Transcript [00:00] Vengeance belongs [music] [00:01] to God. [00:02] >> I was so angry. I was feeling [00:04] humiliated hatred. [00:07] >> When the accuser talks [music] to you, [00:09] don't listen. [00:11] Just one act of crazy obedience. [music] [00:14] So, Nehemiah did what he knew best. He [00:18] prayed. [00:19] >> Praying, hearing [music] God, and doing [00:21] what he says. [00:22] >> Through every obstacle from without and [00:24] within, Nehemiah and the people stood [00:27] strong again. [00:30] >> I am Dr. Erez Soref. I was born and [00:32] raised in the heart of Israel, but I [00:34] never heard the gospel message [music] [00:37] until, on a journey abroad, my eyes were [00:40] opened to the Jewish Messiah. From that [00:43] point [music] [00:43] my life has been dedicated to bringing [00:46] this gospel back to my people Israel, [00:48] [music] [00:49] equipping them to reach Israel and the [00:51] world. [00:53] Together, as Jews [music] and Gentiles, [00:55] we are one in Messiah, one for Israel. [01:02] >> [music] [01:08] [music] [01:14] >> Behind me are the walls of the old city [01:17] of Jerusalem. [01:18] Walls have surrounded this place since [01:20] ancient times for fortification and [01:23] defense. But, they've also served to set [01:26] Jerusalem apart as the holy city of God. [01:29] Centuries ago, the walls [music] had [01:31] fallen into disrepair, but God gave a [01:34] man named Nehemiah the vision and the [01:36] heart to rebuild. Prophets predicted [01:39] that Jerusalem would one day welcome the [01:42] Messiah of Israel. [01:44] So, for Nehemiah, this wasn't just [01:46] another building project. Building the [01:48] walls was preparation for the Messiah's [01:50] [music] coming. [01:52] >> [snorts] [01:52] >> The value wasn't in the bricks. It was [01:54] in the prophetic destiny [music] to [01:56] welcome the eternal king. [01:58] Today, we look at the challenges [02:01] Nehemiah [music] faced as he was about [02:03] to complete the work and finish the [02:05] wall. [02:06] We'll see how [music] his convictions [02:08] gave him momentum to cross the finish [02:10] line. [02:11] As we examine Nehemiah's anchoring [02:13] values, [music] we'll ask, "What are [02:16] your values?" as we continue to walk the [02:19] walls [music] with Nehemiah. [02:23] The walls were almost built. Nehemiah [02:26] had defended his people [music] against [02:28] outside attacks. He had maintained order [02:31] and God's law within his ranks. [02:34] The finish line was in view. [02:37] This is the point where [music] we might [02:39] feel like we're in the clear. The [02:41] testing is over. We can just coast until [02:44] the end. [02:45] But Paul tells us, "Be careful when we [02:48] think we stand, [music] [02:49] lest we fall." [02:51] With Nehemiah, the enemy of God's people [02:53] was [music] going to make one more [02:55] attempt to try and stop the vision. [02:58] But Nehemiah [music] would not let his [03:00] guard down and trip up at the end. He [03:02] had a set of values, [music] [03:04] convictions that guided and focused him. [03:07] They would keep him from veering off [03:09] from the finish line when the pressure [03:10] was on. [03:12] Let's look at how Nehemiah's values [03:13] [music] [03:14] guided his decision-making. He writes, [03:17] "Now when Sanballat and Tobiah and [03:19] Geshem the Arab and the rest of our [03:21] enemies heard that I had built the wall [03:24] and that there was no [music] breach [03:25] left in it, Sanballat and Geshem sent to [03:28] me saying, [03:30] 'Come and let us meet together.' But [03:32] they intended to do me harm." [03:36] "We just want to meet." That sounds [03:38] innocent enough. After all, Nehemiah was [03:41] the governor of Judah. [03:42] >> [music] [03:42] >> He was supposed to take high-level [03:44] meetings like this, right? [03:46] I'm sure the work would go on if he just [03:49] left for a little while, just to listen [03:51] to what these men had to say. [03:53] But Nehemiah had discernment to know [03:56] what was important [music] and what was [03:58] a trap. Four times they sent to him [04:00] urging him to meet. Nehemiah didn't [04:03] budge from his post. He sent a message [04:06] [music] back to his enemies. [04:08] I am doing a great work and I cannot [04:11] come