In this final message of this series, we learn about God's love which is steadfast and sacrificial and a love so committed that nothing can ever separate us from it. 

Looking at the life of Hannah, we follow her journey as she keeps hope alive while she's praying and crying out to God for a baby. Her hope was firmly established in WHO God was, and once she had a Word from God through the priest, Eli, her "natural" hope changed into Bible hope, which positioned her to receive the promised son.

Faith, hope and love are to always be deeply embedded and remain threaded throughout our lives, both corporately and personally. In this message we unpack how faith starts in our lives, by Jesus the Author, and how Jesus, the Finisher of our faith, matures our faith as we are saved by faith, walk by faith and live by faith.

The Christian life is a journey, from a life of separation and isolation from God to one of adoption and relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ. We are not spiritual orphans or servants motivated by duty or obligation but sons and heirs who are motivated by God's love and acceptance.

Nehemiah overcame his own personal fear by stepping out in faith, which fuelled his vision to repair the walls of Jerusalem. As we step outside of our comfort zones for a cause which is greater than ourselves, our faith is what fuels us, empowering us to overcome our own fears.

Nehemiah 3 gives us clear understanding of the power of unity, of each person standing shoulder-to-shoulder to get the work done. Being God's fellow-workers there's a synergy which exists as we co-labour with Christ in establishing His kingdom on earth.

Looking at the end result of Nehemiah rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem and working our way back to when he heard about the condition of the Jews, we're able to draw out lessons learned from his repentant response. We are challenged in this message to humble ourselves, pray and seek the Lord for what we can do individually as a church, and then commit to doing it. The church is both visible and spiritual, formed of two components - human and Divine!

Being rooted and grounded in the love of God will establish us, strengthen us and sustain us through the seasons of life. Challenges which we experience can cause us to become entrenched, causing us to become stuck and unable to grow, whereas when we experience the great quality of love of God within our lives, our confidence and trust in God increases. 

Nehemiah sets the scene for what being a "yes" people looks like in terms of having a burden and passion for those around us. Jesus IS building His church and desires that each one of us co-labour with Him in meeting the needs of others. The need is our call to action - we are it! 

Every believer can and should experience both the Fruit and Gifts of the Holy Spirit, with them developing and flowing in their lives to an increasing degree. As we walk in the Spirit, yield to the Spirit and pray in the Spirit, fruit is grown and manifests the nature of the Spirit. Gifts are given as the Spirit wills and manifest the power of God. We need both!