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Are You A Shepherd Or A Hireling?
by Dr Gerrit van Vuuren In Jesus' discourse about the Good Shepherd in John 10 there are several parties involved. In this article I would like us to look at the comparison and relationship between shepherds and hirelings in the specific part of Scripture. To achieve this, we will consider sheep, hirelings and the Good Shepherd. Sheep are by nature defenceless and vulnerable. They need someone to look after them, protect them and provide for them. Jesus was describing the dilemma that sheep experience to demonstrate the predicament of His disciples as well as their future disciples, and all disciples of Jesus through the ages to come. Sheep can only provide for themselves, in a very limited measure. As long as somebody provides them with grazing, water and shelter, they can utilize the water, utilize the grazing and utilize the shelter. But sheep cannot provide their own grazing, or water, or shelter. They are dependent upon someone else to provide for them. They only have the ability to utilize what they are provided with. On the other hand, they have no ability to defend themselves against lions, wolves, bears or other predators. Sheep are totally vulnerable in this sense. As far as grazing and water is concerned, they have a great need for it and if it is at a distance, or not of the best quality they will suffer, but they will survive for a while. Therefore where such inadequate conditions prevail, they will go to find water, or go off looking for better grazing. The point is, sheep may have the ability to survive imperfect conditions for a time, but they are helpless against the enemy. When predators appear, sheep become totally defenceless. They will attempt to run away, but will not defend themselves or apply some defensive strategy. Sheep are - like sheep. Jesus, in His infallible wisdom, describes a situation when the wolf comes. The scenario that is sketched is not one that leaves a chance of a wolf perhaps coming, or on the other hand perhaps deciding to stay away. The wolf will surely come, and when the wolf comes, the sheep will act like sheep. This is when the sheep will need the protection of a shepherd. Sub-standard provision of grazing, water and shelter is not good, but sheep might survive such. But when the wolf comes there is only one option. They need protection. Let us relate this to the Lord Jesus' disciples, in other words, Christians. As you know, we are all human beings, like the rest of mankind. The fact that you accepted Jesus as Saviour and Redeemer does not make you any different from the rest of the human race. You are still a living spirit, temporarily dwelling in a human body, with a soul which handles the communication between spirit and body. God gave all humans the ability to look after ourselves spiritually to a certain extent. You may consider yourself sufficiently able to look after your own physical needs, but spiritually we are all very limited in our ability. This is because we live in two realms simultaneously. Although we were created primarily spirit, and secondarily physical body, sin has changed God's intended balance in man's life. Our spirit which is in contact with God's Holy Spirit was supposed to rule our life, and give direction to our physical existence. However due to the intervention of sin, things have changed for the worse. We now live primarily in the physical realm, and secondarily in the spiritual realm, and we do not have the ability to be self sufficient spiritually. Mankind has turned its back on God, and is trying its best to prove it can live without God. Yet this does not change God's being. He remains a loving God providing for everyone calling on Him for help. Through His Holy Spirit, we are provided for spiritually. However, although there is a provision for receiving His help, God does not force anyone to accept His gift of grace and mercy. It is reserved for those who accept Jesus as saviour and redeemer. For more information on this, read the book of John chapters one to three and other relevant Scriptures. The point we need to understand is that no matter how hard we try, the enemy has already entered the fold, and he is out to kill. He received entrance through the sin of Adam and Eve in the garden, and we cannot change history. The only protection and hope of eternal survival that we have, is the blood of Jesus Christ. We can partially provide for our own short term needs, but long term, eternally, we are doomed without the blood of Jesus, who is the Good Shepherd. Now you may wonder if there still is a need for leaders if we have Jesus to look after us. The answer is a definite 'YES'. We need leaders as the sheep need a shepherd. Essentially, we need True Shepherd Leaders leaders according to the design of Jesus Christ. Being saved is a vehicle to help us reach a destination, and not a destination in itself. We are given the right to become children of God, but what we do with that right is in our own hands. According to the Bible, we become spiritual babies when we are saved. Just like physical babies need to be nurtured, fed, instructed and matured, so it is also with spiritual babies. Physical babies need parents to oversee and assist them in their process of growing up, and so do spiritual babies. In the spiritual realm we need True Shepherd Leaders to look