Nehemia 2:3 (11/8/23)

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Nehemia 2:3 (11/8/23)

Nehemiah, Entrpreneur

November 8, 2023 • Benham Brothers • Nehemiah 2:2–3

- Nehemiah rebuilt the wall for Jerusalem.

- He was not a “vocational minister.”

- He was a business leader.

- He was a guy who showed us what a kingdom-minded entrepreneur is all about.

- He was burdened by a specific niche of people, saw a problem they had, and did something about it!

- The word “entrepreneur” has an interesting story.

- The phrase “entre” is Latin for “to go between.”

- The phrase “prende” comes from a French word that means “to undertake.”

- An entrepreneur is someone who “goes between” to bring a solution.

- And that’s exactly what an intercessor is - someone who “stands in the gap” (Ezekiel 22:30) on behalf of others to connect them with God.

- Nehemiah was more than simply and entrepreneur.

- He was an entrepreneurial intercessor who “went in between” people and their problem with a solution!

- He bridged the gap for this niche of people and connected them to God in a powerful way.

- I want to list four identity traits of a kingdom entrepreneur followed by three initiatives of a kingdom entrepreneur.

- First, the four identity traits:

1. Prayer - A kingdom entrepreneur is a prayer! They first intercede through prayer. This is the secret sauce of his/her business. They ask God to do something for the people they serve and they listen for His voice showing them the way.

2. Planner - They make plans by thinking through strategies and tactics. Strategies are what by when. Tactics are how by who. They don’t just pray, they plan - and then wait for God to approve that plan and give them the go-ahead.

3. Pursuer - Once God gives them the green-light, they pursue the opportunity like a bat out of Hades. They don’t need anyone else to push them - they jump and run fast.

4. Producer - They make things happen for those they serve. They help people by giving them true value. In return, they receive monetary value that allows them to continue producing value.

On the foundation of the identity of a kingdom entrepreneur, I want to list three initiatives of a kingdom entrepreneur. T

hese three things are what every kingdom entrepreneur should do, and Nehemiah is our example:

1. Invade - Wherever God has burdened our hearts and given us the nudge, we RUN to it! We dive in feet first. We don't put our feet in the water and see what the temperature is like. If we do that we'll be like the spies who refused to take the land. A mindset of "invasion" is one that burns its boats after it lands on the shore. (we did this in REO)

2. Exert - We exert Godly influence in the place we've invaded. We now act as thermostats, not thermometers. We be salt (which enhances) and light (which shines). Neither of those talk, they just do! We don't exert our own authority, but God's. And that's what God's kingdom is all about - His comprehensive rule in every sphere of life.

3. Duplicate - We duplicate more invaders and exerters, who will duplicate themselves as well. This is what we do in response to Christ’s command to “disciple nations.”

Nehemiah 1-2 (8/12/21)

August 12, 2021 • Benham Brothers • Nehemiah 1, Nehemiah 2

Nehemiah 1-2 - Nehemiah, Entrepreneur * Two things I want to accomplish: * Redefine the word “entrepreneur.” * Give you five traits of a kingdom entrepreneur. * Defining the Entrepreneur * Normal definition - An entrepreneur is a “risk-taking go-getter who generates income by meeting the needs of others.” * Marks of an entrepreneur: * They’re fiercely independent (don’t want to work for others). * They are self-starters (highly motivated). * They don’t need to be managed. * They think creatively (w/a bent toward adventure). * They embrace risk, they don’t avoid it. * They see opportunities when others see obstacles. * Defining the Kingdom Entrepreneur * “Entre” means “go between” / “Prende” means “to undertake.” * An entrepreneur goes between people with problems to bring solutions. * An entrepreneur’s identity is that of an intercessor (Ezekiel 22). * Kingdom Entrepreneur - “a risk-taking go-getter who generates income by meeting needs so that he can be a bridge that connects people to God.” * A kingdom entrepreneur: * Knows he’s a minister right where he is. * Is fueled by a sense of mission for God. * Understands that his work is worship. * Sees himself as an intercessor for others. * Example - Jesus from 18-22 years old. * Example - Nehemiah! * He saw a niche of people with a problem and he slides in between with a solution. * He was not a “vocational minister.” He was a government leader who knew how to run a business. * Notice these five traits of Nehemiah: * 1) He was a PRAYER (vs 1:1-4). * 2) He was a PURSUER (vs 2:1-5). * 3) He was a PLANNER (vs 2:11-13). * 4) He was a PRODUCER (vs 2:17-18). * Vs 19 - Enemies showed up once he started producing. * The next several chaps has them building and battling (sword and trowel)! * 5) He was a PURIFIER (chap 13 - the final chap - is all about purification). * He used his platform to purify the nation. * It wasn’t enough for them to have a wall - they needed the presence of God, and this couldn’t happen apart from purity. * He kicked Tobiah, the Ammonite, out of the Temple (he was given a room by a corrupt priest) - Nehemiah 13:1-9. * He re-allocated finances so the Levites could come back and serve in the Temple (they hadn’t been paid so they had to leave and work) - Nehemiah 13:10-13. * He reinstituted the Sabbath and setup protocols so people wouldn’t break it - Nehemiah 13:15-22. * He dealt with their impure marriages to foreign women (he physically assaulted these guys) - Nehemiah 13:23-31. *

