Building Up the Gates I
Scripture Reading: Nehemiah 3
“Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brethren the priests, and they builded the sheep gate; they sanctified it, and set up the doors of it,” Nehemiah 3:1.
Building Up the Gates I
Nehemiah 3 details the different types of gates that were rebuilt to restore glory to the King, and the realms they represent.
These gates must be addressed for the King of Glory to be reconciled to His Bride in this time. If we want to work for the Lord Jesus, we must first build up the sheep gate, which is the flock of Jesus Christ. We must work to rebuild the flock by ministering to the saints so that the King’s glory may manifest to His sheep.
The second gate to which Nehemiah refers is the fish gate. The fish gate represents evangelism; fishing for the souls of men. We are to reach out to the lost, catch the fish, and bring them into the Kingdom of God. Jesus said, “Follow me, and I
will make you fishers of men,” Matthew 4:19. When you build the fish gate and lift it up for Jesus to come in, you are in the realm of evangelism and are reeling in souls to His Kingdom.
The third gate is the old gate: this ministry raises biblical standards. It raises the broken down values and standards and brings the people of God back to the old forgotten paths.
Rebuilding the old gate will help build up the Kingdom of God in our generation.
The fourth gate is the valley gate. This gate symbolizes the need to reach out to those who are downtrodden, depressed or have fallen in the valley, and on whom everything just falls because they are down at the bottom. When you rebuild them, when you lift them up, the King of Glory will come into their lives and you have given an offering to the Lord.
The fifth gate is the dung gate. The dung gate is reaching out to those who have been abandoned and cast out of society; those who have been regarded as dung in society and in the body of Christ. When you reach out to them and rebuild the dung gate, by the grace of God, those who have been abandoned and cast out will rise again and minister to God.
The sixth gate is the fountain gate, the gate of those who pour out in ministry. Those who minister for the Lord Jesus are very much in need of encouragement, help, and strength. Pray that the Father will help ministers to rebuild the fountain gate so that the fountain, the people who pour out, will be encouraged and that their hands will be lifted up in the name of Jesus.
The horse gate is the seventh gate, for those who are out communicating, reaching by all means available. The horse is the vehicle, and refers to those who reach out through the media such as radio, television, newspaper, magazine, and social media ministries.
Prayer Points:
I pray that God will give us the grace to build up the gates. Let us rebuild the sheep gate: reaching out to the flock of Christ that has been saved; the fish gate: reaching out to those who are lost, who need to come into the saving grace of our Lord Jesus Christ; the old gate: raising up the standards; the valley gate: helping those who are downtrodden who have fallen into the valley; the dung gate: reaching out to the rejects of society; the fountain gate: reaching out to those in ministry to the Lord Jesus Christ; and the horse gate: those who move around all over to communicate, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
