The Great Project
The Great Project
Nehemiah was a Jewish high official in the courts of King Artaxerxes. He held a respected position under one of the most powerful men on earth, and life was comfortable. But he traded it away for what he, in Nehemiah 6:3 (NIV), called “the great project.”
God selected him for a mighty mission—rebuilding the walls around Jerusalem and revitalizing the nation of Israel. The task was enormous and dangerous. He needed permission from the king, massive building supplies, the support of the Jewish people, wisdom to face numerous problems, and protection from fierce, determined enemies. But God gave him success, and he and his fellow workers rebuilt the walls in a mind-bogglingly short period of time: 52 days.
Nehemiah 6:15-16 says, 15 So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days. 16 When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God.
This remarkable feat was “done with the help of God.” There is a profound synergy here. They worked hard, but God directed and empowered their efforts. It is one more example of God’s sovereignty and our responsibility. The fruit of faith is faithfulness.
What is your great project? Or, to use different jargon, what great endeavor is God calling you to do?
“The Nehemiah Model of Successful Leadership” offers proven principles from the book of Nehemiah that demonstrate how God can use leaders to mobilize people and resources to carry out extraordinary causes for His glory. But more than that, it shows the kind of God-reliant faith that appropriates the Lord’s power and provisions. Together, we will discover how to accomplish the tasks that God has given to Christians and churches.
The first half of Nehemiah shows how God used him to accomplish a great endeavor; the second shows him utilized in a great awakening. Chapters one through seven focus on strategic action and the rest of the book highlights spiritual revitalization. The first half of Nehemiah shows how God used him to accomplish a great endeavor (chapters 1-7); the second shows him utilized in a great awakening (chapters 8-13). Following this natural divide in the book, our study has two sections.
The Nehemiah Model of:
- Leading a Great Endeavor – A Guide to Strategic Action (1-7)
- Leading a Great Awakening – A Guide to Spiritual Revitalization (8-13)
Wouldn’t you like to be part of one of God’s great endeavors? Don’t settle for the safe and the easy. Aim so high you’ll never be bored. Grab the future instead of the past. Focus on opportunities instead of obstacles. Allow God to give you a challenging project that will capture your heart, help others, and magnify the Almighty. And how about being caught up in a great awakening? God’s Spirit has worked through committed believers in the past to bring about fresh seasons of revival. Might he use you?
Will you be a success in God’s work? This training is not about how to achieve success; it is about how to receive it. Nehemiah shows that it only comes from God’s gracious hand. If it depended upon our efforts, talents, and resources, only the superstars among us would know success. But if success is a gift given by a generous God to those who wholeheartedly follow Him and His principles, then we are all eligible. You and me, simple and limited as we might be, can experience great success. It happened with Nehemiah, and it can happen with us.