WEBVTT 00:00:00.110 --> 00:00:03.830 Amen. Well we've been spending some time in Ephesians 00:00:03.830 --> 00:00:05.969 chapter four so I invite you to turn there with 00:00:05.969 --> 00:00:08.609 me again this morning Ephesians chapter four. 00:00:08.970 --> 00:00:12.070 And we've been talking about the fivefold apostles 00:00:12.070 --> 00:00:15.689 prophets evangelists shepherds teachers. Today 00:00:15.689 --> 00:00:17.550 we're going to kind of focus in a little bit 00:00:17.550 --> 00:00:21.969 on shepherds. But before we do that you know 00:00:21.969 --> 00:00:24.649 we're talking this week and I question that we 00:00:24.649 --> 00:00:26.309 were kind of thrown around and we were talking 00:00:26.309 --> 00:00:28.750 about together is how do we honor people who 00:00:28.750 --> 00:00:33.009 aren't like us. because it's easy for us to recognize 00:00:33.009 --> 00:00:35.750 the good traits about the way that the Lord's 00:00:35.750 --> 00:00:39.289 wired us. And we acknowledge that in other people. 00:00:39.409 --> 00:00:41.909 It's easier for us to recognize that. But how 00:00:41.909 --> 00:00:44.490 do we do a good job of honoring people who aren't 00:00:44.490 --> 00:00:47.009 like us? And the reality is the kingdom needs 00:00:47.009 --> 00:00:51.789 people who aren't like us. Right? So for all 00:00:51.789 --> 00:00:55.320 shepherds, then... we're not very good and we're 00:00:55.320 --> 00:00:57.439 not very useful in the kingdom. But the thing 00:00:57.439 --> 00:00:59.679 that makes us useful is that I'm good at things 00:00:59.679 --> 00:01:01.340 you're not and you're good at things that I'm 00:01:01.340 --> 00:01:03.820 not. So how do we honor and celebrate people 00:01:03.820 --> 00:01:06.780 who aren't necessarily like us. So I want to 00:01:06.780 --> 00:01:09.420 take a moment just to do that a little bit. So 00:01:09.420 --> 00:01:11.159 as we've been going through this maybe you already 00:01:11.159 --> 00:01:12.840 knew that but maybe it's just something that 00:01:12.840 --> 00:01:14.599 you've discovered as we've been working through 00:01:14.599 --> 00:01:17.019 Ephesians chapter four. How many of you think 00:01:17.019 --> 00:01:19.640 like maybe not that you're ready to say I'm 100 00:01:19.640 --> 00:01:23.159 percent this but I feel like maybe the Lord has 00:01:23.159 --> 00:01:25.120 been teaching me or showing me that I might be 00:01:25.120 --> 00:01:30.840 an apostle. Who are the apostles among us? Adele. 00:01:31.019 --> 00:01:35.299 Anybody else? Esther? No? You're getting blessed. 00:01:35.959 --> 00:01:39.840 So Adele. So I think we can all say that not 00:01:39.840 --> 00:01:42.980 just for Adele, but in our context this morning, 00:01:43.079 --> 00:01:45.420 specifically for Adele, but then all the people 00:01:45.420 --> 00:01:48.280 like Adele, we give thanks to God for apostles, 00:01:48.359 --> 00:01:51.739 right? Thank you both of you. We give thanks 00:01:51.739 --> 00:01:54.700 to God for Apostles, right? That we're better 00:01:54.700 --> 00:01:56.980 because we have people that God's wired that 00:01:56.980 --> 00:02:00.040 way and gifted that way and it's a gift to us 00:02:00.040 --> 00:02:03.939 So Adele, we honor you. You're a gem and not 00:02:03.939 --> 00:02:06.099 just because of that, but in many ways You're 00:02:06.099 --> 00:02:09.860 a gem and and we honor you and we honor Apostles, 00:02:10.060 --> 00:02:12.419 right? So how many of you would say maybe you 00:02:12.419 --> 00:02:14.159 already knew it or maybe you've discovered it 00:02:14.159 --> 00:02:16.919 along the way that maybe the Lord's calling you 00:02:16.919 --> 00:02:20.379 or has gifted you as a prophet. How many of you 00:02:20.379 --> 00:02:22.759 think that that might be one of you. Like I know 00:02:22.759 --> 00:02:25.099 there should be some other hands up because yeah 00:02:25.099 --> 00:02:29.919 anyways so prophets we we honor prophets right. 00:02:30.439 --> 00:02:32.639 We give thanks to God for the gift that he's 00:02:32.639 --> 00:02:37.389 given to the church of prophets. Amen. Thank 00:02:37.389 --> 00:02:40.310 you both of you. So the prophets among us we 00:02:40.310 --> 00:02:43.349 honor you today and we're thankful for you You're 00:02:43.349 --> 00:02:47.409 a gift to us and we want you to know that we 00:02:47.409 --> 00:02:50.530 we acknowledge that and we value that How many 00:02:50.530 --> 00:02:53.409 of you would say that you maybe you're just discovering 00:02:53.409 --> 00:02:55.129 it or you've known it for a long time But you 00:02:55.129 --> 00:02:58.229 feel like God's kind of gifted you and called 00:02:58.229 --> 00:03:01.090 you to be an evangelist Like you're really passionate 00:03:01.090 --> 00:03:04.009 about reaching lost people And you want the church 00:03:04.009 --> 00:03:06.550 to do a good job at that. And how many of you 00:03:06.550 --> 00:03:08.530 would say that maybe that's kind of the way the 00:03:08.530 --> 00:03:15.069 Lord's wired you, evangelist? Hopefully somebody, 00:03:15.389 --> 00:03:20.169 because we need evangelists, amen. So maybe the 00:03:20.169 --> 00:03:22.469 evangelists are all watching us on YouTube or 00:03:22.469 --> 00:03:25.030 Facebook. So we honor evangelists, right, because 00:03:25.030 --> 00:03:28.129 we need them, right? So today we're going to 00:03:28.129 --> 00:03:30.659 talk a little bit about shepherds. and one of 00:03:30.659 --> 00:03:34.199 the dangers for me, and I hope that you, I hope 00:03:34.199 --> 00:03:36.039 that you feel like we've given equal treatment 00:03:36.039 --> 00:03:39.439 to all of them. So like the natural thing for 00:03:39.439 --> 00:03:41.780 me to do would be kind of take the two that I'm 00:03:41.780 --> 00:03:44.560 the best at and kind of push those a little bit 00:03:44.560 --> 00:03:47.879 harder because you know, I actually do know something 00:03:47.879 --> 00:03:50.240 about these. So there are some of them that I'm 00:03:50.240 --> 00:03:52.439 not quite as gifted at and that's okay because 00:03:52.439 --> 00:03:55.819 you are. But like when we come to shepherds, 00:03:55.879 --> 00:03:59.270 one of the things that, It's just it's who I 00:03:59.270 --> 00:04:02.449 am is a shepherd and because of that I don't 00:04:02.449 --> 00:04:04.490 want you to feel like I give special treatment 00:04:04.490 --> 00:04:07.349 to that one and to the exclusion of the rest. 00:04:08.009 --> 00:04:10.430 But how many of you would feel like maybe that's 00:04:10.430 --> 00:04:12.150 and I know that we'll talk about it today but 00:04:12.150 --> 00:04:14.550 you feel like maybe the Lord's gifted you as 00:04:14.550 --> 00:04:17.810 a shepherd and we'll talk more about that so 00:04:17.810 --> 00:04:19.709 maybe you'll want to be added to that list but 00:04:19.709 --> 00:04:21.870 we give thanks the Lord for shepherds right. 00:04:22.670 --> 00:04:26.339 The church needs shepherds right. and we honor 00:04:26.339 --> 00:04:28.360 them. They're a gift to us, and we acknowledge 00:04:28.360 --> 00:04:30.120 that. So how many of you would say that you're 00:04:30.120 --> 00:04:31.660 teachers? We won't talk about that till next 00:04:31.660 --> 00:04:33.360 week, but how many of you would say, I think 00:04:33.360 --> 00:04:36.139 that the Lord might be gifted me or using me 00:04:36.139 --> 00:04:39.319 as a teacher? If that's you, then we give thanks 00:04:39.319 --> 00:04:43.970 to the Lord for you, right? Thank you both of 00:04:43.970 --> 00:04:47.170 you. That's amazing But we need teachers, right? 00:04:47.269 --> 00:04:49.750 We need people to help us to understand the Word 00:04:49.750 --> 00:04:51.889 of God and apply it to our life And we give thanks 00:04:51.889 --> 00:04:55.209 Lord for teachers today. We're specifically going 00:04:55.209 --> 00:04:58.230 to spend some time talking about shepherds. It's 00:04:58.230 --> 00:05:02.129 one of the things that The Lord has gifted me 00:05:02.129 --> 00:05:04.850 at so we talked a little bit about this when 00:05:04.850 --> 00:05:09.579 we were talking about the the prophets so I'm 00:05:09.579 --> 00:05:11.759 kind of growing in some of the others. There 00:05:11.759 --> 00:05:14.079 are some that it's just not me, and I really 00:05:14.079 --> 00:05:16.540 do rely on other people to do that. But when 00:05:16.540 --> 00:05:19.660 it comes to profits, I have some gifting there, 00:05:19.699 --> 00:05:21.339 I have some anointing there, and I certainly 00:05:21.339 --> 00:05:26.399 do as a shepherd. And like as I was, I reworked 00:05:26.399 --> 00:05:29.040 most of the stuff about three or four times, 00:05:29.060 --> 00:05:33.199 and I'm like, this explains so much to me. I 00:05:33.199 --> 00:05:35.839 think sometimes, I was a psychology minor in 00:05:35.839 --> 00:05:38.740 school. So what that means, I was doing my undergrad 00:05:38.740 --> 00:05:41.160 stuff. I had a psychology minor. And you know 00:05:41.160 --> 00:05:44.699 what that means? I know enough psychology to 00:05:44.699 --> 00:05:47.279 be dangerous. That's what that means. Now, I've 00:05:47.279 --> 00:05:49.459 gone on. I've learned some more. But I know just 00:05:49.459 --> 00:05:55.680 enough to be dangerous. So shepherds. There's 00:05:55.680 --> 00:05:59.240 this, John Maxwell used to say this. He was talking 00:05:59.240 --> 00:06:01.480 about leadership. But he said, if you think that 00:06:01.480 --> 00:06:04.620 you're a leader, and you realize that no one's 00:06:04.620 --> 00:06:08.319 following you, you're just going on a walk. So 00:06:08.319 --> 00:06:11.720 with shepherds, I think that a similar kind of 00:06:11.720 --> 00:06:14.220 thing could be said. A shepherd without sheep 00:06:14.220 --> 00:06:18.019 isn't a shepherd. It's just a guy with a stick. 