Welcome to Big Valley Grace Community Church. My name is Joel. If you’re brand new, normally I’d say, “Hey, come meet me right down here afterwards, because I want to shake your hand and welcome you” — which I do. But I’m not going to do that today. And here’s why: I am currently somewhere between exhaustion and too much caffeine. Because last night I had big pop duty, and I had my grandbaby with me, Laney. Don’t applaud yet — there’s more. Because I know that’s impressive, but that’s not the big part. Because Mama, my wife, had to be at the hospital all night, because my son and daughter-in-law had their baby this morning. Yeah. So I do really want to meet you — after I meet my grandbaby. Which is where I’m going to go when we’re done here. I’m going to go to the hospital and welcome God’s gift into our family. So praise the Lord.

We’re in Nehemiah. So if you have a Bible, take your Bible and turn to Nehemiah; we’re going to be in chapter 5 today. And if you need a Bible, come to the prayer room after the gathering. Our team will be in the prayer room. If you need prayer, we have Bibles in there. We want to make sure everyone has a copy of God’s Word. We want everybody to have God’s Word available for you, to read it for yourself.

Well, like I’ve shared many times, I grew up a couple blocks that way. And as a kid, I would be defined as a free spirit, man. I had wild ideas and big dreams, and I was all into everything all the time. Tons of friends, lots of activities. That’s back when you could play at the park — back when kids in the neighborhood could play together, you know? Anybody remember that? Those are good days, huh? Sorry, kids. It’s different now. Kids used to be able to play — it’s illegal now. But man, I had a great childhood growing up. And then responsibility set in, and I got my first job. Do you guys remember your first job? If you don’t remember your first job, get a job. Got my first job, kind of increased in responsibility, and then, man, things really changed when I got married. Oh man, I didn’t know what I didn’t know — until she let me know. I didn’t know it. And I tell you what, it was wild. I mean, we were like 11 when we got married. We were so young, and that was crazy. But then responsibility — oh, responsibility grew even more. I was working at the engineering firm. We lived off Rumble Avenue on Campbell Avenue, and I came home for lunch, and my wife was there in the kitchen, and she let me know that she was pregnant. And I was like, “How did that happen?” It’s like kids having kids. And you know what’s crazy is that in time, responsibility just continues to grow. You get a responsibility, and then it grows. You get a responsibility, and then it grows. And that’s kind of how it’s supposed to be, because that’s what maturing is. And we mature in our life.

And that happens in our spiritual life as well: God gives us a responsibility, and then we handle it, and then he gives us another responsibility, and then we handle it, and we continue to grow and we grow in spiritual maturity. And all of us have been given responsibilities by God. God has given every one of us a set of responsibilities. And I want you to know, I’m so thankful that the set of responsibilities I have right now, I didn’t have them when I was 18. Anybody remember what you were like when you were 18? I see a lot of heads shaking. So there’s other dysfunctional 18-year-old versions out there. I understand. I’m so grateful that God eased the responsibility into my life so that I could grow into it. That’s exactly what we’re going to look at today. This is the question we’re going to use to get us into our text in Nehemiah 5: What will be required of us as we receive a God-given responsibility? God is giving responsibility to each of us. And the responsibilities that God has given to each of us look a little different. The responsibilities he gave you look a little different than the responsibilities he gave me, which look a little different than the responsibilities he gave Nehemiah, who we’re going to look at here. But what’s required of us as we receive these God-given responsibilities? Well, God gives us Nehemiah as an example.