down. Why should the work stop [04:13] while I leave it and come down [music] [04:15] to you? [04:17] You see, the vision God gave him was [04:19] non-negotiable. There was nothing those [04:22] men could say that [music] would make [04:23] him compromise on finishing the wall. [04:26] Meeting them would be a waste of time. [04:28] Nehemiah kept [music] his eyes on the [04:30] main thing. [04:33] So, what's our main thing? [04:35] The first value [music] that will [04:37] empower us to cross the finish line is [04:39] to keep our eyes on Yeshua. If we get [04:42] distracted by secondary [music] matters, [04:44] it will trap us. It will take us in a [04:46] direction God never directed. Yeshua is [04:50] >> [music] [04:50] >> the center. And whatever his spirit has [04:53] directed is our part in his purpose, [04:56] do it. [04:58] Nehemiah was totally focused and [05:00] committed to his task. His eyes were on [05:03] God and the [music] call to rebuild. He [05:06] refused to be distracted or trapped. He [05:09] could discern between a crisis he needed [05:11] to address or a distraction that would [05:14] slow down the work. [05:17] How focused are we on our vision and [05:18] calling? [05:19] There will always be things that will [05:21] try and stop [music] our work. But as [05:23] Nehemiah knew, there are some things [05:25] that are non-negotiable in our faith [05:27] [music] and vision. Some things we will [05:29] not compromise and it's a waste of time [05:32] to argue about it. I'm sure [music] it [05:34] wasn't comfortable to keep refusing [05:36] meetings with those high-level [05:38] officials. [05:39] But like Nehemiah, we must be committed [05:42] to [music] prioritizing God's work and [05:44] staying on track. We need to keep our [05:47] eyes on Yeshua and the vision he's [05:49] [music] called us to. [05:52] So, after refusing to talk, Sanballat, [05:55] Israel's enemy, sent Nehemiah a message. [05:59] "It is reported among the nations that [06:02] you and the Jews intend to rebel. [06:04] That is why you are building the wall. [06:06] And according to [music] these reports, [06:08] you wish to become their king. And you [06:10] have also set up prophets to proclaim [06:12] [music] concerning you in Jerusalem, [06:14] there is a king in Judah. [06:16] And now the king will hear of these [06:18] reports. So, now come and let us take [06:21] counsel together." [06:23] Another attack of the enemy, not with [06:25] swords, but with words, with slander and [06:29] threat. "You are planning a rebellion. [06:31] We've heard the rumors. Meet with me or [06:34] I'll tell the king." Maybe Nehemiah [06:37] would feel like [music] he needed to go [06:39] and set the record straight. But he had [06:41] another value, another compass that led [06:44] his actions. [06:45] Don't listen to the voice of the enemy. [06:48] He didn't argue. He didn't leave the [06:50] work to meet [music] with his accusers [06:52] or respond to them point by point. [06:55] "No such [music] things as you say have [06:57] been done, for you are inventing them [07:00] out of your own mind." [07:02] In other words, enemy, what you say is [07:05] false. You made it up. [07:08] After Nehemiah refuted the enemies' [07:09] [music] lies, he prayed. [07:12] "But now, oh God, strengthen my hands." [07:17] Here in Israel, our nation faces [07:19] accusation [07:20] >> [music] [07:20] >> every day. [07:22] Throughout the wars and struggles, we [07:24] have been accused of genocide and [07:26] apartheid. [07:28] Since the beginning of the October 7th [07:30] war, we have had false accusations [07:31] [music] [07:32] and lies thrown at us before we could [07:35] even bury our dead or mourn our nation's [07:38] [music] greatest tragedy. [07:40] But if we at One for Israel, used all [07:43] our time, energy, and resources arguing [07:46] against [music] every false claim, we [07:49] would lose focus on our primary calling [07:52] to bless Israel [music] with the message [07:54] of Yeshua. On top of the pressure on our [07:56] nation, our ministry [music] also deals [07:59] with libel and slander from those who [08:01] oppose the gospel. [08:03] But, like Nehemiah, we don't need to [08:05] spend all our [music] energy screaming [08:07] back. We can do what he did. Refute the [08:10] lie and draw near [music] to