Paradigm 1       When God Wants to Do Something, He Begins with a Person rather than a Committee.

There is a divine appointment or a moment of destiny where a person becomes a "man or woman of the hour" in kingdom building. Human beings are God’s methods. "The Church is always looking for better methods but God is always looking for better men" says E. M. Bounds (read Jer 5:1. Ezek 22:20). Fortunately, he found a man – Nehemiah. 

God's strategy in kingdom building always begins with a person and not a committee when you study Scripture. It is harder to get things done through a committee because  everyone wants to have his or her view heard. Worse still, things don't get done because there are too many voices which are sometimes simply noises. Haven't we heard of the following facetious definitions of a committee?    

A committee takes a week to do what one good man can do in an hour (Elbert Hubbard).

To get something done a committee should consist of no more than three people, two of whom are absent (Robert Copeland).

If you want to kill any idea in the world, get a committee working on it (Charles Kettering).

A Committee is a group of people who individually can do nothing, but as a group decide that nothing can be done (Anonymous).

A committee is a group of the unwilling chosen from the unfit, to do the unnecessary (Anonymous).

Committee--a group of men who keep minutes and waste hours (Milton Berle)

Paradigm 2 Leadership Begins with Self-Leadership.

Nehemiah knew how to live under submission to the authority of the pagan king. He served under authority. Later, he was later able to lead others to do so (2:8; 2:20; 2:12). "You cannot lead with authority until you learn to follow authority" (Mckenna 2005: 40). To be a good or a great leader, that person must learn how to be a good follower first. How can a leader expect others to follow if he/she has never in the first place learnt to follow? Put it in another way, in leadership, a leader has no right to ask others to do what he himself/herself is unwilling to do. 

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We also see him exercising the spiritual discipline of fasting and praying (1:4). He knew God's Word well when he reminded God of his covenant with his people (1:8,9). He acted on faith asking God to grant his request (1:10-11). Emotionally secure, he confessed the sins of Israel as though they were his (1:6).

A healthy fear of God which is essential in decision-making should be part of our spiritual discipline. Wisdom is important (Prov 1:5 cf. 12:15; 15:22; 19:20). It begins with fearing God. The more a leader reverences God and acknowledges His ways he or she will make wise choices in daily living (cf. Ps 11:9, 10: Prov. 1:7;  cf.  Rom 12:3 & Phil 2:1-12). The "fear of God" (5: 19) in Nehemiah motivated him not use his position to exploit the people in times of difficulties. For the fear of God to be part of us, there is a need to maintain a vibrant relationship with God. "To be much for God, you must spend much time with him." True leadership begins with self-leadership before a person gains a title or a position.

Paradigm 3  Character, Competence and Charisma are needed in Leadership.

All three are important in leadership. Character is what a person is (being), charisma is what a person shows (showing) and competence is what a person does (doing).  Without character a leader may lead without integrity; without charisma a leader may not be able to attract followers and without competence a leader cannot function effectively. Hence all three are needed. However, the greatest of the three is character. "A credible message needs a credible messenger because charisma without character is catastrophe'' (Peter Kusmic).

When wealth is lost, nothing is lost.

When health is lost, something is lost.

When character is lost, all is lost (Billy Graham)

Character must come before charisma. Attitude must precede aptitude. As Kouzes and Posner puts, “Credibility is the foundation of leadership. If people don’t believe in the messenger, they won't believe the message."^[1] What then is credibility? "DWYSYWD - Do what you say, you will do."^[2] One of the great compliments that can be paid to a leader is to have someone say "You are a leader that delivers what you say." 

Paradigm 4 Faithfulness in Little Means Faithfulness in Much.

Reared in exile and away from his homeland, Nehemiah rose to the position of a cup bearer (aka wine taster) and then a governor. Nehemiah a Jew won the trust of a pagan king by being faithful in his assigned task. When Nehemiah was a cup bearer, he executed his job well. Could that be the reason why Artaxerxes let him go to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls? "It was his faithfulness in the discharge of his secular duties that won for him the privileges he later sought. Godliness is not necessarily incompatible with early success" (Oswald Sanders).^[3] Nehemiah rose from rank and file. His rise to the position of a cup bearer (palace) and then governor (nation; 5:14) could be attributed to meritocracy but ultimately to God (cf. Psa 75:6-7).

We are also reminded in Scripture, "Much is given, much is required” (Luke 12:48). If God has given you much talents, you are required to fulfil your potentials. Also, "If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won't be honest with greater responsibilities" (Luke 16:10; cf. Matt 25:23). It's amazing how little things can make a big difference. A leader who only wants do big things will never amount to much. God can only entrust and enlarge a leader's ministry if he or she is faithful in little things. Are you faithful in little things? There was a conversation between a small man and a big man:

SM "I bet there are big bears in the forest."

BM "Indeed, there are!"

SM "I wish I were a big man like you? "Do you know what I would do, if I were a big man like you?"

BM "Ugh ugh!"

SM "I will go into the forest and catch me a big bear and tear it form limb to limb. That's what I will do."

BM "Why don't you try to take the small bear first?" 

Paradigm 5  Past Performance Can be a Good Predictor of  Future Performance.

God uses our past - failures and successes known as "crucible of experiences" as a time of preparation for selected tasks. Our past experiences are never wasted from God's perspective. We are not told how God shaped Nehemiah. From Scripture and testimonies, we know God shapes leaders through people [friends and foes], circumstances and situations bad and good. Bennis and Thomas (2002:80) reminds us that  “The ability to find meaning and strength in adversity distinguishes leaders from non leaders"...Future leaders who fail while going through the crucible  will use it as opportunity for growth  to learn change and grow."

God was calling Nehemiah to participate in a "new thing. “Interestingly, it just so happened that this new thing would require solid leadership acumen, fantastic communication capability, and unflinching tenacity - all skills Nehemiah had honed during his palace days.” ^[4]

God uses our past experiences to mould and shape us. Nehemiah served under a despotic king. He submitted and obeyed. As a cup bearer, he had to analyse wine which led him to become a good analysis of situations. He had an eye for details as shown in his detailed and careful memoirs because God used his past experience as a wine taster. 

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Paradigm 6 Motivation for Leading Others Should Stem from the "Good of the People" and the "Glory of God's name".

Repairing the city walls was not for his sake or benefit but for the community as well as that God's name would not bear reproach. He cared about God's work in Jerusalem and the community whereas other leaders in the exile seemed more interested in their own survival and prosperity. In other words, his primary motivation for undertaking the rebuilding project was for the good of the people and for the glory of God.

From Nehemiah's perspective, the broken walls weren't nearly as big an issue as the fact that neighboring countries were laughing out at the "powerless God" of the Israelites. He knew that if the city walls weren't rebuilt - and soon - his fellow people would be assimilated into other cultures and would most likely lose their identity and their religion.^[5]