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Nehemiah: Building into People’s Lives
Nehemiah’s experience rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem proves to be a fitting illustration for building into the lives of people around us. Consider the five steps Nehemiah used.
1. Prayer
“When I heard these things I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven” (Nehemiah 1:4). When Nehemiah learned that the walls of Jerusalem were broken down, his first response was to pray. By comparing the dates of Nehemiah 1:1 with 2:1, we see that he spent four months in prayer!
2. Plan
Nehemiah also used those four months of prayer to formulate a plan. When he approached King Artaxerxes, he was specific about how much time he would need and what royal support he required. (See Nehemiah 2:5–9.) The apostle Paul spells out the plan for discipleship in 2 Timothy 2:2: “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.”
3. Participation
Nehemiah succeeded in building the wall because he managed to get nearly full participation. Nehemiah 3 details some of the people who were working on the wall—priests, goldsmiths, perfume makers, government officials. Nehemiah’s wall was not built by a few paid professionals.
4. Perseverance
Nehemiah kept going despite ridicule, insult, and discouragement—see chapter 4. His response was to pray, post a guard, and rally the people. Paul’s instruction to Timothy continues in 2 Timothy 2:3: “Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.” Don’t let anything stop you.
5. Project mentality
Nehemiah finished the wall because he refused to be distracted from the work. Toward the end of construction, some of Nehemiah’s enemies tried to sidetrack him, asking him to take a break and come meet with them. Nehemiah sent this message: “ ‘I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?’ Four times they sent me the same message, and each time I gave them the same answer” (6:3,4).
We can be easily distracted by life’s concerns. Jesus warned about this in Matthew 13:22: “The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.”
Let’s accept the challenge to make disciples, following Nehemiah’s example to pray, plan, participate, persevere, and maintain a project mentality.
Taken from material prepared by Bob Ewell, Church Discipleship Ministry, The Navigators. Used with permission.
1. Prayer
“When I heard these things I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven” (Nehemiah 1:4). When Nehemiah learned that the walls of Jerusalem were broken down, his first response was to pray. By comparing the dates of Nehemiah 1:1 with 2:1, we see that he spent four months in prayer!2. Plan
Nehemiah also used those four months of prayer to formulate a plan. When he approached King Artaxerxes, he was specific about how much time he would need and what royal support he required. (See Nehemiah 2:5–9.) The apostle Paul spells out the plan for discipleship in 2 Timothy 2:2: “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.”
3. Participation
Nehemiah succeeded in building the wall because he managed to get nearly full participation. Nehemiah 3 details some of the people who were working on the wall—priests, goldsmiths, perfume makers, government officials. Nehemiah’s wall was not built by a few paid professionals.
4. Perseverance
Nehemiah kept going despite ridicule, insult, and discouragement—see chapter 4. His response was to pray, post a guard, and rally the people. Paul’s instruction to Timothy continues in 2 Timothy 2:3: “Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.” Don’t let anything stop you.
5. Project mentality
Nehemiah finished the wall because he refused to be distracted from the work. Toward the end of construction, some of Nehemiah’s enemies tried to sidetrack him, asking him to take a break and come meet with them. Nehemiah sent this message: “ ‘I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?’ Four times they sent me the same message, and each time I gave them the same answer” (6:3,4).
We can be easily distracted by life’s concerns. Jesus warned about this in Matthew 13:22: “The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.”
Let’s accept the challenge to make disciples, following Nehemiah’s example to pray, plan, participate, persevere, and maintain a project mentality.
Taken from material prepared by Bob Ewell, Church Discipleship Ministry, The Navigators. Used with permission.
