The KJV puts verse Nehemiah 4:6 very succinctly: “So we built the wall; the wall was joined together…for the people had a mind to work.”

Nehemiah was the Persian king's cup-bearer. This was a very important job, but God had a higher calling for Nehemiah. Nehemiah’s life had been one of ease and honor… but God had another plan! The Jews were distressed because the walls around Jerusalem had not been repaired. Ezra had started the work, but his enemies were able to get the King to order the work stopped.

So God turned to Nehemiah. With God at work, the king appointed our hero the governor of Judah. But listen to his prayer when the king asked why he was so sad… [they were to always put on a happy face in the King’s presence.] “The king said to me, "What is it you want?" Then I prayed to the God of heaven, This was a fast prayer to heaven, and he did not have time to think it through. After asking for help, “and I answered the king, "If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my fathers are buried so that I can rebuild it." Note!  He took personal responsibility! “So that I can rebuild it.” (He probably thought, “Now why did I say that!”)

It was not an easy task; for the enemies of the Jews – under satanic influence – did everything they could to stop the work. But with the help of the Lord and a lot of courage the work was completed in 56 days.

Nehemiah 4:1, 2 “When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and was greatly incensed. He ridiculed the Jews,

and in the presence of his associates and the army of Samaria, he said, "What are those feeble Jews doing? Will they restore their wall? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble -- burned as they are?"

Verse 6… “For the people worked with all their heart.”

Verse 9… “But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat.” (“God help us, but we are going to work like it is our responsibility!”)

Verses 10, 11 “Meanwhile, the people in Judah said, "The strength of the laborers is giving out, and there is so much rubble that we cannot rebuild the wall."

11: Also our enemies said, "Before they know it or see us, we will be right there among them and will kill them and put an end to the work."

Verse 16: “Half of my people did the work, while the other half were equipped with spears, shields, bows and armor.”

Verse 18: “and each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked.”

Verses 21-23: “So we continued the work with half the men holding spears, from the first light of dawn till the stars came out.  At that time I also said to the people, "Have every man and his helper stay inside Jerusalem at night, so they can serve us as guards by night and workmen by day." Neither I nor my brothers nor my men nor the guards with me took off our clothes; each had his weapon, even when he went for water.”

The text from Psalm 127 states: “Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain.

In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat-- for He grants sleep to those He loves.”

This morning I want to develop two thoughts…

1.     Unless the Lord builds the house, it won’t work.

2.     The people had a mind to work… a commitment.

In reviewing our 100^th anniversary booklet I noted the following:

1. This church started in the fall of 1894 as the Evangelical Peace church. Only it was called Friedens Gemeinde (Church of the German Evangelical Peace Congregation.)
2. In 1900, with the help of the churches in Kingfisher and Okeene, we called our own pastor.
3. A small parsonage was built in the south part of Kiel in 1900.
4. In 1902 services moved from the Odd Fellows Hall or the Public School House to a plot of ground in the northeast part of Kiel (now known as Loyal). Mr. Albert Crist presented the church a lot measuring 150 x 150 feet. $800.00 was pledged and a building measuring 28’ x 40’ x 14’ was built. This building was dedicated in 1903.
5. In 1908 the original parsonage was moved to the church site. That fall they decided to build a new parsonage.
6. Worship services were apparently all in German until 1928 when they decided to alternate between English and German. Sometime in the 1930s the services changed to all English.
7. From 1895 until 1934 the church was called the Evangelical Friedens Church. The name was then changed to Peace Evangelical and Reformed Church of Loyal.
8. On Sunday, May 10, 1953 (Mother’s Day) the church building was destroyed by a fire starting at 9:30 am. (Probably caused by lightning.) Our present building was dedicated debt-free on January 10, 1954.
9. The E&R combined with the Congregational Christian denominations in 1957, and our church became the Peace United Church of Christ in 1961.
10. In 1985 a 1,000 square foot addition to the Fellowship Hall was added – including the Family Room, a storage room, enlarged classrooms, and handicapped-accessible restrooms.

As you can see, it has been an interesting journey. We now fast-forward to January 2006. We have decided it is time to take stock of our relationships and our ministry for the foreseeable future.

According to our Constitution the purpose of this church is to establish in this community a Christian congregation for worship, to promote the Christian life, and to advance the Kingdom of God by all available means in the home, community, nation and world.  I think we are doing a pretty good job, but perhaps there is more to do.

We have asked four people to help in a study, so that we are building on our roots and basic beliefs. God’s Word is central, and that should be our basis for discovery.

The good news is that our challenge is not nearly as daunting as Nehemiah’s was… but I believe it is equally important! Every denomination has a shortage of ministers. Every denomination has a reason for being, and every church has a specific purpose.

This morning I am asking each of you to commit to prayerfully searching the scriptures and seeking God’s face so that we will truly be the church God wants us to be. I sincerely believe that God called this church into being and I anticipate it serving this area for many years to come.

But, “Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain that build it!” We are laborers together with God!

1 Corinthians 3:4-9: "For when one says, 'I follow Paul,' and another, 'I follow Apollos,' are you not mere men? What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe--as the Lord has assigned to each his task.

I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor.

For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building."

Just as Paul and Apollos were God’s fellow workers, so are the members of this congregation. Let us work together as we seek God’s will for the future of this church.

Pastor Leon