Road Trippin With Rachael

Sometimes, I feel like I have nothing to contribute. I’m average intelligence, with two degrees that don’t really have anything to do with the job that I currently have or previously have had, and before getting my current position, I didn’t have any experience in this field. As someone who has had various jobs and has gone through a variety of different training – I know that I can be replaced. There is not anything particularly special about what I do. Anyone can do it if given the proper training, and is willing to put forth some effort. That doesn’t mean that I can be replaced as a person, but I can be replaced in what I do. 

But God doesn’t see it that way.

God sees us as people who always have something to offer.

As we pursue the Old Testament we see how God uses people who would otherwise be overlooked. He  used a widow during a famine with nothing but the ingredients to make a small bread cake (I Kings 17:8-16). God used this woman to take care of His prophet. When we look to the New Testament, we can see the best example being Joseph, the husband of Mary. Joseph played a huge role in the upbringing of Jesus, but is rarely spoken of in scripture. However, in both Testaments, these individuals were able to be used in a practical way, – and in a way that was designed to bring God all the glory.

The story of the book of Nehemiah is an excellent example of how God is able to use all different kinds of people, from all different backgrounds, and with all different occupations. In each case, God is always glorified through the use of people who are willing to be used by Him.  In Nehemiah 3, we see two ways that God blesses everyone for His glory.

Everyone Has Dignity

The high priest Eliashib and his fellow priests began rebuilding the Sheep Gate. They dedicated it and installed its doors. After building the way to the Tower of the Hundred and the Tower of Hananel, they dedicated it. […]After him Uzziel son of Harhaiah, the goldsmith, made repairs, and next to him Hananiah son of the perfumer made repairs. They restored Jerusalem as far as the Broad Wall. […] Shallum son of Col-hozeh, ruler of the district of Mizpah, repaired the Fountain Gate. He rebuilt it and roofed it. Then he installed its doors, bolts, and bars. He also made repairs to the wall of the Pool of Shelah near the king’s garden, as far as the stairs that descend from the city of David. […] The goldsmiths and merchants made repairs between the upstairs room on the corner and the Sheep Gate. – Nehemiah 3:1, 8, 15, & 32 (CSB)

As we read through chapter 3, one of the most obvious themes that we see has to do with dignity. This was  a major societal theme during the Protestant Reformation. Coached in this ideal throughout the Reformation were the five Solas (Gratia, Christus, Fide, Scriptura, Deo Gloria) , and as a side note to that is that all people have dignity. Hence, the Word of God should be made available to all the people regardless of their social status. This is why protestant churches have people of different social classes all mixed together during corporate worship. All occupations have dignity  and can be supported by scripture by looking at the different examples shown here.

As we dig in, we see that regardless of occupation, every person who was in Jerusalem had a job that they were able to do. It didn’t matter what their social class was. It didn’t matter how much money they made. It didn’t matter what part of the city they came from, when they came back from exile, or what family or tribe there were a part of – everyone had a job that they were able to do and every person was trusted to do their job. The Priest, Goldsmiths, Perfumers, Merchants, and Rulers were all out working to help with the construction of the wall surrounding Jerusalem.

• The High priest and the other priests were working to rebuild the Sheep’s Gate (verse 1)
• The Goldsmith and the Perfumer were making repairs to the wall where it had not been destroyed (verse 8), and verses 9-12 list other people who were also making repairs at different sections of the wall. Scripture even goes so far as to mention that there was a man out ther repairing the wall with his daughters (verse 12)
• One of the rulers of a disctrict made repairs to the Fountain Gate, and not only did he repair it, but he also reroofed it, installed doors, and bars on it, and made additional repairs to another gate. (verse 15)
• Additional reparis were also made to sections of the wall that were near peoples houses (verse 32)

All of these people had vastly different occupations. They all had different skill sets, and came from completely different backgrounds, and training – but they were all able to come together to complete a task. The task of fixing and rebuilding the walls that were going to protect their people, God’s people, was a task that they all were able to contribute to. God was alb eto use these different people to accomplish a task that he had placed on the heart of Nehemiah. It gave the people a collective purpose, and it bridged social classes that may not otherwise have been breached.

God does the same thing in His church today. It doesn’t matter what your background s. It doesn’t matter who yuor family is, what your brothers or sisters have done, or your level of education. God is able to use everyone to fulfill the task that He has set before us. “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. “ (Matthew 28:19-20). 

All our different occupations have dignity, but this is the task that God has placed before us, and this is the task that we are called to do. Yes, we are called to individual tasks as a means to an end of being able to make disciples of all peoples.

Everyone Has Something They Can Contribute

Besides him Shallum son of Hallohesh, ruler of half the district of Jerusalem, made repairs – he and his daughters…. Nehemiah 3:12 (CSB)

As we continue to look at Nehemiah and the beginning of the wall building, we also observe that everyone was contributing in some fashion. It wasn’t only those who came from different occupations who were able to contribute. Even those who might not have had a particular skill set were coming to do what they could with the construction of the wall.

As we look at both verses 12 specifically, even different family members were working to contribute something to the work. In a modern context, I’ve seen this (and experienced this) with home construction. As a child, my parents did some significant work on my childhood home, and most of the work was done by my father who has worked in construction for most of his adult life. As some of the construction and projects were being done, both my sister and I got to participate. I’ve learned mudding, painting, and how to use most power tools. My sister is the same. We were able to contribute and feel that we were a part of something. It is the same with the rebuilding of the wall. The sixth son was working (v. 30) as were the daughters (v.12). If we look at this from the church context, parents can serve in ministries that their children can be a part of. Home visits for the homebound church members, volunteering at shelters, doing yard work for older members or the church, being part of a meal train for families going through loss or a new addition to the family – all of these are things that multiple members of the family can be a part of, and as children grow they can do more and more, even eventually getting involved in their own ministry. At the end of the day, everyone has something that they can contribute.

We’ve talk about families being involved in ministry, but I think that we need to also address what could be the proverbial elephant in the room: it is assumed that if you are a Christian that you will be contributing in some way to the greater missions of the Church. Of course, this looks different for each person with their spiritual gifts and their unique calling. Not everyone is going to be the pastor, a deacon, a Sunday school or small group leader. There are those gifted in administration who are great to have behind the scenes; others are great to run a church’s social media; others are good at planning out meal trains for families; and still others are really good about doing ministry outside of a church context and still directing people to Jesus. If someone is claiming to be a Christian, and they are not, and have not, been contributing to the local church or Church at large it is okay to have a talk with them about why (v. 5). Everyone goes through phases where it is easier to be involved than others, and everyone needs to take a break from time to time. There are even those who may be serving in ways that aren’t widely recognized – where the left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing – so just because there is a season of taking a break or if you don’t see the way they are serving, that is not a reason to jump on anyone. It might be a reason to talk with them, but not to call them out for not serving. Use discretion.

Final Thoughts

Everyone has dignity and everyone has something that they are able to contribute. Sometimes that is a vocational skill set, one that is able to easily fit into regular church life. Other times, gifting may take place outside of the church and is used for the wider mission of sharing the Gospel. There are ways to have everyone involved in some way – this even includes children. Families and the church family can find ways to include children in ministry which allows them to learn their own spiritual gifts and unique skills, and also teaches them the importance of being a part of something that is larger than themselves. If someone is claiming to be a Christian and is not/has not made any kind of contribution whether inside or outside the church for the Gospel, it is okay to bring it up in conversation, but (and I cannot stress this enough) use discretion since you do not always know about their circumstances, what they have done, what they are doing, or where they are at with their walk.