12 we read how the Israelites dedicated the completed Jerusalem city wall with a joyous worship service. Besides this worship, they kept their promise to be obedient to God's Law, indeed a very happy and healthy conclusion of this rebuilding project. Nehemiah was the governor in Judah for a total of 12 years, then returned to Persia to continue serving the Persian King. Sometime later, he requested and was granted permission to return to Judah .

  You remember, upon his first return, Nehemiah immediately took a walk around the city and surveyed the condition of the broken walls and destroyed gates. Now, at his second return, instead of surveying the wall and the gates, he surveyed the spiritual landscape of Judah 's residents. In this chapter we see words such as: I discovered…., I also found…, I saw, also I saw… A very depressing picture was what he saw, found and discovered. Yet, like his first return, he did not allow the negatives to discourage him. Rather, he was challenged to rebuild the spiritual life of the Israelites. From this chapter, we want to learn from Nehemiah what are some of the keys in rebuilding one's spiritual life.

I.   Spiritual vitality requires a realistic assessment of our condition.

  What did Nehemiah see, find and discover? First,

1 •  Temple defiled-----Secularism. During Nehemiah's absence, 13:4, “…” Eliashib the priest emptied a storage room for tithes and offering in the temple area and let Tobiah use it. Ah, Tobiah again. You remember in our previous study of Nehemiah, he was a loud opponent of the rebuilding project. He was their enemy and now, the priest was giving him a room in the temple complex!!!. Can you imagine this: a room for their enemy in the center of their spiritual life??!!. In chapter 13:1-3, Nehemiah clearly reminded the Israelites that no Ammonites are to be allowed in their midst. Here, Tobiah, an Ammonite, was allotted a room in the holy temple area. This is a clear violation and indifference to God's word. Yes, they had the word of God among them, but they made no attempt to obey it.

Not only was the temple defiled, it was also neglected. In 10:39, they promised that they would not neglect the house of God. But during Nehemiah's absence, tithes and offerings had ended. 13:11, “….” They neglected to take care of the temple resulting in the Levites and the Singers returning home. The Levites are those reading and teaching the word of God. The singers are those helping with their worship. Do we see what is happening here? When they became indifferent to the word of God, they also marginalized spiritual matters and priorities. In other words, we see the secularization of a community.

This is an alarm to us in the 21 st century. Increasingly we see the scriptures being pushed aside. It is no longer the center of our religious life. We are increasingly seeing the bible as a book to help us be better persons, have a more blessed family. We do a lot of selective reading. The bible is no longer God's word, a book for us to obey. Recently I was told that in a survey among the evangelical churches, the incidents of domestic violence is just about, if not higher, than the society in general. This is sad, right? In this and other areas such as divorce, abortion, sexual activities outside marriage, and pornography are rampant within the churches. We have clearly disobeyed God's word.

Not only this, how about spiritual matters? Worship, tithing, Sunday School or bible study, fellowship with other believers have all taken a back seat. As I shared with you before, when there is a conflict between a church function and a social function, church usually loses out. Seldom do we hear: I am sorry I can't attend this party because I have a church meeting tonight. We may have marginalized matters pertaining to God.

2 •  Sabbath neglected----- Materialism. When Nehemiah was with them the first time, he had instructed them to stop trading on the Sabbath. The Israelites obeyed, but during his absence, the practices returned. 13:15-16, “…..”Without people buying on the Sabbath, it would be difficult to sell merchandise . It's not just a matter of not keeping the Sabbath holy as instructed in the Law, it is also about money, about materialism. They had allowed their hearts to follow money as money mattered more than God.

Money is never enough, right? Millions of people buy lottery tickets because they covet to be millionaires. But one who has become a millionaire says, “Life is such a drag now that I can afford anything I want….to be honest, it's a little boring.” Materialism is like ‘the opium of the people'. There is a huge thirst for more, better and bigger. Good is just not enough anymore. Herbert Schlossberg described it 25 years ago, “All true needs---such as food, drink and companionship--- are satiable. Illegitimate wants---pride, envy, greed---- are insatiable…Enough is never enough…..” this is how the wicked witch in Narnia used the turkey sandwich to entice and control Edmond . It is never enough.