God. As [08:13] James says, [08:14] "Resist the devil, and he will [music] [08:16] flee from you. Draw near to God, and he [08:19] will draw near to you." [08:21] When the accuser talks to you, don't [08:23] listen. [08:24] Don't stop the work. Resist, draw near [08:27] to God, [music] and keep building. [08:31] If you want to go deeper in Nehemiah's [08:33] story, we're offering a free 31-day [08:37] devotional as a companion to this book. [08:41] Visit the link below to download the [08:43] free devotional. [08:44] And don't forget to get the new book, [08:47] Walking the Walls with Nehemiah. It goes [08:49] deeper into these powerful lessons of [08:52] restoration, prayer, and perseverance. [08:55] Order our new book, Walking the [music] [08:57] Walls with Nehemiah, and discover how [08:59] you can pick up bricks and build with [09:02] God. [09:02] >> For a limited time, get our new book, [09:04] Walking the Walls with Nehemiah, with [09:06] our devotional companion for a gift of [09:08] [music] any amount. Scan the QR code on [09:11] your screen or visit [09:12] oneforisrael.org/walls. [09:14] Your gift will help us bring the gospel [09:16] back [music] to Israel and equip [09:18] believers in Israel to reach the world. [09:20] Scan the QR code now or visit [09:22] oneforisrael.org/walls [music] [09:24] and for a gift of any amount, receive [09:26] these free resources. [music] [09:32] >> Nehemiah's work on the walls of [09:34] Jerusalem was almost [music] completed. [09:37] And his enemies were attempting a final [09:39] barrage of attacks. They used slander [09:42] and intimidation to try and stop [09:44] Nehemiah and the people from finishing. [09:47] But Nehemiah's values kept him focused [09:50] [music] on the vision. [09:51] Now, the enemy was about to use a new [09:54] kind of attack. Not only intimidation [09:57] from without, [music] [09:58] but fear, rumor, and betrayal from [10:01] within. [10:02] Nehemiah soon found out that there was a [10:05] spy within his ranks. [10:08] A fellow Israelite approached him, [10:10] Shemaiah. He claimed to be not only a [10:13] friend, but also a prophet of God. [10:16] Shemaiah [music] told him a rumor that [10:18] his enemies were coming to assassinate [10:21] Nehemiah, and they might be there at any [10:23] minute. He urged him to hide inside the [10:25] temple for protection, the sanctuary of [10:28] God. Sounds like spiritual [music] [10:30] wisdom right? [10:33] There was a problem. The temple was a [10:35] place where only a Levite could go, and [10:38] Nehemiah was not a Levite. [10:41] Doing what the so-called prophet told [10:43] [music] him to do would be a violation [10:45] of God's word. It may have sounded like [10:48] good sense and spiritual wisdom, but in [10:51] reality, it was a response of fear and [10:54] disobedience. [10:56] Sometimes, under pressure, we might [10:58] think we need to go against God's word [11:01] in order to solve a problem, [11:02] >> [music] [11:03] >> that the ends justify the means. But [11:06] Nehemiah was led by another value in his [11:08] life [music] that kept him going in the [11:11] right direction, to serve with courage, [11:13] no matter what. When he followed [music] [11:16] this foundational conviction, he had [11:18] clarity to know that he wasn't called to [11:20] hide, but to build. And he realized that [11:24] this man who came to him was not a [11:26] friend and [music] not a true prophet. [11:28] He writes, [11:30] "I understood and saw that [music] God [11:32] had not sent him, but he had pronounced [11:34] a prophecy against me because Tobiah and [11:36] Sanballat had hired him. For this [11:39] purpose, he was hired that I should be [11:41] afraid and act [music] in this way in [11:43] sin, and so they could give me a bad [11:46] name in order to taunt me. [11:49] Shemaiah was a spy paid by the enemies [11:52] of Israel. They planned a deadly attack [11:55] combination, fear of harm and temptation [11:58] [music] of safety. They hired someone [12:01] who seemed like a friend and prophet, [12:03] someone who claimed to hear from God. He [12:07] wrapped the fear and temptation [music] [12:09] in spiritual language to entice Nehemiah [12:12] to disobey God. [12:14] But fear that sounds like wisdom, [12:16] [music] [12:17] words that sound like prophecy, they