CENTRAL THOUGHT
The True Shepherd loves and cares for the sheep.
TEXT: JOHN 10:1-2, ACTS 20:28
INTRODUCTION:
When the Lord Jesus died on the cross, “the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and earth did quake, and the rocks rent” (Mt. 27:51). This veil was at the entrance of the Holy of Holies into which the high priest alone went once a year to
atone for the sins of the people. (Heb. 9:2-9). The rending of the veil signified that each believer now could have personal access to God (Heb. 9:8; 10:19-23; Eph. 2:14-18) and that the middle wall of partition between Jews and Gentiles was broken (Eph. 2:14-18).
Every believer in Christ therefore belongs to His body, the church, of which He is the Head and Shepherd. The LORD is the Good shepherd who willingly laid down His life for the sheep.
By His divine arrangement, the Lord has ordained (approved) that people should act as leaders of His church on earth. Such persons pastoring or overseeing such assemblies on His behalf are the shepherds of such congregations. They are in effect under shepherds
serving under the leadership of the LORD Himself who is the Good and Great Shepherd of the Church. Certain qualities are expected of these men (servants) of God. They must demonstrate sufficient love, care, and compassion for the sheep under their care.
Unfortunately, today, many people who are wolves in sheep’s clothing parade themselves as Shepherds of God’s people. Such persons by their lifestyle bring shame and disgrace to the work of the ministry. We are warned of the LORD that such persons will be known by their fruits. Every believer therefore must be vigilant. The aim of this lesson is to reveal to us from scriptures what the characteristics of true and false Shepherds are, so that by the grace of God, we will not be lured away or deceived by the cunningness of men.
LESSON OBJECTIVES
1.) To know who a shepherd is
2.) To understand the characteristics of a True Shepherd
3.) To expose the characteristics of a False Shepherd
4.) To understand that every Christian should be watchful/vigilant.
BIBLE TRUTH:
QUESTION 1) WHO IS A SHEPHERD?
The Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary simply defines Shepherd as a person who looks after sheep. Such a person is expected to lead or guide the sheep to places of shelter,
food, water etc. Such a shepherd ensures that the sheep does not go astray. He keeps constant watch over the sheep. This can be easily comprehended when we look at how sheep rearers and cattle rearers tend their sheep and cattle.
In our lesson text, the LORD says He is the Good Shepherd. The LORD indeed is the Good and the Great Shepherd of His church. He loved the Church so much that He gave Himself for it (Eph. 5:25-27). As the Good Shepherd, He laid down His life for the sheep. He did this to deliver us (His Church) from the enemy (satan). Today, He as the Good Shepherd protects us from the hands of the devil. He provides for us; He directs our paths. He ensures our safety. Psalm 23 describes adequately the Shepherd hood of the Lord Jesus Christ. We, believers are His sheep. We must hear His voice and follow Him. As stated earlier, the Lord Himself ordained that some persons should act on His behalf on earth as leaders of His congregation. Such leaders, called of God, are shepherds of the various congregations they are leading. Such “pastors”, apostles”, “bishops”, “archbishops” etc. no matter the title, ought to see themselves as under shepherds serving under the leadership and authority of the Good and Great Shepherd of our souls, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.
QUESTION 2) WHAT ARE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF A TRUE SHEPHERD?
It may not be possible to consider exhaustively in this lesson what is expected of a true Shepherd. However, some of the characteristics of a true Shepherd include:
A. A True Shepherd of God’s people acknowledges the Lordship of the Good and Great Shepherd. A true shepherd realizes that being in the ministry is a privilege given by God. Therefore, he submits to the authority and leadership of the Master, the Lord Jesus Christ who is the real shepherd of His church. Thus, the true shepherd manifesting as Pastor, Bishop, General Overseer, (or any other human title) will seek the glory and honor of the Master in all he does. His desire always will be to point people away from himself and point them to the Lord Jesus. Like John the Baptist, a true Shepherd of God’s people must be able to say “He (Christ) must increase and I (Archbishop, Pastor, General Overseer, Evangelist etc.) must decrease (John 3:30).
B. ) A True Shepherd of God’s people is humble. A true Shepherd of God’s people must be humble. He must not be a lord over God’s heritage (1 Pet. 5:3). He should learn to be a servant following the example of the LORD Himself (Lk. 22:24-27, Jn. 13:12-17). A true shepherd does not exercise lordship over the flock that is under him, but he is an example in utter humility and service. C.) A True Shepherd serves God and His people willingly.
A true Shepherd maintains a heart of service towards God and His people. He renders service willingly, readily, and without grudge. His service is rendered out of a sincere heart, not for personal gain.
D.) A True Shepherd feeds the Flock.
The primary responsibility of a true Shepherd is feeding the flock under him. This involves feeding them with the undiluted word of God. This implies that the shepherd himself must be one who studies the Bible and learns from God habitually. A true Shepherd of God’s people must not compromise his beliefs or convictions in an attempt to please his congregation. He must “rightly divide the word” to the sheep under him.
E.) A True Shepherd cares for the Sheep.
It is characteristic of a Shepherd to show care/compassion towards his sheep. When the sheep rejoices, he rejoices with them and in moment of trials he identifies or empathizes with the sheep. A true Shepherd of God’s people must care for the sheep in every way. He ought to demonstrate care with regards to their career, jobs, academics, business, etc. He takes time to find out the marital state of his sheep. He is also interested in their health. The Lord God Almighty blamed the Shepherds of Israel for not showing care towards the sheep. In fact, He asked his prophet to prophecy against them (Ezekiel 34:1-6).
F.) A True Shepherd is prayerful.
A true Shepherd devotes time to prayers. He prays for the sheep regularly. This is a vital aspect of care for the sheep. The LORD Himself is a perfect example for us to follow.