And to kind of catch us up big picture — if you’ve missed the teachings up to this point, you can watch them all online; there have been seven of them so far. They’re free. You can read back in your Bible in Nehemiah. But big picture: Israel was disobedient to God as a nation. It ended up being a divided kingdom. Ten tribes were conquered first and exiled and destroyed, and then two tribes were conquered last and exiled. And Persia becomes the nation that is now in charge. And those who were exiled essentially grew up as slaves or servants to a conquering nation. Well, the individual Nehemiah was a servant — a slave to a conquering king — and his role that he was given was cupbearer. The cupbearer’s job was to drink the wine first, before the king drank the wine, to make sure that the wine was not poisoned. So it’s a tough job, a very high-risk job. Every day his life is on the line, as he is the first line of defense. If that’s poison wine, he’s going to be the first one that dies. And that’s the responsibility that he had — a responsibility that God gave him, that the king assigned to him. And then he was in a responsibility where he hears about his homeland: the walls are destroyed, the gates have been burned with fire, Jerusalem’s in shambles, and the people are living in shame. And God uses that message in his life to stir in him. And he goes to the king and asks the king to send him, and the king sends him hundreds of miles to Jerusalem. Now he has a second responsibility, and that is to be a builder — coming in to build walls and build gates and restore a city, and he’s leading a lot of people, leading a building project. Well, in what we’re going to look at today in Nehemiah 5, we see the next responsibility that God gives him. And we’re going to answer this question: What will be required of us as we receive a God-given responsibility?

In Nehemiah 5:14–19 it says this: “Moreover, from the time I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year to the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes the king — twelve years — neither I nor my brothers ate the food allowance of the governor. The former governors who were before me laid heavy burdens on the people and took from them for their daily ration forty shekels of silver. Even their servants lorded it over the people, but I did not do so, because of the fear of God. I also persevered in the work on this wall, and we acquired no land, and all my servants were gathered there for the work. Moreover, there were at my table 150 men, Jews and officials, besides those who came to us from the nations that were around us. Now what was prepared at my expense for each day was one ox and six choice sheep and birds, and every ten days all kinds of wine in abundance. Yet for all this, I did not demand the food allowance of the governor, because the service was too heavy on this people. Remember for my good, O my God, all that I have done for this people.”

Let me pray for us. Father God, Lord, would you help us to understand the God-given responsibilities that you have assigned to us? And God, would we acknowledge what they are? And would we seek you and ask for help, that we might handle our God-given responsibilities in a way that’s going to honor you and bring glory to you? So God, we’re asking for help. Help us handle our God-given responsibilities. Help us fulfill the requirements of what you want from us and what you have given to us to handle. And we pray this in Jesus’ name, and all God’s family said, “Amen.”

So Nehemiah — he starts off as a cupbearer, and then he’s a builder, and in this passage we find out he’s a governor. Now, in the initial conversations with the king, when he’s the cupbearer, it doesn’t make any mention of governor. When he starts the building project, it doesn’t make any mention of governor. But here the detail of governor comes into the story, and it’s going to be really helpful for us as we’re answering this question: what will be required of us as we receive a God-given responsibility?

1. God-Given Responsibility Requires Acceptance

Number one is this: God-given responsibility requires acceptance. We have to accept that God is asking us to do something. We have to accept that God is giving us a responsibility. And we have to accept that God is going to require from us something regarding the responsibilities that he is giving to us. When Nehemiah was a cupbearer, it wasn’t his own choice. He was a slave-servant to a foreign king, but he accepted his responsibility as a cupbearer. When God put it on his heart and called him to Jerusalem, to his homeland, to his home people, to rebuild the city, he accepted the role to be a builder and to lead the people and to do a construction project. Well, here now it says that he was appointed to be governor, and he accepts his role as the governor. All three of these roles were given to him, and he accepts: these are the roles that God has me to play.

Now, right now we’re going to have a great opportunity to hear from one of our local missions partners, local reach partners. Her name is Bridget, and she started the nonprofit called the Chemo Crew. So check out this video.

“Hi, my name is Bridget, and I am the founder of the Chemo Crew. We are a local nonprofit organization that serves the cancer community, and we do that by offering kits that are full of resources from a survivor’s perspective, and we also provide a support group that meets the first and third Wednesday of every month. I know there’s probably lots of you in the congregation that either have experienced cancer or know somebody who is going through cancer, and we want to be able to serve the community and let them know that they have hope — and that hope comes from Jesus. And so in our kit we put this tool; it’s called 50 Days of Hope. And just recently I was at a support group, and I had an opportunity to read one of these stories and share my story and pray with somebody who was struggling. They were afraid, and they were questioning why this happens. And just like Nehemiah was given an opportunity to be the governor, as you’re learning in Nehemiah, we all get an opportunity to serve. And do we serve for our own goals, or do we serve to be a light and plant seeds for Jesus? So please pray for us as we are reaching the cancer community, and that we can share our stories, and that people will have hope in Jesus. So thank you.”

