Shepherds and Sheep

One of the ways God describes his people is as a flock of sheep… not as a gaggle of geese or a herd of cattle for instance.

The human/animal bond between sheep and a shepherd is very advanced. The sheep are dependent upon humans… much more so than geese or cattle would be.

The sheep’s best method of defense is to “flock” together… to circle up and depend upon each other for defense. Of course the best defense for sheep is a caring shepherd.

Sheep have economic value to the shepherd. The shepherd doesn’t just have sheep because he likes sheep. Their wool can be gathered to make fabric, they provide milk which can be converted to cheese and butter and of course they provide meat.

The church is compared to a flock of sheep because of their dependency upon the great shepherd Jesus Christ and also because of their dependency on the human shepherds of a local congregation/church. Christians like sheep depend upon each other for their defense against Satan and his agents and of course depend upon their shepherds for defense.

Christians like sheep have an economic value to their owner. God doesn’t just have Christians around because he likes Christians. Christians have a spiritual economic value to him. In Ephesians 2:8-10, God saves us by his grace, (the free gift of Jesus Christ) but we were created (in a relationship with Jesus Christ), to perform good works.

God provides shepherds to his flock so they can be spiritually nourished through his word. That spiritual nourishment builds faith and faithful Christians in turn live sacrificial lives through the performing of good works for the benefit of other Christians and the world.

In this New Year work hard to attend every service you possibly can because in that “flocking” together we build relationships and find opportunities to serve each other. Get involved with the congregation. We grow together by shared experiences. Cast fear and doubt away and remember what Jesus told his disciples… if you just had a little bit of faith you could move mountains.

Let’s move a few mountains in this upcoming New Year.