We’re currently exploring the duties and responsibilities of a shepherd. When the Lord Jesus appeared to His disciples in John 21, He told Peter to feed His lambs, tend His sheep, and feed His sheep. He wanted the disciples to see His church as lambs and sheep. He Himself would choose pastors or shepherds to oversee God’s flock, with Him as the Chief Shepherd. In today’s post, we will continue examining the following shepherd’s duties and responsibilities in our journey to identification and restoration from unhealthy sheepfold experiences:
- A shepherd is responsible to the owner of the sheep
- A shepherd must guide the flock as a gentle, but confident leader
- A shepherd must provide a secure sheepfold and protect the sheep under their care
- A shepherd must feed the flock in all seasons and provide water even in times of drought
- A shepherd must have great endurance, be willing to work hard, and not be afraid to learn new thing
We explored the first three responsibilities in the following posts:
When we accepted Jesus Christ into our lives, we were reconciled to God. Today, we will continue with another aspect of how a shepherd provides a secure sheepfold and protects the sheep under their care: a place of reconciliation.
Reconciled by Faith
In Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, reconciliation (g2643) is defined as “exchange, i.e. restoration to (the divine) favor, atonement.” In a Christ-centered church, we will be taught that God has reconciled us to Himself through the death of Jesus Christ and our sins have been atoned for by His blood. This truth of God’s word–that we are reconciled with God–will be first and foremost in all teaching, preaching, and action:
“For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.” (Romans 5:6-11)
“Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Corinthians 5:18-21)
In healthy sheepfolds, the pastoral leadership teaches following:
When we accept Christ as Lord and Savior, we are reconciled to God, completely and totally restored to favor with Him. God redeems us back to relationship with Him. This reconciliation is only possible through Jesus. We cannot do it on our own apart from Jesus. We are justified by His blood alone, made right with God, and saved from wrath through Him. When we put our faith in Christ as Lord and Savior, we receive reconciliation and redemption by faith through grace. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”
Barriers to Reconciliation
In unhealthy sheepfolds, reconciliation is not taught. In unhealthy churches, there are barriers between believers and God. Those barriers are works and performance. The pastoral leadership in these churches do not want you to believe nor trust that you are reconciled to God by faith and can come to Him freely through Christ. Instead, they emphasize works to get to God and performance to please Him. Because they are not true shepherds, instead of providing a secure sheepfold that is a place of reconciliation, they make the sheep feel like they have to do something to prove they are worthy to be in the sheepfold.
Why would pastoral leadership teach works and performance to be right with God? So they can feed on the sheep they are supposed to be protecting. So they can take advantage of the heart the sheep have to love and serve God. Let’s take a look at how to identify these abusive, unhealthy churches from a practical standpoint.
Works Required, But Not “Required Works”
First, let’s first put some context around works and performance. James 2:17 (AMPC) says, “So also faith, if it does not have works (deeds and actions of obedience to back it up), by itself is destitute of power (inoperative, dead).” Works must accompany our faith in God. If we profess to have faith in God, we must also have good works to show for it. We must bear or produce good fruit. However, work cannot save us or give us favor with God. Romans 10:6-13 tells us that our salvation and righteousness are by confessing and believing alone, not by any act or performance. Also, Romans 4:6 tells us that God credits righteousness to us apart from works. We can only be righteous before God through Jesus Christ.
So with the above context established, when a church is led by pastoral leadership that is distorting and degrading the word of God, being right with God through faith in Jesus Christ will be on the back burner. Works rather than faith will be taught, and make no mistake about it, the “required works” are for their benefit, not for the kingdom of God. The “required works” are to serve the pastoral leadership, to get what they want and further their agenda, not to give glory to God. Because the “required works” are based on false doctrine, there will always be unbalanced and unscriptural demands of the sheep’s time, attention, energy, skills, and money, all to carry out the pastoral leadership’s agenda, not the will of God. Because of their ungodly motives, the Shepherd’s voice will be distorted. Because of false doctrine and teaching, the sheepfold will be perpetually stagnant as we discussed in Gentle, But Confident Leader.