I’ve had the privilege of knowing Bridget for decades. I had the privilege of being a part of her story when she found out she had cancer. I had the privilege of being a part of her story as the community around her came around her. And I had the privilege of being a part of her story when she looked around and she saw other people going through chemotherapy — and they didn’t have the crew of people around them that she had when she went through chemotherapy. And that bothered her greatly, that people were going through chemotherapy alone. And so she decided: I’m going to be their crew. I’m going to create their crew, so that no one has to go through chemotherapy alone. So she started a nonprofit, and it’s called the Chemo Crew, because she wants to come around people in the same way that her community came around her. Bridget is a great example of someone who accepted a God-given responsibility. She accepted the fact that God allowed her to go through cancer, and she accepted the fact that God put it on her heart to do something about the fact that she went through cancer — and she started an organization to help other people who are going through cancer, so they might have hope and help and find healing in Jesus. It’s really incredible. It’s a great example of someone who has accepted their God-given responsibility.

And that’s what’s required when God gives us a responsibility. Now, me sharing that as an example, you might be thinking, “I’ve never thought about cancer that way.” Well, that would make sense, because what do we think about cancer? It’s horrible. How many lives in this room has cancer impacted our loved ones? And even me talking about this right now, it might have you thinking about the things that God’s allowed you to experience, and what is the responsibility that maybe he has for you. He has given you a responsibility regarding what he’s allowed to happen in your life. And it requires acceptance: accepting that this is what God’s allowed for me.

In verse 14 it says: “Moreover, from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year to the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes the king — twelve years.” Well, like I said, in the initial conversations with the king, it doesn’t mention anything about a governor when he’s the cupbearer. When he shows up in the city to rebuild it as the builder, it doesn’t mention anything about a governor. But here now, this detail is coming out in the story. And I think what it helps us to see is that time had passed in the narrative, and something in the king’s perspective, or in the amount of work that needed to be done in that area, changed. Because when Nehemiah originally had the conversation with the king of Persia, he said, “I’m going to be gone, and this is how long I’m going to be gone.” Well, here it’s now saying that the king of Persia appoints him to be a governor, and he serves for twelve years. Twelve years as a governor is a lot different than the timeline of how long it took to rebuild the wall in Nehemiah. Huge difference. I mean, how many times have you started a project and then it ended up taking way longer than you thought it was going to take? You said yes to a commitment, and you’re like, “I had no idea saying yes was going to lead to all of this.” Some of you started a house project twelve years ago; you haven’t finished it. Hear the laughter — that’s where it is. He signed up for a short-term job; it turned into a twelve-year commitment. And God had for him an appointment, and it was an appointment to be the governor, and he accepted his appointment. God-given responsibility requires acceptance.

2. God-Given Responsibility Requires Integrity

God-given responsibility also requires integrity. Now, me even just saying the term “governor” and saying the term “integrity” — they don’t seem to necessarily go together. Well, that seems like a problem. I mean, we talk about politics, we talk about political leaders, we talk about the government, we talk about leadership and authority, and then we use the word integrity, and we go, “What are we talking about?” And that’s unfortunate. But God-given responsibility requires integrity. In the system Nehemiah is in, it is a corrupt system — nations conquering nations, literally a kill-to-get-ahead culture. That is what he is living in, and he is appointed to be a governor, and it requires integrity. At the end of verse 14 he says, “Neither I nor my brothers ate the food allowance of the governor.” Now, that might sound like a very small detail, but you’re going to see here as we go through the passage how it’s an enormous detail. But you might be thinking, “Okay, well, food allowance — I mean, what? He went out to lunch and he turned his receipt in?” I mean, every job that has leadership has some level of perks that come with the leadership. And he’s saying, “I had integrity. I did not take advantage — nor did the people I was with, my brothers, my people — of the food allowance of the governor.” And as we walk through this, you’re going to see how big of a detail that is for the governors, which he’s going to explain in a moment. There would have been an understanding for the kingdom of Persia that these governors were throwing parties. I mean, Persia knew how to party. This was a party nation. And the governors were to be hosting parties. And so because they’re hosting parties, they would go and demand from the people that they led to fund the party. And what he’s helping us to see is: neither I nor my brothers ate the food allowance of the governor. He said, “I’m going to do it different.” He didn’t take advantage of people. God-given responsibility requires integrity.

