{"id":6312,"date":"2019-11-20T20:00:05","date_gmt":"2019-11-21T03:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/?p=6312"},"modified":"2019-11-17T16:26:26","modified_gmt":"2019-11-17T23:26:26","slug":"nehemiah1_1-11","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/nehemiah1_1-11\/","title":{"rendered":"Great Leadership Begins with the Heart"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"flex_column av_one_full  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-0  avia-builder-el-no-sibling  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock  '   itemprop=\"text\" ><p>Nehemiah 1:1-11 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Nehemiah+1%3A1-11&amp;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Click here for Bible Verses<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-6313 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/191121.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"350\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/191121.jpg 600w, https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/191121-300x175.jpg 300w, https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/191121-450x263.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Hi GAMErs,<\/p>\n<p>Here is some background on the book of Nehemiah:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>For several decades the people of Judah lived in exile in Babylon, having been ousted out of their own homeland because of persistent sin.\u00a0\u00a0In 539 B.C. Cyrus King of Persia defeats the Babylonians and encourages the Jews to return to their homeland.\u00a0\u00a0As we saw in the book of Ezra, the first group of Jews, about 50,000 of them, returned to Jerusalem in 538 B.C. (Ezra 1-2).\u00a0\u00a0Under the leadership of governor Zerubabbel, the Jews rebuild the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem despite much opposition (Ezra 3-6).\u00a0\u00a0In 458 B.C., Ezra leads a second group of about 1,500 Jews back to Jerusalem (Ezra 7-8).\u00a0\u00a0When Ezra arrives in Jerusalem he discovers that the Jews have seriously compromised their faith by marrying unbelievers and following their idolatrous practices.\u00a0\u00a0He leads them to repent and return to the Lord (Ezra 9-10).\u00a0\u00a0In approximately 444 B.C., 14 years after Ezra arrives in Jerusalem, the events of Nehemiah 1 begin.\u00a0\u00a0Written by Nehemiah himself in approximately 430 B.C., the book of Nehemiah chronicles Nehemiah\u2019s long struggle to lead his people to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Today\u2019s passage is Nehemiah 1:1-11.\u00a0\u00a0Let\u2019s go!<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Nehemiah 1:3-4 (NIV)\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><br \/>\n<em><sup>3\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0They said to me, &#8220;Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.&#8221;<br \/>\n<sup>4\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>On verses 1-11:\u00a0\u00a0Nehemiah is a Jew who has the highly coveted position of being cupbearer to King Artaxerxes (v10).\u00a0\u00a0The fact that Nehemiah is the royal cupbearer suggests that Nehemiah was highly capable and trustworthy, known for his loyalty and good judgment.\u00a0\u00a0Nehemiah meets his brother Hanani and others who have just returned from Judah (v2).\u00a0\u00a0They tell Nehemiah that the wall of Jerusalem is broken down and the people are living in great trouble and disgrace (v3).\u00a0\u00a0Like Ezra before him (Ezra 9:3-4), Nehemiah weeps when he hears the upsetting news and spends days mourning, fasting and praying (v4).\u00a0\u00a0When he prays, he recalls God\u2019s goodness to Israel\u00a0\u00a0(v5).\u00a0\u00a0He confesses the sins that he, his family and his people have committed (v6-7).\u00a0\u00a0He declares God\u2019s promise that if His people are unfaithful they will be scattered but that if they return to Him, they will be gathered back to their homeland (v8-10).\u00a0\u00a0Finally he asks God for favour as he gets ready to speak to the king about going back to Jerusalem (v11).<br \/>\nWhat can we learn from all this?<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Great leadership begins with the heart<\/strong>.\u00a0\u00a0Great leaders have a heart for God, a heart for people, and a dream to see something different than the status quo take place.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<ol>\n<li value=\"2\"><strong>Every generation has its own unique problem or challenge to overcome.\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0<strong>God uses willing individuals who feel the burden to do something about that challenge.<\/strong>\u00a0When it came to the challenge of rebuilding the temple, it was Zerubabbel, Haggai and Zechariah who rose to the occasion.\u00a0\u00a0When it came to leading a new group of Jews back to Jerusalem and ushering a spiritual revival among the people there, Ezra was the man.\u00a0\u00a0Now,\u00a014 years later, a new problem has surfaced: the wall of Jerusalem is broken down, leaving it vulnerable to attack and its people in trouble and disgrace.\u00a0\u00a0For this challenge, it is Nehemiah who steps up to the plate.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<strong>What is the major problem or challenge facing your generation that burdens you?\u00a0\u00a0Here\u2019s believing that God has chosen you to do something about it, to be part of the solution.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<ol>\n<li value=\"3\">Nehemiah prayed and asked for God\u2019s favour because he knew that the dream he had in his heart could not be accomplished in his own strength.\u00a0\u00a0<strong>What is the dream God has planted in your heart?<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0Whether it\u2019s for your family, your future, your ministry, your church, or your city,\u00a0<strong>dream God-sized dreams<\/strong>.\u00a0\u00a0<strong>Dream a dream big enough that if God were not in the mix, that dream could never be a reality.<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0God uses leaders who dream God-sized dreams.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<ol>\n<li value=\"4\">Nehemiah and his brother Hanani illustrate\u00a0<strong>the difference between leaders and spectators<\/strong>.\u00a0\u00a0When spectators see a problem, they just talk amongst themselves and complain.\u00a0\u00a0<strong>When leaders see a problem, they do something about it.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<ol>\n<li value=\"5\"><strong>Before you act on an impulse, especially one that will require a major investment of your time and energy, fast and pray about it.<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0Seek God\u2019s heart before acting on your own.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<ol>\n<li value=\"6\">Nehemiah recognized that, as great as it was for his people to resettle in their homeland of Jerusalem, their lives would never be peaceful as long as the city\u2019s protecting walls remained broken down.\u00a0\u00a0So Nehemiah\u2019s burden is to rebuild and restore Jerusalem\u2019s walls so that the people there could live in peace.\u00a0\u00a0In other words,\u00a0<strong>it\u2019s one thing to get to the Promised Land, but it\u2019s another thing to stay there and enjoy it.\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0There\u2019s a spiritual application to this.\u00a0\u00a0When you received Jesus Christ into your life, your sins were forgiven, you became a new creation, you were brought into relationship with God, and you have been given a new life in Christ.\u00a0\u00a0You stepped into God\u2019s Promised Land.\u00a0But\u00a0<strong>if you want to enjoy God\u2019s Promised Land for you, you need to protect it.<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0Otherwise, the practical benefits of knowing Jesus will be stolen from you almost as soon as they were given to you.\u00a0\u00a0How do you protect the Promised Land that God has given you?\u00a0\u00a0It\u2019s about building walls, or habits, that protect your relationship with God: attending church regularly, having a daily habit of a GAMEtime with God, joining a small group for accountability and mutual encouragement, and allowing God\u2019s Kingdom to begin to reign and rule in every part of your life.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<div>\n<p><em>Heavenly Father, thank You that I am blessed to be a blessing and made me to make a difference.\u00a0\u00a0I pray that I would dream God-sized dreams and live my life for a dream that is really worthy of the time and talents You have given me.\u00a0\u00a0In Jesus\u2019 name, AMEN!<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hi GAMErs,<\/p>\n<p>Here is some background on the book of Nehemiah:<\/p>\n<p>For several decades the people of Judah lived in exile in Babylon, having been ousted out of their own homeland because of persistent sin.\u00a0\u00a0In 539 B.C. Cyrus King of Persia defeats the Babylonians and encourages the Jews to return to their homeland.\u00a0\u00a0As we saw in the book of Ezra, the first group of Jews, about 50,000 of them, returned to Jerusalem in 538 B.C. (Ezra 1-2).\u00a0\u00a0Under the leadership of governor Zerubabbel, the Jews rebuild the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem despite much opposition (Ezra 3-6).\u00a0\u00a0In 458 B.C., Ezra leads a second group of about 1,500 Jews back to Jerusalem (Ezra 7-8).\u00a0\u00a0When Ezra arrives in Jerusalem he discovers that the Jews have seriously compromised their faith by marrying unbelievers and following their idolatrous practices.\u00a0\u00a0He leads them to repent and return to the Lord (Ezra 9-10).\u00a0\u00a0In approximately 444 B.C., 14 years after Ezra arrives in Jerusalem, the events of Nehemiah 1 begin.\u00a0\u00a0Written by Nehemiah himself in approximately 430 B.C., the book of Nehemiah chronicles Nehemiah\u2019s long struggle to lead his people to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6313,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6312","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gametime-sharing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6312","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6312"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6312\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6320,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6312\/revisions\/6320"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6313"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6312"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6312"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6312"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}