Sunday message · 21 Days of Prayer series
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Message Summary
In the second message of the 21 Days of Prayer series, Pastor Phillip Santillan retells how Clarity Church grew from a small group dreaming in his living room to gatherings in elementary schools, first in Plymouth and now in Brooklyn Park. Schools have been an amazing place to gather, but the church cannot stay forever. Most neighbors don’t know it exists six days a week, and some people would never try church in a school.
Some would call that consumerism, but Phil asks whether God wants self-centered, consumeristic people transformed into the likeness of Jesus. If so, the church must take bold steps, and he believes it is time to seek a permanent launching pad for connecting with the community. This is not about comfort; it is a vision issue, because it takes people being transformed by God to transform the world. He asks whether God is still transforming us, or whether we are just playing church.
Phil turns to Nehemiah 1–2. Nehemiah, still living in Persia after the exile, serves as cupbearer to King Artaxerxes, a job that gives him access to the king. When he learns that Jerusalem’s wall is broken down and its gates burned (Nehemiah 1:1–3), he sits down and weeps. His own life is comfortable; he grieves because his people are in trouble and their faith in God is wavering. That burden is part of why Clarity began: many, especially millennials, left church because politics, hypocrisy and poor leadership skewed their view of Jesus, and making Jesus clear gives them the best chance to choose him.
Phil hopes everyone will pray, “God, move my heart,” for the people within their circles of influence, not just those they like. Finances will be needed, but they are secondary; the church learned in a hard season that God provides when it focuses on being his people. After his heart was moved, Nehemiah mourned for days, fasting and praying. God accomplishes great things when we engage spiritually, Phil says, giving focused attention to what God is doing rather than rushing to plan or following our feelings.
In Nehemiah 2, the king notices his sadness. Speaking up could cost Nehemiah his life, but he seizes the moment, asking why he should not be sad when the city where his ancestors are buried lies in ruins. When the king asks what he wants, Nehemiah prays and asks to be sent to rebuild it. God accomplishes great things, Phil says, when we take ownership of the solution. That is why Clarity exists: in a community with over 36,000 people disconnected from God, many want not just to attend a great church but to make their church great.
The series is not just about praying for a building, Phil says, but about what God will do in and through his people. He prays that the church will be moved, engage spiritually and seize the opportunity to make the way of Jesus clear, and invites everyone to ask God during worship what he wants to accomplish in them.
Questions about Nehemiah
Nehemiah son of Hacaliah was a Jew living in Persia after the exile who served as cupbearer to King Artaxerxes (Nehemiah 1:1, 11; 2:1). When he heard that Jerusalem’s wall was broken down and its gates burned, he wept, fasted and prayed, then asked the king to send him to rebuild the city (Nehemiah 1:3–4; 2:5). Pastor Phil holds him up as a model of taking ownership.
A cupbearer served the king his wine. Nehemiah writes, “I was the cupbearer to the king,” and describes taking the wine and giving it to King Artaxerxes (Nehemiah 1:11; 2:1). Pastor Phil notes that the job gave Nehemiah access to the king, which is why the king noticed his sadness and why his request to rebuild Jerusalem could be heard.
Because his people were in great trouble and disgrace: the wall of Jerusalem was broken down and its gates burned (Nehemiah 1:3). Pastor Phil notes that Nehemiah’s own life was comfortable; he grieved because his people’s faith in God was wavering. He mourned for days, fasting and praying (Nehemiah 1:4), giving focused attention to what God was doing before rushing to plan.
He prayed. After days of fasting and prayer (Nehemiah 1:4–11), Nehemiah was asked by the king why he looked sad; though afraid, he answered honestly, and when the king asked what he wanted, he prayed to the God of heaven before asking to be sent to rebuild the city (Nehemiah 2:2–5). Pastor Phil says God does great things when we engage spiritually and take ownership.