3. God-Given Responsibility Requires Accountability

Number three: God-given responsibility requires accountability. Nehemiah is going to explain in the next couple verses a political narrative — a narrative of the history of governors, and it’s a narrative of control, and it’s a narrative of corruption, and it’s a narrative of commanding from the leadership. In verse 15 he says, “The former governors who were before me…” So Nehemiah was not the first governor for the kingdom of Persia; there were governors before him. “The former governors who were before me laid heavy burdens on the people.” Now, last week we looked at this: people were losing their homes; they were losing their fields; they were losing their families. Huge issues financially because of the heavy burdens. And one of those things was the king’s tax. Well, Persia was super wealthy. Persia was so wealthy that the historians describe gold coins — they kind of had too many of them. So they took all the gold coins and they melted them all down; they put them in clay pots; they broke the clay pots. Now they had these big old globs of gold, and they just stacked them up. Super wealthy. And all the money went to the king. And so here you’ve got Judah over here, hundreds of miles away, and the governors were there to get more money, to get more from the people. And he’s saying, “All these governors who were before me, they laid such a heavy burden on the people, and they took from them for their daily ration forty shekels of silver” — which that term means nothing to us right here, except that it’s a lot of money, and they’re getting it every day. And he’s like, “I didn’t want to do what the former governors did. Even their servants lorded it over the people.” He’s saying even the people who worked for the governor in the governor’s office — they would go out into the neighborhoods and the communities too, and they would demand from people: Give me your house. Give me your grain. Give me your wine. Give me your oil. Give me your field. Give me your silver. And he simply says, “But I did not do so.”

Look, I don’t know what corrupt environment you work in. The greatest compliment you might ever receive in your corrupt work environment is that people look at you and go, “You do not do what we do.” That might be the greatest compliment you ever receive. He simply says, “But I did not do so.” If everybody at your work is doing the wrong thing — what a beautiful statement: “But I did not do so.” If everybody at your work is saying the wrong thing, acting the wrong way, treating people the wrong way — “But I did not do so.” What an incredible compliment, that you would not be like everybody who’s in the corrupt system. Why? “Because of the fear of God.” He’s saying, “I am trembling as I serve God. I am trembling in fear of God. I’m not going to act like all the governors acted prior to me, because I’m going to act in a way that is in response to the fear of God — awesome, almighty, sovereign God, creator of the universe.”

He said, “I also persevered in the work.” What’s that mean? He got his hands dirty. He held those bricks. He held the mortar. He held the dirt. When he got home from work every day, his clothes were stained. I got my hands dirty in the work. I also persevered in the work on this wall. I didn’t sit back in the office; I was out there getting my hands dirty. And he says, “We acquired no land.” Well, what does that mean? Well, all the people — they were mortgaging their houses, mortgaging their fields, they were selling their family members. I mean, this was devastation. Everybody’s in debt, enslaved into debt. Well, what does the rich guy do in a moment? You’re going to see how rich Nehemiah is in just a second here. The rich guy comes in and buys up all the land at cheap, takes advantage of all the poor people. Nehemiah goes, “No, we didn’t do it.” Why? Because he wanted these people to get back on their feet, get reestablished, so they could own the land that they needed to own. He’s like, “I didn’t come in and steal the land from them.” And he said, “All my servants were gathered there for the work.” So his entourage was getting their hands dirty, too. Everybody in the governor’s office — they were there on the wall doing the work. And he says all of this: this is how the former governors acted, but this is how I acted as a governor. Why? Because of the fear of God. He saw himself as accountable to God. He was accountable to God as a cupbearer. He was accountable to God as a builder. And he’s accountable to God as a governor. It does not matter what your role or your responsibility is — you’re accountable to God.

