30 April | Teens
«Then answered I them, and said unto them, The God of heaven, he will prosper us; therefore we his servants will arise and build: but ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem.» Nehemiah 2: 20
After 70 years of living as slaves, the people of Israel finally had the chance to return to their land, Jerusalem. But there was a big challenge ahead: the city was in ruins. Under Nehemiah's leadership, they began the great task of rebuilding. The king of Persia, Cyrus, issued a decree allowing the Israelites to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the Lord's temple and worship Him there. More than 50,000 people joined in this exciting mission! I can even imagine them singing, “The God of heaven is the one who will prosper us; and we, his servants, will arise and build up. We will rise up and build.”
They started with the temple and then rebuilt the wall around the city. Nehemiah knew how important it was to have a place to worship God. Just as Nehemiah and the people of Israel rejoiced in rebuilding the temple, we too can rejoice in being in church. In church, we connect more with God and with our friends. We sing, pray and learn about the wonders God has done and still does for us.
Take Action
Invite a friend from school to visit your church. Think of a special day, such as an event or a children's program, and invite your friend to come with you. Before you invite your friend, think about all the cool things you like about church that you'd like to share with him. It could be the Sabbath school, the singing, the children's time, or the Adventurers and Pathfinders clubs. This invitation is a way to show your friends how special and fun church is: a place where we can learn more about God and make new friends.