An Open Letter

To

The Open hearted

the curious case ^of

john smith & mary jones’ nose

 

 

Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven. And they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves, Who is this that forgiveth sins also? And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace (Luke 7:47-50). 

At a time when the love of many is waxing cold, we who are brothers & sisters in Christ ought to be loving each other with the love of God. Peter puts it this way, ‘Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:’ (1^st Peter 1:22) & ‘above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins’ (1^st Peter 4:8). There’s a lot of lukewarm love going around. The kind that will love you as long as you agree with it. This is not the love of God. 

The very thing that we are called to do among ourselves, is the very thing that we are not doing & I would hasten to say that it isn’t pleasing to The Lord at all. On this point, I have several things to say, but The Word of God has significantly more to say than I do, so we’ll be safer all around if we go to The Scriptures. I trust that we can agree on that fact at least, if nothing else. 

Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another (Romans 12:9-10). 

For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself (Galatians 5:13-14). 

I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love; endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Ephesians 4:1-3). 

Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: and be ye kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you (Ephesians 4:31-32). 

If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves (Philippians 2:1-3). 

Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering; forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful (Colossians 3:12-15). 

And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you: (1^st Thessalonians 3:12). 

But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another (1^st Thessalonians 4:9). 

Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; for he is faithful that promised; and let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching (Hebrews 10:23-25). 

Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another; love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous: not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing. (1^st Peter 3:8-9). 

When you & I came to God through Christ, we weren’t offering The Lord an apology; we were convicted of our sin & we repented. He didn’t accept an apology; He forgave us for our depravity & sin & He received us. He made good on His Word to us & unconditionally wiped the slate clean of every sin & every offence against us. As I have said, He asks us for very little by comparison, but the little that He does ask seems nigh impossible some of us. I am guilty of this. This is a bitter pill for some of us to swallow. I know this all too well. The taste of it is still in my mouth. 

Loving one another & forgiving one another seems to be in short supply among us. Yet we fully expect the blessing of God & His approval on our endeavours. We expect Him to accept our worship & our gifts. God has not withheld His love & forgiveness from us, so why do we withhold ours from each other? Are we really that selfish, bitter, twisted & carnal? Yes, I’m afraid that sometimes we are. 

Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath aught against thee; leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift (Matthew 5:23-24). 

And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have aught against any; that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses (Mark 11:25-26). 

I’d like to challenge anyone to exegete their way out of the fact that Jesus nailed the exits firmly shut on this one, except the route that requires reconciliation. At this point in time I can honestly say that I have never seen such a proliferation of two things in The Church. I have never seen so many causing offence & I have never seen so many who had a cause to be offended. The Lord has a cure for both ills; we must take His medicine. 

For some time, I scratched my head, trying to figure out whose side God was on in any given situation of this nature. If it were a clear-cut case of unrepentant sin or a doctrine that was obviously, demonstrably & fundamentally false, there would be no ambiguity whatsoever. The Bible is crystal clear in this regard. However, most of what I see & hear, especially in my own woefully inadequate life, has not been of that ilk. It has mainly been purely personal. Such was the curious case of John Smith & Mary Jones’ nose. If you’re sitting comfortably, I’ll begin. 

Mary Jones asks John Smith what he thinks of her nose. She likes it, her friends like it, her dad likes it & her mother kisses her on it every morning when she wakes up. In response, John Smith tells Mary Jones that she has a big, fat nose, with freckles & an annoying hair growing out of it. He says this because he’s a good Christian man & refuses to compromise with a lie. Perhaps it is big, fat & freckled, but John shouldn’t have said it to her. Mary Jones is understandably upset. She tells everyone what he said. They are shocked & give their opinions. John Smith is in trouble for simply being honest, as far as he is concerned. Do you see how much trouble being honest about a big, fat, hairy, freckled nose can cause? 

Despite the apparent size of Mary Jones’ nose, in fairness, it has to be said that John Smith had an equally big, fat, hairy mouth. 

We do not have to do or say the things that we do or say, in the way that we do or say them. We don’t & what’s more, we often know that we don’t. The only thing that we seem to care about is being right. However, God’s standard requires us to be right-eous. Again, these offences are personal more often than not. They’re not moral or doctrinal. The Lord has set His standard & it’s set in righteousness. Whenever we fall short of that we are not right, whether we’re John Smith or Mary Jones. Scripture gives us clear instructions concerning how to avoid causing offences & what to do when they occur. But we ignore these verses. There’s little or no mileage in forgiving someone because it takes the fun out of our desire to blow off some steam & vindicate ourselves. 

