Sermon Illustrations on Shepherd

To Get Out Front, Get Behind

1 Peter 5:1

Sermon in 1 Peter series. Leadership. 1 Peter 5:1-4

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TO GET OUT FRONT, GET BEHIND

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I. What kind of boss do you have?

A. Annual "Worst boss" contest.

B. What does it take to be a boss?

II. God's view of leadership.

A. Not limited to church.

B. Image - shepherd.

C. Experience. (elders)

III. Marks of a Christian leader. 5:2

A. Attitude.

B. Motivation.

C. Method.

IV. Reward of a leader.

A. Jesus is ultimate example of a Shepherd.

B. At second coming, unfading crown of glory.

Believer's Apprentice

John 13:15

The important role of spiritual mentors.

I. Spiritual guides are helpful.

A. Example of friend pointing out birds.

B. Has a long history among believers.

1) Jesus and 12 disciples.

2) Outsiders sought out Jesus for his wisdom.

3) Paul and Timothy.

4) Examples in church history.

C. Descriptive terms.

1) Spiritual director.

2) Spiritual friend / companion.

3) Guide.

II. Few have a spiritual friend.

A. Seventy percent of Americans have many acquaintances but few

close friends.

1) Mobility of society? Culture of entertainment?

2) More likely: exposing our inner selves frightens us.

a) Cuts against "rugged individualism."

b) Undercuts our direct dependence on God.

1> We distrust human spiritual authority.

B. Opening up to others can lead to growth.

1) We are isolated because of fear or pride.

III. The benefits of a spiritual mentor.

A. We can expect to find immense support simply from another's

presence.

B. A guide can help us make sense of everyday life.

C. They help us ground our spiritual life in something more solid

than our own feelings.

1) They can point out our spiritual blind spots.

2) They can remind us of our priorities.

3) When depressed, they can remind us we are cherished by God.

IV. What to look for in a spiritual friend.

A. Someone who will listen, and encourage honest sharing.

B. Someone who will create a climate of encouragement.

1) Unjudging and unshakable.

C. They focus us on Christ and Christlikeness.

1) Focus is not on personality, but on coming to know God better.

V. Sources of spiritual mentors.

A. Daily contacts.

B. House-churches and home Bible studies.

VI. Mentors can lead to significant spiritual growth for us.

A. We learn by the example of others.

B. We gain new insight or courage.

Five Habits of Highly Effective Leaders

Mark 1:38

Leaders who make a difference in the lives of others have some things in common:

1. Effective leaders tolerate diversity.

2. Effective leaders develop people.

3. Effective leaders make decisions.

4. Effective leaders welcome feedback.

5. Effective leaders care about people.

Stampede!

Ephesians 4:11

Subject: Equipping; Feeding; Frustration; Shepherding

Reference: Ephesians 4:11-16

Illustration: The Australian press is reporting that Bangkok officials will get tough on elephants begging on city streets. This after a hungry pachyderm ran amok for three hours in the main shopping district.

The plan is to round up elephants brought to the city by their owners to beg for money. "It's pitiful to see the animals displaced and misused," a senior officer of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, said yesterday, referring to the effects of a poor economy on both animals and handlers.

On Monday night, a three-and-a-half-metric-ton elephant, underfed by its owner and unnerved by the traffic, tossed its handler and stampeded near the World Trade Center.

["Bangkok officials to get tough on begging elephants," AAP; February 18, 2000]

Application: Bangkok sounds more like a Baptist business meeting than a large metropolitan community.

All too often, church people with too much heat and ignorance and far too little heart or knowledge run amok like the elephants of Thailand.

However, there's much to suggest these people and those elephants have at least two things in common: anger at not being fed and frustration at being abused by their handlers.

What with the continuing failure of spiritual leaders, such as recent disclosures suggest concerning Randal Terry, and the continuing watering down of the gospel by many . we ought not be surprised when there is some stampeding by our people.

Source/Attribution: © Sermon-Illustrations-Each-Week 2000

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I'm Not A Shepherd

A tourist bus was driving through sheep country in Palestine and the guide was telling tourists how shepherds lead their sheep and they trustingly follow. Soon came upon a man behind a flock of sheep yelling, throwing stones, screaming, cursing at the sheep. The bus stopped and the guide confronted the man -- "What are you doing? I've been telling these tourists that shepherds lead their sheep, not driving them like you are!" The man looked at the guide with contempt and said, "Shepherd! I'm not a shepherd, I'm a BUTCHER!"

RM-Bible (4/6/99)

The Gentle Shepherd

The Shepherd loved His little lamb,

And gave it His tender care...

And followed it with His loving eyes

As it wandered here and there.

And as He sat by His grazing flock

Who so meekly His voice obeyed,

He pondered sadly His little lamb

As again and again it strayed.

The little lamb had a loving heart,

And adored His Shepherd, true,

But would turn aside and seek his own way

As lambs will so often do.

With His gentle voice the Shepherd called,

To His loved and straying lamb,

"Come back, little one, for you are not safe

Unless you are where I am."

But still the lamb would soon forget

And unthinkingly wander away,

And not really noticing what he did,

From the Shepherd's side would stray.

Until one day, the Shepherd kind

Took His rod in His gentle hand,

And what He then did seemed so cruel

That the lamb could not understand.

For with one sharp and well-aimed blow

Down the rod so swiftly came

That it broke the leg of the little lamb

And left it crippled, and lame.

Then the little lamb, with a cry of pain,

Fell down upon his knees...

And looked up at his Shepherd, as though to say,

"Won't you explain this, please?"

Then he saw the love in the Shepherd's eyes

As the tears ran down His face,

As He tenderly set the broken bone,

And bound it back in it's place.

Now he was utterly helpless,

He could not even stand!

He must trust himself completely

To his Shepherd's loving hand.

Then day by day, 'till the lamb was healed

From the flock he was kept apart...

And carried about in the Shepherd's arms,

And cradled near to His heart

And the Shepherd would whisper gentle words

Into his now listening ear...

Thus he heard sweet words of love

That the other sheep could not hear.

He felt the warmth of the Shepherd's arms

And the beat of His faithful heart...

Until it came a blessing to seem,

By his weakness to be set apart.

Every need of the little lamb

By his Shepherd so fully was met

That through his brokenness he learned

What he never again would forget.

And as the broken bone was healed,

And once more became whole and strong...

Wherever the Shepherd's path would lead,

The lamb would follow along.

Thus at the Shepherd's side he walked

So closely, day by day,

For once a lamb has a broken leg

It will never again go astray.

For the cords of love had bound it so

In its hour of weakness and need...

That it had no desire to wander away,

When once again it was freed.

Could it be you are broken today,

And you cannot understand

The painful blow of the Shepherd's rod

Nor believe it came from His hand?

He only seeks, by this painful thing,

For a time to call you apart...

To cradle you close in His loving arms,

And draw you near to His heart.

So look up into your Shepherd's eyes,

And earnestly seek His face...

And prove in the hour of your weakness and need

The sufficiency of His love and grace.

For as you are borne in His loving arms,

And carried there, day by day...

