RISE UP! And Make the Commitment!

• Today is our last Sunday of the 6-week intensive period of our RISE UP! Capital Campaign.
• Next Sunday, October 30, we will return to the Minor Prophets in our Sunday School Small Groups…Hosea I believe and John 9 in our Morning Worship.
• Thank you for your faithfulness and support during these past six weeks.
• Also, I just want to remind you that we will be announcing our total dollar commitments next Sunday, October 30.
• Finally, please plan to give as much of your commitment as possible for our First Fruits Offering on Sunday, November 6. Whatever you give on that Sunday will of course count toward your total commitment, and God bless you for those commitments.

 

This morning, I am going to finish Nehemiah, and I understand this is not ideal, and we may come back to it at another time.  However, I want to get back to John

 

In chapters 7-13, I am going to show you what happened in Jerusalem after Nehemiah and the remnant rebuilt the walls and gates.  However, as I show you what they did and what EBC will be doing, I want you to know that this is what we will be doing with or without a FLC. 

 

1. We will be committed to proclaiming God’s Word, Nehemiah 8:1-8.
   1. Ezra read from the Law on a wooden podium while the people were standing
   2. Their response to the Law was their worship.
   3. The priests then helped them understand the Law and its application to their lives.

 

At EBC, we will be committed to the study and application of God’s Word in all that we do with everyone who attends our church.

 

 

2. We will be committed to remembering God’s Faithfulness, Nehemiah 9:1-38.

 

God was faithful again and again, and the people made a covenant with God and wrote it down.

 

I know some have pushed back against signing commitment cards.  This is what is happening here.  They are putting their commitment in writing, and we do that today for cars and houses and boats and land.  Why not for the Lord?

 

 

3. We will be committed to living according to God’s Will, Nehemiah 10:28-31.
   1. May this be true for us individually-10:28-29
   2. May this be true for us in our families-10:30
   3. May this even be true in our businesses-10:31

 

 

4. We will be committed to giving to God’s Work, Nehemiah 10:32-39.
   1. For us, God’s work is the local church-10:32
   2. That means our offerings-10:33-34
   3. That means our tithes-10:35-39

 

 

5. We will be committed to celebrating God’s Worth, Nehemiah 12:27-43.
   1. By singing
   2. Young and old
   3. To God about God

 

 

Conclusion

I hope and pray that you individually and EBC collectively are committing on this day to do the financial work for the FLC.  Regardless, we are going to be committed at EBC to proclaiming God’s Word, remembering God’s faithfulness, living according to God’s Will, giving to God’s Work, and celebrating God’s Worth.