can [12:19] never take the place of obedience to God [12:22] and his vision. [12:24] >> I was born and raised in Iran as a [12:26] Shiite Muslim. I loved God as a young [12:28] boy and I always [music] wanted to serve [12:30] him and to love him. When I was 16 years [12:33] old, something happened [music] to me [12:34] that it changed my life. [12:35] I was going to my cousin's wedding, some [12:38] of my relatives gave me a ride, [12:40] and they had some alcohol. I didn't, [12:42] >> [music] [12:42] >> and I was in the car. And I was so [12:44] excited to go, and suddenly, as we were [12:46] on the way, there's a checkpoint. They [12:48] pull the car over, they smell the [12:50] alcohol, and they took all of us out. [12:52] They took us to a confinement, [music] [12:54] took all our clothes off, butt naked. [12:56] They start putting cold water on us, and [12:58] they start beating us with these big, [13:00] [music] thick cables. And they were [13:01] mocking us and laughing at us. They [13:03] threw almost 50 of us in a small room, [13:05] we were choking. I was so angry. I was [13:08] feeling humiliated, hatred toward the [13:11] people [music] who tortured me unjustly [13:14] in the name of Allah for something I [13:16] hadn't even done. [13:18] They took us to the court with shackles [13:20] on our hands and our feet, and I sat [13:22] before a judge who was a mullah, and he [13:25] began to judge us based upon Islamic [13:27] laws. [13:28] My family found [music] some connections [13:30] and they paid some bribe. They actually [13:32] released us and we had to just pay a [13:33] fine. [13:35] But that was the beginning of a long [13:36] journey. I began to question Islam. [13:38] >> [music] [13:38] >> Islam that I was loving and serving. [13:41] What kind of religion is this that [13:43] [music] there's so much injustice? I saw [13:45] so much bad things in the Quran. For [13:46] example, Sura 9 verse 29 30, Muhammad [13:49] said [13:50] >> [music] [13:50] >> that kill those who don't believe in [13:52] Allah and in his messenger. So imagine [13:54] all these years, all propaganda in the [13:57] school, we heard bad things about [13:58] America, bad things about Israel. [14:00] >> [music] [14:00] >> We heard evil things about Jews and [14:02] Christians. [14:03] And suddenly my eyes are being opened [14:06] that this is not [music] from God. A God [14:08] who made this beautiful universe, [14:10] the flowers and the birds and these [14:12] beautiful rivers and mountains. [14:14] This God could not be this cruel. [14:17] Shortly after that, many things happened [14:18] in my life. I lost my father. My father [14:20] passed away. [music] [14:21] As a result, I dropped out of the [14:23] school. I left all my friends. I was [14:25] isolated. And I was so broken, [music] [14:27] so hopeless. [14:29] I was crying out to God. God, if you're [14:30] real, who are you? [14:33] So then, [music] when I was 19, I heard [14:36] the gospel for first time. [14:38] Our power was out. I had a radio that [14:41] was working with battery. So I turned [14:42] this radio because I was sitting in this [14:44] dark room and then I came across a [14:45] channel and somebody was talking about [14:48] that he was going to commit suicide, to [14:51] hang himself. [music] [14:52] And on the way, he heard this beautiful [14:54] music. [14:55] And he followed [music] that sound of [14:57] music and he arrived to this church. [15:00] And he heard the good news of the gospel [15:02] and his life [music] changed. It was a [15:04] glimpse of hope that began to shine in [15:06] my heart. But nothing changed. Shortly [15:09] after that, I heard again [15:11] >> [music] [15:11] >> that Jesus Christ is the son of God, [15:13] that he came, that he died for me on the [15:15] cross as a sacrifice. [music] [15:17] And then 3 days later, he rose from the [15:19] dead. [15:20] And if I believe in [music] him, I'll be [15:22] saved. I said that's a bunch of baloney. [15:24] I rejected the whole thing. [15:25] I said, how could God have a son? [15:27] God doesn't have a wife. I could not [15:29] comprehend that that God would have a [15:31] son and he would come and die for us. [15:33] But [music] 1 week later, I was so [15:35] depressed and so sad. [15:37] And [15:37] >> [music] [15:38] >> everything