Hanun and his brothers in the city of Zanoah left a grand legacy: they rebuilt 1,000 cubits of the Jerusalem wall (Neh 3:13). Eliashib, Zaccur, Meremoth, Meshullam, Zadok, Joiada, Melatiah, Jadon, Uzziel, Hananiah, Rephaiah, Jedaiah, Hattush, Malchijah, Hasshub, Shallum, Malchijah and many more stand beside them. These distinguished men left the comforts of Babylon to rebuild the ruins of Jerusalem. They trusted God and his servant Nehemiah, so they built Jerusalem and fought God’s enemies (Neh 4:14) with a sword in one hand and a shovel in the other (Neh 4:17). Their names are immortalized in holy writ for our understanding and inspiration.
Today, the New Jerusalem is under construction. This new holy city is the bride of the lamb (Rev 21:9–10). The New Jerusalem is the church. Ultimately, the builder and architect is God (Heb 11:10), but God’s design is that all the saints grab a trowel and join in building up the body of Christ (Eph 4:11–12). In other words, God wants you to put your name on part of the wall of the New Jerusalem.
In 1900, Earnest Shackleton gathered a crew to board the Endurance bound to explore the South Pole. Legend has it he ran this ad,
“Men wanted for hazardous journey. Low wages, bitter cold, long hours of complete darkness. Safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in event of success.”
The kingdom of God needs the kind of men who want to join Shackleton. Men with vision, moxie, and stamina.
Vision. Building and fighting is the work of a man who hopes in what he cannot see. With eyes of faith, he sees order formed from chaos, riches out of poverty, and fruit from barren fields. The best warriors fight because they see peace won with blood. Craftsmen turn raw materials into masterpieces from faith-filled hope. Increasing vision means increasing faith. Men, don’t walk by sight (2 Cor 5:7), seeing only problems. Walk by faith in God who overcomes the world by our faith (1 John 5:4) whether or not it looks like it to us (Heb 11:1), and go take dominion wherever you see the opportunity.
Moxie. You can tame a wild stallion to be a useful war horse, but there’s no way to put the wild back into a tamed mare. Building and fighting requires men of valor—men with strength. Men who aren’t cowed by opposition and who sometimes break the rules (Ezra 4:17, cf. 5:2). Our egalitarian age rewards effeminacy among men. But God calls us to channel our ambition, drive, confidence, and competitive spirit to build God’s house. “Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong” (1 Cor 16:13).
Stamina. A Tesla can get from zero to sixty mph in about 2 seconds. Then it runs out of battery in 250 miles. A Chevy Suburban can go over 700 miles on one tank. Rebuilding what sin has destroyed isn’t a 0–60 mph task. It’s about range. Men, we need to be steadfast. Noah didn’t build the ark in a day. It took him about 100 years (Gen 6:32 cf. 7:11). Joshua didn’t drive out the Canaanites in a weekend. We must walk by the Spirit with patient obedience that keeps us at our post night after a long night. To increase your endurance, learn to rejoice in suffering (Rom 5:3).
Jesus promised to build his church (Matt 16:18), and he’s calling you to join the victory. The journey will be hazardous, and injury is inevitable (2 Tim 3:12). But glory, honor, immortality, and eternal life await those who are patient in doing good (Rom 2:7).
Today, the New Jerusalem is under construction. This new holy city is the bride of the lamb (Rev 21:9–10). The New Jerusalem is the church. Ultimately, the builder and architect is God (Heb 11:10), but God’s design is that all the saints grab a trowel and join in building up the body of Christ (Eph 4:11–12). In other words, God wants you to put your name on part of the wall of the New Jerusalem.
In 1900, Earnest Shackleton gathered a crew to board the Endurance bound to explore the South Pole. Legend has it he ran this ad,
“Men wanted for hazardous journey. Low wages, bitter cold, long hours of complete darkness. Safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in event of success.”
The kingdom of God needs the kind of men who want to join Shackleton. Men with vision, moxie, and stamina.
Vision. Building and fighting is the work of a man who hopes in what he cannot see. With eyes of faith, he sees order formed from chaos, riches out of poverty, and fruit from barren fields. The best warriors fight because they see peace won with blood. Craftsmen turn raw materials into masterpieces from faith-filled hope. Increasing vision means increasing faith. Men, don’t walk by sight (2 Cor 5:7), seeing only problems. Walk by faith in God who overcomes the world by our faith (1 John 5:4) whether or not it looks like it to us (Heb 11:1), and go take dominion wherever you see the opportunity.
Moxie. You can tame a wild stallion to be a useful war horse, but there’s no way to put the wild back into a tamed mare. Building and fighting requires men of valor—men with strength. Men who aren’t cowed by opposition and who sometimes break the rules (Ezra 4:17, cf. 5:2). Our egalitarian age rewards effeminacy among men. But God calls us to channel our ambition, drive, confidence, and competitive spirit to build God’s house. “Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong” (1 Cor 16:13).
Stamina. A Tesla can get from zero to sixty mph in about 2 seconds. Then it runs out of battery in 250 miles. A Chevy Suburban can go over 700 miles on one tank. Rebuilding what sin has destroyed isn’t a 0–60 mph task. It’s about range. Men, we need to be steadfast. Noah didn’t build the ark in a day. It took him about 100 years (Gen 6:32 cf. 7:11). Joshua didn’t drive out the Canaanites in a weekend. We must walk by the Spirit with patient obedience that keeps us at our post night after a long night. To increase your endurance, learn to rejoice in suffering (Rom 5:3).
Jesus promised to build his church (Matt 16:18), and he’s calling you to join the victory. The journey will be hazardous, and injury is inevitable (2 Tim 3:12). But glory, honor, immortality, and eternal life await those who are patient in doing good (Rom 2:7).