Often, like John Smith, we say & do things with the courage of our convictions. Armed to the teeth with Bible verses, we will tear through & fillet another believer in record time, without an ounce of love or concern. We’re right. They’re wrong. That’s it. I’ve done this & I’ve seen it done. I have also had it done to me. God forgave me & so did the brother that I had treated so very harshly. But strangely enough, I carried an offence for years towards the minister who had given me a dressing down in public, even though it was richly deserved. It’s highly interesting that we will happily do unto others the very things that we do not like to be done unto ourselves. 

It is also true that the John Smiths among us will claim to be passionate about truth & as such we will give little or no thought to the fragility of another person’s heart when we proceed to authoritatively justify our position. We lead with a fist full of Greek, followed swiftly with an uppercut of Hebrew. We’ll elbow they’re teeth out with Church history. If this doesn’t floor them, there’s the old ad hominem attack to silence any & all objections. 

Then, when the gloves come off, we raise those very same hands up to The Lord & the tongue we have used so viciously against our brother & sister, is used to pray. These things ought not to be so (James 3:10). Furthermore, when we use Scripture to crush another person’s soul because of a difference of opinion, a secondary or even tertiary issue, we violate the supreme context within which everything we say & do to, with & for each other must be said & done. That context is the love of God. 

The Mary Jones’ among us also have a part to play. That responsibility is to forgive those who have offended us. At times these toe crushing moments happen unwittingly & so they have to be dealt with & diffused. In the meantime, God’s standard doesn’t move an inch. We have to come up to it instead of splashing around in offence infested waters. 

Scripture always advocates going to the person involved when an offence has been committed. It never advocates taking the issue public in the first instance. How much of our praise, worship, adoration, sacrifice, prayer, petition & passion for the things of God go unnoticed by Him because we haven’t obeyed His commandment, neither have we followed His order? My list is a long one. How long is yours? 

Do you remember reading the so called Lord’s Prayer? Do you remember saying ‘And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.’? (Matthew 6:12). Here, Romans 13:8 makes complete sense when Paul states, ‘Owe no man anything, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.’ How much of a debt of love shows on our account? I am well & truly in the red. 

Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as a heathen man and a publican (Matthew 18:15-17). 

Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful (Luke 6:36). 

Unfortunately, we refuse to do this & we refuse to do it in this way. We take the issue public first & then justify our position with the help of others who are equally carnal. When we mix our offences with our social media empires & messaging services, we open a huge can of worms. This is easily the most unwise course of action to take. It explicitly violates the teaching & instruction of The Lord Jesus Christ Himself. 

Never, ever open a can of worms, unless you’re a keen angler or a very hungry Sparrow. 

Nevertheless, this is what we do, time & time again. Because of our easy access to social platforms, anyone among us can have a stage from which we can do any number of things. This includes doing damage. 

Something rather small in comparison to much larger, eternal & salvific issues, can very quickly be blown out of all proportion & what often makes a situation worse is the fact that misery loves company. Others who feel it necessary to add their penny’s worth of opinion to an issue that is quite frankly none of their business, come slithering out of the woodwork to comment. It reveals our character, or lack of it. If Mary Jones had simply followed the order that came down from the top, from The Lord Jesus Christ Himself, the issue could have remained private, been dealt with, then forgiven & forgotten. John Smith opened his big mouth about Mary’s big nose & now the issue is being treated as if it were something that it is not. 

On any given day, at any given time, I can guarantee that there will be someone, somewhere who has been offended & then posted their grievance for all to see on some social media platform or another. These things happen in real time, therefore it’s pretty easy to conclude that the individuals involved have made no attempt whatsoever at any kind of reconciliation. The knee jerks & the forefinger hits send. I have to be honest, some of the things that I have seen, heard & read are not becoming of folk who profess Christ. Yet almost daily, there’s something new to say & the distressing thing for me is the fact that other believers can see, hear & read these things, some of whom are much younger in the faith. 

John Smith’s opinion concerning Mary Jones’ nose is just that; an opinion. It should be treated as such. It isn’t Scripture. However, if he had been asked about the Deity of Christ, the Finished Work of The Cross, Salvation by Grace alone through Faith alone in Christ alone or any other fundamental & essential tenet of the faith, the matter would be a very different one indeed. Yet even in this, The Lord has given us process. How shameful that so many of us do not know what spirit we are of (Luke 9:55). We are slow to hear, we are swift to speak & we are soon angry. The Bible instructs us to do the exact opposite of this, but we ignore it. 

Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: for the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God (James 1:19-20). 

The truth is this; we take our grievances to other people because we know full well that were we to take them to The Lord we may very well be greeted with the words ‘SO WHAT?’ 

We have absolutely no justification whatsoever for willingly wounding each other simply because we believe we’re right & another is wrong. Where is our longsuffering? Where is our mercy? Where is our forbearance? Where is our tenderheartedness? Where is our reflection on the fact that we are to forgive in the same manner that God forgave us for Christ’s sake? Where is our love? Are we so poorly developed in our walk that the character of Christ is nowhere to be seen in us? In His infinite wisdom, The Lord has thrown the sharp tongued in together with the equally thin-skinned. Although some of us should have our tongues beaten into ploughshares, the remainder ought also to consider the fact that our reaction to an offence can in itself be an offence to God. 

In Scripture, there are no references to forgiving another only if they repent. Neither are there any verses that cover our classic but-you-don’t-know-what-they-said-or-did plea. I have yet to find any teaching that encourages us to hold onto our grudges, demonise each other or assassinate each other personally. It’s never us, or anything we have done whenever offences arise. It’s always the other person. This is the sandy premise upon which we build our cases against each other & attempt to justify our vilifications. 

A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another…This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you…These things I command you, that ye love one another (John 13:34-35, 15:12 & 17). 

Let brotherly love continue (Hebrews 13:1).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

copyright Ó by david Samuel Parkins mmxvi all rights reserved.

no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the author, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is presented & without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser

Will All of The

REAL pastors

PLEASE Stand Up!

 

 -5-

Sadly for some, their image of The Lord has been coloured by everything except Scripture. You are not alone. I’ve been there. When I was a child, I said my bedtime prayers with my older brother, reciting the words of one of Charles Wesley’s great hymns before we went to bed. ‘Gentle Jesus, meek & mild, Look upon a little child. Pity my simplicity, suffer me to come to Thee. Fain I would to Thee be brought, Dearest God, forbid it not; Give me, dearest God, a place in the kingdom of Thy grace. Lamb of God, I look to Thee. Thou shalt my Example be. Thou art gentle, meek, & mild; Thou wast once a little child.’ Perhaps a look at Jesus in Revelation 1 would have inspired Wesley differently. The High Anglican Church that we attended as children was decked out with the usual depictions of a very white baby Jesus in His mother’s arms, always with a precocious & knowing countenance, blonde locks & a peculiar positioning of His fingers, almost as if He were mimicking the holding of a gun. Then there was the obligatory crucifix, with the figure of Jesus, nails & all, firmly fixed to it & looking more as if He were taking a nap than taking away the sins of the world. Whoever had the task of painting the little wound onto the side of each Iggy Pop lookalike model as it rolled off the production line, must have been onto a very cushy little number. I also remember thumbing through Church publications in my childhood & even after I had received Christ as a teenager, the instantly recognisable portrayal of Jesus, complete with beautifully perfect teeth, conditioned hair & the slight smile of a lottery winner, was always at the forefront of my thinking. There He was, in successive pictures, with a wardrobe more extensive than a popular action figure, effortlessly carrying a perfectly well behaved lamb in one hand & a conveniently crafted crosier in the other. He looked just like Robert Powell. The Good handsome, evenly featured, smartly dressed, softly spoken Shepherd. Even the occasional painting of Christ driving those who bought & sold out of the Temple, make Him look as if He was perfectly composed whilst casually strolling through God’s House, naughtily rearranging the furniture as part of an elaborate practical joke, with whip of chords poised for the cracking, like an expert animal trainer. All of this with not a single hair out of place. He didn’t even break into a sweat. 

Although we assert our belief that The Lord Jesus Christ is co-equal, co-eternal & integral to the Godhead, Saviour of the world & soon coming King, we sometimes have a place in the back of our minds where He is gentle Jesus, meek & mild. He is infinitely more than that; He is Lord of all & He is The Head of The Church. The image of Christ foisted upon our collective public & religious consciousness for centuries, is poles apart from the biblical vision of Him in prophecy, in ministry & in resplendent, resurrected glory. If His life & ministry are to be a model for ours, then our picture of His life & ministry have to be accurately portrayed & represented. This is only done by Scripture (Ephesians 1:15-23, Colossians 1:14-20, Philippians 2:9-11). 