00:06:20.420 --> 00:06:22.879 And I do want to make one, I just want to make, 00:06:22.899 --> 00:06:25.519 because I'm a guy, so you know, like that statement, 00:06:25.819 --> 00:06:28.600 it's just a guy with a stick. We're part of the 00:06:28.600 --> 00:06:30.819 church of the Nazarene. We acknowledge that the 00:06:30.819 --> 00:06:33.980 Lord has gifted and called women as shepherds. 00:06:34.100 --> 00:06:38.540 Amen. That was actually a really good response. 00:06:39.120 --> 00:06:42.620 That men and women are called as shepherds. So 00:06:42.620 --> 00:06:45.199 the statement is just as true that if you're 00:06:45.199 --> 00:06:47.600 a shepherd and you don't have any sheep, then 00:06:47.600 --> 00:06:49.879 you're not a shepherd. You're just a woman with 00:06:49.879 --> 00:06:53.560 a stick. Because God calls women to shepherd 00:06:53.560 --> 00:06:56.810 just as much as he calls men. So I have several 00:06:56.810 --> 00:06:58.209 things I want to talk about. I'm going to move 00:06:58.209 --> 00:07:01.449 very quickly because I don't want to get bogged 00:07:01.449 --> 00:07:03.870 down and spend too much time on one thing and 00:07:03.870 --> 00:07:06.290 lose you. I want to be done before you are. So 00:07:06.290 --> 00:07:08.189 the first thing I want to talk about is understanding 00:07:08.189 --> 00:07:11.389 the shepherding gift. And really the objective 00:07:11.389 --> 00:07:13.649 here is to define the role of a shepherd within 00:07:13.649 --> 00:07:16.850 the fivefold ministry and lay a biblical foundation 00:07:16.850 --> 00:07:19.829 for that. So a shepherd's calling, there's a 00:07:19.829 --> 00:07:21.829 Greek word that's used there in Ephesians chapter 00:07:21.829 --> 00:07:23.769 four. It's also used throughout the New Testament. 00:07:24.009 --> 00:07:26.250 but I think it's up here on the screen. The word 00:07:26.250 --> 00:07:31.649 is poimene. Everyone say poimene. Poimene. So 00:07:31.649 --> 00:07:34.389 poimene is, you'll never believe what it means. 00:07:34.449 --> 00:07:36.430 If you have your Greek Bible there, you already 00:07:36.430 --> 00:07:39.009 know this, but it's translated here as shepherd, 00:07:39.810 --> 00:07:42.250 and it's not a bad translation, but if you looked 00:07:42.250 --> 00:07:44.490 it up in the original language, you'll never 00:07:44.490 --> 00:07:48.889 believe what it literally means. It means shepherd. 00:07:52.209 --> 00:07:54.670 Yeah, I know, that's hard to believe. And it's 00:07:54.670 --> 00:07:57.389 kind of used as a metaphor throughout Scripture, 00:07:57.490 --> 00:08:00.689 Old Testament and New Testament, for spiritual 00:08:00.689 --> 00:08:03.990 leadership. So when the Bible's talking about 00:08:03.990 --> 00:08:06.990 what spiritual leadership looks like, the word 00:08:06.990 --> 00:08:08.889 that it often uses and the word picture that 00:08:08.889 --> 00:08:11.850 it uses is often this idea of shepherds. So think 00:08:11.850 --> 00:08:16.269 about this. A shepherd is not a CEO. So there's 00:08:16.269 --> 00:08:19.250 a place for that and God's gifted people as CEOs. 00:08:19.329 --> 00:08:22.439 This is not to put CEOs down. But a shepherd 00:08:22.439 --> 00:08:25.100 is not a CEO. A shepherd is not a motivational 00:08:25.100 --> 00:08:27.860 speaker. A shepherd is not a program director. 00:08:27.980 --> 00:08:34.840 A shepherd has one obsession. The sheep. And 00:08:34.840 --> 00:08:37.519 shepherds don't climb ladders, they carry crosses. 00:08:38.919 --> 00:08:40.960 Shepherds aren't the kind of people who usually 00:08:40.960 --> 00:08:44.820 get promoted because they're not usually flashy. 00:08:45.600 --> 00:08:47.820 They usually don't care what anybody thinks about 00:08:47.820 --> 00:08:51.720 it because their only obsession is just taking 00:08:51.720 --> 00:08:54.600 care of the sheep. They're not willing to play 00:08:54.600 --> 00:08:57.580 the political games because the political games 00:08:57.580 --> 00:09:00.600 just don't matter. They're just going to take 00:09:00.600 --> 00:09:04.399 care of sheep. There's an Irish proverb that 00:09:04.399 --> 00:09:06.440 I heard this when I was just starting out in 00:09:06.440 --> 00:09:09.860 ministry and I can't tell you the number of times 00:09:09.860 --> 00:09:13.240 that this proverb runs through my head. And here's 00:09:13.240 --> 00:09:15.759 the proverb, a shepherd feeds the sheep daily, 00:09:16.039 --> 00:09:18.480 shears the sheep once a year and skins them once 00:09:18.480 --> 00:09:22.460 in a lifetime. And sometimes the problem that 00:09:22.460 --> 00:09:24.799 we have is people who are in shepherding roles, 00:09:24.980 --> 00:09:28.179 they're in pastoral roles, they forget the importance 00:09:28.179 --> 00:09:32.740 of the first two -thirds of that. So for a shepherd 00:09:32.740 --> 00:09:37.080 to take care of sheep, they have to be fed daily. 00:09:38.799 --> 00:09:42.679 And you only can shear them once a year. So like 00:09:42.679 --> 00:09:45.679 you would get very tired of a shepherd who just 00:09:45.679 --> 00:09:48.783 constantly was shearing you, just you know like... 00:09:48.779 --> 00:09:51.139 Just cutting you down every time they got the 00:09:51.139 --> 00:09:53.340 opportunity and you would especially get tired 00:09:53.340 --> 00:09:55.940 of it if every time you are around this individual 00:09:55.940 --> 00:10:00.000 You just felt like you're getting skinned You 00:10:00.000 --> 00:10:01.919 wouldn't be able to put up with that very much 00:10:01.919 --> 00:10:05.960 so the shepherd feeds the flock Daily nourishment 00:10:05.960 --> 00:10:08.600 from the Word of God. He protects them from wolves. 00:10:08.620 --> 00:10:11.659 He stands guard against lies and false teaching 00:10:11.659 --> 00:10:15.080 He leads with safety and growth in mind always 00:10:15.080 --> 00:10:18.959 toward green pastures never toward danger and 00:10:18.959 --> 00:10:21.620 cares for the wounded and the weak. The broken 00:10:21.620 --> 00:10:24.259 aren't a burden to a shepherd, they're the priority. 00:10:24.799 --> 00:10:26.679 Why? Because the only thing that matters is the 00:10:26.679 --> 00:10:29.940 sheep. So a couple biblical models of shepherding, 00:10:30.039 --> 00:10:32.320 one that comes to mind. If we're thinking about 00:10:32.320 --> 00:10:34.539 shepherding in the Old Testament, you guys, group 00:10:34.539 --> 00:10:37.399 participation time, give me an example that just 00:10:37.399 --> 00:10:39.700 comes to your mind immediately about shepherds 00:10:39.700 --> 00:10:44.019 in the Old Testament. David's a great example, 00:10:44.080 --> 00:10:47.519 and there's a passage in the Old Testament David 00:10:47.519 --> 00:10:49.899 might have something to do with it that talks 00:10:49.899 --> 00:10:59.220 a lot about shepherds. Psalm 23 says, the Lord 00:10:59.220 --> 00:11:03.120 is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me 00:11:03.120 --> 00:11:05.860 lie down in green pastures. The entire thing, 00:11:05.980 --> 00:11:07.820 the entire passage, if you want to check this 00:11:07.820 --> 00:11:09.700 out you can, but here's the stuff that I want 00:11:09.700 --> 00:11:13.340 you to notice in that passage. It speaks of intimacy, 00:11:13.940 --> 00:11:18.559 provision, and guidance. It's talking about what 00:11:18.559 --> 00:11:21.179 God does for us. It says that God is the Good 00:11:21.179 --> 00:11:25.000 Shepherd That he's our shepherd that he he intimately 00:11:25.000 --> 00:11:28.480 knows us. He he provides for us He provides guidance 00:11:28.480 --> 00:11:31.419 for us great example in the Old Testament New 00:11:31.419 --> 00:11:34.440 Testament Jesus comes along and it's John chapter 00:11:34.440 --> 00:11:39.519 10 and Jesus says I am the Good Shepherd I lay 00:11:39.519 --> 00:11:41.779 down my life for the sheep. So everything that 00:11:41.779 --> 00:11:44.919 you knew from the Old Testament, Psalm 23, Jesus 00:11:44.919 --> 00:11:48.860 comes on the scene and he says, I am that. So 00:11:48.860 --> 00:11:51.480 we talk about intimacy and provision and guidance. 