The more money we make, the higher our living standards. The whole concept of a ‘simple life-style' has become so foreign to us.

3 •  Married to foreigners------ Pluralism. 13:23-24, “….”In Nehemiah's absence, some of the Israelites married foreign women. In an earlier study, we learned that the issue was not their foreignness, but that the Israelites were led astray by their foreign wives, and followed their gods. Nehemiah in vs.26-27, “…….” He retold them the story of Solomon. 13:26-27, “…..”He married many foreign wives and in the end, was led astray and followed their gods. Did Solomon and Israelites forsake their Creator God? As far as we know, they did not. They were still God's children. But now, besides this Jehovah God, there were other gods. They have totally neglected these commands, Exodus 20:1-3, “ 1 And God spoke all these words, saying, 2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 3 “You shall have no other gods before me. 1 ????????? , ? : 2 “ ???? ??? ? , ???????? , ????????? 3 “ ???? , ???????? ” It is the Jehovah God plus other gods. This is pluralism.

Recently an Indian woman said, “I am a Hindu, but I also believe in Jesus.” In our present society, there is much emphasis on tolerance and harmony. We dislike those exclusive statements. We may even feel embarrassed to quote Jesus' claim, John 14:6, “…..”“I am the way, the truth and the life, no one can come to the father except through me.” Acts 4;12, “ 12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Statements like this are very offensive in this day and age. The news media are itching for the moment when one of the presidential candidates would make such a statement. Frequently, we do our best to stay away from them. We want to be all inclusive, loving and kind. In doing so, we have subtly succumbed to pluralism. We have lost the offensiveness of the Cross. Too often a Christian message is equally welcome in a mosque, synagogue and Buddhist Temple . Why, for we have lost our uniqueness.

4 •  Relativism. When the Israelites became indifferent to the word, they marginalized spiritual matters. They drifted further and further away from God's truth. They treated God just like any other gods and idols among and around them. Right or wrong don't exist any more. They are just being different. This sounds familiar, right? We call this relativism. There is no more moral absolutes. You do your thing and I do mine. We are just being different. Everything is fine and dandy.

This description of a distant country in a distant era can bring some discomfort to us, right? Isn't it true that we all see some traces of secularism, materialism, pluralism and relativism right here among us? Can this be one of the reasons we feel so ‘blah….' in our spiritual life. Can this be the reason for being spiritually lethargic? You have heard the story about the frog being put in a kettle with boiling water. If the water is hot, it will immediately jump out. But if you put it in a room temperature water and slowly increase the heat, the frog will stay until it is boiled to death. Spiritual lethargic does not happen overnight, it occurs slowly. We compromise a little here, a little there, and before long, we lose all that vitality. But we don't stop here:

II.   Spiritual vitality requires……

  In this passage we also read what Nehemiah did to correct the problem. Upon his first return, he saw the broken wall and destroyed gates, and began the rebuilding project. All this time, Nehemiah knew there was more to the rebuilding of the physical wall of Jerusalem . The rebuilding or reformation of the people's spiritual life is just as important. He saw their sad spiritual condition, and did not let it bog him down, but swung into action. In this passage we had a record of Nehemiah's actions: He threw out Tobiah's furniture (vs.8--this reminds us of Jesus' cleansing the temple), he rebuked the leaders (vs.11), confronted the nobles for allowing business to be carried out on the Sabbath (vs.17), he closed the gates on Sabbath (vs.19), and removed the foreigners among them (vs.28), He read the word to them and purified them. From these descriptions, I would like to make some observations:

1 •  Recognition and confession of sins. Nehemiah clearly pointed to them that such behaviors are displeasing to God. In today's society, sometimes even in the Christian church, we focus heavily on expressing one's potential. We teach that God has given each of us spiritual gifts and we need to use them and fully express them. Yes, this is important, but isn't it also true that we need to recognize our sins and failures before God, how short we have come of his glory? We may have let the pursuit of happiness and material fulfillment take over our pursuit of God. We, too, have marginalized the spiritual matters and practices such as worship, Sunday School and fellowship with other believers. In the name of family and busy work schedule, we have pushed God to the back of our priority list. Yes, we still believe in this creator God, but we may also allow other gods to slowly creep into our lives.

