I say godly leadership because godly leaders have character and they commonly tackle godsized problems. Nehemiah served not as a priest, but in secular offices, using his position to bring back to the jews order, stability, and proper focus on god, who uses all manner of people in all manner of places doing all manner of work. Through nehemiah s vision, israel was reestablished in the land of promise, following the babylonian captivity. Four leadership lessons from nehemiah verge network. A selection of these strategies, many of which belong to the transformational leader, will be explained and evaluated below. What nehemiah teaches us about spiritual leadership. Since nehemiah effectively completed a major project under much opposition and difficult circumstances, we look to him as an example to follow.
Nehemiah was dreadfully afraid to speak to king artaxerxes about what god had laid on his heart to do. Our next section of the book of nehemiah shows us how nehemiah handled these delicate matters. Upon learning of the distress of his people, nehemiah receives permission from the king he was serving to help them. A leader boldly and unapologetically proclaims truth nehemiah 5.
Principles of excellence for every believer sanders. I have been working my way through the bible on wednesday nights for about 7 years and have made my way to the book of nehemiah. Mar 22, 2012 continuing on the discussion of leadership principles from the book of nehemiah, i would like to briefly comment on two simple principles that can be easily overlooked. The first 7 chapters of the book describe nehemiah s return to jerusalem and his leadership in rebuilding the walls around the city. Fortune 500 companies, but it might be nice if those who gave leadership to our ministries knew how to plan, strategize and solve a problem when one falls across the road. Nehemiah niv nehemiahs final reforms on that bible. Nehemiah s example offers principles you can apply immediately to your sphere of influence. Here are 21 life lessons believers can take away from the book of nehemiah. May we strive to be these kinds of leaders, holding tight to gods word.
In reflecting on the book of nehemiah, john white said that the book of nehemiah serves primarily to unfold for us part of gods ongoing plan for his people. Then the next thing you do is you have to make a presentation to get people to. In fact, i have discovered in the book of nehemiah seven principles of leadership that apply to you. This book identifies the key leadership qualities that a great leader must. Take a moment to read through these passages from nehemiah. May 04, 20 nehemiah is one of my favorite people in the old testament. Hand me another brick, written by charles swindoll, was one of the books about nehemiah i read as an early believer. The exiles lived a stressful life despite encouragement by prophet jeremiah and ezekiel. Nehemiah proved himself to be a great leader and he models the principles of great leadership.
Slideshare uses cookies to improve functionality and performance, and to provide you with relevant advertising. Gods leader cares for the people and their situation nehemiah listened to the voice of the people. Jan 27, 2009 the god centered leadership principles from the life of nehemiah,one of the greatest leaders of all time. Leaders must hear gods calling to lead and respond to. The purpose of this study is to consider bible teaching about principles of good leadership, using the book of nehemiah to illustrate these principles. These small group studies of nehemiah contain outlines, crossreferences, bible study discussion questions, and applications. The book of nehemiah is an ancient book with a contemporary message. Here are several leadership traits that stand out to me that he possessed. Our god, however, turned the curse into a blessing. In the book of nehemiah, the people were not trying to save their own skin. Niv zondervan study bible niv 2015 published by zondervan. Nehemiah nkjv principles of separation on that day.
You may wonder what an old testament saint could teach us about leadership today, but youll discover that these truths are timeless. As we have studied the book of nehemiah, we have examined many leadership qualities that we canshould apply to our lives. What nehemiah teaches us about leadership and teamwork. The story is 3,000 years old, how a lowly servant persuaded the king of persia to let gods people return after 70. Nehemiah is a book filled with lifechanging principles, principles we will learn as we study these scriptures.
This is the fourth installment in an ongoing series on leadership lessons that can be learned from the book of ezra. How to leadthis is a 12week study of the book of nehemiah written. Niv, the message, parallel study bible, imitation leather, brownred. As cupbearer to the king of persia, he heard that the wall of jerusalem was broken down and the people lived in danger. Learning important lessons from the book of joshua. As with the books of ezra and esther, named after his contemporaries, the book recounts selected events of his leadership and was titled after him. Previously in our series we have learned from jesus and joseph. The call to actionproviding great leadership nehemiah 2. In other words, ezra, as a leader, found that one of the principal duties in spiritual leadership is a willingness to teach the law to his people. Visit our library of inductive bible studies for more in depth inductive studies on this and other books of the bible you can use in your small group.