seemed dark and hopeless. [15:41] And I heard the message again. [15:43] So that day I [music] had nothing to [15:44] lose. And I'm very skeptical. I said, [15:47] Jesus, I do not know you. I was told [15:49] you're a prophet. [music] [15:51] Now I hear you're the son of God. I [15:53] don't know who's telling the truth. I [15:54] don't want to be a victim of religion [15:55] again. [15:56] But if it's true, I want you to show [15:58] [music] me. And the moment I say that, [16:00] the heat went through my head. I began [16:02] to cry and weep. [music] It's like [16:04] somebody put his hand in my heart and [16:06] yanked out all that hatred and anger and [16:09] bitterness and depression [music] [16:11] because I hated the people who tortured [16:13] me unjustly. That hatred turned to [16:15] compassion. [16:17] And I was so full of joy, so full of [16:19] love. [16:20] I went to my mom's house. [music] My mom [16:21] saw me and she said, what happened to [16:23] you? [16:24] I said, what? She said, your face is [16:25] shining. I told my mother that I [16:28] >> [music] [16:28] >> became a Christian. I accepted Jesus in [16:30] my heart. And she didn't have a negative [16:32] reaction. And she was sick for many [16:34] years. She had [music] a pain that the [16:36] doctor said you have to have surgery and [16:37] she had so much pain. I had this [16:40] confidence that if I ask anything in the [16:42] name of Jesus, [16:43] >> [music] [16:43] >> he will hear me. So I prayed for my [16:45] mother and instantly pain left my mom. [16:47] She never had the same pain, same [16:49] problem ever again. And she was [16:51] suffering for years and [music] Jesus [16:52] Christ healed her. So I downloaded only [16:55] the four gospels. [16:56] And I began to read. See, I read the [16:58] four gospels in 5 days. I was so glued [17:01] to this computer. And as I was reading [17:03] the first five chapters [music] of [17:04] Matthew made me cry because I saw these [17:07] words that I had never heard before. [17:09] Love your enemies and pray [music] for [17:10] those who hate you and despitefully use [17:12] you. Imagine for all those years we [17:15] would go to the shrines of dead imams [17:17] and we would pray to these dead bones, [17:19] crying out to Allah, to Muhammad [music] [17:21] for answer. And not even once Allah [17:23] answered prayer. But the moment I call [17:26] on the name of Jesus, I felt this love, [17:29] I felt his power and he just he showed [17:31] [music] up in my room. [17:35] My name is Ramin [music] Parsa and I am [17:37] one for Israel. [17:42] >> The attack [music] of the enemy can be [17:43] frustrating, especially when he uses [17:46] people that we, as believers, are called [17:49] to love. We may [music] be tempted to [17:51] seek revenge, but even this can be a [17:53] distraction. [17:55] When Nehemiah [music] was attacked, he [17:56] likely desired justice against his [17:59] enemies. But another value guided [18:02] [music] him so that he didn't waste his [18:04] energy on revenge. [18:06] He knew that vengeance [music] belongs [18:08] to God. So Nehemiah did what he knew [18:11] best. He prayed. [18:14] Remember Tobiah [music] and Sanballat, [18:16] oh my God, according to these things [18:19] that they did. [18:20] It's okay to desire justice [music] [18:23] when we are wronged, but we need to [18:25] entrust it to God. [18:27] Our values hold us to trust God with [18:29] everything. The vision, the people we [18:32] lead, and even our enemies. [18:34] Nehemiah put it all into God's faithful [18:37] hands and we can trust the judge of all [18:40] the earth to do what is right. [18:42] If you want to go deeper in Nehemiah's [18:45] story, we're offering a free 31-day [18:48] devotional as a companion to this book. [18:52] Visit the link below to download the [18:54] free devotional. And don't forget to get [18:57] the new book, Walking the Walls with [18:59] Nehemiah. It goes deeper into these [19:01] powerful [music] lessons of restoration, [19:04] prayer, and perseverance. Order our new [19:07] book, Walking the Walls with Nehemiah, [19:10] and discover how you can pick up bricks [19:12] [music] and build with God. [19:14] >> For a limited time, get our new book, [19:16] Walking the Walls with Nehemiah, with [19:18] our devotional