Rebuilding a nation begins with leadership in the church

A familiar thought is “change begins at the top”. That is, as a leader goes, so goes the country. This actually lines up with scripture. 

Psalms 133:

1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!

2 It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments;

3 As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.

The anointing flows from top to bottom. The picture presented here is of a mountain. 

Note that the higher up you go, the lesser the amount of landmass.  

In other words, there are fewer people at the top than at the base of the mountain. 

Yet, because of gravity, anything that begins at the top of the mountain can flow downwards, for example, water, rain, and snow. 

Be assured that whatever begins to flow at the top, will have a dramatic impact at the base.

Hence, it is very important to have goodness and honesty at the top, because they will result in a flow or an anointing that is bound to bring good to the land.

In our text, Nehemiah was sent in to begin a work.  The land of Jerusalem was not at peace. The walls had been torn down and the gates had been burnt.  

Where is it that the “fixing” of the issues begins? 

It begins with leadership in the House of God. That’s right, until the church begins to manifest itself as the living organism reflecting God and His Word, then there will continue to be the breaking down of walls and the burning of the gates that once kept that place safe from foreign invasion.

Nehemiah 3:1 Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brethren the priests, and they builded the sheep gate; they sanctified it, and set up the doors of it; even unto the tower of Meah they sanctified it, unto the tower of Hananeel.

Before Nehemiah went anywhere, he instructed the high priest to do the right thing. 

Please note that this means that even though Eliashib was the high priest, he had not been operating in his priestly anointing. 

He had become a victim of change and a victim of those who had crept in to destroy the godly foundation.

No worries. God will give the church another opportunity to get it right. 

What does the right thing involve?

1. Identifying who is the high priest. It was Eliashib. This means that he knew what he ought to do. He knew, and he must be encouraged to move from a place of despair and defeat and operate in his calling.

2. Identifying that there are other priests. Eliashib must never think that he was a power unto himself and that he could do the work alone. 

No, as much as he was the chief of the priests, there was no way that he would be effective unless he operated in unity with others.

3. Getting to the sheep gate. That is the place of death — sacrificial death. Until leadership die to self, they cannot live unto God. There must be the sacrifice of one’s own will and the yielding to God’s will.

4. Sanctifying the sheep gate. Once there is a death of self, there will be a clearer understanding that the work is about God. 

This sanctifying process is a washing away of the “dirt” of this world. There is so much that taints the House of God when the leadership refuses to be sanctified. 

Only a set-apart church has the right, the power, and the authority to ask those outside of the church to enter in to be made clean.

5. Setting up the doors of the House of God. Once again it is time to mark the place that allows entrance, while also preventing entrance. 

Not everything and anything ought to come into God’s house. Otherwise, the church standards will decline to a place where the world and the church look about the same.

Truly, God desires for the nation to be rebuilt. This will take a reawakening of the sleeping giant called the church. 

She will have to arise with righteous indignation, cry aloud, and spare not her voice from being heard. 

It is time to rebuild. It is time for the church to be the church. 

Respice finem.