Implementing A Vision Amid Opposition
The Reverend Bryn MacPhail / October
8, 2006
Before
we begin our 5th sermon in our series, “Vision For Life”, I think it
will be helpful to engage in a bit of review. This series began under the
assumption that possessing a vision is necessary for promoting health within
an organization. Such a conviction is supported by Scripture, as we hear
from King Solomon, “Where there is no vision, the people perish” (Prov.
29:18).
Typically,
once an individual or organization recognizes that a vision is necessary, they
proceed to decide on what the vision should be. For a church, however,
the process is a bit different. A Christian congregation is not in a position
to decide what the vision will be. Since we are ultimately governed by
Jesus Christ, we look to Him for our vision. Our congregational vision then, is
not something we create, but rather it is something we discover.
Thankfully,
the Bible is not like a puzzle-book. We need not possess specialized skills or
advanced degrees to discover what a sensible vision is. The Resurrected Jesus
instructs us, “Go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in
the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey
all that I commanded you” (Mt. 28:19, 20).
Pare
that vision down, and what you have is: Bring In Others. Teach Jesus.
We
have been studying Nehemiah—the book and the person—believing that Nehemiah can
help us with such a vision. Nehemiah’s example presents us with some effective
principles for pursuing and implementing a vision. To help us remember these
principles, I have managed to identify them using words that begin with the
letter P.
First
of all, Nehemiah prayed in order to ensure God’s approval of the vision,
and in order to secure His assistance for realizing the vision.
Secondly, Nehemiah planned,
because he understood that the presence of faith does not mean the absence of
organization (Swindoll).
Thirdly,
when Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem, we noted that he did not immediately begin
rebuilding, but rather, he spent considerable time probing the work
site.
And, fourthly, once
Nehemiah had a handle on the scope of the work ahead, he skillfully presented
his plan to the people gathered in Jerusalem.
Pray, Plan, Probe,
& Present. The
progress of Nehemiah’s vision has been on the back of these four steps.
Indeed, the vision has
been advancing reasonably well, but there have been some hints of resistance.
Midway through chapter 2, Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the
Ammonite are introduced as critics of Nehemiah and his vision to rebuild
Jerusalem (2:10). By the end of chapter two, Sanballat and Tobiah,
now joined by Geshem the Arab, are found to be mocking Nehemiah and his
intentions for Jerusalem (2:19).
In our text this
morning, chapter 4, Sanballat and his critical friend, Tobiah,
take centre stage. And what we find is that not only must Nehemiah excel in his
prayers, planning, probing and presenting, but for the vision to succeed
Nehemiah will also need to excel in problem-solving.
Chuck Swindoll, in his
fine commentary on Nehemiah, asserts that “you haven’t really led until you
have become familiar with the stinging barbs of the critic. For the leader,
opposition is inevitable.”
Most of you, if not all
of you, know this to be true. Even Nehemiah, the godly man, the meticulous
planner, and the compelling orator, was familiar with criticism. To ultimately
succeed, Nehemiah would have to demonstrate skill in problem-solving.
For some of us, our tendency is to ignore our
critics—we think they’ll eventually grow weary and leave us alone. We sometimes
imagine that seasons of criticism, like an overnight storm, will soon pass. I’m
afraid that I lack evidence to support such an expectation. In the case of
Nehemiah, the criticism persists. Moreover, the opposition actually gains
momentum as the critics start to garner new recruits.
Nehemiah notes that when
Sanballat insulted those working on the walls, he did so “in front of his
friends” and in front of “the Samaritan army” (4:2). In verse 3 it
is pointed out that Tobiah “was standing beside Sanballat” and weighs in
with a sarcastic comment of his own, “Look at the wall they are building!
Why, even a fox could knock over this pile of stones” (4:3).
If the criticism was
isolated, perhaps it could be tolerated. However, we see here the principle
affirmed that critics tend to run with other critics. The opposition to
Nehemiah and his vision of reconstruction was substantial. The company of folks
opposed to his project was growing.
Again, this should not
surprise us. When a leader challenges the status quo, when a leader is
encouraging change, when a leader urges a group forward to unchartered
territory, he or she should expect resistance.
Here is something
interesting for you to consider: Conceivably, God could prevent, or at least,
eliminate, any resistance to a vision that is aiming to glorify Christ. We see
here, that God’s favour is upon Nehemiah, and yet this favour does not preclude
Nehemiah having to face intense opposition. God allows Sanballat, Tobiah, and
friends to intimidate and to interfere with a vision that has met His approval.
This leads me to
conclude that, while facing opposition is highly unpleasant, there must be
something positive in it for those supporting the vision. It appears that God’s
design for allowing opposition is to draw us closer to Himself.
Additionally, based on what we find in Nehemiah, opposition can inspire our
determination to finish the work.
