Well, unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. Tonight was the last night of our church's revival meetings, but I don't believe that it is the end for the changes. I ask anyone who stumbles upon this to pray for me; I, sadly, have a problem reading my Bible. As much as I love to read other books, I don't have as strong of a desire to read my Bible as I should. I'm ashamed to even have to say this, for I know how important it is. When I think of all the martyrs who died for my faith, as well as the soldiers who gave their all for my country, I am saddened my lack of enthusiasm for reading God's Holy Word. I hope that you will pray with me on this subject.
All of the messages have been so amazing this week, and I wish that they could continue. I beleive that the message that spoke to me the most was Thursday Night's service, entitled "Our Condition Before God." The key verses were Nehemiah 1:1-11. One thing Bro. Knickerbocker said was "We as Christians have become extremly corrupted. Why aren't we devestated when we do what we KNOW is wrong? The Difference between a corrupted city (Jerusalem, in this case) and a corrupted life is that, unlike a human, a city can be rebuilt." So many people either never get back with God or they end up committing suicide because of their extreme depression.
1) The Sad Condition of Jerusalem
-It had become a laughing stock. How often do people say, "I remember when ..... Church had the power of God."
- The walls of protection had fallen down. Everything around us will lead us into temptation. We are faced with a society that could care less of God or His Word.
-The gate had been burned.
2) The Spiritual Concern of Nehemiah (Neh. 1:4)
-We need to become so consumed in God that we ignore everything else, including time.
-God will not speak to us until He knows that we are ready and willing to listen to Him.
3) The Sacred Commissioning (Neh. 1:9)
-Before one can be commissioned, they must first be revived.
4) The Stately Cooperation (Neh. 2:6)
-The king noticed a change in Nehemiah's countenance. Sadly, lost souls do not notice any change in the countenance of Christians today. They need to see our care, our love, and our concern for them. (Neh. 2:2)
-In the Christian life, the words "Building" and "Fighting" always co-incide.
5) The Saintly Cooperation (Neh. 2:8)
-Anything I touch that God wants me to touch will prosper.
6) The Skeptic's Criticism (Neh. 4:3)
-Someone will always vote "No" just in case that something goes wrong. Bro. Knickerbocker told us of how a man in a church he once pastored was the only person to vote against a new building project. The man honestly told Bro. Knickerbocker, "Well, I voted "No" just in case it fell through. I didn't want to be disappointed." Sadly, many people, including Christians, are like this today.
7) The Substatial Completion
-If we could see what God had in store, we wouldn't be able to get enough of His Word. (This is my desire.)



Please continue to pray for Bro. Knickerbocker, his wife, and all of the students at Crown Southwest and Norris Seminary.