Sheep who's your shepherd? Who do you follow?

Sheep Who’s Your Shepherd

By Russ Kujawski

3/26/18

Everyone follows someone or something. Some are followers some are leaders and yet the leaders even follow something or someone. The question is Who or What are you following? Who’s your Shepard?

 Thru the years people have followed charismatic type people. Those who speak and tingle the ears of those listening. Jim Jones cult ended in mass suicide, Heaven’s Gate ended in mass suicide. Granted those are extreme. There are many cults or down right miss leading who speak out of the side of their mouths taking advantage of the weak, depressed, and the broken hearted or those who are just searching for something to belong to. Everyone has a need or desire to belong.

 There are so many groups out there who speak the words people want to hear. Who will miss lead their flocks into following them. They can get the flock to blindly give them money, and resources for a promise of wealth and prosperity and health. When you don’t achieve these things then you aren’t giving enough or your lacking faith. These types of shepherds are indeed dangerous. As a Christian who do you follow or what do you follow?

So Christian Who do you follow? Who is your Shepherd?

 This is a stat from a research group “75 percent of the country who call themselves Christians don’t take their faith that seriously,” there are 325,130,420 people in the USA that’s 243,847,815 Christians in the USA that is quiet the force. The second ½ of the survey is extremely disappointing “they don’t take their faith seriously” Who is there Shepherd? The failure in the Church can come from many things. Maybe the ones who are the leaders of the Church aren’t taking the responsibility of that position seriously. Maybe pastors aren’t teaching the bible in its full context. Not calling sin sin. Saying stuff like we are good people who make mistakes. Instead of saying repent of your sins, they say try and do better. You’re a good person. But we are all sinners. That’s what Romans tells us” Rom 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” not just some but we all fail in some way shape or form. When scripture is being watered down, the end results is feel good Christianity with no back bone. The church I attend the pastor there will and does call sin sin. He doesn’t water down the scriptures to make everyone feel good about themselves. You may ask how do I know that he doesn’t water down scripture? I follow along, I verify what he says, with what scripture say’s. If I have an issue I will go to him to either get clarification or correction. If more Christians would practice this then I think the Christian Church would be strong, and not bending to societies desire to make every in-morale practice legal and ok to do. There are denominations out there that have given into the political pressure to except thing the scripture calls sin to no longer be sin, just a different lifestyle. This has not given credit to the church as being holy {set apart} but has been a decline of holiness, No longer set apart but becoming worldly.

 Who is your Shephard? Who do you follow?

19 times the term “follow me” is used in the ESV in relation to Jesus. Who do you follow? Who is your Shepherd?

I didn’t count them all but there are numerous verses that speak of Jesus as the shepherd. Who do you follow? Who is your Shepherd?

Jesus is spoken of the one giving living water. Who do you follow? Who is your Shepherd?

There are verses that speak of Jesus as the Lamb of God. Who do you follow? Who is your Shepherd?

By now the question is clear. Who do you follow? Who is your Shepherd?

Jesus said “.” John 14:6 I am the way the truth and the life, NO ONE comes to the father except through me

 1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God and there is one mediator between God and men(People), the man Christ(Messiah) Jesus.

John 10:11 I(Jesus) am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

John 10:14 I(Jesus) am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me,

What do these verses tell us? That Jesus is the only one that leads to the father, he is the only one who can mediate on our behalf to the father, he laid down his life for his sheep, he knows those that are his and they know him.

Pastors we call them shepherds they lead and guide the flock they have be called to lead. In the ESV the word pastor or pastors does not appear instead it is translated “Shepherd”

Eph 4: 11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds[Pastors] and teachers,[shepherd-teachers] 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,

 Do we follow pastors? Their job is to equip Christians {The body of believers they shepherd} for the WORK of ministry for what purpose? To build up the body of Christ!!!!! Looking at this verse who’s job is it to build up the body of Christ? It’s you, me it’s the flocks job to build the body of Christ. The pastors job is to equip and my I also add a teachers job is to equip the body for ministry. So if your church isn’t growing, don’t necessarily blame the pastor as much as look in the mirror and ask yourself this question. Are you doing the ministry to build up the body of Christ? That question can be condemning or affirming.

David Guzik Commentary:Eph 4:11-12

         

   c. For the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry: The purpose of these gifts of leadership is also clear. It is that saints (God’s people) might be equipped for the work of ministry (service), so that the body of Christ would be built up (expanded and strengthened).

i. Equipping also has the idea of “to put right.” This ancient Greek word was used to describe setting broken bones or mending nets. These ministries work together to produce strong, mended, fit Christians.

ii. God’s people do the real work of ministry. Leaders in the church have the first responsibility to equip people to serve and to direct their service as God leads.

iii. “The primary purpose of the Church isn’t to convert sinners to Christianity, but to perfect (complete and mature) the saints for the ministry and edification of the Body.”

I think it’s clear we as Christians (Biblical Christians) follow Christ he is the only way to the Father, he is the only one who can cleans you of sin, he is the only one who can approach the father on your behalf. Pastors and teachers (Shepherds) equip and guide us for the ministry of building up the church. We as sheep need to be like the Bereans When our shepherd teaches something we need to verify it with scripture, don’t be a blind sheep.  Question :How’s your ministry?