Advanced Level, Block 8—Remnant Standing Properly
Week 80
Nehemiah—The Proper Leadership
Point to Emphasize: A real leader is a person who sees a need and does something about it to serve others.
Reference Reading: Nehemiah 1:1-11, footnote 81; 2:3-8, footnote 31; 4:6-23; footnote 5:141; Matthew 20:20-28, footnotes 221, 261
Memory Verse: It shall not be so among you; but whoever wants to become great among you shall be your servant, And whoever wants to be first among you shall be your slave. (Matthew 20:26-27)
Story Sample
Today I would like to talk about leadership. There are different kinds of leaders. Some people are leaders because they want power, fame, or money. Can you name what kind of leaders these might be? Do not tell me the names of these leaders but rather only mention their position. [Lead the children into a discussion about different kinds of leaders.] Does someone become the president of the United States because they want a lot of money? The president does get paid a lot of money, but not as much as what they could have made, say, if they were to run a huge tech company. Do you think they like it because they can be famous and powerful? Probably. What about a leader in sports? For example, maybe a coach or a star player of a professional team leads their team to a national championship. Do you think these leaders want fame and money? Of course, they do. So, let’s consider ourselves. Don’t we all like to be the leader of our team when we play games on the playground? We don’t do it to make money, for sure. But we do like to be known, or famous, at the school as the best at the game. And we love to be the boss.
But I want to talk about a different kind of leader. These are leaders who voluntarily step in to take on responsibility. They see a need and they step in to do something about it. These kinds of leaders are those who serve others, to attend to their needs. There are many good examples of these kinds of leaders in the Bible. These are the real leaders; they are the ones who see a need and respond to it, who have a pure heart for God’s purpose. They lead by being an example to others. They are not there to boss others around. They often seem more like a slave who is serving others than a master who is giving orders.
Nehemiah was such a leader. He was not the counselor of the king or a general in the army. He was only a cupbearer, that is, one who served wine to the king. This was not a huge job. He was not rich, famous, or even powerful. Yet in his living and conduct, he gained the respect of the king. We may say that his being the king’s servant was really the best training for one who would become a leader. When Nehemiah heard that the building work in Jerusalem was going poorly and the wall of the city was broken down, he cried, and mourned and fasted and prayed to God for a few days. He was affected by the needs of the people. While serving the king, his sadness was noticed by the king and the king asked if he could help. Nehemiah asked the king to send him to Judah so that he might help rebuild the city. The king granted Nehemiah his request and gave him the papers and the timber that he would need in order to return. He trusted Nehemiah to go and take the lead in the rebuilding work.
A real leader sees a need and does not just sit back to watch. He takes the opportunity to be responsible and do something. Let me give you an example. This example took place at a camp where a Summer School of Truth was being held. There were a lot of young people and there were also some families with older children and toddlers who came to help out. The older children who could have stayed outside and played their own games saw a need to take care of the toddlers while the parents were helping with different tasks. These older children rose up to take care of the toddlers the whole time, keeping them occupied and happy, thus allowing their parents to focus on what they were doing. This is real leadership! [Storyteller, use your own personal example.]
Now, I want to check with you. Would you have been one to volunteer to watch the younger ones or would you have been one to use the time to “hang out” with your friends? We often are so occupied with what we want to do that we miss the opportunity to be a leader. If you are only a leader when a teacher or parent appoints you then you are not even close to the leadership shown in the way we have discussed today. Don’t be one who is occupied with only yourself but rather be one who leads by seeing the need and does something to serve others.