SUMMARY: Exiles return
OVERVIEW: Ezra lists the families who returned from exile in Babylon and those put in charge of Jerusalem.
BIG IDEA: Do everything you can to create an environment for people to love God and love others.
KEY VERSE: Nehemiah 7:1-2 (Nehemiah reports)
After the wall was finished and I had set up the doors in the gates, the gatekeepers, singers, and Levites were appointed. I gave the responsibility of governing Jerusalem to my brother Hanani, along with Hananiah, the commander of the fortress, for he was a faithful man who feared God more than most.
IF GOD WROTE YOU A LETTER
I want you to team with me to build community wherever you go. Create a safe place for your family and friends to be real with one another and with me. Do the same for your colleagues and neighbors. Expand it through the local church in your community. And then invest in community building around the world through your personal or financial or prayerful investment. Everyone should have a place to be with others to laugh, cry, work, share, pray, worship, and more.
Open the doors, so all are invited. Encourage others to come as they are. Let them know they do not have to put on a show or act in a certain way. When the time is right, encourage each person to contribute to the work, using their gifts or filling the most immediate needs. Remind everyone to give me their best effort and attitude. They will find much fulfillment with that mindset, and I will give strength to each person in need.
NEXT STEP
Celebrate God’s faithfulness and provision in your life and the lives of those around you. Acknowledge what God has done and share it so all can hear.
MUSIC VIDEO