Nehemiah 1:3-4 (7/16/17)

July 16, 2017 • Benham Brothers

•Review 5 core human needs - Security, Identity, Belonging, Purpose, Competence. •Testimony of Competence - God told us to do something we didn’t know we were good at. •We trusted God (Security) and then discovered: We're Ministers (Identity), We're on Mission (Purpose), Our work is worship (Competence). •DEFINITIONS: •Worship - our attempt to make God smile (Trae doing lawn). •Our primary way to worship God is through our WORK. •Work - “anything you gotta do” (Ecclesiastes 9:10 - competence). •3 truths about making your work worship to God (3 R's): •1) The Requirement of work is faithfulness. •* Our MOTIVE is to make God smile. •Nehemiah 1:3-4 - his work was born out of his worship. •What, Where, When no longer matter. Why, How, and Who is what fuels you. •Action precedes motivation - just start acting like your work is worship and it will become. •* Our ATTITUDE is surrender. •John Quincy Adams - "Duty is mine. Results are God's." •Acts 20:22 - Replace yourself in this verse: •“And now I am on my way to mow that lawn, even though I’m broke and have mouths to feed.” •“And now I’m going to tell the truth, not knowing if it’s going to cost my job.” •“And now I’m going to teach my kids homeschool, not knowing if they’ll ever learn to read!” •STORY - Tori teaching homeschool. •** When your work is worship you’re blessed with ENERGY to continue doing it. If it's not then you are cursed with LETHARGY! •2) The Result of work is rest. •In the OT work and rest were separate (Sabbath). •In the NT work and rest go hand-in-hand (Jesus is our Sabbath, now honor the Sabbath). •Matthew 11:28-30 - When you enter God’s work you enter God’s rest. •STORY - Apologizing to kids / Flight back from Dallas. •3) The Result of work is that God gets glory. •John 17:4 - I have brought you glory by finishing the work….. •What does it mean to bring God glory? •Matthew 5:16 - Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good “works”……. •** KEY ** - Our work isn't complete until we've given God credit for the job we did. •The moon shines only because it properly reflects the light of the sun. •CLOSE - when your work is worship: •Nehemiah 2:7-9 - AUTHORITY & ASSETS of the king. •When we make our work worship God gives us His authority & assets to do the job. •Nehemiah wasn't a builder or governor - he was a cupbearer. •If the walls are broken down, we have the authority to rebuild them. •What is broken down in your own realm? •1) Personal life - spirit, soul, body. •2) Family - spouse, kids, extended family. •3) Community - church body, workplace, neighborhood, gym. •4) City & Nation.

Nehemiah 1:3-4 (7/16/15)

July 16, 2015 • Benham Brothers

When Nehemiah heard there was a problem how did he respond first? 1) Fasted - he denied himself something in the physical to gain something in the spiritual. 2) Prayed - he recognized God's sovereignty and gave the problem to the Lord. America has spiritual problems that are manifesting themselves physically. We need to start by doing the same thing Nehemiah did - Fast & Pray. This will lead you to do what Nehemiah did in Neh 13.