I.　The intrinsic need in the Lord's recovery is for a remnant of His people to build up the church as the kingdom of God, to "build up the wall," for the protection of the church as the house of God—Neh. 2:4, 10, 17-20:

A.　The wall constitutes the city, and the city in typology signifies the heavenly kingdom, the divine government—Rev. 22:1, 3; Rom. 14:17; Isa. 9:6-7.

B.　We must build up the wall to protect the church from the idolatry and division of Babylon (1 John 5:21; Jude 19), the worldly pleasures and ways of Egypt (2 Tim. 3:1-5), and the sin and wickedness of Sodom (1 Cor. 6:9-11, 18-20).

C.　We must build up the wall to protect the church from the destruction of the destroyers of God's building:

1.　The church needs protection from the destruction of those who blow the wind of divisive teachings by stressing things other than the central teaching concerning God's economy—Eph. 4:14; 1 Tim. 1:4.

2.　The church needs protection from the destruction of those who preach and teach heresies—2 Pet. 2:1; 2 John 7-11.

3.　The church needs protection from the destruction of those who are factious, sectarian, and from those who make divisions—Titus 3:10; Rom. 16:17.

4.　The church needs protection from the destruction of those who are ambitious for position—3 John 9.

5.　The church needs protection from the destruction of those who are wolves, who do not spare the flock, and from those who speak perverted things to draw away disciples after themselves—Acts 20:29-30.

II.　We must build up the wall to protect the church by holding to the faithful word, which is according to the teaching of the apostles, the healthy teaching of God's economy—Titus 1:9; Acts 2:42; 1 Tim. 1:3-4; Prov. 29:18a:

A.　We must shepherd the flock of God by declaring to them all the counsel of God, all of God's economy; under the Lord's shepherding, all the evil persons who disturb God's people are kept away from them so that they can dwell in peace and safety to be mingled with God and bound together in oneness—Acts 20:26-35; Ezek. 33:1-11; 34:25; cf. Zech. 2:8; 11:7.

B.　By putting out the pure truth from the Word, we can protect the interests of the riches of God's divinity on the earth and the attainments of Christ's consummation—cf. John 17:17; 1 Tim. 3:15.

III.　We must build up the wall to protect the church by helping all the saints realize the headship of Christ—Neh. 4:11-23; cf. Ezek. 33:20; Eph. 1:22-23:

A.　We must have our will subdued by Christ and transformed with Christ through sufferings so that it is submitted to the headship of Christ to be rich in the defending power of Christ in resurrection—S. S. 4:1, 4; 7:4a, 5; 2 Cor. 2:14.

B.　The building up of the wall is a matter of spiritual warfare, which does not involve our emotion but our will; everyone must keep his position for the building up of the wall and must learn how to build with one hand and fight with the other—Neh. 4:17; cf. Rom. 12:3.

C.　We must be today's Nazarites, who are separated unto God from all rebellion and live under the headship of Christ—Num. 6:2, 5; Col. 1:18.

IV.　We must build up the wall to protect the church by fighting the battle in the Body—Rom. 16:20:

A.　The Body puts on the whole armor of God and renders protection to every member; we must seek the counsel and covering of the Body to receive the Body's protection and safeguard—Eph. 6:10-20; Matt. 16:18; Acts 21:4, 11-12.

B.　Spiritual warfare is in this principle—one will chase a thousand and two will put ten thousand to flight—Deut. 32:30; Eccl. 4:9-12; Exo. 17:11-13.

V.　We must build up the wall to protect the church by persevering in prayer to be kept from the evil one and to slay the adversary—Matt. 6:13; 26:41; Col. 4:2; John 17:15; 2 Thes. 3:3; Eph. 6:17-18:

A.　All of our prayer should be aimed at the interests of God—Christ, the kingdom of God, and the house of God—as the goal in God's eternal economy—1 Kings 8:48; Dan. 6:10.

B.　We need to be watchmen on the walls of Jerusalem, men who detest and resist the wearing out tactics of Satan and pray persistently for the accomplishment of God's will—Isa. 62:6; Dan. 7:25; 10:11-13, 20; Matt. 6:9-10.

VI.　We must build up the wall to protect the church through the overcoming blood of the Lamb, applied to us through our repenting, confessing our sins, and asking God for His purging—Rev. 12:11; Psa. 51:18; cf. Lev. 10:17.

VII.　We must build up the wall to protect the church by putting on Christ as the weapons of light; the guiding light of the Spirit and the Word becomes our protecting light—Rom. 13:11-14; Exo. 13:21-22; 14:19-20.

VIII.　We must build up the wall to protect the church by retreating into our spirit, the secret place of the Most High, the place where we can hide in the hiding place of God's presence and in the crucified Christ, where we can overcome the world, where the evil one cannot touch us, where we cannot sin, and where we are guarded from idols—Psa. 91:1; 31:20; 43:2a; S. S. 2:14; 1 John 3:9; 5:4, 18, 21.

IX.　We must build up the wall to protect the church by running into the strong tower of the Lord's name for our safety and salvation—Prov. 18:10; Zech. 10:12; 14:9; 1 Cor. 12:3b; Rom. 10:13; Col. 3:17; cf. Isa. 60:18.

X.　We must build up the wall to protect the church by reigning in life:

A.　We need to be those who positively and actively exercise authority for God to rule over all the confused and lawless situations and destroy the antagonistic works of the enemy with a reigning spirit—Rom. 5:17; 2 Tim. 1:6-7.

B.　All spiritual work is a form of spiritual warfare; we who serve the Lord today must live in the position of ascension, working with one hand and fighting with the other—Neh. 4:17; 1 Tim. 1:18; 2 Tim. 2:3-4; 4:7; cf. S. S. 4:8; 6:10.

XI.　We must build up the wall to protect the church by Christ as our glory:

A.　Christ is the glory in the center of the church, shining through the church to be its protection of fire—Zech. 2:5; Rev. 21:18, 23; 22:1, 5.

B.　God's glory, God's expression, is our protection—Phil. 1:20; cf. Lev. 7:8. . 2004 Living Stream Ministry