There are no man-made pieces of art, nor any literary works that can adequately portray Jesus Christ in His life, death, burial or resurrection. Neither are there any mechanisms of human government that will ever come close to, or rival His preeminence in all things. To gain a true picture of Jesus The Christ, we must rely on the Scriptures & in our reliance on them, we will develop our reliance on Him. In our Saviour, we have been given a supreme masterclass & as we look closely at His example we learn so very much about so very much. 

In His preeminence before, over & above all things, The Lord Jesus Christ takes His position as the undisputed Head of The Church. Certain ministries & gifts are set within The Church (Ephesians 4:11-12, 1^st Corinthians 12:27-28), but every single one these representative offices of service belong to Him. He is the Good Shepherd (John 10:11&14). He is the Shepherd & Bishop of our souls (1^st Peter 2:25). He is the Chief Shepherd (1^st Peter 5:4). He is the Great Shepherd of the sheep (Hebrews 13:20). In this, Christ is typified throughout the Scriptures. A man may be called to be a Shepherd over a congregation, but ultimately The Lord Jesus Christ is the Senior Pastor. 

It ought to follow then, that men who claim to have been called into service as Shepherds, would take The Lord as their example. Sadly, this has not always been the case. There are men  in parts of The Church today who have the position & title of Pastor, Bishop, Elder or Overseer, but they do not have the heart. They are not Shepherds. They are more akin to rustlers. Jesus Christ is not their example. They are not moved with compassion. In this, they have taken the honour of a worthy place of service & made it completely contemptable. 

They have no care for the flock of God whatsoever, but happily line their pockets at the expense of those who believe in & follow them. 

These imposters wouldn’t dream of laying their lives down for the sheep. Instead, these wolves encourage the sheep to lay their lives down. I am a sheep & I write as one who has had a sheep’seye view of The Church almost four decades. As such, as one who wandered from my Shepherd & the flock in frustration, rebellion & disobedience, my own heart has cried out for true Shepherds & real Pastors. 

The Lord rebuked the Shepherds of Israel through the Prophet Ezekiel. It strikes me, that if The Lord was a wee bit ticked off at these men for not fulfilling their duty of care towards the sheep, it’s precisely because they should have been doing these things, but had failed. It also strikes me that they didn’t neglect to reap the benefits & rewards associated with their roles, even though they had done none of the work. These men eat of the milk but do not feed the flock of God. 

The Apostle Peter, who was personally instructed by The Lord Jesus Christ to feed His sheep (John 21:15-17), said to his fellow elders, ‘The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.’ (1^st Peter 5:1-5). 

Paul warned the elders of The Church at Ephesus, ‘Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.  For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. (Acts 20:28-29). This is not a joke. This is gravely serious, because Jesus Christ, The Head of The Church, has mandated a duty of care towards His flock & just as Ezekiel, who was called the son of man, was instructed to prophesy against the Shepherds of Israel, so also The Son of Man prophesied against them during His earthly ministry (Matthew 23:33-35). 

Throughout the Scriptures we can see The Lord Jesus Christ typified as our Shepherd by other men who were chosen in Pastoral ministry. When we looked at the lives of Abel, Joseph, Moses & David, we clearly saw the characteristics of our Saviour, not only as Messiah, but also as our Pastor. I believe that this is well worth studying. The Lord is our Shepherd. 

Jesus cites the blood of Abel, the first Shepherd recorded in Scripture, calling him righteous, as does the writer to the Hebrews (Hebrews 11:4). Abel paid for his righteousness with his life at the hands of his brother Cain, who is referred to as being ‘..of that wicked one..’ (1^st John 3:12&15). The Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ the righteous (1^st John 2:1-2), also paid for His righteousness with His life at the hands of His brethren, those whom He said were of their father the devil (John 8:39-44). That wicked one, who was a murderer from the beginning. God respected Abel & his offering (Genesis 4:4). God was also well pleased with His son Jesus Christ & His offering of himself (Ephesians 5:2). The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. 

And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph’s son? (Luke4:16-22). 

It seems almost fortuitous or coincidental, that Joseph was the name of Jesus’ earthly father & yet it’s also quite handy, because the title The Son of Joseph is also a Messianic designation. Furthermore, the Patriarch Joseph, who was also a Shepherd, typified Christ in His pastoral role. 

Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; and the lad was with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives: and Joseph brought unto his father their evil report. Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours. And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him (Genesis 37:2-4). 

