Rick Henderson

In Front of Your House

Re:Verse passage – Nehemiah 3:1-5 (day seven)

After them Benjamin and Hasshub carried out repairs in front of their house. After them Azariah the son of Maaseiah, son of Ananiah, carried out repairs beside his house. Nehemiah 3:22-23

The first time I heard about Nehemiah was not in a Sunday School class nor was it a sermon. It began outside the walls of the church. I read it on a t-shirt of the local high school football team where my father was the head coach. He had chosen this passage to communicate principles of teamwork through the building of the wall.

The highlight and main point that has stuck with me all these years was the fact that each person did the work outside of their own house. This was an ingenious move by Nehemiah, clearly wisdom from the Lord, because it not only helped the speed of the construction process it also helped the quality of the construction. If you are in charge of building the wall in front of your home, are you going to give it half of your effort or are you going to make sure it is done perfect to protect your loved ones? If each person builds their wall swiftly and thoroughly, you will be able to complete the entire wall in no time and can trust that you can keep the enemy out.

Now I think the point for the football team can be translated to our spiritual life equally as well. Your job is not to worry about the integrity of the entire wall. You just need to do the job that is in front of you. If everyone does their job correctly, the wall will hold up against any enemy trying to break it down. What if you just started to build a spiritual kingdom with what God has put right in front of you? Your family, your home, your neighborhood?

Center of Revival

Re:Verse passage – Nehemiah 2:11-20 (day seven)

So I came to Jerusalem and was there three days. vs 11

So I came to Los Angeles and have been here three days. In a month of bustling ministry, even my days have felt off. From Impact Camp to VBS to Mission Choir Tour, our student ministry has not stopped. Being two hours behind does not help either, so I apologize for the tardiness of this post. However, in my time here so far I have seen God doing some really cool things.

Maybe not quite to the level of Jerusalem, but Southern California was once the center of revival and the Jesus Revolution. When we hear on the news and through political discourse, it would appear that SoCal is no longer a hub for Christian influence. Walking Rodeo Drive and serving in soup kitchens has given us a glimpse at the brokenness of the city from the top of the socioeconomic food chain to the bottom. I would agree that this city is broken and in need of the Lord.

Yet, in the midst of it all, we have come across some people of peace who are walking with the Lord and trying to put together the pieces of the brokenness and heal the city through the Love of Jesus Christ. Places like the Dream Center, the Salvation Army, and the St Francis Center have revived hope in my mind and shown me that the Lord is doing amazing things in this city. Will you pray for us as we continue to serve here? Will you pray that God might use you to heal the brokenness in your own neighborhood and city?

Impact Camp 2025

Re:Verse passage – Nehemiah 1:4–11 (day seven)

but if you return to Me and keep My commandments and do them, though those of you who have been scattered were in the most remote part of the heavens, I will gather them from there and will bring them to the place where I have chosen to cause My name to dwell. vs 9

If you see a strawberry blonde male that looks out of place today, don’t be alarmed! It is me! This is not a fashion statement. Rather it was a challenge to our students to get their friends to come to Impact Camp. I promised them if they got 130 students to camp, then I would bleach my hair. That number would be more than I have taken to camp in my 9 years at FBCSA and would rival numbers of youth groups past. We took 133 students to Impact Camp! We also had 30 other staff and volunteers serving and leading in other capacities taking over 160 people to camp.

Hair, numbers, and records ultimately do not matter. The heart behind my challenge is to get people to camp who need to hear the Gospel, and God moved in a mighty way! We had many salvations and dozens of rededications. I am excited to tell their stories in the days ahead! But what I want to leave you with today is that God has chosen to dwell in the hearts of this generation. Many of you may be worried about the state of our country and society in their love for Jesus. I can assure you, God is working in a mighty way in this generation and in our youth group right now. What will we do to further their growth?

Broken Walls

Re:Verse passage – Nehemiah 1:1–3, 11 (day seven)

“and the wall of Jerusalem is broken down and its gates are burned with fire.” vs 3b

The wall was everything for an ancient city. Protection, fortification, economy, identity. A broken wall meant that the city was vulnerable, just waiting to be attacked. Could you imagine trying to sleep at night knowing the enemy could walk right through the gates and destroy your home? Could you imagine trying to build anything of significance or beauty, only for it to be stolen and destroyed the next day? Could you imagine trying to raise your children, plant your fields, or go to work, all the while knowing that at any moment, all of it could be taken away? This was what broke Nehemiahs heart. God’s people had lost their hope.

Does it break your heart to see people with broken walls? Does it break your heart to see people with no hope? Does it break your heart to watch the news and see a world where the enemy is preying on the vulnerable and exploiting the hopeless? If your heart is not broken by brokenness of the world, maybe your wall is the one that has been broken.

Same God

Re:Verse passage – Acts 2:1-13, 36-47 (day seven)

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. vs 1

Pentecost was a Jewish feast held 50 days after Passover. It celebrated the firstfruits of the wheat harvest. Jewish tradition also taught that Pentecost marked the day when the Law was given to Israel. Was this a coincidence or was God planning this all along? Was He really putting all those pieces together to bring the nations to Jerusalem for this very moment for His Spirit to be outpoured and put on display? He gave us the Law to point us to Jesus. He gave us Jesus to fulfill the Law and point us to the Holy Spirit. He gave us the Holy Spirit to help us understand that Jesus is the God of the Old Testament.