00:11:51.720 --> 00:11:55.740 We have all of that in Jesus. Amen. So he knows 00:11:55.740 --> 00:11:58.379 his sheep. That's what John chapter 10 tells 00:11:58.379 --> 00:12:01.039 us, that he knows his sheep and the sheep know 00:12:01.039 --> 00:12:05.039 him, by the way. It also says that Jesus, the 00:12:05.039 --> 00:12:08.610 good shepherd, lays down his life. for the sheep 00:12:08.610 --> 00:12:11.929 that he leads and he guides. He never abandons 00:12:11.929 --> 00:12:16.230 them. That's not just a metaphor. It's the standard 00:12:16.230 --> 00:12:20.429 for shepherds. So in John chapter 10, there's 00:12:20.429 --> 00:12:22.129 a comparison we'll put up here on the screen 00:12:22.129 --> 00:12:29.049 for you. So here's the comparison. So in John 00:12:29.049 --> 00:12:31.429 chapter 10, where Jesus says, I am the good shepherd. 00:12:31.509 --> 00:12:33.309 Here's the deal that's going on in John chapter 00:12:33.309 --> 00:12:36.500 10. So there were some people in Jesus' day, 00:12:36.600 --> 00:12:38.820 I understand that we can't get our brain around 00:12:38.820 --> 00:12:41.899 this, but there were some quote unquote shepherds 00:12:41.899 --> 00:12:47.460 in Jesus' day that were pretty lousy at it. And 00:12:47.460 --> 00:12:49.240 they didn't care at all about the sheep that 00:12:49.240 --> 00:12:52.120 were entrusted to their care. They were just 00:12:52.120 --> 00:12:58.250 in it for a buck. And as a result, They were 00:12:58.250 --> 00:13:01.029 suffering the injustice and the violence because 00:13:01.029 --> 00:13:02.789 there were these shepherds who were in positions 00:13:02.789 --> 00:13:04.429 But they didn't have the heart of a shepherd. 00:13:04.830 --> 00:13:08.070 So the people were paying the freight and Jesus 00:13:08.070 --> 00:13:10.470 kind of compares himself to that He says hey 00:13:10.470 --> 00:13:13.429 I am the good shepherd and this is what a good 00:13:13.429 --> 00:13:15.450 shepherd looks like This is what a good shepherd 00:13:15.450 --> 00:13:18.690 does so he's comparing and contrasting himself 00:13:18.690 --> 00:13:22.409 with the sham And he's saying I'm the real deal. 00:13:22.669 --> 00:13:25.559 That's what's going on in John chapter 10 So 00:13:25.559 --> 00:13:28.759 in John chapter 10, he uses this phrase of a 00:13:28.759 --> 00:13:31.340 hireling, and he talks about what the hirelings 00:13:31.340 --> 00:13:34.179 will do. And hirelings are just people who are 00:13:34.179 --> 00:13:37.179 in it for a paycheck. That's what they're all 00:13:37.179 --> 00:13:39.820 about. They're the ones climbing the ladder. 00:13:39.899 --> 00:13:41.759 They're in it for the political gain, but they're 00:13:41.759 --> 00:13:44.659 not in it for the sheep. So Jesus is saying, 00:13:44.659 --> 00:13:48.539 I'm not like them. And that's kind of the backdrop 00:13:48.539 --> 00:13:50.980 that he's talking about. And another passage 00:13:50.980 --> 00:13:53.100 is in First Peter chapter five, where it talks 00:13:53.100 --> 00:13:57.539 about that true shepherds are under shepherds 00:13:57.539 --> 00:14:00.320 of the good shepherd, that we should imitate 00:14:00.320 --> 00:14:02.879 him, that we should follow his example. So this 00:14:02.879 --> 00:14:05.399 just takes that and kind of gives you a comparison 00:14:05.399 --> 00:14:08.179 of what we're talking about. So in relationship 00:14:08.179 --> 00:14:12.799 to the sheep, the hireling sees them as not his 00:14:12.799 --> 00:14:16.340 own, he's detached from them. So like a hireling 00:14:16.340 --> 00:14:20.120 would say, you know what, if you're having a 00:14:20.120 --> 00:14:24.379 problem, It doesn't matter. You pick the problem. 00:14:24.559 --> 00:14:26.860 See, I always have to be careful here because 00:14:26.860 --> 00:14:29.519 as soon as I pick a problem as an example, somebody's 00:14:29.519 --> 00:14:31.919 going to say, he's talking about me. And I'm 00:14:31.919 --> 00:14:34.279 not. So I'm just going to try to pick one that 00:14:34.279 --> 00:14:38.279 I think no one is. Anyways, I'm not talking about 00:14:38.279 --> 00:14:40.580 anybody in particular right now. But we'll just 00:14:40.580 --> 00:14:47.120 say that in one of your homes, your family is 00:14:47.120 --> 00:14:51.929 just a dumpster fire. I know nobody can relate 00:14:51.929 --> 00:14:55.970 to that. But I mean, your family, your home life 00:14:55.970 --> 00:15:01.110 is a dumpster fire. And a hireling would look 00:15:01.110 --> 00:15:05.470 at that and say, not my circus, not my monkeys. 00:15:09.169 --> 00:15:11.230 I mean, I'll show up. I'll do what I'm supposed 00:15:11.230 --> 00:15:15.870 to do. I'll put on a good face. I'll act like 00:15:15.870 --> 00:15:19.049 I care. But you're gonna see through that in 00:15:19.049 --> 00:15:22.710 a moment's notice. Because there's just something 00:15:22.710 --> 00:15:26.250 that's not genuine about it. Because the hirelings 00:15:26.250 --> 00:15:29.529 detach, they're removed, and they say the right 00:15:29.529 --> 00:15:33.909 things, they shake the right hands. But like 00:15:33.909 --> 00:15:38.029 when your family's a dumpster fire, a hireling's 00:15:38.029 --> 00:15:41.110 like, hey listen, that's not my problem. I'm 00:15:41.110 --> 00:15:45.509 sorry you're there. But don't expect me to do 00:15:45.509 --> 00:15:50.659 much beyond that. So the opposite of that is 00:15:50.659 --> 00:15:53.559 an under shepherd sees them as God's flock entrusted 00:15:53.559 --> 00:15:55.740 to his care. So here's the difference or her 00:15:55.740 --> 00:15:59.700 care I Don't mean anything specific by that, 00:15:59.759 --> 00:16:02.480 right? But here's the difference So somebody 00:16:02.480 --> 00:16:05.159 who is a under shepherd of the Good Shepherd 00:16:05.159 --> 00:16:09.019 if your family's a dumpster fire it matters to 00:16:09.019 --> 00:16:16.460 him or her and They're in it with you And you 00:16:16.460 --> 00:16:19.799 can sense the difference So the second thing 00:16:19.799 --> 00:16:23.659 is in response to motivation, they work for pay, 00:16:24.139 --> 00:16:26.940 position, or personal gain. It just sounds gross, 00:16:26.960 --> 00:16:29.240 right? I just want to wash my mouth out with 00:16:29.240 --> 00:16:31.679 soap just for saying it. But you know, there 00:16:31.679 --> 00:16:33.460 are people like that. That's what a hireling 00:16:33.460 --> 00:16:35.559 does. They're in it for the paycheck. They're 00:16:35.559 --> 00:16:37.500 in it because they want to climb a ladder. They 00:16:37.500 --> 00:16:40.440 want to increase their position. They'll use 00:16:40.440 --> 00:16:42.600 ministry opportunities as a stepping stone. You 00:16:42.600 --> 00:16:44.259 know, hey, it's not where I want to be, but I'll 00:16:44.259 --> 00:16:47.460 do this. And if I do this long enough, then And 00:16:47.460 --> 00:16:49.860 I scratch the right backs that I can eventually 00:16:49.860 --> 00:16:51.480 climb the ladder and I get to where I want to 00:16:51.480 --> 00:16:55.120 be. That's what a hireling would do. The motivation 00:16:55.120 --> 00:16:57.019 for somebody who is an under shepherd is they 00:16:57.019 --> 00:17:00.100 serve willingly, eagerly, and out of love. How 00:17:00.100 --> 00:17:04.039 do they respond to danger? A hireling flees from 00:17:04.039 --> 00:17:07.980 the wolf whenever the danger comes. He'll flee 00:17:07.980 --> 00:17:11.099 from it and he'll abandon the sheep. So the fastest 00:17:11.099 --> 00:17:14.160 way is to figure out if they're a hireling. If 00:17:14.160 --> 00:17:15.980 you want to know if somebody's an under shepherd 00:17:15.980 --> 00:17:17.920 or if they're a higher link, it's real easy. 00:17:18.279 --> 00:17:21.519 Let things get difficult, and a higher link will 00:17:21.519 --> 00:17:26.519 run. And an under shepherd will be there no matter 00:17:26.519 --> 00:17:31.059 what. That's how you can tell. So an under shepherd, 00:17:31.119 --> 00:17:33.000 they'll stand firm, they'll protect the flock, 00:17:33.240 --> 00:17:36.539 they always will stay present. Ownership mindset. 00:17:37.980 --> 00:17:40.940 The higher link is self -serving. What can I 00:17:40.940 --> 00:17:49.390 get? A under shepherd, it's stewardship, these 00:17:49.390 --> 00:17:53.869 belong to Christ. Leadership style, a hireling 00:17:53.869 --> 00:17:58.230 is neglectful, self -focused, absent in crisis. 00:17:59.309 --> 00:18:01.990 A under shepherd is humble, faithful, leading 00:18:01.990 --> 00:18:06.029 by example. A hireling, the ultimate allegiance 00:18:06.029 --> 00:18:10.250 is to their self or to their employer. Doesn't 00:18:10.250 --> 00:18:14.990 it just sound gross? the under shepherd is to 00:18:14.990 --> 00:18:17.630 the chief shepherd to Jesus Christ, the outcome. 