Most anyone who follows me by reading my published articles watches my YouTube Videos, or has sat in my classes knows that I love the book of Nehemiah and his leadership style.

Think about these questions:

1. What did Nehemiah experience from those who tried to hinder his efforts?
2. What did Nehemiah see as the problems confronting the people?
3. How did this knowledge prepare Nehemiah for the necessary confrontation?

Leadership is important!

Nehemiah’s understanding of how the enemy would try to stop his efforts was the key to his ability to finish what he believed God asked him to do. As we look again at the book of Nehemiah, we can discover that he not only proceeded with the building of the wall around Jerusalem but also as needed, brought necessary confrontation to the people.

In addition to confusion being used as a tactic of the devil, consider these other ways Nehemiah discovered that the enemy tried to stop his work:

Ridicule, which affects our confidence: “They mocked and ridiculed us” (Nehemiah 2:19).

Discouragement, which drains our strength (Nehemiah 4:6-7).

Threats, which cause us to fear: “We will be right there among them and will kill them and put an end to their work” (Nehemiah 4:11).

The conflict came from within through organized opposition, which makes us feel overwhelmed; and through internal opposition, which causes division (Nehemiah 5:1-13).

These are some of the enemy’s favorite tools to prevent individuals and churches from doing God’s will. We should not be surprised by these attempts by the devil’s kingdom to stop God’s kingdom from advancing. The division is one of the enemy’s favorite tools, and we should be always on the alert for it.

Division from within is dangerous in any organization and can destroy the momentum and potential of a church. Jesus instructed His disciples: “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand” (Matthew 12:25).

Nehemiah needed to confront the people who were causing the problem. Confrontation is never easy; however, it is necessary for pastors and church leaders. The Scripture is full of examples of how to confront, of the timing involved in confrontation, and what to do after we have confronted a person. In Nehemiah’s situation, there was a legitimate problem that needed to be fixed. People were being taken advantage of in Jerusalem. Not only had the city fallen apart, but also the leadership of the community was not being sensitive to the needs of the people. Nehemiah saw the problem, heard the cries of the people, and got involved in alleviating the problem.

Nehemiah explains, “The men and their wives raised a great outcry against their Jewish brothers” (Nehemiah 5:1). The families were crying out because of several reasons.

They did not have enough food: “In order for us to eat and stay alive, we must get grain” (Nehemiah 5:1).

They owed too much on their homes: “We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyard, and our homes to get grain during the famine” (Nehemiah 5:3).

They were paying too much for taxes: “We have had to borrow money to pay the king’s tax” (Nehemiah 5:4).

They were exploiting each other: “Although we are of the same flesh and blood as our countrymen and though our sons are as good as theirs, yet we have to subject our sons and daughters to slavery” (Nehemiah 5:5).

The conflict that Nehemiah was experiencing is in the same family of conflict issues that we deal with today. It was driven by selfishness from one group toward another and one person toward another. Most of the time, church conflict can be identified with one group or with a person who wants his or her way and is not sensitive to others in the church. James instructs us that arguing, fights, and much of the divisive behavior we see in peoples’ lives stems from the desires that battle within a person (James 4:1).

Selfishness is the driving force behind much of the church division that pastors face. When we experience this type of behavior, we have a decision to make. Do we try to address it? Do we ignore it? Or do we ask someone else to take care of it? I believe that all three questions are necessary and that every situation and person is a little different. At times, someone else on our leadership team, another pastor, a board member, or a person in the church can talk to the person, and the situation will be managed well. At other times, we need to wait for the right timing and try to sense the appropriate way to handle the confrontation ourselves. However, the fact remains that there are many situations in our churches that we will need to speak to. Following are biblical recommendations about how to confront people who are living in sin or causing division:

Get emotionally involved. Many leaders choose not to become emotionally involved because of the fear of being too emotional. Understanding the balance between not being emotionally involved and being too emotionally involved is critical. Knowing how we choose to manifest our emotions is important and something that all leaders need to manage. In Nehemiah’s case, he explained, “When I heard their outcry and these charges, I was very angry” (Nehemiah 5:6).

