Read Nehemiah 13:15-31.  In the final passage of Nehemiah, you once again see how the Israelites in Jerusalem allowed themselves to begin practicing the same evils habits that had led to their earlier destruction.  But you also see how Nehemiah steps up once again to reform their ways and get them back on track with living in dedication to God and God’s laws.  The first thing he did was to reinforce the gates of the city with men who would keep watch over who could enter and when.

• Name the places in our community that are weak and needs to be reinforced or reformed.
• How do you think e can reinforce those gates of our families, our church, and our community?

Nehemiah 13:23-27.  When the gates of the city are open to sin then people begin to lose their God given identity and fail to realize who they are and whose they are.  The most vulnerable in any society are the children, and in Nehemiah’s return he found many children who not only didn’t know their heritage in God, but who couldn’t even speak the language.  Identity crisis always leads to chaos, hopelessness, brokenness, and despair.  Kingdom builders and reformers bring words of hope and life to others reminding and teaching them their very important heritage as a child of God.  These are words of hope and life that bring out the divine spark in people to find their purpose in life with God.  
Read Hebrews 11:3.

• How would you describe your identity? Is it positive or negative?
• How has negative self-identity affected a major life-decision for you?
• How has your identity as a child of God affected your life positively?
• When have words of encouragement or healing built you up or brought life to you? Do you bring out hope in people with your words?

Job 29:11-16.  Finally, kingdom reformers reinvest their lives into people around them.  Investing in others, however, requires you to take a risk and get out of your comfort zone.  It is one thing to see the pain but another thing to respond to the pain and serve in the midst of it.  Just like Job, John Wesley, Martin Luther King, or any other God inspired reformer, they were willing to invest in the pain and help of others.  And you are called as well to invest your life in bringing peace, love, and life to the situation of sin and pain in and around your community.

• Who has invested in your life? What did they do to help you?
• Whom have you invested in as a child of God's? Has God been placing someone in your path lately?
• How can you be a person and light in the dark places of our community?
• Name some ways God might use your cell group to begin bringing reform to the city of Dayton?