after us, instruct us, and teach us to the point where we become mature enough to follow the leadership of the Holy Spirit. It is also important to understand that maturing as Christians and eventually becoming mature Christians, is not for our personal gain or pleasure, but is intended to be for the glory of God. In the process we have responsibilities of our own, which become more extreme as we mature. From the moment we are saved, we need to understand that we rely on shepherds not because they are our redeemers, but because they were chosen according to God's appointment, to lead us to maturity. They need to lead us to the waters of the Holy Spirit, and the grazing of the Holy Bible, but never should they become the water and the grazing. Some Christians look to the Pastor or the church as their primary source of spiritual provision which is unbiblical. Shepherds cannot and should not become substitutes for the Holy Spirit and the Bible. If your leader strays off from the narrow path, or begins making his own rules which do not comply with the standards of the Bible, you need to realise that he is not a shepherd but a hireling. Also, when you become aware that money, personal income or gain, and status becomes more important to your shepherd than reaching lost souls, you should identify him as being a hireling. Being a True Shepherd Leader, is an appointment of God, and is not determined by your personal attributes, temperament, talent, heritage, or qualifications. Certainly is it easier for a charismatic leader to gain a following, and most definitely the knowledge gained through appropriate theological study is helpful, but these can never become a shepherd's most important qualifications. The most important qualification for being a shepherd, without which you can never become a true shepherd leader, is being [a] born again by the Spirit of God, and [b] being called of God. Not every Christian is a shepherd, as there are a variety of Spiritual gifts and ministries with which God blesses His children. But every Christian has a function, a task and a responsibility. According to Ephesians 4 verse 11 God decides who has what function to fulfil. And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; (Ephesians 4:11 KJV) God also distributes Spiritual Gifts and Ministries according to His will, and God willing I will soon place articles on those aspects of Christian living as well. In God's plan every Christian has a function to fulfil, and the function of all Christians should culminate towards achieving God's will in accordance with the Great Commission. See Matthew chapter 28 verses 19 and 20. For now, however, it is important to realise that a Christian leader without a calling from God cannot be a shepherd according to Jesus' design, and will at best be a hireling. It is a person who became a Christian leader for his own personal gain or preference. Perhaps he saw it as a job with a good remuneration, an interesting field of study, or a position that would afford him public acceptance. Whatever the motive, if you are not born again, and not called of God, you are nothing more than a hireling that will abandon God's flock when the wolf comes. Being a True Shepherd Leader is not an easy task, and not necessarily the position with the most glamour, best image, or highest income. But nothing can compare with the reward that you receive from God for doing His will. However, this does not say that God does not want His Shepherds to be paid for the work they do. Neither does it imply that True Shepherd Leaders should not be properly rewarded for their work in the flock. The question that needs to be answered is, 'what is my motive for being a shepherd?' Am I doing it because I am compelled by God's calling on my life, or am I doing so because of the possible reward? God does not begrudge income or money as some think. After all, He is the creator of gold, silver, platinum and every other precious metal or stone. What He does not tolerate, is greed, the love for money, and especially forsaking the flock for the sake of personal gain. The question that you Christian leaders out there need to answer is therefore: "Am I a shepherd, or a hireling?" If you are a hireling, repent, come to God for forgiveness, and redemption through the blood of Jesus, and talk to Him about the calling on your life. If you as church member, follower, and disciple of Jesus realised through reading this article that you have a calling on your life that you have not responded to, follow the same route. Repent of your sins, accept Jesus as saviour if you had not already done so, and talk to God about your calling. Lastly, if you realise that you have fell prone to a hireling, talk to him about it, but if he does not accept responsibility for his misbehaviour, follow God with all of your heart. Dr Gerrit van Vuuren [Ph.D.] is Principal of the Shepherd Leadership Institute. [http://www.shepherdleader.co.za] At the age of 30 he accepted Jesus as Saviour, resulting in a radical conversion, a radical calling, and a radical ministry. Dr Gerrit wrote a research doctoral thesis on the 'leadership style of Jesus Christ', and has a calling to teach the body of Christ to understand and apply Jesus' leadership style, which he calls True Shepherd Leadership . For more information, e-mail him at [email protected] Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |