Which One Are You - Part 4
Which One Are You?
A five part series. Part Four.
The Sheep
“To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. And when he 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.”
John 10:3-5
Sheep have a tendency to be followers. The flock requires little management from the shepherd to keep the sheep in order. If the shepherd can get one or two sheep to move in a certain direction, or to follow him, he can lead the entire flock.
That is until one decides to veer off course. But for the most part, sheep are gregarious animals.
Sheep, even though they flock together, they keep their distance from each other. They are social animals who prefer to stay close to either their protector or feeder, for obvious reasons.
Sheep, as long as they are in the flock, for the most part are safe from the wolf. A sheepdog was introduced to the flock to help guard the sheep, make it easier on the shepherd and to keep the sheep orderly.
The sheep require only three things, food, water and protection. It will solely depend on the shepherd for these things. If any of these things, even separately, occur, the sheep could perish.
Believers are much like sheep. In fact the references in the Bible referring to sheep are commonly meant to relate to believers.
Most churches will have you believe that the congregation is the sheep, the pastor in the shepherd, Satan is the wolf and that you better remain in church to be fed and protected.
To a certain degree I agree with this. Church is a great place to get fed biblical knowledge, to worship and praise God and to be around like-minded sheep. However, if the like-minded sheep and the shepherd are not encouraging your growth and there are known hazards which are detrimental to the sheep - it’s time to graze elsewhere.
Jesus will return for His church. He will
hold all those accountable for the way the sheep have been cared for and who’s been caring for them. The sheep are that important to the Good Shepherd. They are so important that He layer down His life for the sheep.
As sheep we must stay close to the Good Shepherd, make sure we are getting fed and be with like-minded believers.
In addition, praying to God, reading your Bible, finding a good church and placing Jesus Christ at the center of your life will grow your relationship with God.
Tomorrow we talk about the sheepdog.
“I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.”
John 10:14-18