We are obviously living in a time of crisis. We are living in a tumultuous time– a time of transition and change. I trust that I don’t need to spell it out. Just this year, we have lost John MacArthur, Phil Robertson, Voddie Baucham, and Charlie Kirk. We are living in the aftermath of a broken culture. As a result, many are scrambling to fill the void left by these giants. That is good, but what does that look like? What does proper leadership look like in a moment like this?
I would argue that the mantle of leadership belongs to those courageous men who are called by God to take responsibility over the sphere they wish to rule.
Allow me to use a personal anecdote as an example.
I used to take public transportation to get to class when I was in college. On one particular morning, the snow was coming down hard. It was one of those Colorado Blizzards that dumps 3 feet of snow in one day. That didn’t stop me from getting on my usual train. After the first stop, there was a 90-degree turn to the right, where the train would typically slow down before we took the turn. But as we got closer to the turn, I noticed we weren’t, in fact, slowing down. We were gaining speed. Before I knew it, the train snapped off the rails and flung everyone on my side of the train to the other side.
As I flew towards the window, there was a man against the other wall opposite me, and he was able to grab me mid-air and keep me from going through the window. Then the motion stopped, and the crash was over. I tried to get up, but my backpack was on top of my head. I noticed my backpack was heavier than normal. Then I heard the guy who caught me start screaming, “NO ONE MOVE, NO ONE GET OFF THE TRAIN!” I wrestled him off of me. He was a veteran and thought we were under attack. I was able to get up, despite his efforts to hold me down, and what I noticed has stuck with me: to my recollection, of everyone on that packed train, all but three of us were looking down. Almost everyone was looking down at themselves or just staring in shock.
Here’s the point in sharing this story: the burden of leadership– the authority–came to those of us who looked up first. Those of us who looked up noticed that there was screaming coming from outside the train. One poor lady had been flung through the doors, sucked under the train, and her leg was cut off. She miraculously survived! One guy had a belt that he tied around her leg and elevated it to keep her from bleeding out. We covered her with coats to keep her warm, then I started looking for her leg under the train, hoping that the paramedics could put it back on.
It was a chaotic scene. But, those of us who looked up and took action did so despite the constant nagging of people saying, “Don’t leave the train! Don’t move!” The initial man’s reaction spread like a virus.
There’s a lesson here, and it’s directly applicable to today—those who take action in the immediate aftermath of a crisis will have to do so in the face of irrational opposition.
You want to confront the problems within black culture in the immediate aftermath of an innocent girl being killed by a black man simply for being white? “Don’t do it! You’ll be called a racist!” You want to call for actual action against those who orchestrated the Assassination of Charlie Kirk? “Don’t do it! You’re not turning down the temperature! You’re calling for civil war.”
In spite of these calls, you must persevere, or people die. You must take action, even with people shouting you down. There are a number of things that go into constituting the resolve that a leader needs; this is demonstrated most notably in the book of Nehemiah.
Lessons from Nehemiah
Nehemiah Was Looking Up (Neh. 1:2)
Nehemiah was living in the ruins. And he was one of the first to look up. He is the one who asked about the condition of his home. He was pursuing the ruins. In a world where everyone else was looking down, shell-shocked like those on the train, Nehemiah lifted his eyes first. He doesn’t wait for a report on the damage; he went after the truth about Jerusalem’s broken walls himself. This is the starting point of leadership. Do not just survive the crash. Assess it fully.
Nehemiah Took Responsibility (1:6)
Nehemiah took responsibility for himself and for the sins of his people, and this is what led to his authority (8:9). Nehemiah didn’t just look up and scorn. He didn’t just look up and point fingers, sitting behind a microphone, criticizing Israel. He took responsibility. Importantly, he took responsibility for sins that he himself didn’t commit. Do you want authority over people? Do you want to lead other men? Do you want to lead your family? You start by taking responsibility for their sin before God. Nehemiah’s tears are real. They build the authority he wields in chapter 8, where the people listen closely to every word.
In our time of blame and finger-pointing, this kind of ownership cuts through the noise. Taking responsibility is what distinguishes the critic from the leader.
