Arise and Build

Within 2 to 3 days, I heard two pastors saying similar things. Ps Juni shared this in my interview with her, it was something God spoke to her sometime back, “If you build My house, I will build your house.” Then Ps Daniel mentioned this in his testimony during a sermon, “If you take care of God’s business, God will take care of our business.”

What are you telling me, Lord?

Arise and build.

This phrase rang familiar to me, a quick Google brought back memories of where I heard this. City Harvest Singapore used to run many Arise & Build Campaigns to raise funds for building a church building in Jurong and later a stake in Suntec City. Then Bethel Church also currently has an Arise and Build project for a sanctuary and other facilities which I heard Ps Bill Johnson mentioned in a sermon a few years ago. Hence, ‘Arise and Build’ becomes a catchphrase for raising funds for church buildings.

Nehemiah came to mind and I read the book and found where “Arise and Build’ came from.

And I told them of the hand of my God which had been good upon me, and also of the king’s words that he had spoken to me. So they said, “Let us rise up and build.” Then they set their hands to this good work.

But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they laughed at us and despised us, and said, “What is this thing that you are doing? Will you rebel against the king?”

So I answered them, and said to them, “The God of heaven Himself will prosper us; therefore we His servants will arise and build, but you have no heritage or right or memorial in Jerusalem.”

Nehemiah 2:18-20 (NKJV)

In verse 20, Nehemiah believes God will prosper them, so they just need to be obedient to arise and build. Adding a mix of my opinion, it sounds like: “Build God’s kingdom, and God would prosper them to provide the necessary funds to build and take care of their needs”.

Still, I wonder where Nehemiah was getting the funds to build. As I re-read Nehemiah 2 again, I saw how Nehemiah had the initial resources to get this building going. In verses 4-9, I saw how the king granted Nehemiah the time (off from work), open doors (to pass through) and materials to build (timber). And so with God’s good hand and the king’s words, Nehemiah said “Arise and Build”.

Then the king said to me, “What do you request?”
So I prayed to the God of heaven. And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, I ask that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs, that I may rebuild it.”
Then the king said to me (the queen also sitting beside him), “How long will your journey be? And when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time.

Furthermore I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, let letters be given to me for the governors of the region beyond the River, that they must permit me to pass through till I come to Judah, and a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king’s forest, that he must give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel which pertains to the temple, for the city wall, and for the house that I will occupy.” And the king granted them to me according to the good hand of my God upon me.

Nehemiah 2:4-9 (NKJV)

God gives us the resources to build, we just need to be obedient to arise and build. This reminded me of the life of George Müller. God has previously kept bringing my attention to George Müller and that’s why I went to find out about his life and got a copy of his autobiography. He is a Christian evangelist and the director of the Ashley Down orphanage in Bristol, England. He cared for 10,024 orphans and established 117 schools which offered Christian education to more than 120,000. He founded the Scriptural Knowledge Institution and distributed the Bible and Christian tracts, providing day schools, Sunday schools and adult schools, all upon a Scriptural foundation. (Source: Wikipedia)

I was greatly encouraged by his prayer and faith in God for the funds and resources for his work in building the orphanages and schools. Instead of having fundraising campaigns, he prayed to God to bring the necessary resources. He even concealed his wants and the needs of the work from most people, but he went straight to the Lord through prayer and petition for the provision.

Even when asked by a donor about the state of funds so he can give if necessary, George Muller said this even though they were in need: “I do not feel the liberty to speak about the state of our funds. The primary object of this ministry is to lead those who are weak in faith to see that there is reality in dealing with God alone.” Then he went on to pray for God to move the donor’s heart instead.

Quoting George Muller again from his autobiography, “If this work is the work of God, then He is surely able and willing to provide for it. He will not necessarily provide at the time we think there is a need. But when there is a real need, He will not fail us. We may and should trust in the Lord to supply us with what we require at present…”

If today God has called you to arise and build, trust that He will provide. I pray today that you will see and receive the resources, the wisdom, the perseverance and the strength to arise and build. Keep praying and never give up!

Related Post: “Arise and Build: Strength, Perseverance and Prayers“

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