Bible Students

1. Devoted to the Lord
The most central and important part of the leadership of Nehemiah is his devotion to the Lord. Nehemiah was not a divided man! He was loyal to the Lord and did not waver. For leaders today, this is the absolute primary responsibility. If the leaders of the church are not loyal to the Lord, how can they expect the church to be loyal to the Lord? Leaders must be loyal to Him, and the congregation will follow. Apart from this, disaster will come. The kings before Nehemiah were not devoted to the Lord, and disaster came on them and their kingdom. The same is true for Christian leaders.

2. Sought the Lord
Not only was Nehemiah a man who was devoted to the Lord in principle, he was a man devoted to the Lord in action. Nehemiah walked in the path and the will of the Lord. Christian leaders today must not only be devoted to the Lord in passive things, such as their internal allegiance, but also external things, such as their actions. Christians must seek the Lord and walk in His way in all they do! Some of the kings before him were devoted to the Lord, but did not finish the work the Lord desired of them (did not remove the high places). Christian leaders must be willing to walk in the path of the Lord and “remove the high places” of idolatrous worship in the congregation.

3. Did not cave into opposition
One last aspect of the ministry of Nehemiah is that he walked in the way of the Lord and did not falter due to external pressure. Christian leaders will always have opposition on the outside, and so they must be ready and willing to give similar resistance back and not cave in. The kings who did not resist the opposition fell foolishly, and the same will be true for those who do not push back against the resistance of the enemies of God today.