1. We all have certain things that matter deeply to us. These things stir us, drive us, and often even burden us. Discuss, as a group, the things that you are passionate about.

2. Read Nehemiah 1:1-3. Discuss the news that Nehemiah is presented with in these verses. What is the history that led to the walls being destroyed? Why was the condition of the walls so important in the ancient world?

3. Nehemiah asked a question in order to find out the true condition of the situation. Questions are very powerful; sometimes we don’t get the answers we want to hear, but often we do receive the ones we need to hear. What are some questions you should be asking in your marriage, family, and relationships right now to clearly assess where things truly are?

4. Read Nehemiah 1:4-11. Nehemiah‘s first instinct after hearing the dire details of the situation was to pray. What are some things we usually do instead of going to God first? What are some positive benefits of making prayer our first choice?

5. Let’s talk about the way in which Nehemiah prayed. This is a great blueprint for us to follow. First, in verses five and six, Nehemiah personally connects to the situation in Jerusalem. Why is it important to have our hearts connected to the things that matter most to God? Did Nehemiah have any normal reasons for caring so deeply about the people of God, and the condition of the city? Did it impact him personally? If not, why do you think he cared so deeply, and why was he so passionate? What can we learn from this?

6. Nehemiah also took personal ownership in the situation during his prayer. He admits that he is a part of the problem! He realizes that he is a sinner and does not play the blame game. Whom could Nehemiah have chosen to blame, in order to deflect responsibility? Would there have been some validity to this? Why is it powerful for us to take personal ownership of situations in our lives? In other words, why is it lame to blame?

7. Nehemiah reveals in his prayer that he has made a decision to go to the king. Why would this have been dangerous? What can we learn and apply in our own lives from Nehemiah‘s courage?

8. Read the last sentence of Nehemiah 1:11, once more. Nehemiah was the cupbearer to the king. This meant two things: He was not hugely important, but he did have a very comfortable job and lifestyle. With this information in mind, how do Nehemiah‘s choices become even more inspiring? What can we learn and apply?

1. Discuss, as a group, what impacted you from the weekend teaching. What did you learn, and what will you apply to your life?

2. Read Nehemiah 2:1–3. Nehemiah cannot hide his emotions concerning the situation in Jerusalem. Sometimes, in the name of anti-emotionalism, we can almost demonize the expression of human emotion. However, God made us to be emotional creatures. How can we, like Nehemiah, become more passionate and deeply feel the things that matter greatly to God? What are some modern day examples? What are some things we should be passionate about today?

3. Why was Nehemiah so afraid when the king noticed his sorrow? What does this tell you about the courage and faith of Nehemiah? How can we take greater risks for the glory of God and the good of those around us in our own lives?

4. If Nehemiah had not been brave and made his request to the king, the entire story would be different, and possibly would have never happened. Read Nehemiah 2:4–10. How does the king react? What does this tell you about God and how he works for us when we obey him? What if Nehemiah had never made the request? As a group, discuss the times in your lives when you were afraid of something, and it turned out that you actually had nothing to be afraid of.

5. Read Nehemiah 2:10. Nehemiah, like us, encountered opposition and critics. As a group, discuss times in your lives when you knew you were doing the right thing, but were criticized, second-guessed, and even opposed. How did you get through this? Why were people disturbed about Nehemiah‘s actions?

6. Read Nehemiah 1:11–18. Why was it important for Nehemiah to personally see the situation? What are some areas in your life that need more personal attention? There are some things you simply should not delegate; what are they?

7. In these verses, Nehemiah finally goes public with his mission and vision. Discuss verses 17-18, as a group, and how Nehemiah both clarified the problem and inspired the people to make a difference. Remember, the walls have been sitting in disrepair for 150 years. How does the story of Nehemiah show us the importance of leadership, and taking action? What is an area in your life where you really need to take action?

9. The people react to Nehemiah‘s leadership at the end of verse 18. He had convinced them that it was a good work. They set their hands to it. What is the difference between acknowledging something is good, and actually getting involved in it? Why is understanding the difference crucial?

1. Discuss, as a group, what impacted you from the weekend teaching. What did you learn, and what will you apply to your life?

2. Discuss times you’ve been a part of a team or organization that did much more talking than doing. Was this frustrating? Read Nehemiah 2:18. In the previous chapter, the people of God responded positively to Nehemiah‘s leadership and vision, as they agreed to commit to rebuilding the wall. Why is it important to quickly move from plans and vision to implementation and actually doing the work?

3. Discuss the times you have been a part of a team and why you loved it, or why it did not go well. When a team is working correctly, it is an awesome thing to be a part of. Read Nehemiah 3:1-5. (We are reading a small snippet of chapter 3 because it literally tells you the story of the teamwork that took place under Nehemiah‘s leadership to rebuild the wall in stunning time.)

4. First, everyone got involved, no matter who they were or what they could offer. How can we apply this principle to our own lives, our homes, and our church? People vary greatly in what they can give, as far as resources, talent, and time. But Nehemiah teaches us that everyone can indeed contribute and get involved.

