Nehemiah | Evaluating the Mission at Hand
Read Nehemiah 2:9-20
NEHEMIAH’S FIRST CHALLENGE
One of the primary issues Nehemiah had to deal with was the staggering inequality of wealth. The widespread poverty in the land had forced many to borrow large sums of money from the wealthy.
Later, when they could not pay back the debt, they pawned off their possessions one by one to repay their loans. The situation deteriorated, and some poverty-stricken people sold their daughters into slavery to pay off their debts. In God’s name, what leader would do that? Desperate men of cowardice have done this for centuries—selling their people into slavery.
With mounting debt and no source of income, now that their fields and vineyards had been repossessed, many Jews had no way of pulling themselves out of the red. Many saw no other recourse other than selling themselves as slaves. Nehemiah immediately set out to rectify this. He gathered the nobles and wealthy men and began berating them in front of large crowds. He reminded them of how money was being raised to buy back Jews from slavery and that their actions were likely to force many brethren to sell themselves as slaves repeatedly and voluntarily. Nehemiah must have thought that this erroneous act needed to be stopped immediately.
As expected of all God’s leaders, Nehemiah announced he would forego all the money owed to him by the poor and that he would be returning any properly he had collected from them in place of payment. He encouraged the wealthy to do the same. By the power of God, the people heeded Nehemiah's words. Those gathered agreed to return all confiscated property and forego any outstanding debts. This drastic reform provided many with a clean slate, which jump-started the economy for the rebuilding of Jerusalem.
Additionally, Nehemiah refused to accept payment for the entirety of his tenure as governor of Jerusalem, which was in stark contrast to his predecessors, who had used their power to levy high taxes to support lavish lifestyles. As proof of Nehemiah’s proposal, he hosted more than 150 people daily for meals—paid for them right out of his pocket.
CHRIST-AS-LIFE APPLICATION
Let’s say you are doing okay as a leader or follower, but you have the God-given passion for leading/following more effectively. While you have built a foundation of leadership or following, there is nothing wrong with improving your skills and becoming more effective as a model of Biblical leadership and submission by releasing Christ’s ability in you. You might be well on your way to becoming a respectful servant unto the Lord; however, you should never be satisfied with average submission when you can become a model for others by advancing the leadership of Christ in you.
Many skills and competencies are available to help you discover a level of leadership or following few have embraced when combined with and applied through the release of Christ in you. Christ can develop in you the style and method that has worked perfectly throughout eternity. And yes, it can become yours. After all, how can you expect God to answer your prayers for rebuilding a home, nation, or church without your involvement in His doctrinal methods of rebuilding? He won’t!
God never changes His leadership methods no matter the condition of society, particularly in a society that cannot be told what to do. In such cases, God turns a society over to itself until the conditions beg for a leader.
CHRIST-AS-LIFE LEADER
Christ-as-Life leaders tend to have Christ-confidence and a release of His mind in them and those who submit to them. These two key areas of personal growth and development are fundamental to Biblical leadership success and the success of those who follow.
Christ-confident people are usually inspiring. People like to be around individuals who believe in the practicalities of the indwelling Life of Jesus and how He can work out His leadership in the leader they serve. Likewise, if you’re a Christ-as-Life leader and optimistic that “all things work together for good” (Romans 8:28), you’ll find it much easier to motivate people to be the same.
Christ-confidence is built by mastering practical skills in situations and by knowing that Christ can add real value through the work He does through you. One of the best ways to improve your confidence is to become aware of all the leadership development He has already invested in you and your followers. These skills have eternal value. An excellent question to ask yourself is, what is your level of understanding of the Christ-as-Life modality of leadership?
Watch the video for the full message.
Stephen Phinney
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