In the book of Nehemiah, we find an intriguing passage. Chapter 8, verses 1-4 read: “when the seventh month came, the children of Israel were in their cities. And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street that was before the water gate; and they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded to Israel. And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation both of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month. And he read therein before the street that was before the water gate from the morning until midday, before the men and the women, and those that could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive unto the book of the law. And Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood, which they had made for the purpose;”

Although some Bible translations use the word “platform”, there are others which use the familiar word “pulpit”. In Nehemiah’s day, until this point, the people were focusing on the material needs of the city. Now it was time to focus on the spiritual needs of the people within that city. It is a lesson that the leaders of our cities would do well to heed.

So much focus (and money) goes into building, maintaining and repairing our cities but very little focus is directed towards promoting the spiritual health of the people who live within those cities. But so far as Ezra and Nehemiah are concerned, they prioritised what we might call “a Bible conference”. They wanted to ensure that the people put the Word of God first in the life of the city.

Modern society often believes the lifeblood of a city is its theatres or restaurants or sporting events or nightlife. No, the true lifeblood of a city has to be the Word of God…Source – Read More!