This book will encourage you in serving the lord with all your heart and leading others to do the same. Nehemiah new king james version nkjv principles of separation. Nehemiah 11 niv bible now the leaders of the people. In the month of kislev in the twentieth year, while i was in the citadel of susa, 2 hanani, one of my brothers, came from judah with some other men, and i questioned them about the jewish remnant. Despite obstacles and opposition, he discerns a challenging vision. Nehemiah 8 niv bible all the people came together as one. Nehemiah is one of the most prominent examples of spiritual leadership that viewed authority as godgiven privilege a responsibility, really not a mandated right. Nehemiahs leadership allowed the people to do what they had wanted to do all along. Humble he ranked high in the kingdom of artaxerxes he was cupbearer to the king. Ezra and nehemiah life application bible studies nacfe.
During the past year we have all heard of the moral difficulties and failures of prominent television evangelists and christian leaders. The book of nehemiah can therefore have been composed up to around 400 bc. It identifies the different biblical leadership principles that enabled nehemiah to change the course of history for his people. Lee presents the biblical challenge of being a servant leader who out of love for god and man lives by the law of god and inspires others to godly leadership. Apr 07, 2015 as a christian, you are an influencer for christ, an ambassador for the lord, and a changeagent for the gospel of gods grace. The book of nehemiah is designed to teach us that only with gods help can we actually change ourselves and recover from the damage and ruin of the past. Nehemiah had the right skills for this job, as norman geisler explains. Chapter 7 begins with three verses describing the precautions that nehemiah took to guard the newly walled city from attack, thus wrapping up the first half of. Family unit had been disrupted during the conquest. The book of nehemiah connects the closing of the old testament period with the new testament period of messiah, jesus christ. Nehemiah lived during the period of judahs return from captivity. In the month of kislev in the twentieth year, while i was in the citadel of susa, 2 hanani, one of my brothers, came from judah with some other men, and i questioned them about the jewish remnant that had survived the exile, and also about jerusalem. Zerubbabel, ezra, and nehemiah are men chosen of god to lead his people politically, spiritually, and physically. Nehemiah was both an outstanding spiritual leader and a very program d8031 i believe there are some important leadership principles we can gain from the book of nehemiah.
Northouse 20 describes transformational leaders as individuals who have a clear vision of the. Aug 19, 20 the chapter serves as a pivot in the book of nehemiah. Nehemiah was not awoken at night by a voice, he had no dreams, and witnessed no burning bushes. There are many lessons we can learn from this great book. The book of nehemiah, in the hebrew bible, largely takes the form of a first person memoir concerning the rebuilding of the walls of jerusalem after the.
Nehemiah, who was a cupbearer for the king of persia, gained favor with the king to leave his post and rebuild the walls of jerusalem. The book of nehemiah provides an early case study in strategic management. Leadership principles from nehemiah christian working woman. Much of the book is a firstperson account of the circumstances surrounding nehemiah s return to jerusalem chapters 17. The worker who doesnt have a divine calling to the work is like a house without a foundation or a ship without an anchor, unprepared for the storms of life. These are the provincial leaders who settled in jerusalem now some israelites, priests, levites, temple servants and descendants of solomons servants lived. Nehemiah 1 niv nehemiahs prayer the words of bible gateway. Today the challenge is for all of us to see these principles and. Nehemiah held the servant role of cupbearer to king artaxerxes of the. According to clinton 1993, at the heart of leadership is communication between god and the leader. The frank and vivid reporting indicates that much of the material in the book comes from what must have been nehemiah s personal diary.
A long time ago, nehemiah was called by god to rebuild the walls of jerusalem. Throughout this story, beginning in chapter 1, when he heard that the wall of jerusalem had been broken down, and its gates had been destroyed by fire, we see that nehemiah was a man of prayer. Feb 19, 2019 nehemiah is a favorite book to teach leadership. To better understand the context of this book that bears his name, it is. He gave himself to fasting and praying before the god of heaven 1. Although we have not yet begun to study the book of nehemiah of the life of this man, this passage does illustrate many observations regarding leadership, sin and god that would be profitable for one to consider. Nehemiah was no priest but sought the lord on behalf of the people with the priestly passion 1. Northouse 20 describes transformational leaders as individuals who have a clear vision of. First, nehemiah shows us the absolute necessity of leadership. Here are some of the lessons god teaches us through the book of nehemiah. Chapters 8 tell about the restoration of the people of judah. This is why the example of nehemiah in the bible is like an oasis in the. Blessed by these insights from the book of nehemiah by warren wiersbe. Since leadership is influence, leadership applies to everyone.
How ministry leaders plan part two biblical leadership. In the old testament, book of nehemiah, we read that before nehemiah lays even one stone. This means that leaders ought to lead to accomplish gods work and to help those who follow them to please god. Applying nehemiahs leadership characteristics in the business. Jan 21, 2004 through the example of one of historys greatest leaders, nehemiah, we can apply gods principles of leadership.
So nehemiah s first stay lasted from 445 to 433 bc and the second stay probably followed soon after. The maxwell leadership bible combines the principles taught in gods word with john c. Nehemiah provided the one variable they didnt have. They work as effectively in todays dynamic business world as they did centuries ago. Carefully work through both the leader and student lessons. As we look at nehemiah, we will learn a lot about godly leadership.
Nehemiah leadership principles ezra books of the hebrew bible. The bible tells us that god is able to accomplish infinitely more than. Through nehemiah s vision, israel was reestablished in the. The book of nehemiah shows us the kind of significant impact one individual can have on a nation. Recently, i reread dave krafts book learning leadership from nehemiah, from which much of this article is indebted. Now the leaders of the people settled in jerusalem. The man nehemiah as cupbearer to king artaxerxes i, nehemiah s position was a responsible one certifying that none of the wine the king drank was poisoned and an influential one since such a. Leadership principles from nehemiah for entrepreneurs. One of the greatest leaders in the bible is joshua.
While todays christian marketplace leaders may not face similar demoralising and violent tactics, the spiritual battle can be just as intense. Chapters 16 describe the restoration of the wall of jerusalem. The deportation of northern israel and the settlement of samaria for the next several weeks we will be examining the life of nehemiah, from the book of nehemiah. Nehemiah came as a prophet when the people of judah and israel had been conquered by babylonians. Here are 7 leadership lessons that we can learn from nehemiah. Ithinkoneoftheleadersmainjobistoasktherelevantquestionsthatwill.
Leadership principles from nehemiah for entrepreneurs published on december 29, 2015 december 29. Jesus encouraged his disciples to know the truth and experience its liberating force john 8. Lessons for christian marketplace leaders from the book of. The leadership principles we glean from nehemiahs life apply to our modern work challenges. In nehemiah as in all scriptural texts, it is worth great effort to organize the truth we gather to simple statements of principle. After learning about jerusalems distress, nehemiah s response proves much about his leadership. It teaches us about leadership, teamwork, and relationships with others. This is a simple, practical presentation of the leadership principles in the book of nehemiah. The bible is full of stories about leadership but none may be as instructive as the book of nehemiah.
This six week sermon series will go through the book of joshua chapter by chapter so we can learn about how to have courage and resolve, even when facing unprecedented challenges. The 4 cs of nehemiahs leadership leadership lesson. Nehemiah s prayer 1 the words of nehemiah son of hakaliah. Read the book of nehemiah from the bible with full chapters, summary and outline. Effective leadership begins with an internal concern, some kind of passion to move forward. Gods leader responds to a call god has always called leaders. Niv life application study bible, third edition, personal size hardcover. But always it is the man, his character and his leadership that holds my interest. Today, well look at leadership lessons from nehemiah. The result was rebuilding the walls in only 52 days. Nehemiah began to rebuild both the walls and the spiritual lives of the people, as he became their governor. Cyril barber brings out these biblical principles in a clear and effective way, applying them to our contemporary world. We can learn much about leadership by studying the lives of bible characters.
Nehemiah complete bible book chapters and summary new. Nehemiah was armed with an eclectic array of leadership strategies, ranging from prayer to perseverance. This came through the rebuilding of their culture, their temple, their city wall, their perseverance and pursuit of righteousness. If you are involved in any type of leadership this is worth the read. It was a time for skillful leadership to bring about this great task. The prophet nehemiah provides modernday leaders an excellent model of leadership. Nehemiah is a book all about leadership something we obviously need today. All righteousness includes things like marriage, being a good employee, and even being a great leader. Nehemiahs prayer the words of nehemiah son of hakaliah. Outline of the biblical leadership principles from nehemiah identify your calling nehemiah 1. Nehemiah yahweh has comforted, is a famous cupbearer, who never appears in scripture outside of this book. Service to god and to followers god established leadership in order to enable people to better accomplish the work he ordained.
As sequel of the book of ezra the book of nehemiah reports the third return to jerusalem in 445 bc. He heard of the destruction of the wall in jerusalem and became overwhelmed with grief for the disgrace of god and his countrymen. Each principle is applied to modern living with examples of how you can make a positive difference by leading in your community, workplace, or family. Nehemiah lets look at one biblical example that clari.
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