companion, [music] for a [19:19] gift of any amount. Scan the QR code on [19:22] your screen or visit [19:23] oneforisrael.org/walls. [music] [19:26] Your gift will help us bring the gospel [19:28] back to Israel and equip believers in [19:30] Israel to reach the world. [music] [19:32] Scan the QR code now or visit [19:33] oneforisrael.org/walls. [19:35] And for a gift of any amount, receive [19:37] these free resources. [19:43] >> 52 days after they began, Nehemiah [19:46] [music] and the people of Jerusalem [19:48] finally finished the wall. [19:51] Through the enemies' attack and [19:52] discouragement, times of correction, [19:55] times when the work slowed down and sped [19:57] up, through every obstacle from without [20:00] and within, Nehemiah and the people [20:03] overcame [music] [20:04] and Jerusalem stood strong again. [20:07] The people were faithful to the end, and [20:09] [music] the work was completed. Nehemiah [20:12] writes, [20:13] "And when all our enemies heard of it, [20:16] all the nations around us were afraid [20:18] and fell greatly in their own esteem, [20:21] for they perceived that this work had [20:23] been accomplished [music] [20:24] with the help of our God." [20:27] When they finished, fear fell on the [20:29] enemies and nations [music] that [20:30] surrounded them. [20:31] Those same enemies that were trying so [20:33] hard to work against the vision. Why? [20:37] >> [music] [20:37] >> Because they finally recognized that God [20:40] was with Israel. When we live according [20:43] to God-given [music] values, we can walk [20:45] out our God-given vision. And just like [20:48] with Nehemiah, God will bless your work. [20:51] People around will know that the Lord is [20:54] still God today. [20:55] The blessing of God on your life is [20:58] evangelistic. Great success is not just [21:01] for yourself, but to testify to others [21:04] of God's faithfulness. [21:07] We're in the studio with our own Dr. [21:09] Seth Postell, dean at our Bible college. [21:13] He has some amazing [music] insights and [21:15] real-life examples in what it looks like [21:18] to walk out a vision and continue to see [21:21] it grow. [21:23] Shalom, Seth. Thank you for coming to [21:25] chat with me again. You know, we've been [21:27] working together for very closely for [21:29] the past 15 years. [21:31] And our beginning was very humble. [21:33] We just were ministering the Bible [21:35] sharing offices and whatnot. [21:36] >> That's right. I remember you sitting in [21:38] it looked like you were sitting in an [21:40] economy class rather than an office. But [21:43] it was we were only on one floor. We had [21:45] the upper floor. I remember was just it [21:47] was a mess of [21:48] >> Yeah. [21:48] >> It was rubble. There are very few [21:51] Messianic organizations in Israel that [21:53] actually own property or that own [21:56] buildings. And so, you know, how was [21:59] that for you because I heard that, you [22:01] know, when you were considering buying [22:02] this place [22:04] you were people were trying to talk you [22:06] out of it. What what happened there? [22:08] >> A couple of years before that [22:10] um God spoke to me very clearly. [22:14] And he told me to buy a building. Now, I [22:16] know nothing nothing about real estate. [22:20] And uh so, I didn't know what to do. I [22:22] didn't know how how to even go about it. [22:24] And I just started calling realtors cuz [22:26] I didn't know what to do. [22:28] And I was pretty comical how God has [22:31] guided me as someone that has absolutely [22:33] no idea and no resources either. [22:36] But um it really was miracle after [22:38] miracle. And um you know, we bought this [22:40] building. And there were several people [22:42] that came over. Again, well-meaning [22:44] brothers. I don't think they meant [22:46] anything, you know, they I think they [22:47] just spoke their mind. [22:49] And uh it's a very humble commercial [22:51] building here just for people to know. [22:54] Starting 2012 [22:56] the place was packed. Remember? We just [22:59] did not have enough classrooms, offices. [23:03] And so we just started in 2012 [23:07] to ask God every year, remember? [23:09] To lead us to our next stop that will be [23:12] dramatically bigger and allow us to do [23:14] many, many more