People Projects Series

The project is always about the people

But you and I, as humans, can get lost in the project

…lost in the PROFITS

…lost in the politics

…lost in the praise

…and forget about the people

No matter what you're doing… or what you want to do…

PEOPLE will have something to do with it

You might not think of yourself as a leader, but you influence someone

Einstein of delegation

Eliashib the high priest and his fellow priests went to work and rebuilt the Sheep Gate…

Above the Horse Gate, the priests made repairs, each in front of his own house. 29 Next to them, Zadok son of Immer made repairs opposite his house…Next to them, Meshullam son of Berekiah made repairs opposite his living quarters. Nehemiah 3:1,28-30

Genius!

People work best when they care most

Obvious, but easy to miss…

Their homes/families…

If you want to put this scripture into practice, do what Nehemiah did…

Care about people’s PASSIONS

(Engage)

Honor people by knowing what matters to them

So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. Matthew 7:12

Don’t be a user

Be an empowerer

Everyone unique

Not just you… everybody else too

Honor them, motivate them by being aware of their uniqueness and caring about what they care most about

What if you get the job done but break your team’s heart in the process? What if you accomplish the goal but crush everyone in sight? Does your end justify your means? Probably not.

The project has always been about the people. The people sacrifice in the process, but are not crushed.

The people work hard, but they know that the progress is leading to their prosperity.

They know that Nehemiah understands them… what matters to them—their homes, their families… fears… dreams

Ask:

“What’s most important to this person?”

If you can get on board with that, they’ll get on board with you

The project is always about the people

Care about people’s passions… and

Care about people’s PROBLEMS

If you have people problems it might be because you don’t care about the problems of your people.

family members

teenagers

employees

employers

constituents

Nehemiah 5:1-7

About this time some of the men and their wives raised a cry of protest against their fellow Jews. 2 They were saying, “We have such large families. We need more food to survive.”

3 Others said, “We have mortgaged our fields, vineyards, and homes to get food during the famine.”

4 And others said, “We have had to borrow money on our fields and vineyards to pay our taxes. 5 We belong to the same family as those who are wealthy, and our children are just like theirs. Yet we must sell our children into slavery just to get enough money to live…”

Clarify

6 When I heard their complaints, I was very angry. 7 After thinking it over, I spoke out against these nobles and officials. I told them, “You are hurting your own relatives by charging interest when they borrow money!” Then I called a public meeting to deal with the problem.

key: he dealt with the problem of the people

did it take away from his focus on the wall? YES

was it pain the butt? YES

did Nehemiah like drama? NO

would he rather not have been dealing with this? YES

Nehemiah is obviously motivated by love for the people

This is not a political project

He is not making a name for himself

He is helping

He actually cares

He knows this project is about the people

God is interested in more than just the walls going up

Project not just about blocks…

…but a better way

The people need a wall, but they really need a new way of life—a new standard: this is how we live

Practical help leads to spiritual healing

You’ve heard it said:

No one cares what you know until they know how much you care

From a faith perspective:

No one cares what you believe until they’re inspired by how you live

“winning the right to be heard”

when you love people well you don’t have to convince anyone about anything you believe… they will ask you questions

Jaime—helping women transition out of the sex industry

job interview training

safe place to live

counseling, care

Mother Teresa: “I thirst”

Jesus: “When gave… you gave to me”

There is someone in YOUR LIFE that doesn’t need convincing, they don’t need preaching, they just need you to CARE for them.

In Psalm 72, King Solomon says, "God I want you to give me more wealth and more power and more influence." That sounds egotistical and selfish… But Solomon goes on to say what "the king" will do with this influence... "He will rescue the poor when they cry to him; he will help the oppressed, who have no one to defend them… He will redeem them from oppression and violence, for their lives are precious to him."