He will bind you so close with the cords of love

That never again will you stray!

- author unknown -

Christ, the Door

John 10:1

For a good many years we have wondered why Christ mixed His figures in His parable of the Good Shepherd. At one place He calls Himself the Shepherd and at another the Door.

A recent book explains it beautifully. It says: “A traveler in Palestine once had a conversation with a shepherd at work near a sheepfold, who showed him the various features of the fold. Thereupon the traveler remarked: 'You say, here is the sheepfold, there are the sheep, and this is the doorway; but where is the door? 'The door?’ asked the shepherd. 'I am the door. I lie across the entrance at night. No sheep can pass out, no wolf can come in, except over my body.'“

Beautiful, is it not? Christ did not mix His figures after all. He is both the Shepherd and the Door.

-- Council Fires

A Wrong Quote, A Good Statement

Psalms 23

In his beautiful book, I Shall Not Want, Robert Ketchum tells of a Sunday school teacher who asked her group of children if any of them could quote the entire twenty-third psalm. A golden-haired, 4 1/2-year-old girl was among those who raised their hands.

A bit skeptical, the teacher asked if she could really quote the entire psalm. The little girl came to the rostrum, faced the class, made a perky little bow, and said: “The Lord is my shepherd, that's all I want.” She then bowed again and sat down.

She may have overlooked a few verses, but that little girl captured David's heart in Psalms 23.

Rescuing Dumb Sheep [3 versions]

Luke 15:4

A friend once told D. L. Moody just how the sheep in the Highlands of Scotland are rescued when they wander off and become stranded on a rocky crag. He said, “The vegetation on those mountains is so sweet that the sheep will jump down 10 or 12 feet to get it. Soon their bleating can be heard as they try unsuccessfully to return to higher ground. The shepherd does not rush to the rescue, but leaves them where they are until there's no more grass to be eaten. After several days they become so faint they can't stand up. At that point the herdsman will lower himself to the dangerous ledge below and bring them to the fold.”

Mr. Moody asked, “Why doesn't he go down as soon as the sheep get into trouble?”

“Ah,” said his friend, “if he did, those animals are so stupid they would dash right over the edge of the cliff and be killed!”

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Another version:

D. L. Moody used to share the following story:

Dr. Andrew Bonar told me how, in the Highlands of Scotland, a sheep would often wander off into the rocks and get into places that they couldn't get out of. The grass on these mountains is very sweet and the sheep like it, and they will jump down ten or twelve feet, and then they can't jump back again and the shepherd hears them bleating in distress. They may be there for days, until they have eaten all the grass. The shepherd will wait until they are so faint that they cannot stand, and then they will put a rope around him, and he will go over and pull that sheep up out of the jaws of death.

“Why don't they go down there when the sheep first gets there?" I asked.

“Ah!” he said, “they are so very foolish they would dash right over the precipice and be killed if they did.”

Moody concludes his story by saying: “And this is the way with men; they won't go back to God till they have no friends and have lost everything.”

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Moody’s Anecdotes, pp. 70–71 in “Blessed Promises From the Good Shepherd” by Paul Fritz on www.sermoncentral.com

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Another version by Rick Ezell, from PreachingNow newsletter:

In his ONE-MINUTE UPLIFT email newsletter, Rick Ezell writes, “In the highlands of Scotland sheep often wander off into the rocks and get into places that they can't get out of. The grass on these mountains tastes very sweet, and the sheep like it. They will jump down ten or twelve feet to a ledge with a patch of grass, and then they can't jump back up again. The shepherd hears them bleating in distress. The shepherd may leave them there for days, until they have eaten all the grass and are so faint that they cannot stand. Only then will the shepherd put a rope around the sheep and pull them up out of the jaws of death.

“Why doesn't the shepherd attempt a rescue when the sheep first get into the predicament? The sheep are so foolish and so focused on eating that they would dash away from the shepherd, go over the precipice and destroy themselves.

“Such is the case with us. Sometimes we need to experience a little bit of death before we can enjoy the abundance of life. The Lord will rescue us the moment we have given up trying, realizing that we can't liberate ourselves, and cry to him for help.”

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A Stranger Will They Not Follow

A gentleman traveling in Syria, relates how he stopped to watch three shepherds who were at a well watering their flocks. The three flocks were all mingled together at the watering place. The traveler could see no difference between them, and he wondered how they would get them separated again without great trouble. But presently one of the shepherds stood forth and called out, "Menah," the Arabic for "Follow me," and sure enough thirty sheep immediately separated themselves from the indiscriminate mass and began to follow the shepherd up the hill. Then, a second shepherd lifted the cry, "Menah," and a second flock separated themselves and started after him, while the rest of the sheep remained as unconcerned as if no one had spoken at all.

The traveler was so astonished that as he saw the third shepherd preparing to depart, laying his hand to his crook and beginning to gather a few dates fallen from a palm beneath which he had been resting, he stepped up to him and asked: "Would your sheep follow me if I called them?" The man shook his head. "Give me your shepherd's cloak and crook and let me try." the traveler said He even wound the shepherds turban round his head and standing forth began to cry, "Menah, Menah!" but no sheep stirred. They only blinked at him lazily in the sunshine. "Do they never follow any one but you?" asked the traveler. Only when a sheep is sick; then the silly creature follows any one, " the shepherd said. --Topical Illustrations

Shepherd, Or Butcher, Which?

This interesting little story we pass on to our readers: A party of

tourists was on its way to Palestine and its guide was describing some

of the quaint customs of the East. "Now," said he, "you are accustomed

to seeing the shepherd following his sheep through the English lanes

and byways. Out in the East, however, things are different, for the

shepherd always leads the way, going on before the flock. And the

sheep follow him, for they know his voice." The party reached

Palestine, and, to the amusement of the tourists, almost the first

sight to meet their eyes was that of a flock of sheep being driven

along by a man. The guide was astonished and immediately made it his

business to accost the shepherd. "How is it that you are driving these

sheep?" he asked. "I have always been told that the Eastern shepherd

leads his sheep." "You are quite right, sir," replied

the man. "The shepherd does lead his sheep. But you see, I'm not the

shepherd, I'm the butcher." --Church Of God Evangel

The Mark of A True Leader

Abbott, the historian, tells us that one characteristic of Napoleon

was that he never commanded the meanest soldier in his ranks to go

where he himself was not willing to lead him. On one occasion, he

ordered his army to cross a river; but seeing them hesitate to obey,

up rode the emperor and spurring forward his horse cried: "Soldiers

follow your general!" He was the first to plunge into the river and

the first to reach the other side. Needless to say, his army to a man

followed him cheering as with one voice their plucky leader. So, when

Christ, the Good Shepherd, "putteth forth his own sheep he goeth

before them and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice and a

stranger will they not follow but will flee from him: for they know

not the voice of strangers." The same is true of any real leader--he

goes before. --Junior

Five-Fingered Sheep

John 10:11

Because we've spent so much time on Indian reservations the last few years, the story of one little Native American boy is especially meaningful to me. He lived with his Mom in a little hut on a reservation in the Southwest. His Dad had died, and that meant the boy had to take responsibility for their sheep at a pretty young age. One day, this missionary passed through their village and explained to the little boy how Jesus Christ died for him and wanted to be his Shepherd. And that day this little shepherd invited Jesus into his heart.