00:18:18.529 --> 00:18:22.029 So this is what happens. And this is ultimately 00:18:22.029 --> 00:18:26.210 why this conversation matters. Because the hireling, 00:18:26.289 --> 00:18:28.950 if you have somebody who's a hireling, and John 00:18:28.950 --> 00:18:31.589 chapter 10 talks about this specifically, the 00:18:31.589 --> 00:18:34.950 sheep get scattered, they're harmed, and they're 00:18:34.950 --> 00:18:38.589 vulnerable. If you have somebody who's an under 00:18:38.589 --> 00:18:40.369 shepherd, the sheep are fed, they're guarded, 00:18:40.450 --> 00:18:44.579 and they're guided towards Christ. And that doesn't 00:18:44.579 --> 00:18:46.700 mean that the difficulty still doesn't come. 00:18:47.619 --> 00:18:49.740 It just means that even in the difficulty that 00:18:49.740 --> 00:18:51.619 there's still guidance, there's still leadership 00:18:51.619 --> 00:18:55.240 moving us toward green pastures again. So I hope 00:18:55.240 --> 00:18:57.279 that that at least gives you a kind of a visual 00:18:57.279 --> 00:19:00.579 that you can grab onto and maybe take a couple 00:19:00.579 --> 00:19:02.799 notes from, but that's what I'm talking about. 00:19:03.220 --> 00:19:05.240 Here's the truth that messes with some of our 00:19:05.240 --> 00:19:08.160 assumptions. First of all, shepherding is not 00:19:08.160 --> 00:19:12.960 just pastoring a church. I think I've already 00:19:12.960 --> 00:19:14.640 talked about this a little bit when we were setting 00:19:14.640 --> 00:19:17.079 up the entire five -fold thing. I already touched 00:19:17.079 --> 00:19:20.539 on it briefly, but let me just add insult to 00:19:20.539 --> 00:19:22.700 injury and just go ahead and say it. So there 00:19:22.700 --> 00:19:25.880 are some of the translations that have it, apostle, 00:19:25.960 --> 00:19:30.119 prophet, evangelist, pastor, teacher. It's a 00:19:30.119 --> 00:19:34.980 terrible translation. Nowhere is that word translated 00:19:34.980 --> 00:19:37.720 as pastor. The word pastor does appear in the 00:19:37.720 --> 00:19:40.910 Bible. Don't get me wrong. But it's not that 00:19:40.910 --> 00:19:43.529 word. The word that we talked about is only translated 00:19:43.529 --> 00:19:45.990 as shepherd. Well, there's a huge difference 00:19:45.990 --> 00:19:50.710 between those two. And you can't begin to understand 00:19:50.710 --> 00:19:53.470 how much it impacted me when I realized the distinction 00:19:53.470 --> 00:19:55.650 between those two. So we're not talking about 00:19:55.650 --> 00:19:57.910 pastoring a church. So sometimes when we come 00:19:57.910 --> 00:20:00.670 to this subject, we're like, okay, well, Pastor 00:20:00.670 --> 00:20:02.690 Phil, he's just on some kind of crazy rant because 00:20:02.690 --> 00:20:05.519 he's only talking to a select few people. who 00:20:05.519 --> 00:20:07.380 might ever be in the role to pastor a church 00:20:07.380 --> 00:20:09.480 and provide pastoral ministry. I'm not talking 00:20:09.480 --> 00:20:12.359 about that. Because the role of shepherding is 00:20:12.359 --> 00:20:15.460 much broader than pastoring a church. And we 00:20:15.460 --> 00:20:18.400 talked about this too for a little bit, but not 00:20:18.400 --> 00:20:24.099 all shepherds are pastors. And not all pastors 00:20:24.099 --> 00:20:32.039 are shepherds. And man, it helped me when I realized 00:20:32.039 --> 00:20:37.569 that. Because if I don't realize that, then I 00:20:37.569 --> 00:20:41.490 look to people to provide pastoral support to 00:20:41.490 --> 00:20:45.650 me, shepherding support to me, and it's not ever 00:20:45.650 --> 00:20:51.690 going to happen. Are you following me? Not all 00:20:51.690 --> 00:20:53.609 pastors are shepherds, not all shepherds are 00:20:53.609 --> 00:20:55.549 pastors. The title doesn't make the shepherd 00:20:55.549 --> 00:20:58.990 the heart does. So if you're called as a shepherd, 00:20:59.190 --> 00:21:01.670 your job isn't to build an empire, to grow a 00:21:01.670 --> 00:21:04.369 platform, or to keep people comfortable. Your 00:21:04.369 --> 00:21:07.650 job's actually very simple and sacred. Feed them, 00:21:07.710 --> 00:21:10.789 protect them, lead them, and heal them. That's 00:21:10.789 --> 00:21:14.029 the weight of shepherding. So that helps us understand 00:21:14.029 --> 00:21:16.329 the shepherd gift, but let's talk about the heart 00:21:16.329 --> 00:21:19.670 of a shepherd. So this is really about developing 00:21:19.670 --> 00:21:22.809 character and internal posture of the shepherd. 00:21:23.569 --> 00:21:25.980 So the heart of a shepherd... It's not defined 00:21:25.980 --> 00:21:28.240 by skill but by the spirit. It's not by what 00:21:28.240 --> 00:21:31.539 they can do, it's by who they are. So here are 00:21:31.539 --> 00:21:35.000 the qualities of a under shepherd. Number one, 00:21:35.000 --> 00:21:37.019 they must be compassionate. I think I have this 00:21:37.019 --> 00:21:40.400 one on a slide. Because this one's so good, I 00:21:40.400 --> 00:21:42.160 want you to actually be able to see it with me. 00:21:42.440 --> 00:21:48.140 It's the one from Matthew 9, Joel. This one, 00:21:48.240 --> 00:21:51.920 Matthew 9. So when we talk about compassionate, 00:21:52.039 --> 00:21:54.890 this is what I'm talking about. I want you just 00:21:54.890 --> 00:21:58.430 to read this with me. Okay Speaking of Jesus, 00:21:58.670 --> 00:22:02.809 he saw the crowds He had compassion on them because 00:22:02.809 --> 00:22:07.049 they were confused and helpless like sheep without 00:22:07.049 --> 00:22:11.589 a shepherd So Jesus is the great shepherd he's 00:22:11.589 --> 00:22:13.809 the good shepherd if we're gonna get this right 00:22:13.809 --> 00:22:16.670 we have to be like Jesus That's the only model 00:22:16.670 --> 00:22:19.890 that is worth following after so as a shepherd 00:22:19.890 --> 00:22:21.650 if you want to know what does it look like we 00:22:21.650 --> 00:22:24.680 look like Jesus We love like Jesus, we take care 00:22:24.680 --> 00:22:27.460 of people like Jesus, we serve like Jesus. And 00:22:27.460 --> 00:22:29.819 Jesus sees people, he has compassion on them. 00:22:30.059 --> 00:22:32.039 Why does he have compassion on them? Because 00:22:32.039 --> 00:22:34.299 they're often like sheep without a shepherd. 00:22:34.799 --> 00:22:38.000 I got this wrong for years. And in fact, I probably 00:22:38.000 --> 00:22:40.900 owe you an apology too. So look, I've gone back 00:22:40.900 --> 00:22:42.519 to some of the places I was in ministry early 00:22:42.519 --> 00:22:44.319 and I've apologized to them because I'm like, 00:22:44.480 --> 00:22:46.960 I have no idea how you put up with me. And this 00:22:46.960 --> 00:22:48.599 is probably one of the things I need to add to 00:22:48.599 --> 00:22:51.099 the list. I think you've probably heard me say 00:22:51.099 --> 00:22:55.049 something like this. that the problem with sheep 00:22:55.049 --> 00:23:00.210 is that they're stupid. How many of you have 00:23:00.210 --> 00:23:03.289 heard me say something along those lines? So 00:23:03.289 --> 00:23:05.710 I want to publicly repent of that this morning 00:23:05.710 --> 00:23:08.430 because I think the Lord's changing my mind on 00:23:08.430 --> 00:23:12.390 this. And I don't think that sheep are stupid. 00:23:13.569 --> 00:23:17.809 I don't think sheep are dumb. I think they're 00:23:17.809 --> 00:23:25.420 just dependent. So like God talks about us as 00:23:25.420 --> 00:23:29.140 we're the sheep that he cares for and by that 00:23:29.140 --> 00:23:32.740 God is not saying he'd listen Phil you are dumb 00:23:32.740 --> 00:23:34.859 I mean, I'm just telling you right now boy. You 00:23:34.859 --> 00:23:37.140 are dumb He's not saying that at all. But what 00:23:37.140 --> 00:23:39.799 he is saying to me today is this Phil listen 00:23:39.799 --> 00:23:43.779 to me. You are the sheep of my pasture and listen 00:23:43.779 --> 00:23:48.180 You are far more dependent on me than you realize 00:23:48.180 --> 00:23:54.880 and You think you're a self -made man I'm telling 00:23:54.880 --> 00:24:00.700 you that you are completely dependent upon me. 00:24:02.660 --> 00:24:05.099 When Jesus looks at the crowd he doesn't have 00:24:05.099 --> 00:24:09.039 compassion on them because they're stupid. He 00:24:09.039 --> 00:24:12.859 has compassion on them because they're dependent 00:24:12.859 --> 00:24:20.059 and there's no one to provide the care. So I 00:24:20.059 --> 00:24:24.460 apologize. I've told you that sheep are stupid 00:24:24.460 --> 00:24:30.900 and I think they're just dependent. I think it's 00:24:30.900 --> 00:24:34.160 a better word. You can tell me later if you think 00:24:34.160 --> 00:24:35.980 I'm right, but I think it's a better word that 00:24:35.980 --> 00:24:43.299 sheep are dependent. Shepherds are patient. Second 00:24:43.299 --> 00:24:46.700 Timothy 2, 24 through 26, they don't force growth. 