Of Shepherds and Sheep

I have many things to say and to judge of you: but he that sent me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I have heard of him. They understood not that he spake to them of the Father. Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things. And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him. (John 8: 26 – 29)

Who is a pastor? Why does he get his operating instructions from? Is he also a sheep? Can he be a sheep? Must he be a sheep?

I am just wondering how modern pastors are so different from the pastors in the Bible and history. This is because they behave as autonomous as autonomy itself yet confess connection to Christ.

Sample this. A pastor goes to a prayer mountain and comes out with the whole sermon series and program for the whole year. In other words, all his sermons (even those to be preached by guest speakers, whatever that means) are released in that short or long time of prayer.

In those sermons are all the prophecies to his church, all the breakthroughs to be experienced by his church, even all the nitty gritty of his church, for the whole year.

Nothing can change in this church as that revelation is like the constitution of the Media-Persians. No other word can proceed from heaven if it is not in line with that release. Even God cannot do anything different as He ought to have finished His revelation on that mountain.

Is that pastor Christ’s sheep? Does he depend on Christ for his revelation?

Let us look at the passage above. Jesus did nothing but what He saw the Father doing. He said nothing but at the promptings of His Father. And you see that in many other passages, especially as you read the book of John.

It is clear from scripture that Jesus was the whole focus of creation and redemption (Colossians 1:16). Since He was there before the beginning, He knew the whole panorama (beginning to end) of everything and so could have functioned perfectly well without guidance from the Father as He had the whole picture. Why had He to see His Father working before He worked? Why couldn’t He just do things as He knew them?

Philippians 2 deals with that. Though He was God, His assignment required that He sheds His Godness and operates as a servant. And a servant does not originate commands or instructions. That is the reason He only said and did those things His Father was doing.

How come we can originate sermons for a whole year and still call ourselves ministers (servants)? What kind of servant refers his master once a year yet still claim he operates under his leadership and serves in his presence? How reasonable can that be?

I ask again. Is the shepherd a sheep?

This is because a sheep is completely dependent on its shepherd. A goat is the one that is independent. And it is imperative that the sheep maintains its relationship with its shepherd as it will not know its way home even if it has walked that road innumerable times.

We have enough stories of lost sheep in the Bible. We also have ones of defective shepherds.

A Biblical pastor is Christ’s sheep who will get lost if he loses close connection with Christ. As opposed to being bright and independent and creative, he is actually a lost sheep at best, and a goat at the worst.

Yet that is what most pastors, bishops etc. have become. They do not need prayer (though they will never confess it), they do not need guidance (they are educated enough), and they do not need fellowship (except with their ilk). They are smug in their practice of religion. No wonder they can come up with a yearly revelation, five year plan etc. yet they do not call on supporting prayer even when making smaller decisions.

A self-contained pastor is a goat. He needs Christ as a mention to defraud God’s people into believing he is a sheep like them.

Are you a sheep or a goat? Is your spiritual leader a sheep or a goat?

Simply speaking, a sheep is like Christ, someone who was always looking at what His Father was doing to be able to copy it. He only spoke what He heard His Father speaking.

He had no year plan of miracles He will perform, sermons He will preach, people He will rebuke and fight and so on.

How close is your pastor to that?

I know some of you are angry enough at me to pray bad things happen to me. But I am not scared. Just look for the verses to throw at me. They could knock me out completely.

Let me give my experience a bit.

As a teacher by calling and gifting, it is imperative that I study a lot. I do not hit sermons instinctively. But over the years I have come to learn that my study is not for the purposes of teaching or preaching. I simply study to know my Shepherd better. Then I can speak about Him with greater clarity.

Second is the fact that I do not have any ministry of my own. I minister unto Him, for Him and to Him. I therefore do not teach my study but about our Shepherd. I am also sheep after all. I therefore do not have any message of my own to preach or teach. I can only say what I am told to say.

I remember over thirty years, shortly after I had responded to God’s call, being invited to preach. I prayerfully prepared a sermon for a week, filling all gaps and making the sermon as clear and understandable as I could. I made all the notes, references etc.

I was about to be called to preach when God told me to put the notes down.

Of course I resist. First thing I ask is what then will I preach? He tells me to put the notes down. Why then did He give me the direction and leading as I prepared the sermon? Put the notes down.

I finally decide to obey and put the notes down. Then I open my Bible and my eyes fall on John 9.

We now will invite the speaker. The service leader says even before I get to read what the passage is about.

I stood up, read the passage and preached. I do not know what I said or how I said it. But at the end of it several people walked in front to receive the Shepherd.

Since that time I stopped being uptight about what I will preach or teach. I still prepare messages as thoroughly as I can. But I know God has called me to speak about Him and not impress people about my knowledge. To this day I will once in a while be ordered to put aside the notes I have prepared and give another message He wants me to share with His people.

Or do you think they are your people?

Sometime I will even tell the congregation that God has changed the message I had prepared, especially when it was a series of teachings going on. At other times He will have you teach a topic for long, like recently when I taught about worship, music and singing for over eight months without a break because God would not allow me to move on to another topic.

I am a sheep and strive to make the people I teach sheep too.

I do not want to be a goat. Do you?