Nehemiah knew the Old Testament. We can see that very clearly from the beginning of Nehemiah. He prayed; he prayed Old Testament Scripture when he prayed. He had known Deuteronomy 10:12–13, which says: “And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments and the statutes of the Lord, which I am commanding you today for your good.” As Nehemiah is in the role of the cupbearer, as he’s in the role of the builder, as he’s in the role of the governor — he knows what God’s going to require of him, and it is to fear the Lord, to love God with everything he has, to serve the Lord with a whole heart, to give the entirety of his person in service to the Lord, to keep the commandments that God has given. And Nehemiah knew it was actually for his own good. God gave these requirements for Israel’s good. And Nehemiah accepted that. He accepted: this is the God-given responsibility. I’m going to do this God-given responsibility with integrity. And I know I am being held accountable to God Almighty for the responsibility that he has given me. Micah 6:8 says: “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you, but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.” What is God going to require of us in our God-given responsibility? Well, we’re going to be accountable that we would act in a way that’s just. And we’re going to be accountable that we would act in a way where we bring kindness in close. And we’re accountable that we’re going to act in a way that we operate out of humility. Why? Because of the fear of God.

4. God-Given Responsibility Requires Stewardship

So what will be required of us as we receive God-given responsibilities? Well, God-given responsibility requires acceptance, integrity, accountability — and number four: God-given responsibility requires stewardship. And we’re going to see here in just a moment a definition, an incredible accounting of stewardship that Nehemiah has.

You know, I shared with you in my own life: God gave responsibility, and then he increased responsibility, and then he increased responsibility more. Well, one of the ways that my wife and I have just laughed about the progression of responsibility that we’ve had, that God has given us, that required our stewardship, has been in our grocery bill. So the Lord allowed us to welcome children into our home through the California foster care system, which we ended up adopting a bunch of kids. So we have nine children. And for five years, we had eleven people living in our home — for a five-year period of time. In fact, we laugh about it, because my big boys, my four oldest sons, shared a room; we called it the dorm room. They all went to college and had fewer roommates. They were glad to leave. But for five years we had eleven people living in the same home. And this is what the grocery progression looked like. At first, we thought it was a really big deal, because we had to go to one of those big box stores and get an entire cart of groceries for the month. And we were like, “Wow, that’s so many groceries.” And then we had to go twice a month to the big box store and get an entire grocery cart. Like, wow, this is getting crazy. And then we had to go every week to the big box store and fill up an entire cart full of groceries. Like, this thing is getting out of control. And then: Mom, nine kids, big box store, two carts per week. People look at her and just laugh at her in the store. “Man, are these all your kids?” “Yeah. Let me tell you our story. God has given us a responsibility. He’s given us these children.” And you know what’s crazy? They eat. And like ten minutes later, they’re hungry. And God has given us a responsibility to steward these kids. Man, we had to change a lot of things to steward that responsibility during that period of time. I mean, we were running a logistics department out of our home — transportation here, transportation there; we’re calling in the National Guard for help. We needed all kinds of help just to get people from point A to point B. It’s a God-given responsibility, and it required stewardship.

Well, in Nehemiah 5:17–19, he explains what his God-given responsibility, as the appointment of governor, required for his stewardship. He says, “Moreover, there were at my table 150 men.” In my house, we bought two dining room tables, put them together so we could sit twelve people around it in a square. He has 150 people at his table — Jews, officials — besides those who came to them from the nations that were around them. In his role as the appointment of governor, he is hosting 150 people every day. Man, I thought my grocery bill was big. “Now what was prepared at my expense…” — he’s saying, I paid for what I’m telling you — “…at my expense, each day, was one ox.” Okay, let’s do math. One ox, 365 days, twelve years. What’s that? You’re correct: 4,380 oxen. This guy’s a rancher. That’s a huge ranch — over 4,000 head. “Six choice sheep and birds.” Okay: six times 365 times twelve years. You’re correct: 26,280 sheep and birds. He’s running Foster Farms. I mean, this thing is huge. Think about what he’s describing here. This is incredible. “And every ten days, all kinds of wine in abundance.” He’s got a winery, too. What he’s describing here is enormous expense. Does that give perspective for when he says, “I didn’t require the food allowance of the governor”? I didn’t lord it over the people. I didn’t demand it from the people. These were poor people. I didn’t take from them. I didn’t try to buy their land up cheap. I didn’t take what I could have taken. I didn’t do it. I handled this at my expense. “Yet for all this, I did not demand the food allowance of the governor, because the service was too heavy on this people.” He cared about the people he was leading. God gave him a responsibility. He saw this responsibility. He accepted the responsibility. He had integrity in it. He had accountability in it. And he stewarded the responsibility that God gave him. He said, “I’m going to cover it in my own pocket.” And we don’t really realize until this moment how wealthy Nehemiah is. But this is enormous wealth, what’s being described here. And he’s saying, “I didn’t take advantage of the poor people.”

