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On the difference between a hireling and a shepherd

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In John 10:12–13 Jesus is quoted as saying the following about the difference between a hired hand and a shepherd:

“The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.” (NIV)

ShepherdWhat is the primary difference between a hireling and a shepherd according to Jesus? The primary difference is their motivation for tending the sheep. The hireling does it for his own benefit and the shepherd does it for the benefit of the sheep.

When tending the sheep no longer benefits the hireling, he is nowhere to be found and leaves the sheep scattered and unprotected.

In contrast, the shepherd stands in when things get tough and does what his can to protect and care for the sheep.

I have known of “pastors” who have worked the church job market the way that some seek to climb the “corporate ladder.” A true shepherd doesn’t start with a small congregation and then seek to find an opportunity at a larger church so that he can be more comfortable or improve his lifestyle.

Sure, God can call men to change and grow in their responsibilities, but it must be God directed and God focused for this to be a true calling. If God is behind the change, it will be good for both the former church and the new church. If the change is prompted by the desires of a hireling, the former church will feel as though it has been left in the lurch.

Speaking as a sheep, I want a pastor who has a sense of calling, who ministers because he cannot do anything else without violating who he is, and who is in ministry for the long haul, no matter how difficult it gets.

How can you identify the hirelings? It is not always easy since the hirelings are often very good at appearing spiritual and self effacing.

I think that Ephesians 4:11-12 provides some insight to help distinguish between hirelings and shepherds. These verses tell us that the goal of church leadership should be the “equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.”

If a pastor is seeking to control the congregation, if he is the center of all the activity, if he maintains his place in the spot light, you might find that he is a hireling and not a shepherd.

On the other hand, a shepherd will be seeking to develop the gifts in his congregation, he will be feeding them from Scripture, he will focus on equipping the congregation to fulfill the mission of the church. He will then turn them loose to do the work of ministry. His focus is on the sheep and their development, not on his own position as leader.

In the end, it comes down to motivation. If you are a sheep, ask yourself is your pastor is working for the benefit of the congregation. If the answer is no, then move on and find a true shepherd. Staying under the leadership of a hireling will not be to your benefit.

If you are a pastor, ask yourself the same question. If you are pastoring primarily because you need a job, save all of us a lot of grief and go get a job outside the church. You’ll probably make more money and the collateral spiritual damage will be greatly reduced.

When Church Becomes a Battle Ground – James 4:1-3

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Polished RocksPut two humans together and there is bound to be conflict. As a result of the Fall, conflict is in our DNA. If you put a whole bunch of humans together in a local church the potential for conflict greatly increases. If the conflict escalates, the church can experience an internal battle that should not take place.

In a rock tumbler, the impact of stone upon stone in the presence of grit wears off the rough edges of the stone and brings out the beauty of the granular structure of the stone.

In the same way, by being in relationship in the local church body, we are bound to bump up against those with whom we don’t agree, or whose personality is out of phase with ours. God calls people into relationship with himself including some we struggle to get along with. The beauty of this is that by interacting with the other person, my shortcomings and sin get exposed, and I grow as a result.

If rocks had feelings I suppose that they would not like to be forced to bump up against each other and endure the polishing process. I don’t always like it either, but the Church is how God has chosen to operate in the world and prepare us for eternity. The polishing process can be painful, but it is necessary.

Conflict is inevitable, but when the response is appropriate it can lead to growth and reconciliation. Love is best demonstrated when the object of love is not lovely.

But there is another type of conflict that is not healthy and is very destructive to the church and body life.

In the forth chapter of his letter, James indicates that little conflicts can escalate to “wars and fights” (NKJV). Wars and fights are not healthy or helpful for any church. War is destructive and there should be no place in the church where these conflicts are tolerated.

A few verses later, James identifies the source of the wars and fights. They come as a result of selfishness and self focus. When the focus is on me and my pleasures, nothing good can come of it (James 4:3).

Paul gives us the antidote to this selfishness that results in wars. It can be found in Philippians 2:5-8, where Paul points to Jesus as our example of love being demonstrated through humility. If we respond to others in the church (even those who are not loving or lovable) by following Jesus’ example, the problem of wars and fights goes away. It takes two to fight. If one bows out or gives in, the fight ends.

The point is not that we should waffle on doctrinal issues. It is not necessarily wrong to be grieved or angry at the actions of others in the church. The point is that any response to the wrong doctrine or behavior must be rooted in love and guided by Scripture. Remember Paul’s injunction to “be angry and do not sin” (Ephesians 4:26).

The only correct response I can have to any such conflict is to repent of my part in escalating it, seek forgiveness of God and the one I’m in conflict with and forgive the other person in return. If all those in the body responded in this way when problems arise, the burden upon the church leadership would be less.

If this response was practiced, you might also find that your church is a place where people want to be because they feel nurtured and loved. That would indeed be a Biblical church growth program.