In every revival in the Christian church history, there is always the recognition of one's sinfulness. In the west, we think of the revival in Jonathan Edward's time. His sermon, ‘Sinners in the hands of an angry God” brought people to their knees, crying and asking God for forgiveness. In the east, the revivals in Shangton and the time of John Sung, all were accompanied by a deep awareness of one's sins.

We also need to know our sins and how far we have gone astray from God. We have tolerated sins in our lives for too long. If we seek spiritual renewal or revival, it begins in our recognition and confession of sin. There is more.

2 •  Coming back to the word. In this passage, we repeatedly see the pattern of Nehemiah's emphasis on God's word. He may not be quoting verses, but his words were from the scriptures. He wanted people to return to God's word, acknowledging its priority in life. For those of us in the ministry, it is paramount that we bring people to God's word. Yes, other ideas and insights about church growth and marriage are important. But even more importantly,, are we being obedient to what God has revealed to us in the scriptures.

Few days ago I got a call asking if HCC can help supply their pulpit ministry. I asked what are some requirements, such as ministry experience and gifts. This was his response, “Anyone will do.” I felt sad. When a church doesn't put emphasis on the word, we have really lost our reason of existence. Individually we also need to put God's word right back into the first place in our Christian life. I am always encouraged to see how some of you take the word seriously by faithfully attending Sunday School, BSF and other bible study groups.

3 •  Commitment to holiness. In 30-31, “ 30 Thus I cleansed them from everything foreign, and I established the duties of the priests and Levites, each in his work; 31 and I provided for the wood offering at appointed times, and for the firstfruits….” After rebuking the leaders and correcting their behaviors, Nehemiah purified them. He knew the importance of holiness among God's people. What they did defiled God's holiness, so now they needed recleansing. At the end of this spiritual rebuilding, he purified them. As believers in the 21 st century, we must keep this in mind. To be holy does not mean keeping a list of dos and don'ts, it is about being obedient to God in all areas of our lives. w e are to be obedient to God in our family life, at work and at church. We are to examine and reflect on a regular basis, are my words, behavior and attitudes pleasing to God?

A Christian doctor was invited by the deacon of his church to a lakeside vacation home for catching crabs. There was a law forbidding the catch of female crabs. If you catch one, you have to put it back in the water. But female crabs also carry much eggs, even though high on cholesterol, it is a favorable food for many. They caught some and the deacon's wife said, “we can keep them for dinner, even though it is against the law, because no one knows anyway.” This bothered the doctor greatly so he gently explained that this is not right and not pleasing to God. You see, Holiness is to permeate in all reas of life. Then lastly,

4 •  Dependence on God. In this chapter, ‘remember me to ? God' appeared 3 times. Every time after he corrected a behavior and practice, he offered this prayer to God. Nehemiah knew that he could not do it alone. He also knew that by human power, such a reform could not be sustained. Later, from the Jewish history, we learned that this reformation and renewal did not last too long. Once again they reverted to their old ways. And then with the coming of Jesus, he (who?) again issued a call to follow him. He provided us with guidelines to follow and obey. Not just another set of rules, but also a promise to give us the strength to be obedient. He promised that he would live within us, and because he is within us, we can be obedient to him. Later, his apostle Paul wrote, Philippians 4:13 “ 13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”

Conclusion:

   If there is indeed a spiritual gene, then much of the scripture's teaching will mean little to us. If I don't have this gene, then there is really no need to read the scripture and be obedient to it. Without this gene, no matter how hard I try, it's not going to work, right? I don't think this is God's design. His puts in each one of us a desire for him. There is a desire to know him more deeper and more thoroughly. There is a yearning for more meaningful spirituality. This yearning can be satisfied when we face our sins and failures head on. Not just recognizing, but also turn away from them and turn to God.

  About 3 years ago I met a Christian worshipping in another church. She came up to me after a my talk and wanted to personally share some of her recent experiences. Feeling spiritually dry for some time, she was yearning for something deeper. Consequently, she began attending all kinds of meetings: anointing gatherings and healing services. Satisfied for a while. but before long, her hunger and yearning returned. Then she said, “after a few years, I realized what I needed to do was to come back to God's word.” We all need to come back to God's word. Not just reading and studying, but also obeying God's word.