29 Oct Are you better at dealing with people or things? Nehemiah 7
1.Politics: godless govt 2. Economy: major downturn
3.Crime: surging 4.Believers: apostate
= 141 years. Nehemiah led God’s people to turn it around in 52 days
Case Study in God’s people working together to rebuild their home
Build it then fill it
Nehemiah 7:1, 4-6, 66-67 when the wall had been built and I had set up the doors… The city was…large, but the people within it were few, and no houses had been rebuilt. Then my God put it into my heart to assemble the nobles and the officials and the people to be enrolled by genealogy…These were the people of the province who came up out of the captivity of those exiles whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried into exile. They returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his town….The whole assembly together was 42,360, besides their male and female servants, of whom there were 7,337.
- God made world, filled it w/people
- God made people, filled us w/Spirit
- Made city, filled w/people, filled people w/Spirit
-What has God called you to build, or rebuild?
People and things need to be stewarded (Nehemiah 7)
Things: wall, doors, gates, houses, horses, mules, camels, donkeys, gold, silver, garments
People: over 50,000 people named by family
What things & people has God called you to steward? Which are you better at?
A growing team moves from generalists to specialists
Nehemiah 7:1 the gatekeepers, the singers, and the Levites had been appointed…
- Gatekeepers: offsite (e.g. home Life Groups)
- Singers: on site mentioned 18X
- Levites: on and off site (around 4,000 priests listed = staff/leaders)
Sports analogy. What game are you playing?
Bigger organizations have smaller leadership teams
Nehemiah 7:2 I gave my brother Hanani and Hananiah the governor of the castle charge over Jerusalem, for he was a more faithful and God-fearing man than many.
Leadership Team
- Singular Head: Nehemiah
- Plural Leaders: Hanani (brother 1:1-2), & Hananiah (3:8 been w/from beginning)
1 Tim. 5:22 “Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands”
- Competency can be proven quickly
- Character is proven slowly
The Relationship Comes Before the Role
Nehemiah 7:61-64 The following were those who came…but they could not prove their fathers’ houses nor their descent, whether they belonged to Israel: the sons of Delaiah…Tobiah…Nekoda…Also, of the priests: the sons of Hobaiah…Hakkoz…Barzillai…These sought their registration among those enrolled in the genealogies, but it was not found there, so they were excluded from the priesthood…
- Ministry leadership should have higher standards than most businesses
- Just because someone says they led elsewhere does not qualify them
A good policy reduces misery
Nehemiah 7:3 I said to them, “Let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun is hot. And while they are still standing guard, let them shut and bar the doors. Appoint guards from among the inhabitants of Jerusalem, some at their guard posts and some in front of their own homes.”
- Walls/Gates = security
- No gates for 141 yrs
Everyone matters (Nehemiah 7:6-63) 50k+ people named by family
1. God knows us by name
2. God calls us by name
3. God shares with us His name – critics 1st called “XN’s” Acts 11:26 – little Christ
Generosity funds hospitality
Nehemiah 7:70-72 the heads of fathers’ houses gave to the work. The governor gave to the treasury 1,000 darics of gold, 50 basins, 30 priests’ garments and 500 minas of silver. And some of the heads of fathers’ houses gave into the treasury of the work 20,000 darics of gold and 2,200 minas of silver. And what the rest of the people gave was 20,000 darics of gold, 2,000 minas of silver, and 67 priests’ garments.
Daric – Persian gold coin (or drachma) 98% gold, 2% allow for hardness. 1/3 ounce. Enough to buy 1 ox, or pay a soldiers salary for a month
Mina – Babylonian silver coin. 1 mina=60 shekels. 1 shekel = 1 month wage. 60 shekels = 5 years wages
- Nehemiah gave the most: 20 pounds of gold ($6k month = $120 million)
- The wealthy people gave ½ of the rest
- Everyone else gave ½ of the rest
= difficult to estimate, over ½ a billion $
A unified team can see supernatural results
Nehemiah 6:15 the wall was finished…in fifty-two days.
52 days vs 141 years
- Unified Unbelievers – Babylon/Tower Babel
- Unified Believers – John 17 Jesus’ longest prayer
= most powerful = unified anointed believers
Nehemiah – burden, prayer, fasting, journaling
People – found their position on the team
- How is God asking you to serve?
- What is God asking you to give?
It’s all about Jesus!
Gospel invitation
OT finished, Israel set, Jerusalem open, Temple functioning for Jesus to fulfill all
Rises, Church, 2nd coming New Jerusalem