Today we encounter that Same God. He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. What will we see today? Will we see tongues of fire? Will we see baptism with the Holy Spirit? Will we see God move in our midst? We will! Because He is the Same God! How will you respond to the Holy Spirit today?

AHA! Moment

Re:Verse passage – Luke 24:45-53 (day seven)

Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. vs 45

Before they could go and preach the Gospel, Jesus helped them remove the barriers that were clouding their understanding. All of a sudden, Scripture came alive. They were remembering and understanding all that Jesus had taught and done. It was an “aha!” moment. Should it be a surprise that what followed was joy and obedience? Should it be a surprise that they began worshipping with boldness?

Yes, encountering the risen Christ and watching Him ascend into heaven had a big part to play in these things, but when Scripture comes alive in our hearts and minds we truly begin to change.

The unfolding of Your words gives light;
It gives understanding to the simple. Psalm 119:130

We were not present to see Him ascend into heaven, but we all have had those “aha!” moments where Scripture comes alive and we encounter the risen Christ through His word, with His Spirit. When we do, we cannot help but begin to change. Through Scripture we can find joy. Through His Word, we will become more obedient. With His Spirit we will worship with boldness.

Holy Spirit Come!

W.W.J.D.

Re:Verse passage – John 16:5-16 (day seven)

But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away. John 16:7

W.W.J.D. took over the 90’s Christian Merch and Book Stores. Everyone had one of these bracelets, and I bet you did too! It was an easy way for us to ask ourselves “What Would Jesus Do?” It was intended to help us apply Jesus to every scenario of our day. It might be easy to poke fun at this trend, but it was a great tool to use for evangelism and personal growth. However, what we may or may not have recognized in the 90’s was that this whole concept has more to do with the Holy Spirit than it does Jesus as a person. It is only possible for us to walk like Jesus because He left us and sent His Spirit to guide us. When we rely on the Holy Spirit in every aspect of our life, it will appear as though we were doing what Jesus did as it makes us more like Him. Us asking “What Would Jesus Do?” is actually a sanctifying encounter with the Holy Spirit.

Maybe we should bring the fad back!

Senior Sunday

Re:Verse passage – John 21:1-19 (day seven)

And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Tend My sheep.” John 21:17b

Today we honor over two dozen graduating seniors. You, church family, have loved them and poured into them to get them to this point. That is a part of why we honor them. We want you to celebrate with them in all that they have accomplished in their time with us.

Train up a child in the way he should go,
Even when he is old he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6

The other part of this day, and maybe most important, is we are commissioning and sending these students out into their next stage of life to spread the Gospel to all the world. We have trained them so that they don’t depart from Him, but we also have trained them so they know the expanse of who Jesus is and will hear His calling to “Tend My Sheep!” Pray with me that they answer that call. Pray that they stay close to Jesus in the days ahead. Pray that they will be a part of revival!

Encounter Christ with Doubts

Re:Verse passage – Luke 24:36:-43; John 20:26-29 (day seven)

And He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts?” Luke 24:38

Why do you doubt? It can be easy for us to try to pile it on the disciples. I often want to shout through the pages, “How can YOU be doubting? You walked with Him for years! Were you not watching? Were you not listening?” Yet, if I am honest, they had more reason to doubt than I do. They watched Him die. They were still expecting a political messiah. They did watch and did know He had the power to overcome death, so I’m sure they expected Him to stop the crucifixion. Also, can you imagine the emotions that they were going through? Anger, sadness, fear, anxiety, depression, and compound that with sleeplessness. They had reason to doubt.

This should be an encouragement to us. Jesus helped them process their doubts. Doubting is natural and expected in our faith journey. Even the people closest to Jesus doubted who He was, but because they had encountered the risen Messiah, He brought them back. You probably have had moments where you had doubts, questions, or concerns in your faith. Jesus is always faithful to help you process your doubts, but have to be open to Encounter Christ in the midst of your doubt. He will show you who He really is!

God at Work

Re:Verse passage – Luke 24:13-35 (day seven)

But their eyes were prevented from recognizing Him. vs 16

I am posting this live at 2:00 am after a full weekend of Fiesta Festivities. I am thankful for a church that loves young people and understands the importance of their role in the church. I am thankful for youth and parents who know how important it is to work hard and generate income for our church and ministry. I am thankful that salvations will take place at Impact Camp because of the work we did this week. God is always at work! Even when our eyes don’t recognize it.

It is easy to find ourselves consumed by our own emotions and our own ideas that we don’t recognize the work of Jesus right in front of us. These guys had walked with Jesus before, they had been with Him in his ministry, but even they missed Jesus right in front of them. Where was Jesus at work in your life this week? What were the moments that you didn’t expect Him to be in, but that He showed up? Where could those places be this week? Ask yourself these questions on a regular basis, and you might just see Jesus show up more often than you think. You need to train your eyes to recognize Him, because He is always at work!

Now I need sleep! See you in a few hours church family!