Devout Christians

[Nehemiah 12:44-47]

Do you not dream of a church built on love, where pastors embrace saints, holding them dear, and where pastors' hidden pains are held close to their hearts? However, the reality for pastors is that 80 percent of adults believe they should meet higher standards of life than ordinary people. Ironically, people think there are few pastors who can meet such expectations (Rubietta). What are the expectations you have for your pastor? They may vary. But one thing is clear: We all must strive to build a church with understanding and love. To do this, we must devout ourselves to each other. We need to open our hearts to one another, engage in conversation, get to know each other, and pray for one another, sharing the love of the Lord. Let us all show our devotion in this work.

Today, I would like to consider two things under the title of 'Devout Christians' based on Nehemiah 12:44-47: (1) 'Devout pastors,' (2) 'Devout saints.' It is my hope and pray that as pastors and saints, we will make efforts to listen carefully to the words given by the Lord and strive for obedience, so that our church can be well established in understanding and love.

First, “Devout Christians" are devoted pastors.

Look at Nehemiah 12:45 - "They performed the service of their God and the service of purification, as did also the singers and gatekeepers, according to the commands of David and his son Solomon.” Here, the word "performed" means to "watch, guard, keep, observe." The underlying basic idea is to 'exercise great care over.' (1) The first meaning, when used as a verb or compound, is 'to do something carefully or diligently.' (2) The second meaning expresses taking great care and being diligent in handling responsibilities, whether it was the covenant or the law. (3) The third meaning is 'to tend to, protect.' (4) The fourth meaning is 'to regard as important, pay attention to.' So, what did the priests and Levites who served in the temple after the reconstruction of the Jerusalem wall take great care over? How did they show even greater devotion in their duties?

They put great effort into worshiping God.

Look at Nehemiah 12:45 again: " They performed the service of their God and the service of purification, as did also the singers and gatekeepers, according to the commands of David and his son Solomon.." If a pastor forgets the importance of worshiping God and does not put effort into leading worship, what will happen to the church? If a pastor leads worship without devotion, what do you think? We must remember that our pastors should realize the importance of worship and diligently guard and protect the worship offered to God.

They diligently performed the service of purification.

Look at Nehemiah 12:45 again today: "And they performed the service of their God and the service of purification, as did the singers and the gatekeepers, according to the command of David and his son Solomon." The term "the service of purification" is mentioned in Nehemiah 12:30: "The priests and the Levites purified themselves, and they purified the people and the gates and the wall." We must put effort into our own purity and the purity of our households, extending to the purity of the church. Especially, pastors should ensure the purification of worship concerning the church.

The growth of the Korean church, which had experienced remarkable growth for a while, began to stagnate in the 1980s. "There may be various factors, but one of them is that pastors are facing challenges to their preaching authority. Experts point out that pastors' complacency and ethical issues in delivering sermons are causing a growing attitude of not recognizing pastors' sermons as the word of God. It's about who delivers the message. Therefore, experts suggest that only through pastors' thorough self-renewal and repentance can the crumbling pulpit be revived. Based on the correct ministry of pastors, emphasizing correct worship to the congregation, and planning for the restoration of worship is essential. The thirst for pastors' renewal is not just about removing the longing for the church's quantitative revival, but it requires the attention of pastors who set ministry plans that can change the lives of believers by examining the current situation and adapting it to the times. Ultimately, the authority of a pastor is not external but spiritual and moral, manifested through a pastor's devout life and preaching. We must not forget that a pastor who speaks only what God has spoken on behalf of God is worthy of respect" (Internet). However, it seems that we are now entering an era where pastors are not being respected. One of the reasons is that our pastors are not setting an example for the saints.

From today's passage, we must learn from the priests and Levites who set an example for the Israelites in their worship and purification duties. Among their examples, there are a couple of principles that can be applied:

The first principle is teamwork.

Look at Nehemiah 12:45 - "... as did also the singers and gatekeepers. ….” In modern terms, this means the head pastor, associate ministers, choir/worship team, and ushers worked together to worship God and maintain the temple's purity.

The second, even more important principle, is obedience to God's word.

Look at Nehemiah 12:45 - ".. .according to the command of David and his son Solomon." In today's terms, this means that the pastors and other servants in the church worked as a team, worshiping God and keeping themselves and the temple pure according to God's word (v. 30, 45). Like the priests, Levites, singers, and gatekeepers of Israel, we didn't offer our worship according to our own thoughts and desires, but as commanded by David and his son Solomon.