As the missionary was about to leave, he asked the boy is he could teach him a Bible verse. The boy said, "I don't think I can remember it." But the missionary gave him just five simple words from the Bible to remember: "The Lord is my Shepherd." But the missionary taught him a little trick for remembering it. He said, "Use the fingers of your right hand to help you remember 'The - Lord - is - my - Shepherd.' And when you get to the fourth word, wrap your left hand around the fourth finger of your right hand. 'The Lord is MY Shepherd.'" Well, the boy remembered it - really remembered it - as the missionary would learn when he returned one year later.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft, and I want to have A Word With You about "Five-Fingered Sheep."

When the missionary revisited that village, he stopped by the hut where the little shepherd boy lived with his mother. He knocked on the door and the mother answered. When the missionary asked for her son, she said, "Oh, you didn't hear? Last winter a sudden blizzard hit us while my boy was out in the hills with the sheep. He didn't make it back. It was three days before they found him frozen to death."

The missionary couldn't muster any words except a quiet, "I'm sorry." Then Mom told him, "You know, when they found my boy and brushed all the snow off his body, they discovered something very unusual. His left hand was wrapped around the fourth finger of his right hand."

"The Lord is MY Shepherd." Is He yours? It's possible that you know about Jesus, that you believe in Jesus, that you go to His meetings, maybe you even do things for Jesus. But somehow, you've never made Him yours. You've never made the Shepherd your Shepherd. You've never made the Savior your Savior.

The difference is two little words found in our word for today from the Word of God from Galatians 2:20. "I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me." You stand at that cross that you may have known about all your life. You look up at the price the Son of God is paying there. And you say with your heart, "For ME. He's dying there for ME. It's my sin He's paying for on that cross." And then you say, again with all your heart, "Jesus, I'm Yours."

If you don't know you've done that, you probably haven't. And you need to. Having Jesus in your head will never get you to heaven. He has to be in your heart. This can be your day to finally move Him from your head to your heart - so you don't miss heaven by those 18 inches.

Right now, talk to Jesus - maybe in words something like this: "Lord, I've run my own life. I resign. I believe that when You died on that cross, You were paying for every one of my sins. And now I'm giving You what You paid for with your life - I'm giving You me." If you're ready to make Jesus your Shepherd, your Savior, I want to send you some encouragement. It's the booklet I wrote about beginning this relationship called "Yours for Life." I'll send it to you if you'll contact me and let me know you want it.

Can you say it now? "The Lord is MY Shepherd."

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The 23rd Psalm

The Lord is my Shepherd - THAT'S RELATIONSHIP!

I shall not want - THAT'S SUPPLY!

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures - THAT'S REST!

He leadeth me beside still waters - THAT'S REFRESHMENT!

He restoreth my soul - THAT'S HEALING!

He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness - THAT'S GUIDANCE!

For His name sake - THAT'S PURPOSE!

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death - THAT'S TESTING!

I will fear no evil - THAT'S PROTECTION!

For thou art with me - THAT'S FAITHFULNESS!

Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me - THAT'S DISCIPLINE!

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies - THAT'S HOPE!

Thou anointest my head with oil - THAT'S CONSECRATION!

My cup runneth over - THAT'S ABUNDANCE!

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life - THAT'S BLESSING!

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord - THAT'S SECURITY!

Forever - THAT'S ETERNITY!

AMEN

Simplifying Your Journey

John 10:3

During a recent summer with our "On Eagles' Wings" Native American outreach team, we had some 5,000 miles to cover in about five weeks. In order to make it to all the reservations to which we had accepted invitations, we really needed a comfortable bus. And God wonderfully provided that through some brothers in Christ. Now, our bus driver, Josh, really knew his way across the West, and my wife Karen really didn't. It was often her job to drive another vehicle that we needed. That meant traveling many unfamiliar miles - but she found a way to simplify the process. She just kept her eyes on that bus. If Josh turned, she turned. If Josh stopped, she stopped. She made sure she could even recognize the lights of his bus in case they got separated. Karen said this trip that could have been so difficult and confusing was actually pretty relaxed and simple. She didn't try to figure out the route for herself. She had a great trip because one thing governed all her choices - following the man who knew the way.

Well, I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A WORD WITH YOU today about "Simplifying Your Journey."

Now, our word for today from the Word of God comes from John 10, verses 3 and 4. "The sheep listen to (the shepherd's) voice. He calls His own sheep by name and He leads them out. When He has brought out all His own, He goes ahead of them." That one verse has been an anchor for Karen and me over and over as we have moved into unfamiliar or difficult territory in our life. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, is leading us this direction, and He's traveling this road ahead of us. And He knows where we're going. And He knows where He's going.

And what do smart sheep do? Try to figure out where they're going to find some good pasture ... or try to figure out which road is safe and which one is dangerous ... or move in the direction that looks best to them? Nope. They do what my wife did traveling in that unfamiliar territory out West. They quit trying to figure it out for themselves and follow the One who knows every mile of the road! In John 10:27, Jesus says, "My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me."

Maybe you've been trying to fix things ... control things ... manipulate things. What a great way to get lost and confused - and to miss your destination. Jesus' most fundamental command is simply, "Follow Me." Are you? That's more than going to His meetings or believing His beliefs ... or doing His work ... keeping His rules. We're talking about how you determine which way you're going to go in the decisions that really matter in your life.

You might say, "Well, following a bus is one thing, but how do I follow Jesus? How do I know which way He's going?" Good question. Good answer in Psalm 119:105. "Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path." He shows you what step to take next as you begin each day with His Book, the Bible, asking, "Lord, what's Your word for me today?"

His answer may be to show you verses that focus on one specific part of you and your life. Whatever that verse lights up, you make it your conscious assignment for that day to do that part of you Jesus' way. You apply that verse to something you will face today. Through the accumulation of those daily obediences, God will lead you on the path to His larger will. The right you will make the right choices.

The Spirit of God uses the applied Word of God to lead the child of God to the will of God. So your job is much the same as my wife's was on her journey into new territory - find out where your Leader is going and just get behind Him and go there. Speed up when He speeds up. Stop when He stops. Turn when He turns.

You wouldn't believe the freedom and the relief it is to realize you don't have to figure all this out any more. Following Jesus sure simplifies your journey - and guarantees you'll reach your destination.

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A Preacher Who Works For Free

As always, CBS News Correspondent Steve Hartman used the random toss of a dart to dictate the latest destination in his journey to prove that "Everybody Has a Story." This time, he traveled south to Charlotte, North Carolina, where he met a man who's living proof that money can't buy happiness. Sixty-nine year-old Joe Denson is a good-humored, Baptist preacher.

"I'm conservative in lifestyle. I'm conservative financially. And I'm conservative in Christianity," says Denson.

He got his calling in 10th grade. "I didn't want to do anything else, never have," he adds. Denson graduated from Wake Forest with a degree in religion, got married to his wife, Edith, and together moved into the modest home where they now live happily.

A generous fellow, he wasted no time in offering one of his patented mayonnaise, margarine, banana, cinnamon sandwiches. "I hope I have more converts to the Lord than I do to the sandwich," he said to Hartman who reached for the sandwich.

For 25 years, Denson has been pastor at the Southview Baptist Church. In most ways, it's like any other church. But there is one aspect of his ministry that sets Denson apart from just about every other Baptist preacher in the state of North Carolina.

"I stopped drawing my salary," he admits.

Denson made the decision last year when his shrinking church, with it's aging congregation, found itself going broke. Ironically, he had thought he was going to retire last year. "Gotta get that furnace fixed," he said.

But he opted for the ultimate pay cut instead.

"My biggest problem right now is leaving these people without a shepherd. It'll just break me up," he said.

Over the years, he has married their children and buried their spouses. He has visited them in the hospital, once at two in the morning when a frightened Francis Nobles just needed someone to talk to. "And it's like family. When something happens to them, I feel it," he said.

And because he has grown so close, Denson says he's been worrying night and day, trying to find a young pastor willing to replace him. Although he makes no salary, he is confident that someday, on his last day, he will be a very rich man.

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8 Ways To Encourage Your Pastor

John 10:11

Sometimes pastors are the loneliest people in the church. Often their hours are long, the pay minimal, the criticism considerable and constant. Feelings of disappointment, discouragement, and defeat may begin to plague the best of them.

Paul's admonition to "serve one another in love" (Gal. 5:13) should encourage us to remember our shepherds. Here are eight ways to make their lives better.

1. CUT THE CRITICISM

Presbyterian minister Fred Rogers, creator and host of television's "Mr. Roger's Neighborhood," recently gave an address describing the time he was a student at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and attended a different church each Sunday in order to hear a variety of preachers.

One Sunday he was treated to "the most poorly crafted sermon (he) had ever heard." But when he turned to the friend who had accompanied him, he found her in tears.

"It was exactly what I needed to hear," she told Rogers.

"That's when I realized," he told his audience, "that the space between someone doing the best he or she can and someone in need is holy ground. The Holy Spirit had transformed that feeble sermon for her-and as it turned out, for me too."

Unlike most workers who are evaluated once or twice a year, clergy are often critiqued weekly after each worship service. It's not unusual to hear people say "the music was poor," "the hymn selection was awful," or "the sermon was boring." We would do well to remember that most spiritual leaders work hard to make worship a unique celebration each week.

2. PRAY REGULARLY

Ask God to shower your pastor with an abundance of love, hope, joy, faith, peace, power, wisdom, and courage. Pray for your spiritual leader's maturity and growth in the faith. As you pray keep in mind this wisdom from German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe: "If you treat a person as he is, he will stay as he is; but if you treat him as if he were what he ought to be, he will become what he ought to be and could be."

3. EXPRESS APPRECIATION IN WRITING

A spoken compliment is always welcome, but a written one can be read over and over again for years. So, when you hear or see something you like from your minister, write an appreciative note.

4. USE YOUR SKILLS TO BLESS

Are you proficient with computers? Help your pastor master the church's new computer. Are you a mechanic? Offer to service the car free of charge or at a reduced fee.

One pastor I know recalls: "I was pastoring my first church-a small congregation with limited resources. While there, I developed a series of dental problems and could not afford treatment. What a joy it was when a dentist in the church offered to treat me for free. Correcting my dental problem involved nearly a dozen visits. He treated me carefully and cheerfully each time. I have thought of that dentist many times since then and the memories of his kindness continue to bless my life."

5. SQUELCH GOSSIP

If you hear a negative comment, respond with a positive one. If misinformation is being spread, correct it with the accurate information. Or, if people are gossiping, just walk away. Remember the Bible soundly condemns gossip and careless speech. James 1:26 says, "If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless." And Psalm 34:13 reads, "Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies."

6. OFFER TO MEET A NEED

Some people make their spiritual leaders defensive and angry by saying, "You need to ..." That approach is seldom welcome and almost always counterproductive. If you see a need, approach your spiritual leader by saying, "I'd like to help by ..." If you see an area that can be improved, take responsibility for working on it.

Be an active participant in your church. Get involved by teaching a class, leading a workshop, singing in the choir, feeding the hungry. Ask your spiritual leader where and how you can employ your gifts.

7. BE OPENLY RESPONSIVE

Nothing so animates and excites a spiritual leader as seeing people respond to the preaching and teaching. Imagine the surprise and delight of a pastor in Virginia Beach, Virginia, who, when greeting a visitor to his church, found she came because of the kindness of a church member who was her neighbor.

"I'm recently divorced, a single parent and new to this community," she told the pastor. "To keep up with rent and provide for my three children, I must work two jobs. That leaves me very little time for yard work. I was relieved when the weeds didn't overrun my yard as I had feared they might. However, when I made an unscheduled trip home in the middle of my workday, I discovered the reason why the weeds had not taken over my yard.

"My 86-year-old neighbor - a member of your church - was on his hands and knees pulling my weeds. I barely knew this man and he was embarrassed to be caught in this anonymous act of kindness. He explained that he heard you preach a sermon on the importance of living a life of compassion and kindness and decided to put that sermon into practice by weeding my lawn."

One pastor's heart filled with joy when a group of women in Washington, D.C., responded to a sermon preached from the words of Jesus - "Do not judge, or you too will be judged" (Matt. 7:1). After hearing the sermon, the women decided to give a baby shower for the young woman who provided childcare while they met for Bible study. She was unmarried, close to going on welfare, and without support from her family or the father-to-be. The young woman was moved to tears by the surprise baby shower.

Later, the women explained to the pastor, "Your sermon taught us that it's possible to reach out to someone in need-in this case, an unwed mother-without judging or condoning the situation."

8. THROW AWAY THE MEASURING STICK

Don't expect that your present spiritual leaders will do things the same way their predecessors did. Lay aside personal agendas and preferences. Instead, focus on how your leader is being used by God to do effective ministry now. By serving your shepherds, you will ensure that they will not only be encouraged but will feel appreciated and continue to minister with enthusiasm and energy.

God's Shepherd -- A Christmas Story

Luke 2:8

The frost of forty winters had etched deep lines into the shepherd's face. Having spent his entire life outdoors on Bethlehem's hills, he was old at forty -- and cold. The hillside where he sat this day was cold, too, and he pulled his mantle close about him to block the wind.

Every so often he would shift position, not out of discomfort so much, but from a sense of unease, anxiety, crowdedness. Instead of hundreds of sheep with whom he felt quite at home, this hillside was flocked with people -- thousands of them -- listening attentively to the Teacher. They could hear him fairly well, except when the wind whisked away his words.

Tobias ben David (pronounced da-VEED) was the shepherd's name, though people called him Toby. His flocks were in good hands this week, cared for by his grown sons, but Toby had left them to listen to Jesus of Nazareth. Today the Teacher was talking about salvation, how God came to save his people from their waywardness and sins, to rescue them and gather them close.

