Leaders Unify Followers to Accomplish the Vision

Successful leaders unify their followers toward a common
goal, and they inspire a sense of ownership in their projects.

Leaders Unify Followers
to Accomplish the Vision

This week's devotions are written by my friend Dr. Ken Coley, Director of Ed.D. Studies and Senior Professor of Christian Education at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.

- Pastor Danny

"Each of the priests made repairs above the Horse Gate,
each opposite his own house."

(Nehemiah 3:28)

This week we are looking at leadership principles found in the book of Nehemiah that we can all trust and use where the Lord has planted us. There are hundreds of popular definitions of leadership, and here's my favorite:

"Getting others to do that which they don't want to do,
in order to become all they dreamed they could be."

- Coach Tom Landry

I am aware that many of you love the Dallas Cowboys! But those great players needed a coach like Tom Landry to create a winning chemistry; they needed a leader with a vision and a process to establish team unity. If the followers in your midst knew how to go about changing to meet their goals, they wouldn't need you; they would set about doing it. As we have examined in the narrative, Nehemiah was inspired by God to articulate a powerful vision for much-needed repairs to Jerusalem, all for God to be glorified. As previously stated, the citizens of Zion had been tolerating brokenness and debris for decades. How did God use this one man who lived 700 miles away from Jerusalem to influence major change? Truly, Nehemiah is used by God to inspire people to do something new and something that they had only dreamed about.

I have included an engraving of Nehemiah and the restoration of the wall of Jerusalem by Gustav Doré.

Do you recall a unit of study from your ninth-grade physical science class called Simple Machines? Most lists include six. How many can you find here in this engraving? Obviously, the engraving was not done by a contemporary of Nehemiah. (Actually, Doré carved 241 biblical illustrations in the 1800s in France.)

The point is this: Nehemiah needed able-bodied citizens from all walks of life to use the available machines such as wheels & axles, pulleys, inclined planes, levers, and wedges. Most important were human muscle and energy that were required for success.

How did this leader inspire this level of unity and sacrifice? As you skim through chapter three of this book, take note of the repetition of phrases such as their household, their district, their neighborhoods, and his house. Notice, 3:12 states:

"Shallum son of Hallohesh, ruler of half the district of Jerusalem,
made repairs — he and his daughters."

Everyone turned out and put his or her hands to the work! Everyone but the Tekoites made repairs, but their nobles did not lift a finger to help their supervisors (v. 5). Ouch! Called out by Nehemiah and remembered forever as a slacker!

One of the most brilliant strategic moves ever—challenging people to repair the wall and its gates adjacent to their own neighborhood! Genius. Nehemiah inspired ownership. When you have ten minutes, print off a copy of the ancient wall of Jerusalem, including all the gates connecting each section. Compare the diagram to the narrative in chapter three. You will notice a precise description in the text moving counterclockwise around the wall that was 2.5 miles in circumference.

Have you prayed about the brokenness that you see in your neighborhood, church, or even in a different country? I have a close friend who participates in mission trips all over the world. He loves to share the Gospel. He is a dentist who brings his expertise to God's children who have the full range of dental needs. Folks in remote areas walk for miles to get a check up and hear the Gospel. What a vision!

What do your neighbors need? Legal advice? Christian marriage counseling? An accepting place for Special Needs kids to experience the love of Jesus? I know a church that asked the local high school to send them students who are expelled from school and need a place to go. There's a vision to repair brokenness. The Lord wants to use you somewhere with the gifts and resources He can provide. Spend today praying about a fresh vision.