(Matt. 14:23, Mark 1:35, Lk. 6:12-16, 22:31-32).
G.) A true Shepherd lives by example.
The Holy Spirit writing through our brother Paul admonished Timothy to be an example of the believers …..in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity (1 Tim. 4:12). This is a characteristic of a true Shepherd- leading by example.
QUESTION 3) WHAT ARE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF FALSE SHEPHERDS?
The society today is full of ministers who go by different titles. Some years ago, people waited on God for strong convictions before entering the ministry. Usually, brethren judged themselves to be inadequate both spiritually and physically and so waited on God adequate preparation spiritually before accepting ministerial call. Times have changed. People easily feel led into the ministry today. Some become born-again today, enter Bible School immediately and become ministers without proper Christian character development. In some situations, such ministers become shepherds of churches. The result is that many deviations from God’s word/pattern are seen in congregations pastored by such ministers. Again, it will be difficult to exhaustively discuss the characteristics of false Shepherds in this lesson. Few will be mentioned, and they include:
A.) A false shepherd is a hireling.
A hireling is defined in the dictionary as one who serves for hire, that is, for the wages he hopes to earn. His actions, attitudes etc., are based on what he hopes to get. Such a person will not be willing to endanger his life for the sheep. The LORD says the hireling flees when he sees the wolf coming and allows the wolf devour the sheep. (John 10:12).
Many Shepherds today behave like hirelings. Many move base in search of greater pastures not out of God’s direction, but out of a desire for gain.
B.) A false shepherd is selfish.
Ezekiel 34:1-3 states “And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, thus saith the
Lord God unto the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks? Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: but ye feed not the flock”. From the above scripture, it is clear that a false shepherd pays attention to himself. He milks the sheep (the congregation) to his own advantage.
C.) A false shepherd does not care for the sheep.
A false shepherd does not care for the sheep. He can expose the sheep to danger. He offers no protection to the sheep. In moments of trials, such shepherds do not empathize with the individual going through trial. He may have no time for visitation of members.
D.) A false shepherd draws attention to himself.
Rather than seek/pursue God’s glory and honor, a false shepherd promoted himself. His attempt is to sell himself to his congregation and the society. The Bible describes such
shepherds as those who have their belly as their god (Phil. 3:19). In some situations, members are not allowed to even listen to other preachers or to mix with other Christians.
E.) A false shepherd does not feed the sheep. Feeding the sheep involves making available to it both spiritual and physical food. A false shepherd may not be interested in the spiritual development of his congregation.
He may deliberately hide scriptural truths from the congregation for fear that when they know and understand such truths they (the members) could be set free from his (the shepherd’s) manipulations. A false shepherd may also teach his congregation false doctrines.
F.) A false shepherd makes merchandise of the
sheep.
For many shepherds today, who see the gospel as business, they make merchandise of the sheep. These false shepherds are mainly interested in material acquisition. Some
deliberately allow non-Christian behavior among their members. They are afraid to teach scriptural truths so that the members are not “lost” to other congregations. To keep
membership and ensure “fat offerings” scriptural or biblical truths are compromised.
QUESTION 4) WHAT SCHOULD BE THE BELIEVER’S ATTITUDE TOWARDS HIS SHEPHERD.
A believer should gladly stay under the authority of a true shepherd, as he leads the congregation of God’s people through the inspiration and guidance of the Good and Great Shepherd Himself, who is the Head of the Church. Such shepherds who labor sincerely in God’s vineyard should be honored and respected (1 Thess. 5:12-13). The believer should pray for his shepherd and care for him. The Shepherd should be made as comfortable as possible so that the work of the ministry would not be encumbered by lack of basic life needs which a congregation can provide. We are encouraged to “communicate” with our shepherds allowing God to use us to help meet their material needs (Gal. 6:6, Phil. 4:14).
The believer ought to have confidence in true and faithful shepherds. Such shepherds can be approached for counsels on spiritual and other matters since the believer is sure to
receive counsels based on God’s word.
In dealing with false shepherds, the believer requires God given wisdom. First a believer should not deliberately bring himself under a false shepherd. There is no need seeking
fellowship in a place where falsehood is manifested.
However, if one has been fellowshipping in a place and suddenly discovers that the pastor is deviating from biblical principles, the believer should begin to pray for that shepherd. In addition, he (the believer) should seek audience with the pastor and discuss the issues with him. When such a shepherd remains adamant in his falsehood, the believer is advised to seek help for the shepherd by consulting with a respected minister for whom this shepherd has respect and would be willing to listen to. When this step fails, the believer is advised to seek fellowship elsewhere.
DAILY LIVING APPLICATION:
Shepherds are ministers ordained by God to oversee local assemblies of His people on earth. Although many persons have abused the office of a shepherd, some are very faithful and are making full proof of their ministries as shepherds of God’s flock. True shepherds should be given honor and respect as they remain and continue to labour in God’s vineyard.
However, the believer should beware of false shepherds who may appear in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravaging wolves.
We should all remember that we have one Bishop of our souls who is the Good and Great Shepherd whom we must all listen to and obey. He is the LORD JESUS CHRIST.
MEMORY VERSE:
1 JOHN 4:1
“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world”.
DAILY DEVOTIONAL GUIDE
MON: The Lord Jesus is the Good Shepherd. John 10:7-11, 14, Ps. 23
TUE: True shepherds look after the sheep. 1 Peter 5:2-3
WED: True shepherds should be honored and cared for 1 Thess. 5:12-13, Gal. 6:6, Phil. 4:14
THU: False shepherds are hirelings. John 10:12-13
FRI: False shepherds do not care for the sheep. Ez. 34:1-6
SAT: True Shepherds will be rewarded by the Chief shepherd Himself. 1 Peter 5:4