Servants of Christ, Stewards of the Mysteries of God

Well, what’s going to be required of us as we receive a God-given responsibility? Well, God-given responsibility requires acceptance, integrity, accountability, and stewardship. And so how do we bridge what we’re seeing in Nehemiah to us today, as followers of Jesus Christ who are given God-given responsibilities? Well, the apostle Paul does that for us in 1 Corinthians 4:1–2. It says this: “This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ.” Do you know what’s greater than a governor? What’s greater than a governor is a servant of Christ. A servant of Christ is far greater than the role of governor. He says, “This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.” What does a governor steward? A governor stewards government. What does a servant of Christ steward? The mysteries of God. “Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful.” Faithful. Look, I don’t got to be the smartest. I don’t got to be the richest. I don’t got to be the best-looking. I don’t got to have the best house. I don’t got to have the best car. But I do got to be faithful. Look, you don’t got to be in charge. You don’t got to be the owner of your company. You don’t got to be the one in the big office. You don’t got to be the one with the big bank account. But you do got to be faithful. “This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful.”

So, what do you need to steward that God has given you? What’s the responsibility that God has given you that you need to handle in a way that’s honoring to him? Let me give you some examples. You have the God-given responsibility of your spirit. How are you handling that responsibility? You have the God-given responsibility of your mind. How are you handling the responsibility of your mind? You have the God-given responsibility of your body. How are you handling the responsibility of your body? Are you in a love relationship? Do you have a marriage? You have a God-given responsibility for your spouse. How are you handling that responsibility? Do you have parents? Do you have siblings? Do you have children? You have a God-given responsibility of a family. How are you handling that God-given responsibility of family? Do you have friends you hang out with, people you spend time with? God has given you the responsibility of community. How are you handling the responsibility of community? Do you have some money, some finances? How are you handling the God-given responsibility for your wealth? Do you have a job, a career? Is there work that you engage in? How are you handling your God-given responsibility for work? Are the things you like to do for pleasure, the things you like to do in your free time, hobbies you engage in? How are you handling the God-given responsibility of your extracurricular activities?

Maybe as we’ve dug into the story here of Nehemiah, maybe as you’ve heard some of the examples that have been shared, maybe you realize you got a God-given responsibility and you need to start handling it in a way that’s honoring to the Lord. How would you fill in this sentence? “Today I dedicate my God-given responsibility to the Lord.” What do you need to put in there? What’s the God-given responsibility that he has given to you that you need to dedicate to the Lord? Today I dedicate my spirit to the Lord. Today I dedicate my mind to the Lord. Today I dedicate my body to the Lord. Today I dedicate my marriage to the Lord. Today I dedicate my parenting to the Lord. Today I dedicate my friends to the Lord. Today I dedicate my bank account to the Lord. Today I dedicate my job to the Lord. Today I dedicate my hobby to the Lord. What do you need to give him? He has given you responsibilities. What do you need to dedicate to the Lord?