Where is the crowd? – Sermon on the Mount Series #1

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CrowdAt the end of Matthew chapter 4, we are told that “great multitudes followed [Jesus]—from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.”

Wherever Jesus went, he drew a crowd. Certainly some of the draw was his ability to heal. I’m sure that others followed out of a desire to see a miracle. Word must have traveled about the man who attended a wedding and turned water into wine.

Jesus’ response to the multitudes was to sit down and teach them (Matthew 5:1), a record of that teaching is found in Matthew chapters 5-7 and is referred to as the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus taught and the crowds listened and marveled at his teaching.

My question is this, why do we not see similar crowds today? Is it because people aren’t as needy? In the physical sense this may be true. With modern medicine many of the cures that can be affected would seem miraculous if seen by Jesus’ contemporaries. Yet, the spiritual hunger is just as prevalent today as 2,000 years ago.

Here are some questions church leaders should be asking:

Are they staying away because our message is not clear? In 1 Corinthians 14:8 Paul asks, “and if the bugle gives an indistinct sound, who will get ready for battle?” The point being that unless our message is clear and can be understood, people will not respond to it. If we are emulating the world and modifying the clear teaching of Scripture just to make it palatable to the surrounding culture, we are making an indistinct sound.

Are they staying away because our message is clear but not given in love? Paul tells us in Ephesians 4;15 to “speak the truth in love.” Without love, the truth is just a club to beat people down. Did you ever notice that the “sinners” were the ones who flocked to Jesus? They didn’t feel condemned by him, even when he made strong pronouncements about the consequences of continued rebellion against God. He spoke some very hard truths, but did so in love. The people were drawn by the love.

Are they staying away because our living does not match our message? I’ve been exposed to churches which preach grace but the pews were full of judgmental, cliquey people. James tells us in James 2:14-26 that “faith without works is dead.” In other words, our living must match our message. Our living must bear evidence of our faith. If not, then we have nothing to offer a world who desperately needs to be shown a better way.

Are they staying away because we haven’t reached out to them and asked them to come? People are more likely to visit if they are invited and have someone to show them the way around. A marquee out front may draw a few people in, but there is no substitute for a personal invitation.

I realize that numbers don’t tell the whole story and that there are very large religious gatherings where the Biblical message is being distorted. A church could be seeking God, seeing changed lives in those who attend, yet remain small. Size is not the ultimate test.

That being said, if the local church is not growing, that church needs to examine itself and determine if repentance and change are necessary. The lack of growth may say more about the church than it does about those who remain on the outside.

What I learned about the church from a cruise ship

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Open OceanI recently returned from a cruise to Bermuda from the Baltimore harbor. It was my first experience of being on the open ocean during the day where there is a 360° view of nothing but water and an occasional ship. To be on that ship in relatively calm weather, with the blue sea all around was a pleasant experience.

There were two things that I observed on that cruise that I think relate to how the church should function.

  1. The ship is intended to traverse the ocean but not remain there.
  2. Everyone on the ship knew his purpose and contributed to the success of the voyage.

No matter how pleasant the experience of sailing on the ocean was, that ocean is not my home. Humans cannot live in the ocean, we are sojourners who are on the ocean for the purpose of getting to somewhere else. The ship is not intended to remain on the ocean indefinitely, it must continue on to its intended destination.

I observed on the ship that every one of the crew members knows what he needs to accomplish to make the trip a success. Some were focused on passenger comfort, some on passenger safety and others were busied with keeping the ship moving in the correct direction. Everyone on staff knew their purpose. They were trained and assigned to do the individual tasks that make the voyage a success.

There is an old time gospel song that says, “this world is not my home, I’m just a passin’ through, my treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue . . .” This captures the idea of the first point. We are designed for eternity and we must strive to remember this. We are here for a few years and are proceeding to a destination. While we may enjoy the voyage, it is important to remember that the enjoyment must be secondary to maintaining momentum and remaining on course.

We also need every person trained and assigned to do the necessary tasks to accomplish the goal. Why is it that we understand this in business, the military or on an ocean vessel, but we think that there is something wrong with providing structure in the church? If the eternal destiny of the souls that are impacted by the church are at stake, shouldn’t we be more vigilant in training workers?

Yes, I understand that the ultimate responsibility for the outcome is God’s but God gives us the privilege and responsibility to use our gifts and brains to accomplish his purpose for us. Leaders in the church have the responsibility to train the members of the church, “equipping them for the work of ministry.” (Ephesians 4:11-12).

God has given his church a mission. That mission is to make disciples (Matthew 28:19-20). Like the ship’s crew, each member of the church must contribute to the success of this mission. Each member of the church also needs to keep in mind that while we may enjoy our circumstances along the way, like the ship, we need to maintain progress and move toward our destination.

As the world around us crumbles into chaos, the church needs to stay the course to be used by God to accomplish his purpose with every member contributing the success of the journey.

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