“… And they said, ‘Let us rise up and build.’ So they strengthened their hands for the good work … ‘The God of heaven will make us prosper, and we his servants will arise and build'” (Neh. 2:18,20).

Visiting churches across the country, you see growth and activity in some places. But elsewhere, churches are dwindling. Many — struggling to keep the members they have—make little effort to reach out to the lost. With members drifting and leaders preoccupied with putting out fires, the work slows down. When our work slows, we lose Christ’s vision for the church. We may still assemble, but we no longer resemble the fervor and focus of the early church.

Wouldn’t it be helpful to open our Bibles and find a practical strategy for God’s people to accomplish a great work together? What if the Bible featured a case study in building side by side for the Lord? Wouldn’t elders love to study the man God directed to lead? Wouldn’t we want to see how they overcame critics, division, unequal workloads, and threats—never stopping until they accomplished together in 52 days what none could dream of doing alone? God inspired and preserved such a case study for our learning (Rom. 15:4).

In 586 BC, Babylon destroyed Jerusalem. When Babylon fell, the Persians sent Babylon’s captives home. So, in 536 BC, Zerubbabel led the first colony back to Judah and rebuilt the temple. Years later, the city stood unprotected and dishonored, without walls or gates. Cities built walls to keep out armies, so the stones were enormous, bigger than people. Reconstruction would be daunting, but Nehemiah, the cupbearer to Persia’s King, took it on.

The church is a community of builders in God’s epic construction project to build his body (Eph. 4:11-16). If we work the way Nehemiah and the Jews did, through God’s help, we will succeed. Here’s what we need to do:

1. Care about the Work

“As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven” (Neh. 1:4).

City walls protected the people. The state of a city’s walls brought either pride or shame. Even 600 miles away, the broken-down walls of Jerusalem deeply bothered Nehemiah.

Does it bother you to consider how many have never heard, how many have fallen, or need encouragement? If we don’t care about the state of the kingdom, the state of this church, the areas we need to grow, and the thousands in this community missing from God’s church, we’ll never make a dent in this work.

Nehemiah wept, but he didn’t sulk. He acted, confident in God’s power to create change through him. Take a cue from Nehemiah, and recognize that you can do something to build up this church. We can work together to strengthen one another and bring a powerful message to the lost.

2. Own the Work

Nehemiah took personal responsibility for the tragic situation.

“O Lord … we have sinned against you. Even I and my father’s house … have not kept the commandments … O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant … and grant him mercy in the sight of this man” (Neh. 1:5-11).

Nehemiah recognized that his failure and the sins of his people put them in this mess. He asked for forgiveness and help as he took a bold step of active faith. The work would never have started if Nehemiah stayed in his comfort zone.

When the King asked why he was sad, Nehemiah “was very much afraid” (Neh. 2:2) but spoke up, “Why should not my face be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ graves, lies in ruins…?” (Neh. 2:3). When the king asked, “What are you requesting?” he prayed and leaped into action, asking if the king would send him to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls (Neh. 2:4-5). “And the king granted me what I asked, for the good hand of my God was upon me” (Neh. 2:8).

Sometimes, the best place to start is the work you’re most resistant to doing. If you take responsibility and do your part, God’s good hand will be upon you. Do you consider yourself personally accountable for the work here?

3. Plan the Work

Nehemiah didn’t come to town with a wide-eyed dream and a lot of talk. He came quietly and “told no one what my God had put into my heart to do for Jerusalem” (Neh. 2:12). A few days after arriving, he “inspected the walls of Jerusalem that were broken down” (Neh. 2:13). He needed an honest appraisal of the situation before he could start his work. So do we.

If we inspect before we speak, we can plan before we enlist others. Nehemiah said, “the officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, and I had not yet told the Jews, the priests, the nobles, the officials, and the rest who were to do the work” (Neh. 2:16). As a congregation, we must be ready to wait for our leaders to share the next step. We rarely know when they are “out by night” inspecting and planning, but we’ll be glad they did.

4. Encourage the Work

It’s easy to complain or criticize when we see problems. But Nehemiah saw a problem that broke his heart, saw no one doing anything about it, and said, “let us build” (2:17).

Those two encouraging words, “let us,” say, “I will do this, and I invite you to join me.” It’s a favorite phrase of the Apostles, who urged Christians with words like: “Having gifts that differ … let us use them” (Rom. 12:6), “let us not pass judgment on one another” (Rom. 14:13), “let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding” (Rom. 14:19), “let us do good to everyone” (Gal. 6:10), and “let us love one another” (1 John 4:7).

5. Involve Everyone in the Work

“…so they put their hands to the good work” (Neh. 2:17).

Some will happily plan and encourage, but they disappear when it’s time to work. They complain when they aren’t assigned their favorite section of the wall. When things get rough, they get scarce. But it’s all talk until we do something. Embrace hard work. Even if half of us have to hold spears while the other half carries on the job “from dawn until the stars appeared” (Neh. 4:21), we can do this together.

We will give everyone a job (Neh. 3:1-32) because if I have nothing to do, I have no place to fit, no chance to contribute, and no investment in the mission. When we baptize someone, they need a job. When Christians agree to “work with us,” they must know that we expect them to “WORK WITH US.” Whether the elders give them an assignment or you invite them to help with your projects, let’s all look to get everyone involved. And if you can’t find a section of the wall yourself, speak up. God has work for you, too.