00:24:47.039 --> 00:24:51.990 They walk with people at the spirit's pace. Man 00:24:51.990 --> 00:24:53.910 that there's so much more I wish I could say 00:24:53.910 --> 00:24:56.210 but I don't have time They're servant -hearted 00:24:56.210 --> 00:24:59.329 John 13 12 through 15. They wash feet. They don't 00:24:59.329 --> 00:25:03.470 seek thrones Again, Jesus is the good shepherd 00:25:03.470 --> 00:25:06.289 John 13. What does Jesus do? He washes the disciples 00:25:06.289 --> 00:25:09.430 feet. He's not looking for thrones He's not trying 00:25:09.430 --> 00:25:11.650 to climb a ladder. He's not looking for positions. 00:25:11.670 --> 00:25:15.009 He just serves people in practical ways That's 00:25:15.009 --> 00:25:18.440 what a shepherd does. There's spiritually mature 00:25:18.440 --> 00:25:20.420 and emotionally stable. They're anchored. We're 00:25:20.420 --> 00:25:21.880 going to talk about that throughout September 00:25:21.880 --> 00:25:24.700 that we have this hope as an anchor of the soul. 00:25:24.880 --> 00:25:26.299 I don't know about you, but that should make 00:25:26.299 --> 00:25:29.759 you happy. You should be ridiculously happy. 00:25:30.019 --> 00:25:33.119 You have this hope as an anchor for the soul. 00:25:34.119 --> 00:25:36.359 It doesn't matter what the storm is. It doesn't 00:25:36.359 --> 00:25:38.339 matter what's happening. You have this hope as 00:25:38.339 --> 00:25:42.920 an anchor for the soul. Woo! September is going 00:25:42.920 --> 00:25:46.059 to be good. So they need to be anchored not tossed 00:25:46.059 --> 00:25:51.119 around by moods or storms Both of those are important 00:25:51.119 --> 00:25:54.539 Sometimes we're tossed around by the storms of 00:25:54.539 --> 00:25:57.920 life. We have no control over that right no control 00:25:57.920 --> 00:26:00.319 whatsoever You don't get to decide what a storm 00:26:00.319 --> 00:26:03.660 is coming But sometimes we get tossed around 00:26:03.660 --> 00:26:07.200 by our own moods Right. I mean I get in a funk 00:26:08.759 --> 00:26:11.380 I'm not patient at all with Danita, and I say 00:26:11.380 --> 00:26:15.940 crazy things to Danita, and if I'm going to be 00:26:15.940 --> 00:26:18.180 the kind of shepherd that God wants me to be, 00:26:19.400 --> 00:26:23.339 I have to be so anchored in Him that I'm not 00:26:23.339 --> 00:26:30.660 tossed around because I'm having a bad day. Not 00:26:30.660 --> 00:26:33.940 driven by power or control, 1 Peter 5, 2 through 00:26:33.940 --> 00:26:36.680 4, they lead by example, not by domination. Have 00:26:36.680 --> 00:26:39.319 you ever been Have you ever been subjected to 00:26:39.319 --> 00:26:42.779 somebody's leadership and they lead by domination? 00:26:44.720 --> 00:26:47.880 Isn't it fun? Don't you love it? Don't you just 00:26:47.880 --> 00:26:52.299 want to get up and go to work every day? No. 00:26:52.480 --> 00:26:54.420 What we're talking about is when they lead by 00:26:54.420 --> 00:27:01.160 example. I've had great leaders. I've had terrible 00:27:01.160 --> 00:27:04.250 leaders. I've had everything in between. But 00:27:04.250 --> 00:27:06.650 I tell you one thing that I know to be true when 00:27:06.650 --> 00:27:09.690 I've had great leaders and they lead by example 00:27:09.690 --> 00:27:12.829 and When I know that what they're asking of me 00:27:12.829 --> 00:27:16.529 is consistent with their lifestyle It's pretty 00:27:16.529 --> 00:27:20.650 easy for me to tow the line And be like this 00:27:20.650 --> 00:27:23.910 person's living it out It's pretty easy for me 00:27:23.910 --> 00:27:28.329 to say you know what yeah, I'll do that And that's 00:27:28.329 --> 00:27:29.849 the kind of leadership that we're talking about 00:27:29.849 --> 00:27:32.230 bottom line shepherds. Don't just preach sermons. 00:27:32.250 --> 00:27:35.750 They embody this the shepherd's heart. Some common 00:27:35.750 --> 00:27:38.910 misunderstandings. Shepherds are not people pleasers. 00:27:38.950 --> 00:27:43.150 Say that with me. Shepherds are not people pleasers. 00:27:43.390 --> 00:27:45.490 They take care of people, but they answer to 00:27:45.490 --> 00:27:54.529 God. And don't ever forget that. I don't mean 00:27:54.529 --> 00:27:56.890 this to be like I'm not trying to posture at 00:27:56.890 --> 00:28:00.640 all. I'm not. That's not my point here. After 00:28:00.640 --> 00:28:02.240 all these years together, I think that you know 00:28:02.240 --> 00:28:03.980 my heart well enough. I'm not trying to posture 00:28:03.980 --> 00:28:06.400 here at all. But at the end of the day, I don't 00:28:06.400 --> 00:28:14.640 work for you. I work for God. And do I want to 00:28:14.640 --> 00:28:16.839 take care of you? I do. It's the way that God's 00:28:16.839 --> 00:28:19.759 wired me. It brings me great pleasure when I 00:28:19.759 --> 00:28:22.980 get it right. But at the end of the day, it doesn't 00:28:22.980 --> 00:28:26.279 matter one hill of beans if you're happy with 00:28:26.279 --> 00:28:32.230 what I did. But everything matters about what 00:28:32.230 --> 00:28:36.950 he thinks. So shepherds aren't people pleasers. 00:28:37.269 --> 00:28:39.809 They understand that they work with people, they 00:28:39.809 --> 00:28:42.730 care for people, but they answer to God. Misconception 00:28:42.730 --> 00:28:45.910 number two, being pastoral doesn't mean tolerating 00:28:45.910 --> 00:28:50.819 sin. Sometimes we think that... in our effort 00:28:50.819 --> 00:28:53.839 to protect the sheep that will avoid confrontation 00:28:53.839 --> 00:28:56.180 at any cost. I've worked for some leaders like 00:28:56.180 --> 00:28:58.359 that, that they were fantastic people, that they 00:28:58.359 --> 00:29:01.180 wanted to provide care, but they would smell 00:29:01.180 --> 00:29:04.000 confrontation three days away and run the opposite 00:29:04.000 --> 00:29:08.160 direction. Well, you just can't be a good leader 00:29:08.160 --> 00:29:11.500 and do that. There are times that in the process 00:29:11.500 --> 00:29:14.180 of taking care of people and doing what you need 00:29:14.180 --> 00:29:16.079 to do to take care of them and protecting the 00:29:16.079 --> 00:29:18.420 sheep, there are times that you have to confront. 00:29:19.640 --> 00:29:21.500 Sometimes the most loving thing that you can 00:29:21.500 --> 00:29:24.539 do is to confront. The last one is shepherding 00:29:24.539 --> 00:29:28.240 is not codependency, it's healthy care leading 00:29:28.240 --> 00:29:31.180 people to Jesus, not tying them to yourself. 00:29:32.259 --> 00:29:37.460 Have you ever been around people that they're 00:29:37.460 --> 00:29:40.099 just trying to get people to like them and to 00:29:40.099 --> 00:29:42.500 be connected to them and have you known people 00:29:42.500 --> 00:29:45.700 like that? That's not what we're talking about 00:29:45.700 --> 00:29:48.559 at all. So let's talk about core functions of 00:29:48.559 --> 00:29:52.819 a shepherd This is the main responsibility of 00:29:52.819 --> 00:29:55.819 a shepherd so it really can be boiled down to 00:29:55.819 --> 00:29:57.599 five things I'm just I'm gonna tell you right 00:29:57.599 --> 00:30:00.420 up front. They're not it's not glitzy. It's not 00:30:00.420 --> 00:30:03.039 glamorous. In fact, it's gritty. It's daily It's 00:30:03.039 --> 00:30:06.079 costly, but there are really five non -negotiables 00:30:06.079 --> 00:30:09.119 for shepherds. Number one is feeding everyone 00:30:09.119 --> 00:30:12.940 say feeding So shepherds feed they they feed 00:30:12.940 --> 00:30:15.839 they teach the word sound doctrine not empty 00:30:15.839 --> 00:30:19.740 fluff Truth that roots people in Christ. They 00:30:19.740 --> 00:30:22.180 promote growth and maturity I don't have time 00:30:22.180 --> 00:30:24.779 to read it but Hebrews chapter 5 12 through 14 00:30:24.779 --> 00:30:27.660 is a great verse about this and the goal for 00:30:27.660 --> 00:30:31.599 shepherds is to move people from milk to meat 00:30:31.599 --> 00:30:39.539 There's nothing wrong with milk, but you can't 00:30:39.539 --> 00:30:43.039 stay there forever So there's a time and a place 00:30:43.039 --> 00:30:45.279 where what they need is milk and by all means 00:30:45.279 --> 00:30:48.279 let's give them milk If that's what they need 00:30:48.279 --> 00:30:50.779 and that is a reasonable thing for where they 00:30:50.779 --> 00:30:53.579 are in that season Then let's give that to them. 00:30:53.740 --> 00:30:56.359 But at some point we have to say okay as part 00:30:56.359 --> 00:30:59.400 of shepherding you We need to move you from that 00:30:59.400 --> 00:31:04.099 and get you to me Right. You can't stay like 00:31:04.099 --> 00:31:06.400 that forever. I love you enough to not leave 00:31:06.400 --> 00:31:08.720 you the way that you are We're gonna keep moving 00:31:08.720 --> 00:31:12.220 forward If you're not feeding the flock, they'll 00:31:12.220 --> 00:31:15.339 starve or they'll just eat junk food someplace 00:31:15.339 --> 00:31:20.640 else. Number two leading, vision and direction, 00:31:20.900 --> 00:31:23.440 pointing the church toward Christ's mission, 00:31:23.839 --> 00:31:28.319 not personal agendas. Guiding through life, specifically 00:31:28.319 --> 00:31:31.440 what I mean by that is in the middle of the crisis, 00:31:31.660 --> 00:31:33.420 in the middle of the calling, in the middle of 00:31:33.420 --> 00:31:35.480 transitions, you don't disappear when it gets 00:31:35.480 --> 00:31:44.140 hard. Sheep without directions scatter shepherds 00:31:44.140 --> 00:31:47.160 set the course number three caring Specifically, 00:31:47.160 --> 00:31:50.440 I'm talking about soul care So visiting counseling 00:31:50.440 --> 00:31:52.759 praying showing up if you could just only get 00:31:52.759 --> 00:31:54.660 one of them when we're talking about caring for 00:31:54.660 --> 00:31:57.279 souls If you don't get anything else get this 00:31:57.279 --> 00:32:03.400 just show up One of my professors in school I 00:32:03.400 --> 00:32:06.059 don't remember much of what he said. We served 00:32:06.059 --> 00:32:09.299 on a credentials board together, and I would 00:32:09.299 --> 00:32:12.319 tell him, hey, you need to tell this person this 00:32:12.319 --> 00:32:13.960 particular thing that he said. I thought it was 00:32:13.960 --> 00:32:16.599 a great piece of advice. So like staff pastors, 00:32:16.640 --> 00:32:18.700 he would say this. He said, there's three things 00:32:18.700 --> 00:32:21.900 that staff pastors need to know. The first one 00:32:21.900 --> 00:32:25.180 is loyalty. And he would talk for three or four 00:32:25.180 --> 00:32:27.640 minutes about loyalty. And then he said the second 00:32:27.640 --> 00:32:31.079 one is, loyalty. And he would talk about three 00:32:31.079 --> 00:32:33.240 or four minutes about loyalty. He said the third 00:32:33.240 --> 00:32:36.380 one is loyalty. And he would talk, you know, 00:32:36.420 --> 00:32:38.380 for three or four minutes about loyalty. So then 00:32:38.380 --> 00:32:39.980 he'd wrap it all up and say, here's the bottom 00:32:39.980 --> 00:32:42.619 line. If you want to be successful as a staff 00:32:42.619 --> 00:32:50.079 pastor, be loyal. And this isn't that, but in 00:32:50.079 --> 00:32:51.960 class he would say this one thing over and over 00:32:51.960 --> 00:32:53.579 again. I probably couldn't tell you anything 00:32:53.579 --> 00:32:55.720 else that he said other than the loyalty thing, 00:32:55.920 --> 00:32:57.500 because I thought it was funny. I wanted everyone 00:32:57.500 --> 00:32:59.910 to hear it. I don't mean funny in that it wasn't 00:32:59.910 --> 00:33:02.430 true. It is true. But I just thought the way 00:33:02.430 --> 00:33:05.829 that he delivered it and presented it was important. 00:33:06.789 --> 00:33:08.549 But here's the thing that he said over and over 00:33:08.549 --> 00:33:10.190 in class. It's probably the only thing I remember 00:33:10.190 --> 00:33:20.970 that he did say. If in doubt, go. If you're in 00:33:20.970 --> 00:33:29.349 doubt, go. If you know that a friend is going 00:33:29.349 --> 00:33:32.930 through a tough week, and there's any doubt in 00:33:32.930 --> 00:33:36.710 your mind, like, what should I do here? Then 00:33:36.710 --> 00:33:41.470 pick up the phone. Today, at least send them 00:33:41.470 --> 00:33:44.910 a text message. It'd probably be better if you 00:33:44.910 --> 00:33:46.890 got in the car and just went and saw them. That'd 00:33:46.890 --> 00:33:48.609 probably be better. But if you have any doubt 00:33:48.609 --> 00:33:51.309 in your mind whatsoever, then just go ahead and 00:33:51.309 --> 00:33:54.609 do what you need to do. Do something. Show up. 00:33:54.650 --> 00:33:57.549 That's the heart of a shepherd, the heart of 00:33:57.549 --> 00:34:04.250 a servant. The other part of that is in healing 00:34:04.250 --> 00:34:07.849 wounds. Isaiah chapter 61 is a great, great example. 00:34:08.750 --> 00:34:12.329 So the shepherd binds up the brokenhearted. They 00:34:12.329 --> 00:34:15.730 carry the weak. A shepherd smells like the sheep 00:34:15.730 --> 00:34:18.530 because they're close enough to touch them. Number 00:34:18.530 --> 00:34:21.489 four, protecting. Guarding against false teachers. 00:34:21.730 --> 00:34:28.400 Wolves don't wear name tags. I taught this material, 00:34:28.659 --> 00:34:31.820 I was asked to teach it out in Jefferson several 00:34:31.820 --> 00:34:34.219 months back, and one of the examples that I gave 00:34:34.219 --> 00:34:37.760 out there, kind of, I don't know why, but like 00:34:37.760 --> 00:34:41.019 off the cuff I gave this example. When I was 00:34:41.019 --> 00:34:46.219 a staff pastor in Elyria, I, when I was there, 00:34:46.820 --> 00:34:50.639 I really did, I did all of the things that the 00:34:50.639 --> 00:34:52.599 lead pastor didn't want to do. Whatever that 00:34:52.599 --> 00:34:55.480 was, that's what I did, that was my role. And 00:34:55.480 --> 00:34:57.800 I'm kind of wired as a pastor. I'm wired as a 00:34:57.800 --> 00:35:00.199 shepherd. It's not just what I do, it's who I 00:35:00.199 --> 00:35:02.940 am. So we had a group that came in, and we don't 00:35:02.940 --> 00:35:05.239 need to get into that. In fact, I'm not trying 00:35:05.239 --> 00:35:07.460 to make anybody look bad. But they were a group 00:35:07.460 --> 00:35:10.260 that we hired to come in to do an evangelistic 00:35:10.260 --> 00:35:13.000 deal. And hey, that's great. It's fine. We had 00:35:13.000 --> 00:35:15.519 people who came to know Jesus. So the outcome 00:35:15.519 --> 00:35:17.280 of it was very good. If somebody comes to know 00:35:17.280 --> 00:35:20.599 Jesus, that's a win, right? So that did happen. 00:35:21.139 --> 00:35:23.969 And so, hey, that's all fine and good. But this 00:35:23.969 --> 00:35:26.610 group came in and their expectations were really, 00:35:26.610 --> 00:35:29.329 really high and they were using our people kind 00:35:29.329 --> 00:35:32.090 of in this drama thing to present the gospel 00:35:32.090 --> 00:35:34.730 and then call people to a decision and I'm all 00:35:34.730 --> 00:35:37.969 for that. But their expectations were extremely 00:35:37.969 --> 00:35:41.710 high and like they were so high that the people 00:35:41.710 --> 00:35:44.789 that, they're just people like you and me. They 00:35:44.789 --> 00:35:48.909 don't have, they're not stage trained. They haven't 00:35:48.909 --> 00:35:51.690 been to theater camps. They're just people like 00:35:51.690 --> 00:35:54.710 you and me. And the expectation was that they 00:35:54.710 --> 00:35:57.889 were professional actors and actresses. So this 00:35:57.889 --> 00:35:59.769 group came in and I'm kind of standing in the 00:35:59.769 --> 00:36:02.349 back of the church watching all this stuff get 00:36:02.349 --> 00:36:03.909 set up and they're trying to rehearse and do 00:36:03.909 --> 00:36:06.829 their stuff and he tore into one of my ladies. 00:36:08.670 --> 00:36:13.269 He said some very hurtful things and was way 00:36:13.269 --> 00:36:16.989 too direct and he was setting a standard that 00:36:16.989 --> 00:36:19.110 there was no way she was ever going to meet. 00:36:19.539 --> 00:36:21.559 And she immediately, in front of everybody who's 00:36:21.559 --> 00:36:24.880 there, starts sobbing. So I'm like, hey, you 00:36:24.880 --> 00:36:26.679 and I need to talk. And he's like, it'll have 00:36:26.679 --> 00:36:28.519 to wait. And I'm like, no, it won't wait. It'll 00:36:28.519 --> 00:36:30.619 happen right now. You're going to stop what you're 00:36:30.619 --> 00:36:32.219 doing, and you and I are going to go outside, 00:36:32.280 --> 00:36:34.239 and we're going to have a conversation. He's 00:36:34.239 --> 00:36:37.059 like, oh, OK, you really do mean this. I do. 00:36:38.119 --> 00:36:39.920 Find a good break point. We're going to go have 00:36:39.920 --> 00:36:42.900 a conversation. So he's like, yeah, what can 00:36:42.900 --> 00:36:44.900 I do for you? You're interrupting my rehearsal. 00:36:46.480 --> 00:36:48.599 And I said, I know I'm interrupting your rehearsal. 00:36:49.860 --> 00:36:52.780 But I want you to understand something. That 00:36:52.780 --> 00:36:57.900 woman that you just tore into, she's my sheep. 00:37:00.960 --> 00:37:05.619 And I love her. And I'll protect her against 00:37:05.619 --> 00:37:09.559 people like you. If anyone is going to talk to 00:37:09.559 --> 00:37:12.920 her the way that you just did, it'll be me. And 00:37:12.920 --> 00:37:16.739 I don't talk to my people that way. So you and 00:37:16.739 --> 00:37:20.900 I have a problem. And he said, I see your point. 