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Weimar University

Don Mackintosh

Whoever, Whatever, Wherever

Today but let's just pray before we begin.

Father in heaven, Lord, thank you today that we can again study your word.

Fill us with a sense of divine enthusiasm and energy and urgency for whatever it is that you're calling us to do either individually or collectively.

Revive us, as Habakkuk says, in the midst of the years.

Nehemiah chapter 3, whoever, wherever, whatever.

And this is kind of the picture in Nehemiah chapter 3 of a leader.

How many of you have ever met someone who's a leader and they're defined by a sense of urgency?

It seems like They're always busy having something to do.

Who do you think the person is the most urgent person on campus that you see around this campus just running from 1 place to the next?

I hear a lot of people saying Erica Nedley.

Right, She is like the picture of urgency.

And that urgency is also connected to Dr.

And leaders always have a sense of urgency.

So urgency is something that just defines leadership and not only that, enthusiasm.

If you don't have those 3, you're not probably going to get much done at all.

But if you have those 3, you're going to get a lot done.

He got a report, Nehemiah chapter 1, that the wall was broken down and the gates were burned with fire, and it totally captivated him, gave him a sense of urgency.

It needs to change, And he began to pray and fast that things would come together.

And he was planning in the chapter 2, he was ready to meet that urgent need because this was on his heart all the time.

And I hope today we develop a sense of urgency as we are reminded that we're part of an Advent movement that believes that Jesus is coming again, believes there's only 3 messages that stand in the way of His coming, that first angel's message, which already has begun to sound, the second angel's message, which is sounding, and the third angel's message.

And when we have a sense of urgency, we'll know who Jesus is, we'll know where he is, we'll know what he's doing, and we'll know who we are, where we are, and what we're supposed to be doing.

How many of you want to develop a sense of urgency or heightened urgency?

This is what we see when we study the book of Nehemiah.

And you know, Nehemiah is actually a book that actually happened.

These are the walls of Nehemiah was on a trip to Israel with Dr.

Gilly, Jim Gilly, and his wife, and we were helping host.

I would encourage you to go on these trips because you learn so much.

And it actually increases your sense of urgency when you see that what happened really happened.

And anyway, so we were there, and the second time we were there, we saw a portion of Nehemiah's wall.

The wall that we're studying about was actually rebuilt and they have found that there in Jerusalem.

And you can see that section of the wall that they found.

See that part going down right here on the map.

You know, before I get into the chapter, just something about here.

You know, some people say, why would you start a university?

Why would you do that if Jesus is coming so soon?

Why don't you just stand outside and just wait?

No, that's not what we're supposed to be doing.

I will raise up agents, kind of Nehemiah-like agents, who will carry out my will to prepare a people to stand before me in the time of the end.

In other words, build a wall of living stones, not dead stones, revived stones.

In many places that before this ought to have been provided with sanitary, that it should have been provided with sanitariums and schools, I will establish my institutions and these institutions will become educational centers for the training of workers.

Let no 1 conclude that because the end is near, there's no need of a special effort to build up various institutions as the cause shall demand.

When the Lord shall bid us make no further effort to build meeting houses and establish schools, sanitariums, and publishing institutions, it will be time for us to fold our hands and let the Lord close up the work.

But now is our opportunity to show our zeal for God and our love for humanity.

When we build up an institution, what are we showing?

I mean, think it might be easier to stay home and drink a pina colada.

Might be easier to sit there and strum your guitar.

But no, you have a sense of urgency to help people not only stop, but reverse, better yet, prevent disease.

Because then they can hear the message of Jesus, recommit to it, and live not just 7 years longer but eternally.

And this is why we have that sense of urgency in our work in New Start.

Our search of urgency and our work in the Depression Recovery Program.

And this was the urgency that Nehemiah felt in chapter 2 and verse 17.

Then I said to them, you see the distress that we are in?

How Jerusalem lies in waste and its gates are burned with fire?

Come and let us build the wall of Jerusalem that we may no longer be a reproach.

I told them, by the hand of my God which had been good upon me and also of the king's words that he had spoke to me.

What could drive us with a sense of urgency?

Number 1, he had a prophetic sense of urgency.

He knew what time it was concerning the prophecy.

He knew that there was 70 years till you go back from Babylon to Jerusalem and he knew that he was in the 69th, 70th year and he says it is time for God to act.

You're not going to have urgency as a Christian if you're not studying Bible prophecy.

Bible prophecy is not some kind of legalistic study.

It's a study that tells us there is a God, that he did act, that he is acting, he will act, because he's a God of what?

He wants to not only form us, he also wants to fill us with a knowledge of what he's doing in the world.

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Whoever, Whatever, Wherever

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