Restoration

God has empowered the church with covenant promise and through prayer we can establish perimeters of possibility. Even while we are faced with despair we can create new potential for restoration and growth. We can become the image of Christ in the earth through His transforming power and then take authority over the ruin and destruction of our lives and personalities to become His ambassadors in the earth.

After coming to God we must all rebuild our lives and recover from the past. We must be willing to deal with the destructive behaviors that we allowed to exist and begin to rebuild what has been broken. We can recover from our defeats and remake our personalities into the image of Christ.

Nehemiah discovered the ruins of the city of Jerusalem and surveyed the devastation of 90 years of neglect by taking a mule ride around the wall under the cover of the darkness of night. He had told no one what God had put in his heart to do.

So I came to Jerusalem and was there three days. And I arose in the night, I and some few men with me; neither told I any man what my God had put in my heart to do at Jerusalem: neither was there any beast with me, save the beast that I rode upon (Nehemiah 2:11-12).

This kind of assessment doesn’t come from wise counsel; it comes only from being alone with God. Sin has done a great deal of damage in all of us. Even though the image of God is indelibly stamped upon each of us, there are still things about us that have been broken and remain so. 

I want you to discover the possibilities God desires for your life. Even though we are all unique, we can still have unity. I believe that all of us have a certain dimension of passion or heart, a certain dimension of hope, and a certain measure of faith. The body of Christ needs your measure. Every joint in the body supplies its portion of oil to the body. From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love (Ephesians 4:16). 

Though disaster may burn our hope, tragedy may smash our faith, and injury may bruise heart, God can and will resurrect our faith and we cannot be kept down. However, your amount of willingness and measure of faith will determine whether it will be successful or if it won’t. You can take an honest assessment of your brokenness but you cannot fix it by yourself. You need to enlist the aid of the Holy Ghost. You need, as John said in the New Testament, a paraclete; a comforter. The Holy Ghost is the only power that can rebuild and restore.  Even though along the way your destiny has been taunted, tainted, and tangled by test, trauma and tragedy, God had a blueprint in mind from the beginning.

My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.  Thine eyes did see my substance, Yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them (Psalm 139: 15-16).

God is our helper and He is ready to bring our highest destiny to fulfillment. The Lord Jesus Christ is Lord of all history. Therefore, he has power to overcome your past and produce a different future. 

Let’s see if we can find ourselves in the book of Nehemiah. This historical sketch reveals to us some surprising truths that can be applied to our lives today to help rebuild what is broken. Step back with me to a century when the Spirit of God converged the activities of half a dozen kings, powerful prophets, and a captive nation, and produced one of the greatest stories of restoration ever written. 

The year of this book begins in 446 B.C. Ninety years have transpired since the Jewish release from Babylon captivity. During that time, 50,000 Jews were released by the Edict of Cyrus, ruler of the Medo Persians. Our God was controlling all of the events, weaving them together to fulfill the greatest prophecies of Isaiah, Ezekiel, Zephaniah, and Haggai.

The Jews were released from their captivity in 536 B.C. Through the ministry of Ezra and the spiritual inspiration of Zechariah and Haggai, the temple was rebuilt and finished by 516 B.C. It was not until 70 years after the completion of the temple that Nehemiah became concerned with the fact that the city had no walls. What good is a spiritual relationship with God and a life with a temple, when the walls of the city are broken down and the gates are burned with fire? 

You can have a relationship with God; lead a normal life, and deep down still be a mass of broken pieces. Nehemiah responded to this need through prayer, weeping, mourning, and fasting. In chapter 1 we find him interceding, in chapter 2 we find him risking his life, in chapter 4 securing their safety, in chapter 5 unselfishly giving his own resources, and in chapter 6 we find him committing to complete the task in spite of the obstacles. 

Today, the Holy Ghost acts as the Nehemiah of our restoration. The name Nehemiah means the consoling breath of God. It is the ministry of the Holy Ghost that restores and rebuilds our lives. He can rebuild our broken strengths and our weaknesses and lead us past our ignorance into the victory that his word declares we can have. 

I believe in the need of the rebirth, but we must come to grips with the fact that we need rebuilding as well. The Comforter (Nehemiah) is a concerned person who is ready and willing to do whatever is necessary to put us back together again. Only through the power of the Holy Ghost can he return to us the ruler-ship and authority that was lost by Adam. It means recovery of self-control, personality, stabilized temperament, and character. 

Hanani’s complaint focused in on the embarrassment of a people who definitely had a relationship with God, however, they still had some brokenness that was not yet resolved. First, he fulfilled his word and returned the Jews to their homeland; second, he helped them in rebuilding the temple; finally, with his help, they were able to faithfully worship God at the temple site. 

However, what good is a temple when the center of government and all self-control is in shambles? Without a wall the city was open to oppressors. If we have no self-control, we cannot fulfill the purpose God has created us for. Each of us must rebuild our lives out of the rubble of our past sins and mistakes.

Some people wonder why they can come to church and get a God feeling but cannot shut out depressive thoughts or overcome fear; feelings of worthlessness seem to prevail, and they are constantly subdued by temptation. The only way this state can be overcome is when the Holy Ghost reinstates the rule over you. 

One thing needs to be remembered – this type of progress takes a tremendous amount of patience and time. Our partner in the rebuilding process is the Holy Ghost (Nehemiah). Our recovery will not be instantly gained through being born again, but will be patiently produced through the power of the Holy Ghost. 

So take the time to heal, and recover the blessing of joy and life you have lost. It is God’s will to restore to the Apostolic Church her power and authority over every sickness, problem and crisis that all of us may live to the glory of the one who made it all possible; our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.