5. Secondly, we see the beauty of organization, proper planning, and sequence in this chapter. Discuss whether organization comes easily for you, or is difficult. Why is planning and organization important, especially when we are dealing with things that matter greatly? The real results of Nehemiah’s organizational leadership and planning will be rebuilding a wall in record time. How have you seen planning and organization have a huge impact in your own life?

6. Would you say that God is organized or disorganized? If we believe that our God uses incredibly beautiful organization, and we can see that in creation, how can we move to honor and represent Him better in our own lives? Read 1 Corinthians 14:33.

7. The New Testament describes the Church as an incredibly powerful and beautiful team. Read 1 Corinthians 12:4-6, 12-19. Much like Nehemiah, underneath God‘s authority, assembled an extremely diverse team to accomplish one huge goal, God assembles churches, full of diverse people with different gifts, to accomplish the mission. How have you personally seen the unification of different gifts and different people accomplish great things in your own life, and/or in our church? Give examples. Why is it important that we all get involved?

8. Nehemiah‘s mission and vision were clear. Rebuild the wall for God‘s glory and the good of the people. Discuss our mission as a local church to lead people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ- locally, regionally, and globally. How has God already been accomplishing this with a big diverse group of people, and how can we better surrender to His plans in the future?

1. Discuss, as a group, what impacted you from the weekend teaching. What did you learn, and what will you apply to your life?

2. Writer and theologian, O.S. Hawkins, in his book, “The Nehemiah Code,” does a brilliant job describing and explaining chapter 4 of Nehemiah, and is the main source for this weekend‘s teaching and lesson. Read Nehemiah 4:1-3. How can we relate to the situation Nehemiah is facing, as the wall is being rebuilt and there is now great opposition and criticism? Have you ever faced anything like this?

3. How do the enemies of Nehemiah make fun of him and his plan? We can say criticism doesn’t hurt, but we are all human, and it does. Discuss, as a group, times that you have been discouraged by criticism, and even blatant slander/belittling. How did you handle it and get through it?

4. Read Nehemiah 1:4. How does Nehemiah respond to criticism in this verse? What can we learn and apply to our lives, from this?

5. O.S. Hawkins uses the brilliant example of a football term known as YAC (yards after the catch) to help us understand this chapter. [There should be at least one football fan in every small group; so, at this time, please have that person explain to the rest of the group what YAC means in football and why it could relate to what Nehemiah is dealing with!] Nehemiah has set forth a plan, and the wall is being built like a wide receiver making a catch. But now they are being hit with opposition that they will have to push through. When have you dealt with the same thing in your life? How will we deal with these things as a church, now and in the future?

6. Read Nehemiah 4:6. The Bible is succinct here, but very telling. How do Nehemiah and the people respond to vicious criticism and discouragement? Read James 1:2-4. How has God used things in your life to help you get stronger and persevere, in the same way He did for the people in Jerusalem during the rebuilding of the wall?

7. Read Nehemiah 4:7–23. In verse 20 Nehemiah makes it clear whom they will depend on, and who will make it all happen. However, they still have to work and be ready to fight. How do we live life understanding that we must do all God has called us to do, and also learn to depend on Him completely? Why is this hard to accomplish, and how can we learn to do better? In the most important areas of your life, how have you learned to trust God and still do the work?

8. As you look at this chapter as a group, discuss the ways in which Nehemiah acted like a professional football quarterback as he faced the problems, made adjustments and rallied his team. How can we apply these lessons to our own lives, and to our own church? What parallels do you see between their story and our own?

1. Discuss, as a group, what impacted you from the weekend teaching. What did you learn, and what will you apply to your life?

2. In chapter 4 we saw Nehemiah dealing with opposition on the outside. But now, in chapter 5, we will see him dealing with it from the inside. When have you seen in your life (work, home, and even church) that disunity can be a killer? Read Nehemiah 5:1-5. Describe the grumbling of the people in these verses. Have you ever seen this kind of behavior in our modern context?

3. Read Nehemiah 1:6–10. Instead of ignoring the disunity of God’s people, Nehemiah hits it head on. Why is it important that we confront things, and in the right way?

4. What could have been the result if Nehemiah had ignored the disunity and not dealt with it quickly? Are there areas of your life where you need to have some honest and graceful confrontation, to avoid a bigger disaster? Discuss as a group.

5. Discuss some areas in your work life, friendships, family, and church where it is crucial that people are honest with one another in a graceful way.

6. Read Psalm 133:1, 1 Peter 3:8, and Philippians 2:4. How do these verses help us understand the importance of unity, and how we are to achieve it and protect it?

7. Read Nehemiah 5:14–19. Nehemiah is officially made the leader and governor. He is given great authority and power. How does he use that power and authority? What kind of ruler is he? It has been said that you can know a person’s character by observing how they treat people who can do nothing for them. What do we observe about Nehemiah‘s treatment of those he is in authority over? What can we learn and apply to our lives from this?

8. In closing, discuss areas of your life where you could be more like Nehemiah in his generosity and selflessness.