Church family, as we together steward the mysteries of God, as servants of Christ, as we steward the gospel of Jesus Christ to our community — you watch. You watch what’s going to happen in this community as we together steward the responsibilities that God has given us. God has given us responsibilities. As we accept them, as we handle them with integrity, as we handle them with accountability, and as we handle them with stewardship — you watch how this community is going to change. You watch how God’s going to use you, as you realize he has a call on your life. And he has given you a responsibility that’s unique. The responsibilities God’s given you are unique. The responsibilities God’s given me are unique. The responsibilities God gave Nehemiah — they’re unique. But God gives responsibilities, and he’s calling us to handle those responsibilities. And we can be of great encouragement to one another, church family. We can be of great encouragement to one another. Let’s handle our responsibilities that God has given us in a way that’s going to honor the Lord. Let’s dedicate our God-given responsibilities to the Lord.

Built to Last Update

Now, Lord willing, in October, I’m going to share more about our God-given responsibilities regarding the gospel ministry. But today, church family, I got a super cool update. And I think it’s going to be really encouraging. If you’re here for the first time, this is going to be encouraging to you. And if you’ve been here for a long time, this is going to be really encouraging to you. We’ve been in a project called Built to Last — to build a building out here. It’s an 18,000-foot building dedicated for kids and students. You can go out there; the construction of it is complete. You can go see it. It’s beautiful. We have less than $400,000 remaining to fundraise for this entire project. Less than $400,000 left to go. It’s incredible. It’s totally amazing. We’re hoping to obtain an occupancy permit very, very soon. Now, with the less than $400,000 left to fundraise — once that’s done, then we’ll be able to finish furnishing and equipping the inside of the building. We’ve got to finish the fundraising, and then we’ll be able to finish the equipping and the furnishing inside the building.

But I want to remind you — or maybe you’re hearing it for the first time, if you haven’t been around — we made a decision not just to build a building, which our church is going to be blessed by, this 18,000 square feet dedicated to kids and students, but we said in the process, we want to give a million dollars away. We want to give a million dollars away to fund capital projects for global missions. And we have been sharing with you project after project after project. Well, I got a great opportunity to share with you what our next project’s going to be. And this is exciting. Our next project, pending the funds coming in, is going to be construction repairs and renovations with partners we have right now in India. It’s going to be a project that’s over $230,000. It’s going to advance the gospel in India by providing critical upgrades for urgently needed construction repairs, renovations, elevated security enhancements, and effective training fixtures at a global learning center. You church family are making an impact all around the world for Jesus Christ, and it’s incredible. It’s awesome. Now, this project is coming in for a landing. So if you’re one of those late adopters and you’re like, “I’m going to see how it goes” — you’ve seen how it goes. If you want to be a part, now’s the time to be a part. Go to bbbg.org/btl. But this project is coming in for a landing, and it’s incredible.

And let me share with you one very important fact. God has allowed, from start to finish, for this project to be engaged completely debt-free. And that is a huge testimony. It is a huge testimony that a big old building like this is being built debt-free. It’s a testimony to our church family, and it is a testimony to our entire community, that God is allowing a big old building like that to be built debt-free. And all glory to God, because he is the one who has allowed it to happen.

Now I want to pray for you. Whatever it is that you need to dedicate to the Lord — whatever God-given responsibility that he has given you that you need to dedicate to the Lord today — I want to pray for you. I want to pray for you that, as you dedicate it to the Lord, we together might honor the Lord. Father God, Lord, thank you for the responsibilities you’ve given us as individuals; thank you for the responsibility you’ve given us as a church. Lord, would we handle these responsibilities well? And whatever stirs in the hearts and minds of people today, whatever you’re bringing to their attention — that is a responsibility that’s been given by you. That they need to accept: God, help them to accept it. Or that they need to handle with integrity: God, help them to build their character. Or that they need to be accountable: God, help them to have other people with eyes on what they’re doing. Or with stewardship: God, help them to make decisions to manage their time, energy, and resources in a way that is in accordance with what you’re calling them to do. But God, I pray: help us. Help us to handle these God-given responsibilities. Help us to fulfill what is required. And Lord, at the end of the day, if nothing else, may we be servants of Christ who are found faithful. And we pray this in the name of Jesus Christ. And all God’s family said, “Amen.” And church family, if you need further prayer, our team will be ready to pray with you. Church family, we love you, and we’re going to see you again real soon.