Now Jesus' illustration turned to sheep. Toby felt better. He knew a lot more about sheep than people.

“The good shepherd,” Jesus was saying, “lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand who doesn't own the flock runs away when he sees the wolf coming, but not the good shepherd....” One night, years ago, the men Toby had hired to watch the flock with him fled when they saw a mountain lion roaming the hills. But Toby had stayed. Shepherding was his livelihood. He knew the sacrifices that good shepherding required. He knew about defending defenseless lambs. He knew about putting his life on the line for the sheep. That's what good shepherds did.

Jesus continued, “Suppose you have 100 sheep and when night comes one is missing. What do you do? You leave the 99 sheep all safe together and then climb the hills, looking, searching until you find the lost sheep. Then you pick him up, put him on your shoulders, bring him down the hill to the camp, and ask your fellow shepherds to rejoice with you.”

“Your heavenly Father is like that,” Jesus said. “When you have lost your way, he will rescue you and save you and never give up on you until he finds you -- and you find him.”

Toby's heart was racing. He felt a lump in his throat. He understood. Toby had combed the hills for lost sheep, not stopping, not quitting. He knew the joy of discovery, of rescuing the sheep from a thicket, of bringing it back and celebrating with his friends. He had been that kind of shepherd.

But he also knew how it felt to wander off, feeling lost, aimless, trapped. Clueless about where he was and where he was going. Flailing about, struggling to climb out of what seemed like a steep ravine. That's why he came today to hear the Teacher, hoping to regain the faith he had felt as a child, a ten-year-old child.

His mind spun back to the evening of his tenth birthday. Like nearly every night, he was out on the hills with his dad or his uncles, caring for the sheep. The stars were brilliant, dancing in the black sky. But suddenly an overpowering bright light flooded the hillside. A voice boomed out, “Behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which shall be for all the people. For to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord!”

A savior, a rescuer -- shepherds' work. He had often wondered about the boy-child they discovered that night, lying in a manger, just as the angel had said. Toby had knelt down and worshipped the baby who bore the world's destiny upon his tiny shoulders. What had become of him, this baby? By now he must be thirty-something. Had this savior saved anyone yet? Rescued anyone? Could he rescue me from my aimless existence? Toby wondered.

Just then the wind caught Jesus' words and blew them Toby's direction. “I am the Good Shepherd,” Jesus was saying, “who lays down his life for the sheep. Come to me, all you who are weary and heavy-laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,” he said with warmth and joy full on his face, “for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

I wonder? thought Toby as he felt big tears begin to roll down his cheeks and into his beard. I wonder? thought Toby as joy and the certainty of God's love began to fill his heart until it seemed like he would explode. I wonder? thought Toby, if this Jesus is the little baby I saw that night, the Savior of the world? Yes, thought Toby, he must be. His words found me and, frankly, he sounds just like he's ... God's shepherd.

_________

*

The Good Shepherd

John 10:11

”The Lord is my shepherd; I have everything I need. He lets me rest in green pastures. He leads me to calm water. He gives me new strength. He leads me on paths that are right for the good of his name.” — Psalm 23:1-3

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives his life for the sheep. … I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep, as the Father knows me. And my sheep know me, as I know the Father. I give my life for the sheep.” — John 10:11,14

“God raised from the dead our Lord Jesus, the Great Shepherd of the sheep, because of the blood of his death. His blood began the eternal agreement that God made with his people.” — Hebrews 13:20-21

Sheep aren’t smart. They tend to wander into running creeks for water, then their wool grows heavy and they drown. They need a shepherd to lead them to “calm water” (Ps. 23:2). They have no natural defense — no claws, no horns, no fangs. They are helpless. Sheep need a shepherd with a “rod and . … walking stick” (Ps. 23:4) to protect them. They have no sense of direction. They need someone to lead them “on paths that are right” (Ps. 23:3).

So do we. We, too, tend to be swept away by waters we should have avoided. We have no defense against the evil lion who prowls about seeking who he might devour. We, too, get lost.

We need a shepherd. We need a shepherd to care for us and to guide us. And we have one. One who knows us by name.

Father, thank you for giving us a Shepherd to guide us, to feed us, to anoint us. A Shepherd who loves us and cares for us. Help us not to go astray but to follow him.

The Ever-blest Incomparable 23rd Psalm

John 10:11

While the Bible is chock-full of precious promises, sweet assurances, necessary commands, even stern warnings, there is one chapter that for me is more glorious and more full of joy than any other: the Twenty-third Psalm.

Every verse is rapturous, for one who knows himself a sheep — that is, helpless to save himself and always in need of firm but loving guidance from the Shepherd. But the verse that sings most often to my heart — and the more troubling my circumstances the sweeter its song-is verse 4: “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil — for Thou art with me; Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.”

I will fear no evil! And of all the potential evils this world has to offer, the fear of death is Satan’s best effort to terrify the living. (I did not say please note, that it is the worst of all evils. It is not. The dread of hell-fire is far more ominous and ought to inspire vastly greater fear in human hearts. Yet such is our old nature that the fear of death is ingrained, and only a powerful movement of the Holy Spirit within us can unseat this unreasoning fear.) So when with the Sweet Singer of Israel we can say, “I will fear no evil,” every lesser anxiety is included.

And why will we not be afraid? Because “Thou art with me.” Jehovah God, our Maker, our Father, our Well-Beloved, is never apart from every one of His true children. As David elsewhere asked, “Whither can I fly from Thy presence?” And the answer is Nowhere. He is always with us.

“Thy rod… “ The rod (shibtecha) speaks not of correction but of comfort (Clarke). It is the shepherd’s crook — useful both for defense against predators and for extricating wandering sheep from thickets or bogs. It is also an emblem of office, even a scepter. This is not just anyrod: it is the rod of our Savior — mighty to save, who will not lose even one whom His Father has committed to His care.

“And thy staff… “ The staff (umishantecha) is broadly a support: a walking stick or even a camp stool, according to Clarke. It suggests the ever-ready help our Savior offers and the rest we find in Him.

“They comfort me”! Praise God, yes! It is Christ Jesus who wield sthem — Jesus the Good Shepherd (John 10: 11, 14), Jesus the Chief Shepherd (1 Pet. 5:4), Jesus the Great Shepherd (Heb. 13:20). But infinitely more important-at least to this sheep — is the fact that He is my Shepherd! Praise His Name!

From Pulpit Helps

Published by AMG Publishers

Chattanooga, TN 37422

The Lord's My Shepherd

1. The Lord’s my Shepherd – I’ll not want;

He makes me down to lie

In pastures green – He leadeth me

The quiet waters by.

2. My soul He doth restore again,

And me to walk doth make

Within the paths of righteousness,

E’en for His own name’s sake.

3. Yea, though I walk through death’s dark vale,

Yet will I fear no ill,

For Thou art with me, and Thy rod

And staff me comfort still.

4. My table Thou hast furnishèd

In presence of my foes;

My head Thou dost with oil anoint,

And my cup overflows.

