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Nehemiah 6

 

[Nehemiah] SIX: Facing intimidation_

Nehemiah 6


Nehemiah had wrestled with God so thoroughly about what he was doing in building the wall that he wasn’t side-tracked by the attempts to call him away from the work…

 

[Discussion starter] How do you react when people try to intimidate you regarding work that you feel confident in doing?

How does your reaction change if you’re less confident about what you’re doing?

 

When someone reacts like Nehemiah, then the intimidator must become more and more threatening. It eventually boils down to who can intimidate the most, or who is the most confident in what God’s will is for the occasion…

 

[Read Nehemiah 6]

 

In this chapter, what are some of the different attempts at intimidation?

 

 

If you had been in Nehemiah’s situation, what would have been your reaction or how might you have reacted differently?

 

 

What kind of ‘divided loyalties’ do you find in the people of this chapter?

 

 

What guiding principles, do we find in this chapter of Nehemiah, with regards to how to cooperate with other religious groups?

 

 

How is the work that God has called you to do a “great work” and worthy of your full attention?
How could you make your vision for this “great work” clearer, so that you will not be easily side-tracked?

 

 

What kind of potential side-tracks do you face?

 

 

How do verses 17-19 show the importance, for Nehemiah, of keeping his objectives clear?

 

 

With this culture’s emphasis on relationships and the desire to not rock the boat, how well do you think we face these problems within our Christian communities?

 

 

How could we face these problems better in the future?

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