Implementing The Vision

See the possibilities. Here’s a fellow who sold insurance, and he went after a particularly difficult customer, a man that no one had been able to sell. Eventually he sold him a fifty-thousand-dollar policy. Back in 1883 when this occurred, that was a very large policy. He took out his pen and handed it to the man to sign the contract. When the man tried to write, the pen wouldn’t write. He tried several times without success and finally handed the pen back with the contract and said, "I’d better think this over a little while longer." The man lost the sale.

He went home disappointed and discouraged because he had lost the sale, and he determined right then and there that he would never lose another sale because of a fountain pen that didn’t work. So he sat down and invented his own fountain pen. His name was Louis Waterman, and the Waterman Fountain Pen became the premier writing instrument of America for the next fifty years.

I. Implement Changes One at a Time

Have you ever tried to make changes in your life? If you try to change a dozen things in your life one at a time, you get frustrated.

How do we implement change so that everyone does not frustrated? Focus on one change at a time. In our personal lives, we must focus on one flaw at a time. IN the life of the church, we must focus on one vision change at a time.

Notice Nehemiah’s example. He started with a single project and began with the gates. (Nehemiah 3:1,3,6,13,14,15,28)

II. Implement Changes in Strategic Order

Have you ever tried to work on a project but nothing seems to get done because none of the sub-projects never get completed? We have a tendancy to run from project to project—over here one minutes, over there the next, then back over here, then somewhere else. You can never tell where the project is headed because no one holds the course.

If we look at chapters 3 and 4, we will notice that Nehemiah had a strategic order to the project. He tackles the gates first, the walls second, and the finishing touches last.

How do we know the strategic order?

If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. (James 1:5)

If you have truly found God’s vision, God will also show you that right order to implement the changes that are needed.

III. Work in Visible Places

Why work in visible places? Look at Nehemiah. (Nehemiah 3:1,3,6,13,14,15,28). Nehemiah put his best leaders to work first on the gates.

Why put them on the gates? Because in a city with half-torn-down walls, all the people would come and go through the gates. You could not come and go from the city without seeing the leaders at work. When people saw the others working, they were willing to work as well.

IV. Work Where You Have A Vested Interest

Nehemiah knew that most of the people would have moderate interest in wanting to see the wall around the city rebuild. He also reasoned that each person would be especially interested in seeing certain portions of the wall fixed. SO when he put people to work rebuilding the wall, where did he assign them? He assigned them to the section closest to their house.

Benjamin and Haahub made repairs in front of their house…Azariah made repairs beside his house…the priests made repairs each in front of his own house…Meshukkam made repairs opposite his living quarters. (Nehemiah 3:23-30)

Work where you have a vested interest.

Work in areas that match your interests

Work in areas where you have a passion. I would rather have a worker with second-rate ability but first-rate passion than a worker with first-rate ability and no passion any day of the week.

Work in areas you are already at work. I know that that sounds strange but hear me out. We sometimes assume that if someone succeeds in one area, they can be moved to another area where there is more need. This does not always work. Don’t put square pegs into round holes. A forced fit takes away their God-given edge.

V. Be prepared for Opposition

If anyone in the Old Testament should have encountered no opposition, it was Nehemiah. He was trying to rebuild a wall that will make Jerusalem a safe place for all her inhabitants. His project will also regain a piece of Jerusalem’s lost glory. The rebuilding of the wall would allow the people to once again worship in the temple without fear of their enemies

Nehemiah faced five kinds of opposition:

1) Expect apathy

Some people just will not care about the vision.