5. Goodness and mercy all my life

Shall surely follow me,

And in God’s house forevermore

My dwelling place shall be.

[Tune “Crimond”]

Thoughts From A Sheep

Psalms 23

Psalm 23 Thoughts from a Sheep « Leader information shown in this fashion »

A. This “Shepherd Psalm” is probably the best known passage from all of Scripture. Books have been written upon it, let alone countless sermons. It is one of the most commonly requested passages to be read when visiting the sick and the bereaved,

1. For each person (”sheep”) it has a different meaning depending upon where that sheep is at a particular moment. What is the overall thought that this passage instills in you right now? « — some of the possibilities are peace, contentment, assurance, hope, faith, devotion, and so on »

2. what are the particular words that convey this thought to you? « — every verse conveys the message the Shepherd’s meeting of the needs of His sheep »

3. Have you ever noticed the important change that takes place in this Psalm between verse 3 and 4? « — the speaker shifts from speaking of God as “He” to “You” »

4. what is the implication of this change? « — for one thing, our God is not only One who is holy, transcendent and worthy of worship on that account, but also the God who is nigh to His children: Psalms 145:18 The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth. … so that we can have an intimate, personal relationship with the Shepherd »

5. what is the main characteristic about the relationship with the Shepherd that you see in this Psalm? « — one major item is its permanence »

Shepherd of Love

Luke 15:1

1. Shepherd of love,

You knew I had lost my way;

Shepherd of love,

You cared that I’d gone astray.

You sought and found me, placed around me

Strong arms that carried me home;

No foe can harm me or alarm me–

Never again will I roam!

Chorus:

Shepherd of love,

Saviour and Lord and Guide,

Shepherd of love,

Forever I’ll stay by Your side.

2. Shepherd of love,

Contentment at last is mine;

Deep in my Heart,

There’s peace and a joy divine.

The future’s brighter, burden’s lighter,

My cup runs over each day;

You grace supplied me now provides me

All that I need for the way.

The Shepherd

Luke 15:3

In a poignant scene from Alan Paton's novel CRY, THE BELOVED COUNTRY, a South African pastor and his wife struggle to come to terms with the fact that they may never see their wayward son again. Searching to find words to express the grief they carry, but attempting to face the reality of their loss, they take turns reminding one another, “When people go to Johannesburg, they do not come back.”

The pain of watching a son or daughter walk away from faith can be one of the most severe that any Christian can face. Such a parent fluctuates between resignation and despair, between hopefulness and desperation. Many feel tremendous guilt that they were not able to secure their child's religious devotion, wondering if the child's rejection of faith is owing to some lack in their parenting. Some become obsessed with winning their offspring back to belief and obedience.

To any parent who feels this pain, words from Isaiah 40 speak comfort. In this rich chapter, the prophet takes a moment to draw the picture of a God who is a tender shepherd. He writes, “He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young” (40:11).

You see, the shepherd is especially attentive to those who have young. When a sheep gives birth, it does not become less needy of a shepherd; in fact, caring for young makes it more vulnerable. If a lamb wanders away from the flock, the parent sheep is powerless to go find it. It is only the shepherd who can leave the flock and go after the lost sheep (Luke 15). This knowledge should drive us to earnest prayer rather than the inertia of hopelessness.

We long to see all those we love stay close to the shepherd, but we must not be tempted to wander out on our own in order to compel someone else to come back to the flock. Sheep make terrible shepherds. The best example we can set is to follow the shepherd ourselves, looking to him to seek out the lost. Charles Spurgeon wrote, “[I]f ever there is a soul brought from sin to grace, it is not by us poor ministers working alone, but it is by the Master himself, who goes after his own sheep. It is glorious to think of him still personally tracking sinners, who, though they fly from him with a desperateness of folly, yet are still pursued by him - pursued by the Son of God, by the Eternal Lover of men - pursued by him until he finds them.” (1)

A sheep may never wander back to the flock, but the Good Shepherd does not demand that it find its way home. He pursues it, gathers it in his arms, and he carries it. May he carry you and all your sorrows today as you cast your cares upon him, for he cares for you.

________

1. Sermon 1801, delivered September 28, 1884.

________

The Wilderness Path

Deuteronomy 32:10

He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; he led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye. — Deuteronomy 32:10.

In looking back on our wilderness path, can we not trace manifold similar evidences of His loving guidance, disarming fear, removing difficulty, mitigating the heat of the sun of trial, tempering the not less dangerous rays of the sun of prosperity, dissipating the deceitful mirage of the world, while often its phantom and illusory visions would have decoyed us from the path of safety and heaven? Let us trust His shepherd-leadings in the future, seeking to be guided by none but Him. — J. R. MacDuff.

He who hath led will lead,

All through the wilderness;

He who hath fed will surely feed;

He who hath blessed will bless.

Shepherd

John 10:14

And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them. — Ezekiel 34:23.

How often is the Lord Jesus set before us in the Scriptures under the title of the Shepherd? As the Good Shepherd (John 10:14), He came down from Heaven to seek and to save that which was lost; as the Smitten Shepherd (Zech. 13:7), He endured the wrath, and bore the judgment due to sinners; and as the Great Shepherd, (Heb. 13:20), He is now the Risen One watching over and caring for His flock, leading and guiding them upon their way, and supplying their every need out of His unsearchable riches.

0 Thou great, all-gracious Shepherd,

shedding for us Thy life’s blood,

Unto shame and death delivered,

all to bring us nigh to God!

Now our willing hearts adore Thee,

now we taste Thy dying love,

While by faith we come before Thee-

faith which lifts our souls above.

On Your Knees

John 10:13

The hireling … because he is an hireling … careth not for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. — John 10:13, 14.

The shepherd wiped the perspiration from his face. “Working with sheep takes a lot of patience,” he said. “Sometimes we have a hard job to get some of the little lambs started taking milk from the mother. They can’t find the milk, so we have to help them. But a hired man usually doesn’t like to bend down to help them. He tries to kick them around to the mother’s side, but I always get down on my hands and knees with the lamb and then it is easy to help him and he soon learns. But you just have to get down on your knees if you are going to help the lambs.” — L. E. Linsted.

I sometimes feel the thread of life is slender,

And soon with me the labour will be wrought,

Then grows my heart to other hearts more tender

In prayer and love and kindly thought.

How the Pastor's Task Has Expanded

Acts 20:28

From shepherd to manager and missionary

SHEPHERD

The term “pastor” comes from the Latin word for “shepherd,” which is used in both the Old and New Testaments as the image of one who protects and cares for God’s people. The primary shepherd/pastor is the Lord himself (Psalm 23), but the Bible also recognizes human undershepherds.

But the New Testament instructs elders to be good shepherds. “Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock,” writes Paul. “Savage wolves will come in among you… So be on your guard!” (Acts 20:28-31).

In the Bible, then, pastoring is presented primarily as protecting and feeding the flock of God. But over the centuries, these essential functions developed into specific and distinct roles.

PREACHER

The Reformation recovered the emphasis on the pastor as the “teacher of God’s Word.” Preaching had been neglected. But the Reformers restored preaching to its place. Breaking the Bread of Life means, in part, preaching the Word.