00:37:22.599 --> 00:37:25.840 He said, I'll go apologize to her. And I said, 00:37:25.880 --> 00:37:30.739 see that you do. Because you will not talk to 00:37:30.739 --> 00:37:33.980 my people that way ever again. He's like, I got 00:37:33.980 --> 00:37:39.800 it. So he walked back in. And he said, I need 00:37:39.800 --> 00:37:43.039 to apologize to you. And he got it straight. 00:37:43.719 --> 00:37:45.880 What's my point in telling you all of that? My 00:37:45.880 --> 00:37:47.619 point in telling you all of that is that's the 00:37:47.619 --> 00:37:52.389 heart of a shepherd. We have to be willing to 00:37:52.389 --> 00:37:54.610 take care of people, confront things. When people 00:37:54.610 --> 00:37:56.929 are brokenhearted and hurting, we have to show 00:37:56.929 --> 00:37:59.630 up and we have to care and provide the kind of 00:37:59.630 --> 00:38:01.889 care and support that they need. Does that make 00:38:01.889 --> 00:38:08.329 sense? So last one, equipping. So shepherds need 00:38:08.329 --> 00:38:10.610 to train other people so that it's not all about 00:38:10.610 --> 00:38:12.670 them, but we can multiply the effort, right? 00:38:12.670 --> 00:38:15.610 So we need to mobilize the body so that the church 00:38:15.610 --> 00:38:20.760 is a family on a mission. And we're not just 00:38:20.760 --> 00:38:22.980 spectators, but we're all involved in it. So 00:38:22.980 --> 00:38:25.119 shepherds don't create dependents, they raise 00:38:25.119 --> 00:38:27.739 disciples. So if we put it all together, true 00:38:27.739 --> 00:38:30.139 shepherds feed, they lead, they care, protect, 00:38:30.380 --> 00:38:34.460 equip. And if we miss one, the flock suffers. 00:38:34.519 --> 00:38:38.940 If we do all of them, the church thrives. Shepherding 00:38:38.940 --> 00:38:43.619 and the church structure. So I just want to take 00:38:43.619 --> 00:38:45.139 a moment and talk about how this fits within 00:38:45.139 --> 00:38:49.179 the fivefold, specifically. So apostles and prophets 00:38:49.179 --> 00:38:52.219 kind of push forward with vision and conviction. 00:38:52.900 --> 00:38:54.699 Shepherds are the ones that bring relational 00:38:54.699 --> 00:38:57.119 depth so that people don't get left bleeding 00:38:57.119 --> 00:39:00.340 along the way, if that makes sense. They build 00:39:00.340 --> 00:39:06.420 community, they help people to feel like they're 00:39:06.420 --> 00:39:09.059 a part of it. So the shepherd isn't the star, 00:39:09.099 --> 00:39:10.840 they're the glue that kind of holds it all together. 00:39:11.420 --> 00:39:14.679 So in the local context, shepherds don't just... 00:39:14.329 --> 00:39:16.550 Shepherding doesn't just happen from the pulpit, 00:39:16.650 --> 00:39:19.750 it happens in everyday structures of the church, 00:39:20.230 --> 00:39:23.150 cell groups, small groups, care pastors, lay 00:39:23.150 --> 00:39:27.130 pastors, shepherds who aren't ever going to preach 00:39:27.130 --> 00:39:28.789 a sermon, but they're the ones who are going 00:39:28.789 --> 00:39:30.590 behind the scenes caring for the people of the 00:39:30.590 --> 00:39:35.369 church. And we need that, right? We need that 00:39:35.369 --> 00:39:40.639 desperately. So healthy systems a shepherd's 00:39:40.639 --> 00:39:44.320 care isn't random it thrives in healthy structures 00:39:44.320 --> 00:39:47.659 So one of the things that I think is true of 00:39:47.659 --> 00:39:50.260 good shepherds is I think that they're one of 00:39:50.260 --> 00:39:55.179 our greatest discipleship pipelines because People 00:39:55.179 --> 00:39:56.800 want to be around that they want to be a play 00:39:56.800 --> 00:39:58.159 in a place where they know that they're cared 00:39:58.159 --> 00:40:04.059 for so We also One of the things that we want 00:40:04.059 --> 00:40:06.039 to talk about with shepherding is there comes 00:40:06.039 --> 00:40:07.699 a point where we can't provide the kind of care 00:40:07.699 --> 00:40:10.420 that somebody needs, right? So part of the responsibility 00:40:10.420 --> 00:40:13.159 of a shepherd is to know when it's time to refer 00:40:13.159 --> 00:40:15.800 and bring in other people to help them in that 00:40:15.800 --> 00:40:18.699 way. So there are some challenges in shepherding. 00:40:18.880 --> 00:40:21.119 So let's talk about those just for a second. 00:40:22.219 --> 00:40:24.360 Shepherding is beautiful, but it can be brutal, 00:40:24.519 --> 00:40:26.820 especially if we're not careful. There are things 00:40:26.820 --> 00:40:30.820 like burnout and compassion fatigue. And we need 00:40:30.820 --> 00:40:33.360 to make sure that we're setting good boundaries, 00:40:34.320 --> 00:40:37.199 loving people without slipping into codependency, 00:40:37.780 --> 00:40:41.300 carrying emotional burdens, balancing care with 00:40:41.300 --> 00:40:44.860 correction. That last one's the one that is the 00:40:44.860 --> 00:40:47.059 toughest for me, balancing care with correction. 00:40:47.860 --> 00:40:49.739 Some other time maybe I'll give you more examples 00:40:49.739 --> 00:40:52.860 of that. The weight of souls is real and it can 00:40:52.860 --> 00:40:55.980 be crushing to a shepherd who doesn't guard their 00:40:55.980 --> 00:40:58.639 own heart. So here are some keys to longevity. 00:40:59.039 --> 00:41:02.679 personal Sabbath and rhythms of rest, healthy 00:41:02.679 --> 00:41:06.539 delegation and team building, emotional intelligence 00:41:06.539 --> 00:41:10.000 and mentoring, being shepherded themselves. Does 00:41:10.000 --> 00:41:14.539 anybody recognize the name Billy Graham? Maybe 00:41:14.539 --> 00:41:17.800 you heard of it maybe once or twice. So Billy 00:41:17.800 --> 00:41:20.840 Graham obviously was the evangelist who was preached 00:41:20.840 --> 00:41:25.900 to millions in multiple nations and led multiple 00:41:25.900 --> 00:41:28.730 thousands to the Lord. But did you know that 00:41:28.730 --> 00:41:36.010 Billy Graham needed a shepherd? And in the height 00:41:36.010 --> 00:41:38.750 of his ministry, Billy Graham was facing all 00:41:38.750 --> 00:41:42.210 kinds of pressures, endless travel, spiritual 00:41:42.210 --> 00:41:45.730 attack, the weight of influence, and behind him 00:41:45.730 --> 00:41:48.809 was a guy by the name of Grady Wilson. Has anyone 00:41:48.809 --> 00:41:52.710 ever heard of Grady Wilson? So Grady Wilson was 00:41:52.710 --> 00:41:56.719 the shepherd to Billy Graham. And here's the 00:41:56.719 --> 00:41:58.099 thing I want you to think about for a second 00:41:58.099 --> 00:42:01.320 with me. If somebody like Billy Graham needed 00:42:01.320 --> 00:42:05.539 a shepherd, then we probably all need a shepherd. 00:42:06.380 --> 00:42:08.679 So behind Billy Graham was this guy by the name 00:42:08.679 --> 00:42:13.559 of Grady Wilson. Grady Wilson was not only a 00:42:13.559 --> 00:42:15.780 colleague to Billy Graham, but was a friend to 00:42:15.780 --> 00:42:18.960 Billy Graham. And when Billy Graham would get 00:42:18.960 --> 00:42:21.260 tired, Grady Wilson would be the guy who would 00:42:21.260 --> 00:42:23.659 show up and had an audience. that was good enough 00:42:23.659 --> 00:42:25.579 with Billy Graham. He would go to Billy Graham 00:42:25.579 --> 00:42:30.719 and say, hey, Billy, you need to rest. The pace 00:42:30.719 --> 00:42:33.539 that you're going at is not good and you won't 00:42:33.539 --> 00:42:35.639 be able to maintain this. And he would go and 00:42:35.639 --> 00:42:37.260 say, you need to take a couple of days and you 00:42:37.260 --> 00:42:40.300 would rest. When Billy Graham felt crushed with 00:42:40.300 --> 00:42:42.539 the burdens of decisions that he needed to make, 00:42:42.960 --> 00:42:45.639 it was Grady who would show up and pray with 00:42:45.639 --> 00:42:47.940 him and pray over him and speak truth into his 00:42:47.940 --> 00:42:53.480 life. When At one point in Billy Graham's life, 00:42:53.480 --> 00:42:55.420 he even admitted it himself. This is what he 00:42:55.420 --> 00:42:58.360 said about people like Grady Wilson and Cliff 00:42:58.360 --> 00:43:01.039 Burroughs. He said that if it wasn't for people 00:43:01.039 --> 00:43:03.599 like Grady Wilson and Cliff Burroughs walking 00:43:03.599 --> 00:43:06.260 beside him, he would not have been able to endure 00:43:06.260 --> 00:43:08.719 the long road of ministry. That's what Billy 00:43:08.719 --> 00:43:12.579 Graham said about Grady Wilson. What's the point? 00:43:14.179 --> 00:43:17.039 We probably all need that. Even if you're a shepherd. 