Friends For The Journey

Sunday, November 12, 2006

Greetings fellow followers of the teachings of Jesus!

I just noticed that it has been over six weeks since I sent out the last teachings of Jesus outline. I have been sending weekly prayer updates to a smaller group of people who have indicated an interest in providing prayer cover for me in my university outreach.

Thank you for your ongoing prayers for Deb. She is feeling the residual fatigue of the past year of continuing to work (for the health insurance) and undergoing chemotherapy and going to multiple medical appointments every week. Her job ends in December, and we are hoping that next year will be a year of rest and recovery for her. Also thanks for your prayers for Ruth in Costa Rica…she is doing AWESOME!

In thinking about this month’s teaching of Jesus, I found myself reflecting on the Shepherding movement, where my wife and I were learned the basics of the faith in the 1970s and were apprenticed in a life of discipleship to Jesus. We were blessed to have two men (and their wives) sow into our lives who have true “shepherds” hearts.

Although, the Shepherding movement made many mistakes, it represented a commendable effort to move away from the ministry as a professionally-trained, highly specialized, career-clergy. The concept was to make pastoral ministry “personal” and “relational” and to equip every believer potentially to be a shepherd. (for more on the Shepherding movement, I recommend the book of the same name by David Moore).

http://www.amazon.com/Shepherding-Movement-Pentecostal-Theology-Supplement/dp/0826471609/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-8953517-8911858?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1175055132&sr=8-1

Debbie and I started out as helpless sheep, only capable of taking in milk. With the encouragement, teaching and care of John, Vicki, Frank and Millie, we grew stronger and eventually metamorphosed into shepherds. Guess what? In the kingdom of God, sheep are intended to grow up into shepherds! Not just old sheep! Deb and I were sheep, we became shepherds, and we began to care for other sheep, many of whom have also since become shepherds. Multiplication/reproduction.

Sheep need milk but shepherds should be able to handle solid food. God’s intent is for all of us (that’s right EVERYONE) to become teachers/shepherds who can care for others. The fact that there are some who have grace gifts for shepherding care, does not eliminate the responsibility for all of us to teach, encourage, build up and bear the burdens of others, any more than the fact that some have gifts of faith or serving, lets the rest of us off the hook for having faith or serving (or giving).

HEB 5:12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food.

The attached outline deals with the needs of sheep, the responsibilities of shepherds, and the need for both milk and solid food. The problem is, in most churches today in the United States (especially in mass production churches) sheep never grow up to be shepherds… they grow up to just be older, self-oriented sheep.

I love the “one-anothers” of the New Testament. Eph. 5:21 indicates that we are grow into a place of maturity where we learn to “submit, one to another.” In other words, it is God’s desire that every sheep become a shepherd. Every young single man may become a husband, a father, a friend or mentor. Every young single woman may become a wife, a mother, a friend or mentor of younger women. We are all called to develop our discernment and learn to handle solid food:

HEB 5:14 But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.

Joseph

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> #46 FEED MY SHEEP

John 21:15-16; He said to him, “Tend My lambs.” (16) He said to him again a second time…“Shepherd My sheep.”