CURER OF SOULS

In the 1600s, the Puritans enhanced the concept of pastor by stressing the pastor as a “physician of the soul” — a spiritual director. This means knowing a person’s spiritual condition — healthy or unhealthy — primarily by asking questions such as: How is it with your soul? Are you resisting evil? How are you serving God?

And if the physician of souls discovers the fundamental ill, he prescribes some remedy to restore spiritual health and vitality. As theologian (and contemporary Puritan) J.I. Packer describes it: “There is such a thing as spiritual depression. Relationships or a marriage can collapse under you. Children disappoint you. The business can go bankrupt. You may be grieving. And all these traumatic events produce in the Christian states of mind and emotion that call for spiritual counsel, because we’ve got to live to the glory of God, and all our moods have to be brought into relation to God, his love, his work, and the ongoing process of sanctification.

“The sanctifying of troubles is a prominent New Testament theme. Troubles are to be expected, but God sanctifies them all. The pastor, in the Puritan understanding, is there to be God’s agent, God’s lightning rod, if you like, actually achieving the transforming link between the distress of the Christian and the love and power of God.”

ARRANGER OF RELATIONSHIPS

One of the distinguishing characteristics of the Methodist awakening in the 1700s was organizing people into groups in order to “maintain the glow” that the Lord had ignited in the hearts of so many. Thus, every Methodist conference (or regional group) would be subdivided into classes, every member expected to participate in a class — 12 persons with a leader. And the classes, like home groups today, would meet once a week between Sundays. Under the class leader, these small groups would pray together, discuss Scripture, share their experience with each other, and try to encourage each other.

So in Methodist circles pastors became leaders of Christian community, the overseers of small groups for the purpose of nurturing believers.

MANAGER AND MISSIONARY

With individualism and isolation increasing, the need for community is stronger than ever. Pastors have assumed more of a role in maintaining corporate life, or put more crassly, “running a church” — recruiting, motivating, administering.

Put positively, the pastor now finds himself extending the role of “organizer of nurturing relationships,” tending to the health of the community. The downside is that the pastor feels more a manager of church business than a shepherd of souls.

And surrounded by a decreasingly Christian society, pastors have become missionaries to their own neighborhoods. Whether in a “seeker sensitive” church or not, every pastor is now aware of the need for outreach and evangelism.

And the task of protecting and feeding the flock widens.

Who Is the Shephered

John 10:11

Years ago, when our daughters were very young, we’d drop them off at our church’s children’s chapel on Sundays before the eleven o’clock service. One Sunday, just as I was about to open the door to the small chapel, the minister came rushing up in full vestments. He said he had an emergency and asked if I’d speak to the children at their story time. He said the subject was the Twenty-third Psalms

But just as I was about to get up from the back row and talk about the good shepherd, the minister burst into the room and signalled to me that he would be able to do the story time after all. He told the children about sheep, that they weren’t very smart and needed lots of guidance, and that a shepherd’s job was to stay close to the sheep, protect them from wild animals and keep them from wandering off and doing dumb things that would get them hurt or killed. He pointed to the little children in the room and said that they were the sheep and needed lots of guidance.

Then the minister put his hands out to the side, palms up in a dramatic gesture, and with raised eyebrows said to the children, “If you are the sheep, then who is your shepherd?” He was pretty obviously indicating himself.

A silence of a few seconds followed. Then a young visitor said, “Jesus. Jesus is the shepherd.”

The young minister, obviously caught by surprise, said to the boy, “Well, then, who am I?”

The little boy frowned thoughtfully and then said with a shrug, “I guess you must be a sheep dog.”

I remember the look on that young minister’s face every time I get to thinking that I’m the shepherd in charge of some of God’s sheep. There’s only one Shepherd of the flock-and I’m not He.

Prayer: — Lord, help me always to follow You as You guide Your flock to green pastures. Amen.

About Those Shepherds …

Luke 2:8

The account of the shepherds in Luke’s nativity passage (Luke 2:8-20) continues to fascinate modern readers. Receiving an angelic message that the Messiah was born in nearby Bethlehem, these shepherds left their closely guarded flocks of sheep to seek the good news themselves.

Theologians tell us that the angel’s message represented God’s annunciation of his Son’s birth to the common people of Israel, but who were these shepherds?

The shepherds of Bethlehem persisted in an honorable occupation that also claimed various Old Testament figures, including Abel, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Rachel, Moses, David, Job and Amos -- just to name a few.

They largely kept flocks of the broad-tailed sheep (ovis laticaudata) that can still be found in the Holy Land today. Allusions to the highly prized “fat tail” of these sheep can be found in Exodus 29:22 and Leviticus 3:9.

In terms of their daily and nightly chores, shepherds were responsible for grazing and watering their charges, protecting them from human theft and animal predation, shearing the sheep at the appropriate time, milking them for dairy products and providing them for ritual sacrifices and/or human consumption during important feasts. As a general rule, dairy-producing and wool-producing sheep were too valuable to be a daily menu item.

Although the Old and New Testaments ascribe great personal honor to the men and women of this occupation, the shepherds of the era of Christ’s birth appeared to be less honored in the Jewish tradition.

The rabbis who produced the Talmudic literature (written around A.D. 200-500 but containing oral traditions from before, during and after the earthly lifetime of Jesus) often regarded shepherds as dishonest and prone to violating Jewish law.

Likewise, Philo, a Jewish sage in Egypt and a contemporary of Jesus, wrote that shepherds “are held to be mean and inglorious” (On Husbandry, 61).

Nevertheless, God often uses unlikely vessels to further His will. According to the Jewish Mishnah (A.D. 200 but also containing longstanding oral traditions of previous ages), animals in the vicinity of Bethlehem (specifically Migdal Eder -- “Tower of the Flock”) could be offered for Temple sacrifices (Shekalim 7:4).

According to Eusebius, a Palestinian Christian leader of the fourth century in his work, “Concerning the Place-names in Sacred Scriptures” (Section B, 196), Migdal Eder was located one Roman mile east of Bethlehem (a Roman mile of 1,000 paces is a little short of our mile by 143 yards).

If the shepherds of Luke’s account were those who kept flocks potentially destined for the Temple at Migdal Eder, they especially would have been receptive to the angel’s message.

Both the geographical locations of Bethlehem and nearby Migdal Eder are mentioned in Micah’s prophecy of the Messiah (Micah 5:2 and 4:8). In regard to Migdal Eder, this locale too is linked to the coming of the King.

If the shepherds tending the flocks for the Temple stationed at Migdal Eder constitute the shepherds of the Luke account, then the annunciation to the shepherds would fulfill that aspect of messianic prophecy.

When the angel of the Lord appeared to these shepherds, accompanied by a great light (Luke 2:9), their first reaction was sheer terror. Nevertheless, the angel calmed them and told them that the Messiah had just been born in nearby Bethlehem.

While not revealing the exact location in the city for the child, the angel related that the child was the one swaddled in binding cloths and lying in a manger (v. 12). After the angel was briefly joined by a heavenly host that praised God, they left the shepherds.