Rev. A. W. Tozer stated in his book "on Worship and Entertainment”: ‘Today, we have everything but no worship. Some participate in the church operations committee only to calculate how much to spend from the church budget, without attending prayer meetings. Such people can't be made to attend prayer meetings because they are not worshipers. It is a truly frightening contradiction that those who do not pray or worship lead and govern the church’ (Tozer). We must become pastors who are devoted, church leaders who are devoted, and saints who are devoted. Like the Israelites, we must put effort into worshiping God and keeping things pure. We must establish ourselves, our homes, and the serving church as a community of worshipers. We must strive to be worshipers sanctified by the blood of Jesus' cross.

Second and last, "Devout Christians" are devout saints.

Look at Nehemiah 12:44 – “At that time men were appointed to be in charge of the storerooms for the contributions, firstfruits and tithes. From the fields around the towns they were to bring into the storerooms the portions required by the Law for the priests and the Levites, for Judah was pleased with the ministering priests and Levites.” What was the devotion that the people of Judah showed to the priests and Levites?

The people of Judah rejoiced over the priests and Levites who ministered.

Look at Nehemiah 12:44 again: "… for Judah rejoiced over the priests and the Levites who ministered." In today's terms, this means that the saints knew how much effort the pastor put into his service, and they appreciated him for it. Do the congregants nowadays truly appreciate their pastors? Can it be said that the congregants are satisfied with the pastor's service? One of the things that must be approached with great caution in the relationship between pastors and saints within a community like a church is "resentment." If a pastor harbors resentment towards the saints, and the saints resent the pastor in return, the community is like a living organism with dying cells. For example, let's imagine that one saint harbors resentment towards their pastor. Then, when they find out that another saint, much like them, also harbors resentment towards the pastor, the two dying cells come together, leading both down a path of spiritual decline. Our church should not be like this. Instead, our church should regard the members not with resentment, but as objects of love and joy. Likewise, the members should also strive to regard the pastor not as an object of resentment, but as an object of love and joy. The seriousness lies in the relationship between the pastor and the members, where perhaps the pastor's own feelings of discouragement and despondency may be even more severe.

In the book "Burnout in Church Leaders” (Peter Kaldor/Rod Bullpitt), it is mentioned that pastors often experience exhaustion and discouragement, looking at themselves and feeling unable to rejoice. Why do they feel despondent in disappointment? Some of the highest average figures for exhaustion include feeling tired and emotionally drained in daily life, as well as feeling disappointed in oneself while attempting to achieve something they deem important. They feel guilty about the lack of spiritual transformation or growth in the church or among the members. We must bear in mind that God is a God who rejoices over us. Therefore, while pastors demonstrate devotion in their pastoral ministry, leading worship in accordance with God's word, and living a pure life as an example, we should rejoice in them.

The people of Judah supported the temple workers.

Look at Nehemiah 12:44 today: "At that time men were appointed to be in charge of the storerooms for the contributions, firstfruits and tithes. From the fields around the towns they were to bring into the storerooms the portions required by the Law for the priests and the Levites, ….” Why did the people of Judah offer the contributions, firstfruits, and tithes to the temple workers, as recorded in the Law of Moses? The Israelites supported the priests and Levites, who were temple workers, as a way to assist them in serving God well. Some Levites took responsibility for properly storing what the people had offered to the temple. One important point we need to understand here is that the Israelites offered tithes and offerings to the temple because they wanted to support the temple workers in serving God effectively. As Hudson Taylor, a well-known missionary, stated, ‘When God's work is done in God's way for God's glory, it will not lack God's supply.’ If our pastors are wholeheartedly doing God's work in God's way for God's glory, then God's support will not be lacking. Ultimately, the members will support such a ministry, as stated in 2 Corinthians 9:7, "Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” They will give with joyful hearts. As a result, there will be blessing on the house and everything in it (Ezek. 44:30).

There was a deacon serving in a certain church. He was known to be very stingy when it came to church service and giving offerings. One Sunday, the pastor's sermon was titled 'Christians and Money.' The deacon was listening to the sermon with great interest. The pastor's sermon had three main points. The first point was about earning a lot of money. As the sermon went on, the deacon kept saying 'Amen!' The second point was about saving a lot, and again, he responded with 'Amen!' His face lit up, and throughout the sermon, his 'Amen' echoed loudly. However, when it came to the third point, which was about giving generously to God, the deacon's 'Amen' suddenly disappeared. After the worship service, the deacon turned to his friend and said, ‘Wasn't the pastor's sermon title great today? The first and second points were truly enlightening. But when it came to the third point, he stopped showering grace. In short, he ruined the entire sermon because of the third point’ (Internet).