Jesus saw how the people were misusing the temple, and He became emotionally involved. He “entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money-changers and the benches of those selling doves, saying, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer’” (Matthew 21:12-13). The Bible tells us that God becomes angry at sin, division, and selfishness.

Feeling angry and becoming emotional is not bad; how we choose to manifest our emotions is where many get into trouble. The Scripture informs us to “Be angry but sin not” (Ephesians 4:26). If we refuse to get emotionally involved in the critical issues of our ministry, then we could be ignoring important areas that God wants us to rectify.

Say something, but be cautious about what you say. Before we confront someone or a group that we know we need to talk to, we need to think about what we are going to say. Nehemiah pondered, then accused the nobles and officials (Nehemiah 5:7).

When we need to talk to an employee, a person in the church, a family member, or another leader, it is always good to plan out what we are going to say before we say it. James instructs us to “Be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry” (James 1:19).

Nehemiah and Confrontation

Nehemiah was experiencing a crisis where the less fortunate were being greatly affected. “I told them, you are exacting usury from your own countrymen!” (Nehemiah 5:7). He told them exactly what they were doing. Again, he was speaking of confrontation. Jesus explained to His disciples: “If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault just between the two of you” (Matthew 18:15). Jesus also instructed that, first, we go to the person; second, if this does not work, we bring another mature Christian with us and talk to the person again; third, if that does not work and the person does not stop his or her destructive behavior, then we need to inform the church of his or her behavior. All of this is God’s way of dealing with church division, sin issues, and any area that needs to be confronted in the local church. Paul informed Titus that he was to “warn a divisive person once, and then a second time. After that, have nothing to do with him” (Titus 3:10).

Understand that what has been said in private might need to go public. When a pastor needs to bring a situation or a divisive person to public awareness, he or she often fears losing support. However, most of the time, the opposite happens. Nehemiah very likely had that concern as well; however, he chose to make the public aware of the difficult situation. Therefore, he called together a large meeting: “‘What you are doing is not right. Should you not walk in the fear of our God to avoid the reproach of our Gentile enemies?’” Then, he confronted the opposition by saying, “‘Let the exacting of usury stop!’” (Nehemiah 5:7; vv. 9-10).

The Bible tells us that there was silence after his confrontation and then the response was what he had hoped and prayed for: they repented. “‘We will give it back,’ they said. ‘And we will not demand anything more from them. We will do as you say’” (v. 12).

The usury was 1 percent a month or 12 percent a year. It was against the Jewish law to charge usury, and Nehemiah needed to address this issue before he could continue building the wall.

At times we will need to put a hold on church programs or new evangelistic outreaches while we deal with a divisive issue. Nehemiah also held them to their commitment to do the right thing. He said, “I also shook out the folds of my robe and said, ‘In this way may God shake out of his house and possessions every man who does not keep this promise. So may such a man be shaken out and emptied.’ The whole assembly said, ‘Amen,’ and praised the Lord” (Nehemiah 5:13). It is important to follow through on whether or not the person is correcting the behavior.

Lead Your People by Example

Nehemiah gained favor with his decision to confront the issue and address the right people while being sensitive to the proper timing. He could have taken advantage of the people (like the previous leaders had); however, he led by example. He could have received many “perks” for the job, but he did not accept them. He said, “I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah . . . neither I nor my brothers ate the food allotted to the governor. But the earlier governors— those preceding me—placed a heavy burden on the people and took forty shekels of silver from them in addition to food and wine” (Nehemiah 5:14-15).

He did not take advantage of the excessive food allowances, benefits, or unusual pay advances. Instead, he thought of the people. His first concern was that they would be cared for and their protection and provisional would be met.

Leaders must set an example of excellence, humility, compassion, commitment, and appropriate confrontation. I believe this is what Paul meant when he said, “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1). Leaders only ask people to go where they have gone.