ScriptureParty › Lesson Helps › Week 31, 2026

Ezra 1; 3–7; Nehemiah 2; 4–6; 8: I Am Doing a Great Work

Come Follow Me · Week 31 · July 27–August 2, 2026 · Nehemiah 6:3, 8:10, 4:17, Ezra 1:1-3, 3:11-13

Discover how God's people rebuilt the temple and the walls of Jerusalem against all odds, and learn why you should never 'come down' from your great work

Play this lesson as a family game

This week's lesson is ready to play as a live group game — 30 questions across 12 game types, built from these exact chapters. Everyone plays from their phone; the game shows on your TV. Free for up to 5 players, no account needed.

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Family discussion questions

Use these around the dinner table, in Sunday School, or for companionship study — each comes from this week's chapters.

  1. What step in Nehemiah's journey inspires you most: his prayer, his courage to ask the king, his organization, or his refusal to come down?
  2. What 'wall' is God asking you to build in your life, and what opposition are you facing?
  3. Nehemiah left a comfortable life to do hard work for God. What comfort might God be asking you to leave behind?
  4. If you could only give one reply to every distraction in your life, what would it be?
  5. What is the 'great work' God has given you to do right now? What distractions keep trying to pull you away from it?
  6. Why is it important to have a prepared answer for recurring temptations instead of deciding each time?
  7. The enemies themselves admitted this was God's work. What does it take for others to see God's hand in what you're doing?
  8. Have you ever accomplished something that seemed impossible because God was helping?

Sample questions from this week's game

Nehemiah 6:3

Nehemiah 6:3

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I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down: why should the work cease, whilst I leave it, and come down to you? — Nehemiah's famous reply has inspired countless people to stay focused on their callings. He sent this same message four times to four different invitations. His consistency shows that when you know what God has called you to do, you don't need to reconsider every time a distraction appears.

You're leading a crucial project for the Lord, and your enemies keep sending messages inviting you to 'come down' and meet with them. You know they want to harm you. They've now sent the same invitation four times. What do you do?

Nehemiah 6:3-4

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Send the same reply every time: 'I am doing a great work and cannot come down' — Nehemiah's response is a masterclass in focus and discernment. He didn't get drawn into debates, negotiations, or emotional reactions. He simply repeated his commitment to the work. Sometimes the most powerful thing we can say to distraction is the same 'no' we said yesterday.

Read the lesson

This week covers Nehemiah 6:3, 8:10, 4:17, Ezra 1:1-3, 3:11-13. Read the chapters at churchofjesuschrist.org.

← Week 30: 2 Chronicles 14–20; 26; 30: Our Eyes Are upon Thee