Like Joseph, The Lord Jesus Christ was beloved of The Father, a Shepherd along with others among His brethren. However, unlike those who were charged with a duty of care for the flock of God, Jesus was the Shepherd spoken of throughout the Scriptures they revered, but His contemporaries refused to submit to Him. He too was hated by them because The Father gave Him an unmissable & undeniable mantle of significance, a proverbial coat of many colours. The Lord Jesus Christ wore His God given power unreservedly, unashamedly & unapologetically, ‘..for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.’ (Matthew 7:28-29). The real deal always stands out from the fakes. Like Joseph, The Lord Jesus Christ was moved with compassion despite the opposition & hatred He faced, because His concern was the salvation & welfare of the flock. 

Joseph’s pastoral care brought salvation to Egypt. The death, burial & resurrection of Jesus Christ, The Good Shepherd, brings salvation to the world. Like Joseph, who was sent by God to go before his brethren (Genesis 45:5), The Lord Jesus Christ Himself has gone before us, having secured our salvation (Hebrews 6:20). Like Joseph, The Lord Jesus Christ could have brought an evil report against the pseudo-Pastors of His day, but instead of doing this He simply left them with a stinging castigation. Like Joseph’s brethren, they sought to kill Him. Jesus said, ‘Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust.’ (John 5:45). 

Before leading Israel out of bondage in Egypt, Moses had been a Shepherd in Midian, tending the flock of his father-in-law Jethro (Exodus 3:1). He was a meek man (Numbers12:3), beloved of God, tasked with an awesome responsibility to which he was obedient & faithful (Numbers12:7). He typified Christ as our Shepherd. Jesus said, ‘Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light (Matthew 11:28-30). 

Moses continually interceded between God & His people Israel, falling on his face & pleading with The Lord, Who heard Moses’ cries & often withheld His awesome judgements. Even so, because The Father loves The Son, He hears the intercession of Christ our Shepherd on our behalf (Romans 8:34, Hebrews 7:25). 

Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus; who was faithful to him that appointed him, as also Moses was faithful in all his house. For this man was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as he who hath builded the house hath more honour than the house. For every house is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God. And Moses verily was faithful in all his house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after; but Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end (Hebrews 3:1-6). 

Jesus Christ our Saviour & Shepherd has led us out of the bondages of sin into His salvation. He intercedes for us before God, allowing us to obtain mercy & grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16). He does this for us just as Moses did who once led & fed Israel. The Chief Shepherd leads us to the promised land. 

As I write these closing paragraphs I would encourage you to go back to The Gospels & read them again. Time & my limited knowledge do not permit me to go into any great detail here, but as I have looked again at my Saviour, the undefeated, undisputed, unequalled, preeminent Head of The Church, I catch a glimpse of true Pastoral ministry. The Lord is our Shepherd. David the Bethlehemite boy became King of Israel & a Messianic figure, but he also typifies Christ as our Shepherd. He is the humble servant who is also the conquering king. 

And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd (Ezekiel 34:23-24). 

And ye my flock, the flock of my pasture, are men, and I am your God, saith the Lord God (Ezekiel 34:31). 

Even after David was crowned King, he returned to tending his father’s sheep. He experienced & dispensed mercy. He was a servant & he never, ever forgot that. Even so, our Chief Shepherd humbled Himself & took the form of a servant (Philippians 2:5-8). Christ Jesus clearly demonstrates the tender, lovingkindness of a Shepherd, as well as the firm-handedness of a leader. He possesses the wisdom & majesty of a king & yet He patiently comes to us, teaches us, corrects us, disciplines us & lovingly forgives us. What a great Saviour. What a Pastor. 

For any man who claims a calling to pastoral ministry, I only have one request. Don’t abuse your position. As a lamb, I have recognised the need for Shepherds who take Jesus Christ as their example & standard. I write these words almost begging you, please. Congregations are crying out for real men of God who will reflect Christ, lead, teach & protect God’s heritage, His people. 

Will you do this on behalf of The Chief Shepherd until He appears? Will you take the masterclass given by The Lord Jesus Christ Himself & feed the flock of God for no other reason than this; He has called you to do it. 

I ask these questions & say these things as a sheep. However, there are those out there who are thieves & robbers. They are wolves. They are liars & perverters of the truth who are leading the sheep into a ditch, instead of into green pasture. Not sparing the flock. May God in His mercy gather them up & deposit them into the care of genuine Shepherds. So with that said; will all of the real Pastors PLEASE stand up.

 

 

 

 

copyright Ó by david Samuel Parkins mmxvi all rights reserved.

no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the author, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is presented & without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser