A Different Kind Of Ministry

“Don’t mourn or weep on such a day as this! For today is a sacred day before the LORD your God.” For the people had all been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law.   Nehemiah 8:9

As Ezra read the law of God, the people realized how far they were from what God was calling them to be. One of the first effects of receiving the Word of God is that it humbles us. We start to see things in our lives that we didn’t see before. We become sensitive to attitudes and actions that grieve the heart of God.

It is often the purpose of God to humble us, but it is never his purpose to leave us feeling defeated. You may have experienced legalistic preaching that made you feel small. You came out saying, “What a miserable person I am; I must do better,” but eventually you lost the strength to keep trying.

Ezra and Nehemiah’s ministry was different. Their ministry reduced people to tears, but it did not leave them there. Nehemiah said, “Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the LORD is your strength!” (Nehemiah 8:10).

Conviction of sin is always a means to an end—to bring sinners to Christ. When Nehemiah spoke about the joy of the Lord, he wasn’t telling the people to cheer up. He was reminding them that the grace of God could wipe away all their tears.

The Christian life is not an endless attempt to fulfill God’s law. When you feel your failure and your weakness, look up into the face of God. You will find that he is gracious and merciful and that his hand is extended to you in Christ.

When people left the great service of worship in Jerusalem, they were not going home preoccupied with themselves and their failures. They went home with a fresh glimpse of the grace and mercy of God. This gave them new hope, new joy, and new strength to face the challenge of another week.

For further reading, see 2 Corinthians 7