Nehemiah’s Desire Was from God (2:12)
Nehemiah continued down this path, and it’s important to note that his desire was from God. I have met several men who were in leadership who shouldn’t have been. Every single one was convinced that his desire and his mission were from God. When it comes to Nehemiah, he, too, believed that his desire to lead was from God. Nehemiah happened to be right. It is important that you believe you are on a mission from God so that you can ignore the estrogenic hysterics, but it is even more important that you be correct that your mission is from God. Make sure your mission and your desire align with the Word of God and that the natural gifts God has given you align with that desire.
The best way to find this out is to seek counsel from brothers. While pursuing this, do not flatter or be flattered. Unfortunately, due to flattery, many men do not know their strengths and weaknesses. Nehemiah’s nighttime survey was not a personal quest for glory. It was God’s conviction that drove him forward, past the Persian court and into enemy territory. For us, this means testing that inner drive against the Bible. Does it lead to rebuilding, or just to self-promotion? Get honest input from trusted men who will not sugarcoat it. Only then can you push past the cries of “Don’t do it!” without falling apart.
Nehemiah Was Able to Win People to His Mission (2:17–18)
Nehemiah was able to win people to his mission. On his way to success, it is important to note that Nehemiah was able to win other men to his mission.
You must become persuasive in your speech, the way you carry yourself, and in the life that you live. Notice that Nehemiah didn’t win every single person to his mission. He had some pretty notable enemies. He wasn’t able to get the Nobles of Tekoa to work with him. But he was able to persuade a lot of men. If you’re not able to persuade, your mission will likely fail. You have to look at things objectively, willing to admit defeat. There is no bigger waste of time than to refuse to admit that you aren’t persuasive. In any realm, this is the case. Nehemiah was not a pastor; he was a governor.
As a leader in crisis, you must build the gravitas to draw others through your words and your walk. Without it, you end up alone in the cold, not guiding a team through the rebuild.
He Was Slow to Speak & Didn’t Usurp Authority (2:1, 5:7,9)
Nehemiah was slow to speak and didn’t usurp authority. Whatever it is you are trying to do, be an Ent. Don’t be hasty, and don’t usurp the authorities if you can help it. In these verses, Nehemiah demonstrates:
- Controlled anger
- A careful request to the king
- A direct call-out of the nobles’ unfair loans
- Steady guidance during the assembly in (ch. 9)
He does not charge ahead recklessly. He is self-controlled, prayerful, holds other leaders accountable, and gives clear and integral guidance in each setting.
Your anger alone does not make you an asset. Training and temperance do.
Nehemiah Led Sacrificially (5:18)
Nehemiah led sacrificially, eating fowl while those at his table ate ox and sheep. As governor, Nehemiah could have taken the best food. Instead, he chose simpler meals so the supplies went further for the workers and the needy. In times of crisis, true leadership means you take the harder share first. If you’re not willing to do this, then you’re not called to lead. It’s striking that Nehemiah’s sacrifice started at his own table, in his own house. Sacrificial leadership starts in your house first— getting up at 3 AM with the toddler and playing with the kids after a long day. Eat the bird.
Nehemiah Was Confident, Due to Faith (Ch. 6)
Nehemiah had godly confidence. When enemies Sanballat and Tobiah set traps with false warnings and attacks, Nehemiah stands firm: “So I sent messengers to them, saying, ‘I am doing a great work and cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it to go down to you?’” (v.3).
When they employ the threat of Gashmu’s gossip that he is leading a revolt, he answers the fools according to their folly (v.8): “There is nothing to these rumors you are spreading; you are inventing them in your own mind.” And again: “Should a man like me run away?” (6:11). This is not empty boldness. Nehemiah had deep trust in God’s word. He exuded the faith that comes from a mind, body, and soul sanctified over time, by the Holy Spirit.
Nehemiah Didn’t Make Threats; He Made Promises (13:21, 26)
Finally, Nehemiah didn’t threaten. He made promises which he backed up with obvious strength. By chapter 13, the walls are complete, but old problems return. Merchants are ignoring the Sabbath, and foreign influences are weakening the community. What a lesson for our time when men in power ignore God’s clear commands, and foreign influence captivates our rulers. As a result, Nehemiah didn’t just threaten to put his hands on people; he actually did it.
He promised to physically beat men who were turning God’s house into a den of thieves. Later, he carried out justice on corrupt men, going so far as to pluck out their beards. He was prepared to carry out the brutal duties required of his office.
In Nehemiah, we find a model for brutal Christian leadership: unyielding vision amid ruins, action defying the mob, and authority forged in repentance and sacrifice. Our fractured age demands such men.
