The Trademark of God's Leaders - Nehemiah Willing to Confront

 

This is Chuck Rapp with Multiply, a podcast to provide a word of encouragement for village church planters and leaders.

Today we continue our series on the leadership qualities of Nehemiah. There is so much we can learn – and seek to follow – from this Old Testament leader. 

Today’s episode focuses on portions of chapters 5 and 13.  

In chapter 5, verses 1-6, Nehemiah writes about the complaints he received regarding taxes and the financial despair of some of the people.  Verse 7 says “I pondered them in my mind and then accused the nobles and officials….” 

Godly leaders think things through and then take action; when it is necessary they are willing to confront others.    

The narrative continues in the same direction.  Verse 9, “So I continued, “What you are doing is not right.  Shouldn’t you walk in the fear of our God to avoid the reproach of our Gentile enemies?””  “But let the exacting of usury (or lending money at unreasonably high rates of interest) stop!” (5:10b)  

Nehemiah was willing to confront wrong behaviors. This has been a point of failure for many leaders over the past 3 millennia.  Think of King David who suffered from this character flaw in his own family.  Godly leaders must be willing and able to appropriately, directly confront improper behavior.  

Those who were wealthy responded in a desirable and appropriate manner.  “We will do as you say.” (5:12b)  “And the people did as they had promised.”  (5:13b).  Godly leaders are persuasive.  If one reads the full account in 5:1-12, we see that Nehemiah laid out the situation plainly and explained his rationale.  It is particularly important for leaders to do this when it is necessary to confront.  People need to not only the WHAT of correction but also the WHY.  

Finally, we jump ahead to chapter 13 where we see Nehemiah take strong action.  He warned, rebuked, and commanded.

• He warned vendors against selling food on the Sabbath. (16)

• He rebuked the nobles for not honoring the Sabbath. (17)

• He ordered the city gates be shut during the Sabbath (19)

• He warned merchants not to spend the Sabbath eve night sleeping by the city wall. (21) 

• He commanded the Levites to purify themselves and guard the gates in order to keep the Sabbath day holy. (22)

• He rebuked those who had married foreign women.  (25)

Good and godly leaders must be willing – and able – to confront others when the situation warrants such action.  However, I would advise against beating and pulling out the hair of others; don’t follow Nehemiah’s example on these things in 13:25.  

This has been a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters and leaders.

Nehemiah – Wisdom to Balance Work and Security

       This is Chuck Rapp with Multiply, a podcast to provide a word of encouragement for village church

planters and leaders.

Today we continue our series on the leadership qualities of Nehemiah. There is so much we can learn –

and seek to follow – from this man.

Chapter 4 introduces the opposition from Sanballat, Tobiah and others. I appreciate Nehemiah’s

response in 4:9. “But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat.” We,

like Nehemiah, must first trust God and then do our part as well. VCP leaders and church planters face

opposition from many sources … other religions, local or governmental leaders, sometimes even church

leaders. In the face of such challenges, we must pray, trust God, and then discern and obey what the

Holy Spirit instructs us to do.

I appreciate the instructions Nehemiah gave in 4:16-17. “From that day on, half were equipped with

spears, shields, bows and armor… Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a

weapon in the other.” What a great picture of a spiritual worker! We labor with one hand while holding

the weapons of spiritual warfare in the other. Ephesians 6:10-18 provides excellent instruction for us as

we prepare to engage in spiritual warfare.

I see in this passage that Nehemiah had the leadership wisdom to balance the urgency to complete the

work with the security of the workers. VCP faces this challenge in a number of places where we work.

In fact, some VCP planted churches have been attacked and destroyed, and a few church leaders have

lost their lives to physical attacks. Please join me in praying for Director Claude and others who must

find God’s wisdom to avoid unnecessarily exposing our workers to danger while also endeavoring to

complete the vision to plant a church in every African village by 2050.

I admire the courage of these ordinary men and women who worked to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.

May God grant similar courage to our VCP workers.

Lastly, I’d like to point out one additional characteristic of a leader that I see in this fourth chapter.

4:18b tells us that “The man who sounded the trumpet stayed with me.” And 4:20a, “Wherever you

hear the sound of the trumpet, join us there.”

Leaders are responsible for warnings and communication. Ezekiel 33:6-7 and Hosea 8:1 are two of many

scriptures that describe the duty of leaders to sound an alarm or issue a warning to the people.

Sometimes these messages are difficult and not well received. Nonetheless, we are to “speak the truth

in love.” (Ephesians 4:15) We are held accountable if we fail to do so.

This has been a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters and leaders.

Nehemiah – Confident in the Lord

     This is Chuck Rapp with Multiply, a podcast to provide a word of encouragement for village church

planters and leaders.

Today we continue our series on the leadership qualities of Nehemiah. There is so much we can learn –

and seek to follow – from this man.

A few weeks ago, we learned in chapter 2 how Nehemiah was a planful leader and how, upon his arrival

in Jerusalem, he assessed the condition of the walls. Shortly after his nightly inspection of the walls he

began to encounter opposition. At this point in the story Sanballat and Tobiah begin their meddling and

their attempts to disrupt the work and to discourage the workers.

In verses 19 and 20, we read “But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official, and

Geshem the Arab heard about it, they mocked and ridiculed us. What is this you are doing?; they

asked. Are you rebelling against the king?  I answered them by saying, The God of heaven will give us success.

I see two very important leadership lessons in these verses.

 Firstly, nearly every time we undertake an assignment from the Lord there will be opposition.

Sometimes that opposition will be from people external to our team such as in this case. But

sometimes the opposition will come from those whom we think are on our side. Personally,

that is the most challenging situation for me. I call this “friendly fire.” I recall our first missions

assignment nearly 30 years ago. Most of my co-workers sought to help us (my wife and me) find

our place, but a few seemed to want to put us in our place. That hurt deeply yet we knew that

God had called us. The point is, leaders must be ready for opposition; if the Lord has called us,

we must be obedient and continue on.

 Secondly, Nehemiah was a confident leader. However, his confidence did not lie in himself or

those around him. Rather, he responded, “The God of heaven will give us success.” Notice that

Nehemiah did not react to defend himself when ridiculed by critics. He did not show them his

credentials. He did not engage in a war of words; he avoided an angry response to those who

opposed him. May we follow this example!

David, in Psalm 20:7-8, had this to say, “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the

name of the LORD our God.   They are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up and stand firm.”

May we stand firm, stand confidently, because of our trust in the Lord!

This has been a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters and leaders.

Thank God for what he has done - 90 Days of Prayer & Fasting

 

Dear Brothers and Sisters Church Planters, Greetings. I am Pastor  Douti  Claude, VCP director. I am sending you this message as part of “Multiply,” our podcast that gives a word of encouragement to church planters.

Dear brothers, I would like to invite you this morning to thank God for which he has done. In our 90 days of fasting and prayer that we had begun, for almost three months, God has done many things: winning souls, delivering people… miraculous things have happened. There is reason to recognize the benefits of God, to say a big thank you to God. I exhort you to prayers of gratitude. Here, in 1 Timothy 2, verse 1 and 2, the apostle Paul says “I exhort therefore, first of all, that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men; for kings and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior.” There you have it, the apostle Paul speaks of all kinds of prayers and supplications or giving of thanks. I will insist on giving thanks. We must be grateful to God and give thanks to Him for all that He has done.

God has done many things among us. There have been testimonies. Today, I would like to bring you to thanksgiving, not to always ask, but to take the time to also thank God. The great King David recognized this. In Psalm 103, he spoke to his soul, to his interior, his innermost being, saying, “Bless the Lord, O my soul!” “Bless the Lord, O my soul!” “Bless the Lord, O my soul!” “Let all that is within me bless his holy name!” “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.” He cited all that God does in his life. It is a form of recognition that God loves, that God appreciates.

In the Bible, there were lepers that Jesus sent out, he asked them to go and throw themselves into the water and they were healed. And there was only one who came back to Jesus out of 10 lepers. Jesus appreciated his gratitude, he asked him "Oh really, and the others, weren't they healed?" He said "of course", but where are they? And there, Jesus spoke another word over him, a word of special blessing because of his gratitude. The Bible no longer speaks of 9 lepers who left. Was their healing perfect? Did the leprosy come back harder than before? We don't know that. But without gratitude, it's not good before God. God needs our gratitude, thanksgiving for everything he does for us. I myself sometimes snatch money out of my children's hands when they don't know how to say thank you. "Thank you" is important.

I want to encourage you, dear church planter brothers, dear church planter sisters, you know what we experience in church planting: Going from place to place, we work among the robbers, among the criminals, among the fetishists, among the sorcerers, people who bewitch us, who do everything. But God heals us, he delivers us from all these things. And God touches the hearts of people so that they give themselves to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Oh, it's wonderful. Let us recognize the goodness of the Lord, the benefits of God. And let us say thank you to Him. So, let us learn again to say thank you with thanksgiving for all that God has done for us during these 90 days of prayer, fasting and church planting that are still ongoing. Dear church planters, it is within the framework of "Multiply".

May the Lord bless you wherever you are.

Shalom, shalom. Do everything to share this word of recognition, of thanks with someone else around you. Amen.

Persevere - 90 Days of Prayer & Fasting

 Hello, this is multiply a podcast to encourage village, church, planters, and leaders. I am Brad Snowden, and on this podcast. I want to encourage you to persevere. We have such a blessing that the Lord has given each one of us the powerful tools in which to grow in, it is by God ‘s grace that he has given us his word in which we can see his heart. 

He desires for every heart to know him, and his love there are times that we must arise in battle with a Warriors heart to see and experience, the victory, the greatest victory is to see Jesus transform lives and as we intercede may we be persistent warriors, Ephesians 6 :10-18 the apostle Paul gives us the understanding of the armor of God and the last tool is prayer Ephesians 6:18 with all prayer and petition pray at all times on every occasion and every season in the spirit with this in view stay alert with all perseverance, and petition interceding in prayer for all God’s people I believe it’s not the last or an additional thought, but the very tool that ties all the armor together to be effective for the hearts of those who have not yet accepted Jesus. 

Oh church, planter, leader, brothers, and sisters may we arise in the power of his might whether we stand, kneel, or walk it is a persistent intercession on the behalf of others that God will honor. This does not mean it will be easy by any means, but to persevere, this means to walk continually as if nothing will stop us. The Lord will honor our perseverance as we push forward in our walk with him. Do not get weary and while doing but allow God to strengthen you in your persistent walk, and your intercession on behalf of others. 

My prayer for every believer in Jesus to arise as a great intercessor for the hearts in every village in Africa. We will experience a testimony of God ‘s faithfulness as we persistently call on him.

 This has been a word of encouragement for village church, planters, who you share this with today, Lord bless you.

Pray for the Holy Spirit to speak to those who hear the Good News - 90 Days of Prayer & Fasting

 Hello, dear brothers and sisters church planters, I greet you all in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ this morning. I am Pastor Douti Claude, Director of VCP Africa. I am proud of you.

This morning I would like to share this very important message with you as part of “Multiply,” our podcast that provides the word of encouragement. In the 90 days of prayer fasting and church planting, you have done a wonderful work throughout Africa. You continue to do that work in soul winning, of course.

We are happy to receive your testimonies and all that is being done. May God bless you, may God strengthen you. I would like to ask you, dear Church planters, dear servants, let us pray that the Holy Spirit will speak to those who hear the Good News.

We are preaching the Good News. People are hearing it, people are coming to Jesus, but we need to pray for them, for the Holy Spirit to speak to them and for the Holy Spirit to dwell in them. Why? Listen to this passage in Romans chapter 8, from verse 13 to 16. It says, “For if you live according to the flesh, you will die. But if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. And you have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear. But you have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’ The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God.” Oh, Hallelujah! The Spirit of God bears witness with our human spirit that we are the children of God. That is the assurance of our salvation. The Spirit of God reassures us that we are children of God. You see, it is important to pray for the Holy Spirit to speak to us, for the Holy Spirit to dwell in us. But how is that going to happen? It is to dissociate ourselves from the affairs of life, from the flesh, from the desires of the flesh; and live in the spirit, give ourselves more to spiritual things, to the things of God. Because verse 13 says, “If you live according to the flesh, you will die. But if by the spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live!”

Dear brothers, dear sisters, church planters, it is necessary that we pray for the new converts, all those who accept Jesus. That the Holy Spirit will speak to them, that the Holy Spirit will direct them. That they will put to death the desires of the flesh and connect with the things of God, and love God, and worship God in spirit and in truth. And the Holy Spirit will continue to convict them and reassure them that they are children of God. It is very interesting to know that you are a child of God. He says that the Spirit helps us. We need to understand that we have received a spirit of adoption. We are adopted by God and we are children of God. And by that spirit, we have the right to cry, “Abba, Father,” to call God “Our Father.” It is wonderful to hear that kind of thing.

But without the Spirit of God, we cannot understand these things. Without the Spirit of God, we cannot forsake the desires of the flesh and be interested in the things of God. This morning, dear church planters, I want to encourage you to pray earnestly that the Spirit of God will speak to the minds of all who hear the good news. That they will abide in Christ and have the assurance that they are children of God. Thank you. Have a great day.

 Shalom. Shalom. It was "multiply"

Pray for Heads of Households - 90 Days of Prayer & Fasting -

 Welcome to Multiply, a podcast to encourage village church planters, pastors and Christian leaders. I am your host, Daneille Snowden.

When we pray, we pour out our soul to God as we communicate with Him. In that, we are drawing ever so near to God. In Philippians 4:6 Paul admonishes in EVERY situation, present your requests to the Lord.

Today, we will pray for the heads of households. Praying for those who are responsible for their family's needs, be it physically and spiritually. For God to be affective in communicating His love for to an entire community, it is vital that we pray for each home, including those who lead their families.

What do we pray? Every household is unique and has specifics to pray for. Today, let us begin by praying for the head of each home. First, that God soften their hearts to the Word of God. To create a hunger for all God has for him. A prayer could be for the Lord to 'till the soil of their hearts.'

Secondly, that they indeed will surrender all their hearts and lives to Jesus. Vowing to live for Him all their days.

Thirdly, as we read in Matthew 20, verses 26-28:

"...But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

Let us pray that the heads of the households become servant leaders as we see this in our Lord Jesus. For them to serve first, Jesus as their Lord and second, others. That they will sacrificially serve, laying aside all their own desires and wants.

Fourth, pray then that they maintain a strong relationship with the Lord Jesus.

Fifth, pray that they will be disciplined in his or her walk with Christ.

Sixth, pray that they will be sensitive to those they lead. And especially sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit.

In Ephesians 5:25 it instructs the husbands to love his wife as Christ did the church. It continues to say, to love your wife in all humility and gentleness. Thus, when we pray, pray for humility and gentleness for the heads of households.

I thank God for those who have prayed for my household.

Because of prayer our family has built our house upon the Rock and though the storms may come, we are not shaken.

This has been Multiply, please share this podcast with others.

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Thank you and God bless!