things. We made offers [23:17] several times where people refused to [23:20] sell us property because we were [23:22] followers of Yeshua, but then a couple [23:24] of years ago we we finally, you know, [23:26] God led us to the right spot and we [23:27] zeroed in on a on a property and so we [23:30] are in preparation to building. We're [23:33] waiting for permits to build a much [23:35] bigger center that, uh, you know, will [23:37] allow us to do much greater things, [23:39] hopefully. [23:40] >> So, it's interesting cuz you're talking [23:41] about this kind of crazy step to buy [23:44] this building, but you did something [23:45] else that was really out of the box. You [23:48] built a television studio. [23:50] >> Oh, yeah. [23:51] >> W- Where did that come from and how [23:55] could you summarize the fruit of that [23:57] crazy decision? [23:59] >> I'm not one that often says, "God told [24:01] me." It I don't usually use that term [24:03] very much, but God told me [24:06] to build television studios. So, I [24:08] called the architect and said, "You need [24:09] to change the, you know, the upper floor [24:11] and you need to to create space for for [24:13] a television studio." Then we had [24:16] several people, some of our college [24:17] graduates that, you know, had background [24:19] in media and advertisement. [24:21] They came over [24:22] and we started doing those very simple [24:24] testimonial videos and it just caught on [24:28] fire. I mean, it just became wildfire in [24:32] Israel and it's been like that for the [24:34] past [24:35] 14 years, so. [24:37] >> You think about the fruit [24:40] of just one act of crazy obedience, [24:44] an act of irrational obedience, an act [24:47] of not knowing, okay, God, I heard you [24:49] to do it. How many people have seen the [24:51] gospel through the videos? How many [24:53] people have come to faith? [24:55] How many people have been influenced and [24:56] motivated, encouraged? I don't even [24:58] know. What are the numbers of total [25:01] views of all of our content today? I [25:03] don't even know. I think it's close to a [25:04] billion. [25:05] >> It is. [25:05] >> And this all began [25:08] because you [25:09] >> Well, God God had God had a crazy idea. [25:12] >> God God gave you this idea, but again, I [25:14] think just the story of I think so much [25:17] of the story of of One for Israel [25:20] is praying, [25:23] hearing [snorts] God, [25:26] and doing what he says. [25:27] >> And obeying, yeah. And I think that's [25:28] the key. Well, Seth, thank you so much. [25:30] It's been so much fun to reminisce about [25:33] what God has been doing and is doing in [25:35] our midst. And for you, our viewers, we [25:39] pray for you that God will [music] [25:41] speak to you very clearly, that you will [25:43] listen, and that you will obey him as he [25:47] has great and wonderful plans for your [25:49] life. [25:51] Nehemiah left a legacy. Not only do we [25:54] have his inspirational stories [music] [25:56] to learn from, but we can still see [25:58] today some of the physical walls built [26:02] under his watch. [26:03] Jerusalem was nowhere [music] near its [26:06] former glory, but as God had told [26:08] Zerubbabel years earlier, "Do not [26:11] despise [music] the day of small [26:13] beginnings." These very gates would [26:15] welcome the king of kings. God used [26:18] Nehemiah to pave the way for Israel's [26:21] revival and the first coming of the [26:23] Messiah. Legacy [music] is something [26:26] that continues when we're gone. It's not [26:29] something you can get by cutting [26:31] corners. [26:32] >> [music] [26:32] >> It's the result of a faithful life [26:34] before the Lord. Will you be faithful to [26:37] complete the work [music] God has given [26:38] you? [26:40] The walls of Jerusalem were completed. [26:43] Nehemiah had done what [music] he set [26:45] out to do. [26:46] But what about those living within those [26:48] walls? They needed order and leadership, [26:51] but they also needed something so [26:53] [music] much more. [26:54] There was a new task ahead of Nehemiah [26:57] to build Jerusalem [music] not just [26:58] physically, but spiritually. [27:01] Next time, we [music] will ask, "What is [27:04] your vision?" as we walk the walls with [27:06] Nehemiah.
