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021. How Nehemiah's Strategy can be effective in Today's Ministry
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A great example of wisdom, vision, and planning is Nehemiah. Today we are going to learn how we can use Nehemiah’s plans and strategies in our own ministries.
A great example of wisdom, vision, and planning is Nehemiah. Today we are going to learn how we can use Nehemiah’s plans and strategies in our own ministries.
Nehemiah
Nehemiah was an upstanding fellow in his day and served as cupbearer to the king. That means that the king trusted Nehemiah with his life! The job of the cup bearer was to pour and serve the drinks to the king. This was to make sure no one was trying to poison and kill the king. So the king saw Nehemiah many times throughout the day and was part of the king’s inner circle.
One day, Nehemiah comes in and he is obviously sad. The word tells us the King had never seen him sad before so he asked what was wrong.
Nehemiah was afraid because it was not customary to have these casual conversations with the King but he boldly tells him that he is saddened because he has learned that his land is in ruins. The wall around his homeland had been destroyed. The walls were broken down and the gates had been destroyed by fire.
Because Nehemiah had favor from the Lord, the king granted him his requests. He also sent a calvary with Nehemiah.
Nehemiah goes into the land, he takes a few others with him, and they proceed to inspect the wall and the gates. They went at night and he didn’t tell the Jews anything about his plans just yet. It was after he assessed the damage and knew what needed to be done that he approached the others.
In chapter Nehemiah 2:17-18 Nehemian tells us, “Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.” I also told them about the gracious hand of my God on me and what the king had said to me. They replied, “Let us start rebuilding.” So they began this good work.”
Once he had others on board with his vision Nehemiah was able to assign people to specific tasks. There were about 10 gates around the city. There was a group at each gate that would first rebuild the gate then work on that section of the wall. Chapter 3 tells in detail who worked on each section and what they completed.
It was a detailed plan and everyone knew what the end goal was. Now we know that the king asked how long Nehemiah would be gone and I didn’t find where he answered the king but we do know that the wall was completed in 52 days.
One commentary I read said the wall was 1.7 miles long, had 10 gates and 8 towers.
Was it easy for Nehemiah and his crew? It was hard work. It consumed their days. They faced opposition.
Sanballat didn’t like what was happening and he and his people plotted to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble. When Nehemiah heard of this ploy he shifted his strategy. The end result was still the same but he had to accommodate for this interruption to the plans. From that point on half of the men did the work, while the other half stood guard with spears and shields. Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other. They were dedicated to the mission. In Nehemiah 4:23 it says “Neither I nor my brothers nor my men nor the guards with me took off their clothes; each had his weapon, even when he went for water.”
That means they did not take a bath or let their guard down in any way until the mission was accomplished. And when Sanballat tried to call a meeting with Nehemiah he didn’t let that distract him. He was focused on completing the task at hand.
When they completed the wall in record time, their enemies realized they had been defeated because the work of the wall had been completed with the help of their God.
Nehemiah’s Process
Let’s take a minute and look at Nehemiah’s process:
He realized a part of the temple was broken and he was compelled to do something about it.
He prayed and fasted before petitioning the king (4 months)
He asked the King for Permission to return to Jerusalem. Conversation with leaders. Got letters from the king that ensured his safety on the trip and provided timber for his work
Obtained first hand info about the condition of the wall. Analyzed the situation
He motivated the Jews to start rebuilding
Divided the workload
He shifted his strategy when needed
The wall was successfully rebuilt in only 52 days.
It might have been possible for him to finish his assignment without a specific plan but it definitely would have taken longer. His clear roadmap helped him reach his destination in record time.
Imagine with me…
I want you to imagine your ministry. Go ahead and close your eyes for a minute.
When you think about your ministry what do you see? You may see a building, a room, specific people, or a particular type of people, or you may see something else. Get that picture in your mind and just acknowledge what it is you see. Nod your head if you have a picture.
Is it the church as a whole? Is it a particular area like Women’s Ministry, Men’s Ministry, Children’s Ministry, a Bible Study Group, an outreach program, or something different.