The befuddled shepherds, however, decided to view the Christ child. They could not pass up the opportunity to view the “Lamb of God.” After a short walk to the city (only about one mile if Eusebius is correct), they found the child with his parents.

They not only praised God for both the angelic message and visit with the child, they shared this news with others (v. 17-20). Those hearing this account by the shepherds also were amazed.

The annunciation to the shepherds of Bethlehem demonstrated God’s love for the common people. Previous annunciations of the Lord’s birth had occurred only to family members like Mary, Joseph, Zechariah and Elizabeth.

The first annunciation to those outside of the family were not to the priestly establishment in Jerusalem or those of Herod’s royal house or to the rich landowners of Judea but rather to these common shepherds whom the rabbinic tradition had tarnished.

Indeed, the good news was not to be a respecter of persons. Simple shepherds, like the later fishermen and farmers among the disciples of Jesus, would be both the recipients and purveyors of the Gospel.

Today many shepherds in the Bethlehem area and in other parts of Israel/Palestine still seek and profess Christianity, and their stories can be located on the Internet and in the popular press. In the 20th and 21st centuries, many of them achieved some recognition from the evangelical Christian community in the United States.

For instance, Stephen A. Haboush chronicled his experience as a Palestinian shepherd in his work “My Shepherd Life in Galilee” (1927). The long tradition of shepherds seeking to follow God in faith extends from Abel, the son of Adam, to the present day. The shepherds located near Bethlehem on the night of the Lord’s nativity were a very important chapter of that long tradition.

How To Be A Shepherd Sheep Can Trust

Ezekiel 34

A writer spent time with a shepherd on the Texas plains. One night, the shepherd built a fire, and the sheep gathered close. Around midnight, a coyote howled in the distance, followed by another coyote from the opposite direction. The fearful sheep began bleating.

The shepherd tossed logs onto the fire. As flames shot up, the writer looked out and saw 4,000 tiny lights — the fire reflected in the eyes of 2,000 sheep. With enemies all around, the sheep looked only toward the shepherd. Why? They trusted him.

Ezekiel 34 describes wicked shepherds, leaders of Israel who exploited God’s people. They fed themselves, not the flock. They butchered the sheep. They let weak sheep become prey. As a result, God said, “Behold I am against the shepherds ... I Myself will search for My sheep and will seek them out” (Ezekiel 34:10-11).

God’s sheep need shepherds they can trust. I want to suggest four “trust” questions every pastor should ask.

Can my intentions be trusted? God intends to search for His flock, feed them and care for them. The word that best expresses the Lord’s intention toward His flock is rescue. God says, “I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered” (Ezekiel 34:12). Rescuing means snatching the sheep away from harm. God never leaves His sheep to danger.

As shepherds with trustworthy intentions, pastors will not abandon the sheep to which God has called us. We will preach the Word of God even when it harms our popularity or offends people of influence. We will sacrifice our preferences and comfort for the sake of the flock.

Can my ability be trusted? God repeats a phrase over and over in Ezekiel 34: “I will...” Each repetition underscores God’s ability to accomplish His purposes. Faithful shepherds should develop and strengthen our abilities to do what we are called to do. Most significantly, we should depend on God to empower our abilities.

When I began my first pastorate, the work seemed impossible. As I tried to preach, lead and care for people, I prayed so many times: “Lord, I can’t do this. I need your help.” God answered and graciously used me. Today, I have ministered to people in nearly every scenario imaginable. Along with every other pastor, I face the danger of thinking: “I’ve got this. I can do it myself.” Training and experience can enhance our skill, but leading with trustworthy ability means constantly relying on Jesus’ power.

Can my judgment be trusted? God promises, “I will feed them in justice” (Ezekiel 34:16). His leadership will flow from wisdom and righteousness. Pastors with trustworthy judgment make choices that follow God’s best purposes. Our congregations want to trust us. We must work not to lose their trust. By seeking the Lord’s direction through Scripture and prayer, a shepherd honors the Lord and blesses the church with wise decisions.

Can my character be trusted? One of my mentors entered ministry after years in the telephone industry. He told me, “I’ve seen employees lose thousands of dollars for the phone company because of bad decisions and keep their jobs. I’ve also seen people get fired for stealing quarters out of a pay phone.” The lesson is clear – errors of skill and judgment can be overcome. Errors of character destroy.

The problem with the false shepherds in Ezekiel 34 was moral and spiritual. Their hearts were corrupt. Psalm 78:72 says of David: “With upright heart he shepherded them and guided them with his skillful hand.” David’s skill as a shepherd was important, but his heart was essential. A tragedy in ministry is when we elevate ability over integrity.

To guard our character, pastors should ask questions like: Do I consistently tell the truth? Do I seek forgiveness when I mess up? Do I guard my relationships to avoid temptation and reproach? Am I completely above-board in my finances? Am I the same person with my family, by myself and before God that I portray myself to be in public? Questions like these are a good starting place for shepherds who desire to protect the purity of their heart.

________

Stephen Rummage is senior pastor of Quail Springs Baptist Church in Oklahoma City.

Who Really Is Your Shepherd?

John 10:2

Psalm 23:1 says, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.”

“Can you say, ‘The Lord is MY Shepherd’? If not, the gospel has not yet fulfilled its mission in your heart and life.... If you can say this, then you may fearlessly cast all your care on him, and finish the verse, “I shall not want.” [1]

So if the Lord is TRULY YOUR Shepherd, you TRULY shall not want. But, if you are your own shepherd, you shall TRULY want! Please take this truth to heart! Make sure that God and not you are shepherding your life. The end result of a change from you taking care of yourself to to letting God take care of you will be life-changing and destiny-changing!

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[1] Excerpt from the Pulpit Commentary on Psalm 23:1-in the Homiletic Portion, Volume 8, p.165.

Learning Obedience Through Suffering

A woman visiting in Switzerland came to a sheepfold on one of her daily walks. Venturing in, she saw the shepherd seated on the ground with his flock around him. Nearby, on a pile of straw lay a single sheep, which seemed to be suffering. Looking closely, the woman saw that its leg was broken. Her sympathy went out to the suffering sheep, and she looked up inquiringly to the shepherd as she asked how it happened.

"I broke it myself," said the shepherd sadly and then explained, "Of all the sheep in my flock, this was the most wayward. It would not obey my voice and would not follow when I was leading the flock. On more than one occasion, it wandered to the edge of a perilous cliff. And not only was it disobedient itself, but it was leading other sheep astray. Based on my experience with this kind of sheep, I knew I had no choice, so I broke its leg.

"The next day I took food and it tried to bite me. After letting it lie alone for a couple of days, I went back and it not only eagerly took the food, but licked my hand and showed every sign of submission and affection. And now, let me say this. When this sheep is well, it will be a model sheep of my entire flock. No sheep will hear my voice so quickly nor follow so closely. Instead of leading the others away, it will be an example of devotion and obedient. In short, a complete change will come into the life of this wayward sheep. It will have learned obedience through its sufferings."

[Holwick - the point is good, the example a little extreme!]