Focus: Elimination Point

Text: Neh.3:14

"But the DUNG GATE repaired Malchiah the son of Rechab, the ruler of part of Bethhaccerem; he built it, and set up the doors thereof, the locks thereof, and the bars thereof."

Nehemiah rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem and restored the gates. One of those gates is known as the dung gate. All the gates are spiritually significant, for they communicate spiritual messages to the people of God.

First thing to note is that the gate was repaired. Why was it repaired? Because it was necessary and important. It was a gate through which filth was eliminated from the city of Jerusalem. Jerusalem was to be a clean city and everyone must observe sanitation standards. Jerusalem should not be known as a city of filth.

The dung gate served as the elimination point of all filth in the city of Jerusalem. It was a useful gate.

Health and hygiene go together. Those who love righteousness must hate iniquity. Some demons are known as unclean spirits. They are dirty and filthy spirits. They fill the atmosphere with moral filth. Bitterness, malice, unforgiveness, envy, jealousy, and evil thoughts are all moral filths. Our spiritual life is polluted by them. So we need spiritual cleansing all the time.

We need to examine ourselves and see things to eliminate from our lives. Paul says, "Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God" (2Cor.7:1). There is no substitute to a life of holiness. Self-righteousness is a spiritual filth. Over-righteousness is sin to God. Hebrews 12 touches on sin and weight. Weight is not necessarily a sin, but every sin is a weight. Let me give you an example, using Paul. Paul says, "I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but DUNG, that I may win Christ" (Phil.3:8). Paul's losses are weights, not sins. He did away with the weights in his life. He eliminated them. Fleshly glories are weights and they impede spiritual progress. Paul discarded things that keep him from winning the approval of Christ.

What is God frowning at in your life? Have you taken the time to look into the face of God to understand His signals? One way God guides us is through eye contact. He uses His eyes to tell us something. The psalmist says, "I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I WILL GUIDE THEE WITH MINE EYE" (Ps.32:8).

Did you notice that when Jesus came back to life, that He left His gravecloths in the tomb? He resurrected in His body, but left the death-clothes behind. Why? Because He had no need of them anymore. In the case of Lazarus, our Lord Jesus says, "Lose him, and let him go." Lazarus had no need of them too. They had served their purpose and outlived their usefulness. They were discarded as dung. The Greek word for 'dung' is 'skubalon.' It has to do with what is thrown to the dogs or what is thrown into the refuse dump. God wants us to keep discarding things of no kingdom or eternal value. The Lord Jesus says, "For that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God" (Lk.16:15). God wants us to jettison things that pollute our Christian testimony.

The word of God and the Spirit of God help us to thoroughly examine ourselves and bring God's judgment on every aspect of our lives.

The cross is our dung gate. Let's dump things at the foot of the cross of Christ. Always ask yourself: what will I not let go for the sake of Christ? What sacrifice is greater than the cross of Christ? What price surpasses the price Christ paid on the cross? The cross of Christ is our elimination point - our Dung Gate. Let's keep taking the filths and the weights out till He returns for us. Use the gate and sustain the effort.

by Bishop Moses E. Peter