Now I want you to think, “Are there any walls broken?” “Are there places that are not fulfilling the purpose?” “Is there anything that needs to be fixed?”
Now I want you to imagine what that ministry could look like by the end of the year. If you had all the resources you needed, all the support to help you, and the Lord was blessing your efforts what could it look like?
Now how are you going to get there?
Can you come up with a strategic plan that will lead you to that destination? Are you compelled to go on a new journey? Can you be committed to see it through?
Strategy for Your Ministry
We are going to go through 7 steps that Nehemiah took and think about these in relation to the ministry we were just thinking of or life situations.
Our first step is to realize where we or our ministries are weak. Be honest about what is working and what is not working. Are there things we are doing that aren’t producing fruit but we keep doing it because that is what we have always done?
Nehemiah had to first be aware there was a problem before he could fix it.
Prayer and fasting. When we get to this place of envisioning the future we must go to the Lord and seek His will (in life and ministry). What is His plan for us, the people around us, our jobs or careers, the church, and the community? When we are following Holy Spirit’s prompting we will have favor in the steps forward.
Nehemiah prayed for 4 months before he ever shared his heart with the king.
Have a conversation with those in authority if relevant. Could be a pastor, leader, our boss, co-workers, or our spouse and family.It is important to have the support of the leadership above you. Not only is it biblical but it is also wise. They have been placed in a position of authority and may have resources or ways to help that you don’t even know about.
The king had the ability to provide protection, resources, and additional workers to get the job completed. Those pieces were critical in Nehemiah getting started and in completing the task.
Analyze the details of the situation. This could be a time of research or even a time of observation in how things are going. Thinking about what has or hasn’t worked. What is the struggle?. Where are the weaknesses?
Nehemiah took a few others with him and they surveyed the damage of the wall. They covered the whole area so they knew exactly what the status was and what was needed for repair.
Recruit helpers and motivate them. Once you know what needs to be done, it is wise to get others on board with your vision. If you can get at least one other person to catch the vision you will have a higher rate of success. (We learned that at the beginning) If it is a personal/life vision, is there anyone that can walk this road with you? Who will motivate you or keep you going?
When Nehemian approached the jews about the work that needed to be done, we did not hear any resistance, complaining or debate on how things would get done. We hear them immediately say, “Let us start rebuilding”. It seems they were ALL IN and ready to work.
Divide the workload - Don’t try to do it on your own or all at once. There may be things that you need to do and maybe even oversee but allow others to do what they can. Everyone of us has a purpose. We all have specific gifts, talents, and strengths that can be used in ministry. From praying, to making phone calls, to teaching, to doing repairs. I believe the Lord will provide for every need when He leads you into a new venture and that includes the monetary resources as well. In life and our own plans, we can’t do it all at once. We will get overwhelmed and give up. It is important to break up our goals into achievable tasks - bite-size pieces.
Nehemiah gave very specific tasks to each group that helped on the wall. Each group was responsible for their section and could keep their focus on the task. If we can do that within the church we will see much progress!
Shift the strategy as needed - Sometimes things come up that you don’t expect and you may have to adjust. Don’t take your eyes off of the end goal but do what is needed to accommodate the interruptions.
The enemy may come in and try to distract and get you off task. He may try to cause division, stress, or offense. Recognize it as what it is, begin to pray sincerely, and discern if something needs to shift in order to stay on course.
Nehemiah was wise in how he divided the responsibilities and had half of the men stand guard while the other half did the work. If we ask for wisdom the Lord will grant our request.
Challenge
The Lord has given us a clear roadmap that we can use in ministry and in our lives. He will give us wisdom and he will give us the provision we need to fulfill his plan.
I challenge you to use this as a foundation as you look at the year ahead and evaluate what the future ministry will look like.
Vision Planning Guide
As we conclude, I want to give you a free resource to help you in this process. The Vision Planning Guide is 5 steps to help[ you reach your destination. It is a simple worksheet that will take you through each step: Envision, Engage, Equip, Energize & Evaluate.
Thank you so much for listening to the podcast today.
Let’s get ready so you and your church are Prepared for the Harvest!
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This episode was originally published on effectiveministrysolutions.com/episode021.
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