We saw this in the prophet Isaiah.
We do not know exactly how much time passes, between when Samuel comes to Bethlehem and when David goes to fight Goliath, but it's reasonable to assume a couple of years have passed since the anointing. Isaiah was praying, confessing his sin before God, and spending time in God’s presence which led to his volunteering for his future ministry as a prophet to Israel. Three effective ways to start moving toward clarity right now. His nation had been in reproach for over 140 years, and he was 800 miles away from the problem. He was a tremendous leader. Many churches and Christian organizations have been affected by doctrinal liberalism. Bible Teacher's Guide: Nehemiah--Becoming A Godly Leader, http://www.soniclight.com/constable/notes/pdf/nehemiah.pdf. Writing down an hourly schedule and a weekly schedule can help us maximize our time and become more efficient. O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. When Nehemiah got to Jerusalem after a two month journey,5 he did not immediately go to work; he just stayed there for three days. I am not a God of disorder” and gave them instructions on how to have order in the church (1 Cor 14:28-32). When a leader makes a mistake, he affects the many who follow.
I remember one time I was invited to give a prayer at a wedding, and I had written down my prayer.
Even though Nehemiah had been praying for four months, it is clear he was not only waiting on God but also the king. He waits on God for at least four months before God opened the door to talk to the king.
<< /ProcSet [ /PDF /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI ] /XObject << /Im4 21 0 R >> >> It is not uncommon that when going out on the mission field, new missionaries start having demonic dreams, sickness, discouragement, etc. Similarly, in Matthew 9:39, Christ called the disciples to pray for laborers to go into the harvest, and, in Matthew 10 he sent them out into the fields to minister. As a church staff or volunteer ministry leader, you can learn valuable and unique lessons from several biblical characters. “Lesson 2: The Realities of Serving God (Nehemiah 2:1-20)”. Paul said this in Colossians 1:29 in describing his apostolic work ethic: “To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me.”. Godly leaders are humble, and therefore, experience God’s abundant grace.
Why should my face not look sad when the city where my fathers are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire? What makes this a difficult lesson to learn? Although you don’t need to have a relationship or even believe in God to be a great leader, some of the greatest examples of profound leadership can be found within the Old Testament. The Pharisee could not see his own sin, and therefore, could never minister to not only the tax collector, but also the robber, the evil doer, and the adulterer. In verse 18, he shared with them all that God’s gracious hand had provided for completing the great work. He became a man for this very purpose. It helped greatly as I organized an Outreach Ministry of The Shepherds Care. Nehemiah saw his success as something that came directly from God. 5 0 obj Application Question: What are the benefits of bringing such big problems first to God? Application Question: Why is this intentional time before the Lord important for us as godly leaders? How Can an Omnipresent God Be in Hell if that is Eternal Separation from God? We should do this even when they are ungodly.
Up to this point, he had mentioned nothing to him. Patience can be effective in changing the heart of an authority. He first shows his concern by asking questions of Hanani, his brother, who had just come from Judah. This of course, is a type and shadow of how much Yashuah loved us as to, I am sure prayed to His Father to spare "us" by His death and sacrifice on the cross. Much of his ministry was pointing out the misuse of the law, the faulty character of the Pharisees, and the hard hearts of Israel (Matt 5:20, 13:10-16). What do we see next? He trusted in the Lord and knew that no harm would be done to him, so he went to the den and survived for his faithfulness to God.
Daniel was a true and faithful servant to God and God’s people. Satan “stopped” or hindered them again and again.
endobj When Nehemiah received not only his requests but also an army and a cavalry from the king, we cannot but attribute this to God’s gracious favor poured out on Nehemiah’s humble life. Listen to his prayer: “Then I said: ‘O LORD, God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments’” (Nehemiah 1:5). What are characteristics of godly leaders? Hand Me Another Brick (p. 9). He was alone in the desert giving God opportunity to call out to him. Christ said that in order to properly remove the speck from someone’s eye, we must first remove the plank from ours (Matt 7:1-5).
endobj We can learn some great lessons from each and every one of these very different leaders. This further alienates the leader from the group. Nehemiah 2:11-12. 658 As soon as somebody approaches me with a theological question, a request for help, or for my opinion on a situation, I often automatically shoot up an arrow prayer to the Lord for wisdom.
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What impossible situation is God calling you to pray about and get involved in? 0000006381 00000 n
The Lord told Samuel “rise and anoint him; for this is the one” (1 Samuel 16:12). These are some of my favorite anointed leaders. These leaders remained faithful to God when times were good, but also when times were hard and others were turning from Him. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I have seen many Christians who actually made their situations worse by not waiting on God to change the heart of their leader. Rick Warren Shares 8 Characteristics of a Healthy Church, The Art of Vision Casting: 7 Critical Keys, 10 Solutions to Consider When Your Church Isn’t Growing. Kindle Edition. We see this with Isaiah. Godly leaders are concerned, and they are willing to get involved. Sometimes writing down our plans will help us solidify them. The article focuses on male leaders simply because they are the more well known leaders. Waiting on the Lord is hard. Notes on Nehemiah. I loved this presentation. That passage alone makes it easier to read and digest Paul’s writings because it says that he can understand and relate to us. More people will be save during this seven year period than have been saved throughout history. We must ask ourselves, “Are we truly saved and is there fruit to prove it?”. He was a transparent leader, which made it easy to follow him. I was cupbearer to the king. I will need to re-read this again. Finally, I turned back and reentered through the Valley Gate. David even did this with King Saul, a man who was trying to kill him. James 4:6 says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”. Interpretation Question: What can we learn about Nehemiah from the fact that the king asked him, “How long will your journey take, and when will you get back?” What does this say about Nehemiah’s service? 0000014283 00000 n
When a follower makes a mistake, he affects only himself and perhaps his family. I had not been sad in his presence before; so the king asked me, “Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? Moses had an incredibly hard and unrealistic challenge ahead of him if he would have tried to go it alone. Who can save me from this body of death?” In 2 Corinthians 1:8, he talks about how he “despaired of life.” He was depressed and down, and he shared that with those who he ministered to. In the same way that Nehemiah examined the wall so he could build it, we must examine those we minister to, so that we can discern how to better serve them. 5. God’s leaders are always confronting impossible problems. However, this privilege should instead encourage them to work harder than everybody else in order to set an example. pn"��^;{���s��9����Y�f����wD���%���g- &z
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�d�M��.,t�~el9� God said this about Moses: that with all other prophets he spoke through visions and dreams but with Moses he spoke face to face (Numbers 12:6-8). What has God given you a heart to pray for? Because of his faithfulness to God Daniel was to be thrown into a den of lions for praying to his God and not the king. Q. Q. This should be normal for Christians serving in companies, businesses, schools, or churches. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Similarly, most of Paul’s letters do the same. Follow God and let His light shine through you. 1. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. Nehemiah responds to this impossible problem by praying and fasting night and day (Neh 1:4). It would have been very easy for him to feel like he couldn’t do anything to help or that he could only pray; however, he not only prayed, he also volunteered to help. In the same way, godly leaders find encouragement to pray, to act, and to persevere because of the promises of God. What are characteristics of godly leaders? What problems are you facing that are too big and overwhelming? Because intentional solitude is so important to the leader’s success, leaders must learn time management skills to maximize their personal time with God. Application Question: In what ways have you seen leadership as a veil for laziness? Here, we see Nehemiah who will confront a problem that has been going on for over 140 years. Moses, Daniel, and David were all leaders in their own way, yet God found favor in all of them and was with them always. Proverbs 27:17 says, “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another man’s countenance.” We must have relationships that challenge and sharpen us. It took years before the promise was fulfilled. There is no mention of whether or not Jesse had any daughters, multiple births (twins), or more than one wife. We will continue to explore how the idea of a future perfect paradigm adds value to the typical notion of a vision statement in the next post. They were written to encourage churches and to correct them. Michael Jon from St. Louis on July 22, 2012: Yes, what you've said is true. No surprise that He rewards "thick and thin" prayer with great fruitfulness! This is important as a protection for us but also as a protection for those we lead. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Its exciting to see how God has blessed your faithfulness over your lifetime
Jesus DID say, "without Me you can do nothing!" 6 0 obj And, we are responsible to minister to them as well. endobj We must point out the folly of the world culture: its sexual immorality, its values, its worldview, and its godlessness.
Paul had to wait. They replied, “Let us start rebuilding.” So they began this good work… I answered them by saying, “The God of heaven will give us success... Nehemiah 2:17-18, 20. A godly leader can say, “I have lusted,” “I have hated,” “I have lied.” “I have at times struggled with pride, apathy, and lack of self-discipline.” “The same root that causes murder, rape, bribery, and other injustices are all in me.” This kind of leader can minister to people because he sees his own sin and can empathize.
Application Question: What are some other principles that one can use in order to become more effective in planning both long term and short term? During this time you had to be at least 20 years old. Godly leaders are planners. I almost wonder if that is what happened with Joseph as he shared his dream to his dad and brothers about them bowing down before him (Gen 37). Q. How should we deal with superiors with whom we do not see eye to eye? He is the one who will reward us, even if we are mistreated by our employers or others. When a person is truly passionate, assertiveness is a normal response. Obviously, much of his meditation would have been done alone in the quiet place and that would affect whether he was successful or not.
He critically examined the churches so they could be built up.
Godly leaders are strengthened by the promises of God.
It is clear from the text that Nehemiah heard about the problem around November-December (Kislev) and nothing happened until March-April (Nisan).3 He waited and prayed for four months to be used before God provided an opportunity to talk to the king.