If Nehemiah shouted and
argued with his critics, it is not recorded here. What is recorded for our
edification is that Nehemiah responded to opposition with prayer. Prayer
isn’t merely a first step in advancing a vision, it must be the constant
companion of those seeking progress. Our plans, our probing, our presentation,
and our problem-solving ought to be pregnant with prayer.
Admittedly, Nehemiah’s
prayer is not your typical Sunday morning prayer. Let’s hear it again: “Our
God, these people hate us and have wished horrible things for us. Please answer
our prayers and make their insults fall on them! Let them be the ones to be
dragged away as prisoners of war. Don’t forgive the mean and evil way they have
insulted the builders” (4:4,5).
Can you imagine hearing
me offer such a prayer from this pulpit? And yet, this prayer is contained
within our holy canon! I confess that I am unsure of how to commend this prayer
to you except to say that I commend Nehemiah’s instinct to pray. He did
not lash out at his critics. He did not employ manipulative techniques in order
to put down his enemies. But rather, Nehemiah bowed in prayer before the
Almighty—he turned to God believing that his problems could be best overcome at
the throne of grace.
Nehemiah’s first
response to criticism was to pray, but we also note that his second
response was to stay with the task. In the NASB we read, “So we built
the wall and the whole wall was joined together to half its height, for the
people had a mind to work” (4:6).
What a great response to
criticism—just keep working!
I think it is a
temptation for us to give up the work when opposition arises. This is a
particular challenge in a church setting where the great majority of the
workers are volunteers. It is one thing to be criticized for a job that we are
getting paid good money to do, it is quite another thing to be criticized for
work that we are volunteering for.
Many a church volunteers
have been lost because of the unkind words of critics. On one hand, I can
hardly blame a volunteer for stepping down in such circumstances—life is too
hectic to allow your volunteer work to be unduly scrutinized. And yet, Nehemiah
and his volunteer builders stay with the task. The criticism, at least
in this instance, appears to inspire their work!
And friends, that’s the
kind of response that moves a vision forward—earnest prayer followed by
resolute effort. This is Nehemiah’s approach to problem-solving.
We must concede,
however, that problem-solving is a long-term enterprise. Prayer and
resolute effort is no quick fix to the opposition that assails us. For it appears
that just as opposition inspired the efforts of Nehemiah and his workers, so
too were the critics inspired to step up their opposition.
“But Sanballat,
Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the people from the city of Ashdod saw
the walls going up and the holes being repaired. So they became angry and
decided to stir up trouble, and to fight against the people of Jerusalem”
(4:7,8).
The opposition is
growing. The group has become so large in number that Nehemiah is unable to
name each individual. Instead, groups of people are named as being a threat to
reconstruction. The level of opposition is also intensifying, as it appears
that the critics are preparing to physically disrupt the efforts to rebuild.
And how does Nehemiah
and his crew respond? They continue in prayer, Nehemiah writes, “Nevertheless,
we kept on praying to our God” (4:9). And, in addition to prayer, we read
that they also “stationed guards day and night” (4:9).
I would like us to take
careful note of the balance in Nehemiah’s approach to problem-solving.
It is very spiritual, on the one hand, and yet highly pragmatic
on the other hand.
Most
people tend to one or the other. Some people simply pray and expect God to work
things out apart from any participation on their part. Others neglect to pray,
hoping to solve their problems through sheer effort and clever innovation. But
taken alone, neither will suffice.
Prayer
without pragmatics is presumption. Prayer without stationing armed guards
is going to get someone hurt, or possibly even killed. On the other hand, pragmatics
without prayer flows from pride. To attempt to engage our critics without
Divine assistance is to court disaster.
As
you can see, our ongoing communion with God is necessary on so many fronts. We
need to continually test whether our vision is on track—we need to determine
whether our good idea is, in fact, a God idea.
I
believe that a vision requiring us to Bring In Others and Teach Jesus
is a God idea. It would be much easier if we emphasized some other things instead.
We have a better chance of avoiding controversy if we simply preserved the
status quo. By contrast, responding to the call to Bring In Others and Teach
Jesus is going to force us out of our comfort zone. And a movement, on our
part, to Bring In Others and Teach Jesus, will probably require
some change—and that change will likely give rise to some level of opposition.
We
learn from Nehemiah, that pursuing a God idea is not a ‘walk in the park’. Much
prayer, planning, probing, presenting and problem-solving will be required. We
translate that to mean that a significant amount of time, resources, and effort
will be needed.
I
pray that St. Giles Kingsway is up to the task. I know that we can do
it—with God’s help, we possess the ability to succeed in Bringing in Others
and faithfully Teaching Jesus.
The
question is NOT: ‘Can we see this vision through?’
The
question IS: ‘Will we see this vision through?’
.