00:43:17.559 --> 00:43:19.599 Graham's strength wasn't just his preaching, 00:43:19.719 --> 00:43:22.179 it was the fact that as a shepherd to the world, 00:43:22.440 --> 00:43:26.360 he allowed himself to be shepherded. So the survival 00:43:26.360 --> 00:43:29.639 isn't the goal, flourishing is. Bottom line is 00:43:29.639 --> 00:43:32.400 this, that shepherds burn out when they forget 00:43:32.400 --> 00:43:36.300 that they too are sheep. So you can't carry the 00:43:36.300 --> 00:43:38.559 rod and the staff for others if you never let 00:43:38.559 --> 00:43:45.219 the Lord's rod and staff comfort you. So we're 00:43:45.219 --> 00:43:50.500 going to wrap it up. It's kind of an activation 00:43:50.500 --> 00:43:56.360 and release time. So if you feel like you might 00:43:56.360 --> 00:43:59.519 be gifted or called as a shepherd, here are some 00:43:59.519 --> 00:44:01.460 things I want you to do specifically for you. 00:44:01.679 --> 00:44:03.480 This won't be for everybody. This is just for 00:44:03.480 --> 00:44:04.980 those that think there might be a shepherding 00:44:04.980 --> 00:44:08.059 call. I just want you to ask some questions. 00:44:08.159 --> 00:44:10.059 The first one is this, where do you naturally 00:44:10.059 --> 00:44:16.250 feel compassion? Number two. Who are the people 00:44:16.250 --> 00:44:22.050 you can't walk past? You know what I mean by 00:44:22.050 --> 00:44:27.849 that, right? Who are the people, I was on my 00:44:27.849 --> 00:44:33.409 way to a district meeting and I was running late, 00:44:34.110 --> 00:44:36.329 I'd run late lots of times for whatever reason, 00:44:36.369 --> 00:44:39.090 I was gonna be there like with a minute to spare 00:44:39.090 --> 00:44:45.059 and I'm driving 71 North, I'm 77 North and there's 00:44:45.059 --> 00:44:48.900 I'm in for whatever reason this isn't the lane 00:44:48.900 --> 00:44:50.579 that I'm normally in but for whatever reason 00:44:50.579 --> 00:44:53.380 I was in the slow lane I think it's because I 00:44:53.380 --> 00:44:56.400 was getting ready to get on 480 maybe but on 00:44:56.400 --> 00:45:00.940 the hammer lane berm there was a broken down 00:45:00.940 --> 00:45:05.000 vehicle and there are a couple things I look 00:45:05.000 --> 00:45:07.420 for in situations like that number one is it 00:45:07.420 --> 00:45:10.500 a dude and is it a dude who's probably should 00:45:10.500 --> 00:45:12.340 be able to take care of himself and if it's a 00:45:12.340 --> 00:45:16.909 lady then I have like a I mean, traffic's terrible. 00:45:17.050 --> 00:45:20.570 It's super heavy, and it's dangerous. It's probably 00:45:20.570 --> 00:45:23.670 the peak travel time, and they're right in a 00:45:23.670 --> 00:45:26.269 bad spot, and you can't really see them. And 00:45:26.269 --> 00:45:28.369 I'm like, oh, no. So I'm looking, and I'm like, 00:45:28.469 --> 00:45:33.869 oh, no. It's a lady who's broken down. I'm like, 00:45:34.489 --> 00:45:41.530 oh. So I tried to drive by. And the Lord almost 00:45:41.530 --> 00:45:44.190 audibly said to me, he's like, you're gonna call 00:45:44.190 --> 00:45:46.809 the DS, you're gonna tell them that you're gonna 00:45:46.809 --> 00:45:49.730 be late, you're gonna turn around at the next 00:45:49.730 --> 00:45:52.570 exit, and you're gonna go take care of that. 00:45:53.989 --> 00:45:57.469 Okay. So I called the DS and said, I'm gonna 00:45:57.469 --> 00:46:00.710 be late. I tried to drive by a broken down vehicle. 00:46:02.010 --> 00:46:04.769 The Lord's not gonna let me do that. So I'm gonna 00:46:04.769 --> 00:46:07.150 be late to the meeting. Turned around at the 00:46:07.150 --> 00:46:09.650 next exit. Takes me about 10 minutes to get all 00:46:09.650 --> 00:46:11.829 the way back there. The car's still there. And 00:46:11.829 --> 00:46:14.440 I'm like, Hey, I need to help you. Who are the 00:46:14.440 --> 00:46:18.760 people that you can't walk past? The reason I 00:46:18.760 --> 00:46:21.420 want you to think about those questions is that 00:46:21.420 --> 00:46:24.659 probably gives you a good indication of where 00:46:24.659 --> 00:46:26.920 the Lord is calling you, where the Lord wants 00:46:26.920 --> 00:46:30.460 to use you. That burden that you feel is often 00:46:30.460 --> 00:46:47.500 a clue to calling. So I have a very different 00:46:47.500 --> 00:46:50.119 kind of call to action this morning. I don't 00:46:50.119 --> 00:46:52.119 think we've ever done anything quite like it. 00:46:52.380 --> 00:46:55.000 And then the benediction's almost just as unique. 00:46:55.400 --> 00:46:57.800 But here's my call to action for a second, all 00:46:57.800 --> 00:47:01.280 right? Now, I'm not gonna do anything weird with 00:47:01.280 --> 00:47:03.539 you, so you're not gonna like open your eyes, 00:47:03.960 --> 00:47:06.199 and I'm not gonna be standing in your face or 00:47:06.199 --> 00:47:08.280 screaming at you. Nothing like that's gonna happen. 00:47:08.360 --> 00:47:10.179 But here's what I do want you to do with me, 00:47:10.199 --> 00:47:14.030 all right? I want you to close your eyes. I just 00:47:14.030 --> 00:47:15.590 want you to think about some things with me, 00:47:15.630 --> 00:47:18.170 and I'll walk you through the entire thing. But 00:47:18.170 --> 00:47:21.530 here's what I want you to think about. 1 Peter 00:47:21.530 --> 00:47:25.530 5 2 says this, be shepherds of God's flock that's 00:47:25.530 --> 00:47:28.489 under your care, watching over them, not because 00:47:28.489 --> 00:47:33.829 you must, but because you're willing. I think 00:47:33.829 --> 00:47:38.389 that is a great verse for all shepherds. Be shepherds 00:47:38.389 --> 00:47:41.599 of God's flock. that's under your care watching 00:47:41.599 --> 00:47:44.659 over them, not because you must, but because 00:47:44.659 --> 00:47:53.300 you're willing. Imagine a church where no one 00:47:53.300 --> 00:48:39.329 slips through the cracks. Imagine a city where 00:48:39.329 --> 00:48:44.210 shepherds walked the streets. Not with titles. 00:48:46.130 --> 00:48:52.409 Not with robes. But with eyes that see and hearts 00:48:52.409 --> 00:49:00.429 that bleed. Addicts listened to. Teenagers fathered 00:49:00.429 --> 00:49:04.349 and mothered in the faith. Marriages pulled back 00:49:04.349 --> 00:49:25.440 from the edge. that actually believes Jesus in 00:49:25.440 --> 00:49:35.019 minute when he said I'm the Good Shepherd. A 00:49:35.019 --> 00:49:37.579 generation of under -shepherds who smell like 00:49:37.579 --> 00:49:43.159 sheep because they've chosen proximity over platform. 00:49:44.880 --> 00:49:57.429 Presence over performance. When shepherds rise 00:49:57.429 --> 00:50:26.380 up, wolves scatter. doesn't just hear sermons 00:50:26.380 --> 00:50:31.980 about Jesus, they actually see Jesus. The good 00:50:31.980 --> 00:50:37.940 shepherd walking among his people. So here's 00:50:37.940 --> 00:50:42.179 the call. Don't just learn about shepherding. 00:50:44.980 --> 00:50:50.679 Live it. Let your heart break for the ones that 00:50:50.679 --> 00:50:58.179 nobody sees. in the staff with courage and compassion 00:50:58.179 --> 00:51:03.599 never forget you shepherd under the chief shepherd 00:51:03.599 --> 00:51:15.639 and his flock is worth your life so have one 00:51:15.639 --> 00:51:18.780 more screen that Joel's gonna throw up for us 00:51:18.780 --> 00:51:22.440 throw up I just said throw up did you hear that 00:51:22.440 --> 00:51:28.219 it should be a commissioning declaration. We 00:51:28.219 --> 00:51:31.239 have one that looks like that. It's going to 00:51:31.239 --> 00:51:38.039 be hard to see. Can you read that? All right. 00:51:39.139 --> 00:51:41.199 So it is hard to see. So here's what I'm going 00:51:41.199 --> 00:51:43.719 to ask for you to do. We're almost done. In fact, 00:51:43.760 --> 00:51:45.099 we're just going to do this together. And this 00:51:45.099 --> 00:51:47.519 is our benediction. So it's going to be a little 00:51:47.519 --> 00:51:50.820 bit different. But because it's hard to see, 00:51:51.000 --> 00:51:53.440 I need you to move up close enough that you can 00:51:53.440 --> 00:51:55.619 see it, because we're going to read it together. 00:51:55.960 --> 00:52:00.409 OK? So however close you need to be to read it, 00:52:00.489 --> 00:52:02.289 move that close that you can read it. Are you 00:52:02.289 --> 00:52:05.769 with me? Now, it doesn't have to be loud. We 00:52:05.769 --> 00:52:07.929 don't have to like shake the rafters or anything. 00:52:08.710 --> 00:52:11.090 But I want you to hear your own voice say this. 00:52:11.389 --> 00:52:15.989 Okay, here it is. Here we go. Lord Jesus, say 00:52:15.989 --> 00:52:18.510 it with me. We're gonna read it together. Okay, 00:52:18.590 --> 00:52:22.090 together. Lord Jesus, you are the good shepherd. 00:52:22.929 --> 00:52:26.619 You have called us and trusted us. and empowered 00:52:26.619 --> 00:52:31.000 us. We will feed your sheep. We will protect 00:52:31.000 --> 00:52:35.880 your sheep. We will love your sheep. We'll always 00:52:35.880 --> 00:52:39.619 walk as under shepherds until the day you appear 00:52:39.619 --> 00:52:43.199 and we receive the crown of glory that never 00:52:43.199 --> 00:52:43.639 fades.