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(iv) Communicating The Vision. |
On reaching Jerusalem, Nehemaih found a shanty town among the rubble - a complete disaster - the people were defeated. Once he had a clear estimate of the amount of work to be done, and a plan of action ready, he concentrated on his first goal....
(a) Encouraging And Mobilizing The Disheartened Inhabitants Of Jerusalem.
Group or individual activity:Look at the picture and discuss important lessons you can learn from Nehemiah's motivating speech (don't read on yet) Four characteristics of his mobilizing speech stand out....
Nehemiah effectively inspired and mobilized his followers. A real leader is a person who reaches his goals through other people. He achieved this through inspiring them, and delegating to them portions of work they could do.
(i) He Clearly Identified With The People.
He did not say , "You people are in a mess, i will tell you how to do it!".
(ii) He Acknowledged The Problems Involved.
He stated the reality that Jerusalem was a mess. The people could tell that he knew what he was talking about and that he did not underestimate the difficulties. He had checked the facts by surveying the situation himself (Nehemiah 2:12-16).
(iii) He Gave A Demonstration Of Faith And Commitment.
Read James 2:18.
He had already risked his life by being depressed in the King's presence. He had made requests and come a long and treacherous way to be with the people he was talking to. He was showing them that ,despite the difficulties of building and the opposition ,he was willing to commense the work with them.
For many of us, we fear speaking out the vision until it is absolutely sure and every detail is worked out. We fear losing face. For us, the first step of faith God may be looking for is to risk embarrasment and go ahead and speak out the vision.
(iv) He Gave Testimony Of God's Blessing On The Vision.
Nehemiah shared God's hand in the events. The amount of evidence of God's blessing will depend on the time that you are sharing and what kind of response you are looking for. If we are just sharing our vision to our Pastor and other Christians so that they can nurture us in it and perhaps join us in prayer, then we do not need that much 'evidence'.
Nehemiah, on the other hand, was talking to strangers who were despondent. The job needed swift action and courage. The people needed proof and he gave it to them. He had made the preparations and done the faith actions and now he had the resources. This was the 'evidence' that God was in the vision.
There had been a cost! We too must pay the price by stepping out in faith. The vision God gives us will demand a faith action that will cost us dearly. However, if we are willing the pay the price then the Lord will demonstrate His faithfulness and will provide what is needed for the vision to be outworked. He will demonstrate His hand upon proceedings so we can give testimony of this.
Now you can go back and continue the lesson.