Performance is Perverse
When a church is centered on egocentric pastoral leadership, the example and teachings of the Chief Shepherd and the Bible are not the standard. The Holy Spirit’s role is minimized or downright ignored, and everything will be according to the pastor’s personality, opinions, and feelings.
Performance will be expected and demanded in an unsafe, insecure sheepfold. The sheep must perform in words and in deeds to fulfill and satisfy the pastoral leadership’s evil desires. This could be desires for power, attention, recognition, honor, praise, things, or even worship. Rather than the word of God, the sheep must conduct their lives according to what the pastor interprets or dictates. In other words, the sheep must do the pastor’s will. This is dangerous because the sheep will eventually find themselves caught up in practices and beliefs rooted in idolatry and immorality.
Egocentric pastor leadership wants the “all” that belongs only to God as we discussed in Shepherd, Not Owner! and will say or do anything to get it. So instead of watching for the souls entrusted to them, they instead pile on weights–physically, emotionally, mentally, socially, and financially–that will cause intentional harm. They manipulate and control by critiquing and comparing the performance of the sheep to make them feel guilty, instill inadequacy, or to shame them for not giving their “all” to them like someone else did.
Since the pastoral leadership takes the place of God, anybody who questions them or does not comply or agree with demanded performance is labeled as being rebellious, disobedient, or no longer worthy of being in “their church” and are put out. These abusive churches go so far as to teach that God’s wrath or a curse will come upon anyone that does perform according the pastor’s thoughts or opinions. To stay in this type of church, compromise will be required to perform as required. For the sheep, boundaries will be crossed and burn out in their lives and their walk with God are inevitable as we discussed in Yoked with Christ, United Together.
A focus on works and performance is also detrimental to unity and growth within the body. Putting works and performance above faith breeds competition and envy within the body. Compete means to “strive to gain or win something by defeating or establishing superiority over others who are trying to do the same.” In the body of Christ, we should all be trying to do the same thing–the will of the Father. There can be no growth or progress if we’re working against each other. The Bible says, “For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there is disorder and every evil practice (James 3:16 CSB).” Disunity causes the blessings of God to be forfeited. Even worse, envy and competition opens a door for evil to prevail. We have all been given a gift to serve God and one another. We should all do what God has graced us to do with diligence and excellence.
Reconciled Through Jesus Alone
In conclusion, there is nothing you or I can do to be reconciled to God other than by putting our faith in Jesus Christ. Reconciliation and redemption is through faith, and it is impossible to please God without faith. If we put works and performance above our faith, idolatry is knocking at the door. Our relationship with God will be completely shipwrecked along with the abundant life Jesus died to give us.
A sheepfold is not secure nor protected if it’s not a place of reconciliation. How can you tell if your church is a place of reconciliation or a place of works and performance? Loving and following Jesus should not be a burden nor a competition. How much a sheep serves, gives, or helps should not be broadcasted or belittled. If you are in a church where you have to work and perform according to the “will of the pastor” to be favored and blessed by God, it’s time to leave a find a church where the finished work of Christ is exalted. If you’re in a church where you’re being compared to your brothers and sisters, it’s time to find a church where love and unity are demonstrated. We have free will and the power of choice. We can choose not to be abused and misused by pastoral leadership that distort and degrade the word of truth. We can choose not to submit to the practices of cultish churches. We must know the Shepherd’s voice. As sheep, we cannot compromise on the word of God. We cannot allow anyone claiming to be speaking in His name dominate our lives for their own self motives. We must flee any voice that does not sound like the Good Shepherd. Let’s choose reconciliation.
Disclaimer: Before making decisions or changes that affect your spiritual life and well-being, always personally seek God for His perfect will for your life and always follow peace.
Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.
Scripture quotation taken from the Amplified® Bible (AMPC), Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. lockman.org
Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible is public domain.
