Multiply

Nehemiah and godly leaders are focused.  They discern the distractions and schemes of the enemy. 

.”  Nehemiah was perceptive.   As a missionary friend of mine frequently says, godly leaders “understand what is really going on when what’s going on is going on.”   

A third trait of godly leaders that Nehemiah models is that declares his dependence upon the Lord

God loves a cheerful giver. He delights when we his children give to him joyfully and freely. But God does not twist our arm to make us give. 

Many Christians would like to be a cheerful givers, but they find it difficult to give. They are fearful that if they give to God, they will not have enough to take care of themselves. So giving is associated with fear.

Give in obedience to Christ’s command. Give even when it is difficult. Watch how God meets your needs.  Thank Him for his provision. Keep giving by faith. Keep trusting him. Soon you will become a cheerful giver. 

We are living in a challenging time; where all across the globe we all are experiencing and witnessing insurmountable difficulties. Yet, God created each of us to be His witnesses and hope for such a time as this!

He has given us a ‘Clarion Call’ (that is a clear call) to preach the Gospel, and make disciples. And what a privilege and an honor this is too! May I challenge you today as the Apostle Paul did; in 1 Timothy 6:12 to keep the good fight of faith! And also in 2 Timothy 4:5 “…to do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of your ministry.”

Jesus commands us to give. And not only are we supposed to give, we are supposed to give generously, giving to the Lord ten percent or more of what we earn.  This is not easy. Just like every other point of obedience to Christ, it takes faith to give.  We ask ourselves, “If I give to God, how will I live, how will I survive, how will I have enough money for food and clothing? We wonder, “If I teach others to give, how will they survive?  They are so poor.”  But the Scriptures are clear, “Give and it will be given to you.” When we give, God gives to us.

Godly leaders think things through and then take action, even if those actions are difficult or unpopular. 

Nehemiah was willing to confront wrong behaviors. This has been a point of failure for many leaders over the past 3 millennia.  .  Godly leaders are persuasive.   

Continuing on in chapter 5, Nehemiah gives us a glimpse into his motives.  “But out of reverence for God, I did not act like that.” (5:15b).  “Out of reverence for God.” 

The word of God brings life. Just like we need to partake of physical bread to 
sustain our body, we need to partake of the word of God to sustain our spiritual 
life. 
When we listen to the word of God, our faith grows. Scripture teaches us that 
faith comes by hearing the word of God. So by all means, listen to the word of 
God. Listen to the word as other read it. Find a quiet place alone where you 
can read the Bible aloud to yourself. 

 The apostle Paul shared in the harvest that Timothy was experiencing because he poured into his life. This is so important for the harvest to be generational.

 Church planting is hard work, and the harvesting of fruits comes in many different ways and harvesting in others we pour into is just another way. 

Paul poured into Timothy which took a lot of effort and time but yet Paul knew that it would be fruitful for the kingdom of God.

Who will be the next Timothy? Who can we pour into as to see the harvest continue? Praying for the next Timothy will be a fruit filled harvest that can be for generations to come. Who will be your next Timothy? We can all share in the great harvest together as we pray for each other.

I admit, some of Jesus commands are difficult to obey.  But they all give life.  Every command of Jesus that we obey gives us life and strength and hope.

This is certainly true of the command to pray and feed on God’s word daily. Jesus said, “This then is how you should pray…” Then he gave us a model prayer which is often called the Lord’s Prayer.  As we pray that way with faith, we draw near to our heavenly Father and experience his fatherly kindness to us.  We honor him and ask for his kingdom to be established on earth as it is in heaven. As we pray the way Jesus taught us to pray we experience confident hope that he will provide for us and meet our needs.  We find forgiveness and deliverance from evil.  Put simply, as we pray, we are blessed.

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, leaders, 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.   

Leaders motivate and inspire others.  Leaders trust God and also do their part.  Leaders are responsible to communicate warnings to the people that will help protect them.

That’s right, Jesus said, “Do this in remembrance of me. All followers of Jesus are to participate in the Lord’s Supper.  When we do so, we remember what Jesus has done for us.  We remember how he sacrificed himself on the cross of Calvary for the forgiveness of our sins. We remember how great his love is for us.  We remember how much we need his forgiveness. And when each of us is remembering all this, we can see around us our brothers and sisters in the faith. They too are remembering what Christ has done for them. In this moment we experience a very sweet fellowship with the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.