Topic: Build from the Bottom up by Tony Evans Ministry – The Urban Alternative 13 JANUARY   2023

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Build from the Bottom UpI told them how the hand of my God had been favorable to me and also about the king’s words which he had spoken to me. Then they said, “Let us arise and build.” So they put their hands to the good work. – (Nehemiah 2:18)I want to take one more look at the role of civil government before we finish this section of the devotional on the governments of the kingdom agenda. As I mentioned on a previous day, the role of the civil government is to promote justice in society so the individual, family, and church are able to fulfill their callings under God in an orderly and unencumbered manner. Civil government is to support and protect the biblical rights, freedoms, and purposes of the other divine institutions so that the atmosphere in which they function is conducive to their growth, freedom, and productivity. As such, the government is not to seek to replace, circumvent, or impede the proper functioning of the other institutional spheres through bureaucratic controls. Rather, it should assist them in whatever ways it can to enhance their ability to be more effective in accomplishing their divinely ordained purposes.The is a great picture of this principle in action in Nehemiah 3, where Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the city’s walls and restore community life. Nehemiah started the work from the bottom up. He started with individuals who recruited their families. Then he strategically stationed the families at a place on the wall near their own homes so that they would have a vested interest in the work (see v. 10). The priest (church) rallied, taught, and inspired the people (see chapter 8).