In our last two posts, we began looking at 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 two responsibilities in the following posts:
• Shepherd, Not Owner!
• Gentle, But Confident Leader
Today, we will begin looking at the third duty: A shepherd must provide a secure sheepfold and protect the sheep under their care.
A sheepfold is an enclosure used to protect sheep from predators and thieves. It also prevents the sheep from wandering off. A sheepfold must be surrounded by a sturdy fence or wall where the sheep are kept for safety. The shepherd is responsible for providing a safe, secure sheepfold for the sheep entrusted to them. In the body of Christ, there are many facets to this responsibility in the word of God. Today we will discuss the foundation of a secure and protected sheepfold: sound doctrine.
First, let’s define what sound doctrine is. In Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, doctrine (g1322) means “instruction or teaching” and sound (g5199) comes from a word that means “teaching which does not deviate from the truth.” Therefore, sound doctrine is biblical teaching that accurately and correctly communicates and demonstrates what God the Father, the Son of God, and the Holy Spirit have taught and commanded, and is completely supported by what is written in the Bible. Simply put, sound doctrine is speaking and teaching the truth. Sound doctrine is vitally important because the doctrine we are taught and believe shape our walk and relationship with God. Sound doctrine is required to grow, mature, and fulfill the plan of God for our lives.
False Doctrine Warning
Unfortunately, churches exist today that do not teach sound doctrine. This was also the case in the early church. The apostle Paul gave the Ephesian elders this warning in Acts 20:28-30:
“Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears.”
Paul not only warned the overseers that wolves from the outside would come in, but he also warned them that men among them, right in the church, would draw away disciples after themselves by speaking perverse things. In Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, perverse (g1294) means “to distort, corrupt, or misinterpret.” So, not all sheepfolds are secure or protected because of what the pastoral leadership is speaking.
God’s Doctrine Only
Sound doctrine comes from God. What is taught to the body of Christ must be sound doctrine from God. This was true of the Lord Jesus during His earthly walk and is also true of the Holy Spirit now based on the following passages:
First, the Lord Jesus made this clear about Himself: “Jesus answered them and said, ‘My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me. If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority. He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him.’” (John 7:16-18)
Secondly, the Lord Jesus made this clear when speaking about the Holy Spirit: “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.” (John 16:13-14)
Lastly, in the Epistles, Paul told Titus in chapter 1 verse 9 that a qualified pastor must hold “fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict.” Also when instructing Timothy about his ministry, Paul told him in 1 Timothy 4:16, “Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.”
A true shepherd under the Chief Shepherd will only teach and preach what is from God. Those called to be shepherds are warned to pay attention to themselves and what they are teaching, both for themselves and for those who hear them. Pastoral leadership speaking in the name of Jesus will be watchful of what they are speaking. So like Jesus, pastoral leadership speaking in the name of Jesus will only teach the doctrine of God under the leading of the Holy Spirit.
Sound doctrine received from the word of God is the only way a believer in Christ can be equipped and edified. Sound doctrine is needed for growth and maturity in every area of life. Ephesians 4:12-13 tells us that pastors were given “for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” Instruction in righteousness must be from the Scripture. Reproof and correction must be from the Scripture. There can be no deviation from the truth.
Next, let’s look closer at how the doctrine we are taught and believe can affect our lives.
Detailed by Doctrine
In unhealthy sheepfolds, the Scripture is not the basis for doctrine, reproof, correction, or instruction. The pastoral leadership speaks perverse things and distorts, corrupts, and misinterprets the word of God. The doctrine taught in unhealthy sheepfolds does not glorify God or what He has provided for us as believers in Christ Jesus. Rather, the doctrine taught is self-serving with the pastoral leadership’s thoughts and opinions at the center. Instruction is unscriptural, unclean, and overbearing because it’s actually from the pastoral leadership’s personality and perspective, not from the Bible. The pastoral leadership goes so far as to “correct” according to their own emotions and feelings, and claim it’s the Holy Spirit. Because their goal is to dominate and control the sheep, reproof will be characterized by manipulation, intimidation, humiliation, and even threats of God’s wrath, curses, and eternal damnation for challenging, questioning, or disagreeing with their beliefs or views. The pastoral leadership in unhealthy sheepfolds breed condemnation rather than reconciliation. The sheepfold is full of fear rather than faith. The pastoral leadership wants the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer. Because they assume His place, they want unquestioned obedience and submission to their voice. Ultimately, they want the worship and honor that belongs to God alone. If left unchecked, a believer can find themselves faithless, believing doctrine that is rooted in idolatry as we discussed in The Root Cause of Unhealthy Sheepfolds.
Deceived by Doctrine
Distorted, corrupt, and misinterpreted doctrine is meant to deceive and cause harm. From a practical standpoint, there are two tactics to be aware of that can leave a believer unprotected and open to be devoured by the enemy. These are subtle and insidious, so vigilance is required:
- The pastoral leadership teaches from their “notes” and does not read Scripture from the Bible. In some instances, the Bible is not even opened during the church service.
- Instead of actually teaching or preaching the word of God, the pastoral leadership glosses over a few self-serving scriptures and emphasizes to “read the Bible for yourself.”
These tactics are dangerous because the truth of God’s word is compromised. Let’s look at how. First, the “teaching from their notes” tactic allows the pastoral leadership to teach error undetected. By creating their own notes, they pick and choose Scripture out of context to say what fits their own beliefs and agenda. With these pastors, sermons became more and more pastor-focused because their “notes” are actually about and from them. The time spent in church is all about what the pastoral leadership thinks and feels that day. Even worse, because it’s their own doctrine, unscriptural requirements will be expected and demanded from the sheep which will be heavy and burdensome, causing the believer to be burned out and driven from relationship with God as we discussed in Yoked with Christ, United Together.
Secondly, the “read the Bible for yourself” tactic keeps the sheep immature. Ignorant, immature sheep can be misled and devoured. Yes. We as believers must read and study our own Bibles. We must know what the Bible says for ourselves. However, a shepherd that fails to feed the flock that attends their church week after week the anointed word of God causes the body to be malnourished. As we discussed in Eat for Expanded Vision, sheep must be fed the living word of God by a shepherd under the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Sheep are not hunters. Sheep don’t go out on their own to find food. A sheep that goes out looking for food on their own will eventually become prey for the thief to steal, kill, and destroy or even worse, to be Scattered and Devoured by the Shepherd!? Constantly being told to “read the Bible for yourself” signals that the pastoral leadership is lazy, unfaithful, and stagnant. We must be vigilant of these deceptive leadership tactics because this is the blind leading the blind as we discussed in Gentle, But Confident Leader.
Disqualified by Doctrine
In the book of Revelation, the Lord Jesus said that He hated some of the doctrine taught in the churches at Pergamum and Thyatira. In both of these churches, some of the doctrine taught and believed was not from God. They had deviated from the truth. We discussed how wrong doctrine can creep in, overtake, and disqualify a believer from the abundant life the Lord Jesus came to give us in The Root Cause of Unhealthy Sheepfolds.
Sound Doctrine Examination
As believers, we cannot continue to follow any pastor that is not teaching sound doctrine. Check their fruit. We must note and avoid those claiming to represent Jesus, but have no good fruit to back it up. If we continue to follow someone who is not following God, we will be in danger of being rejected by the very One we’re endeavoring to follow and obey. The Lord Jesus said this in Matthew 7:21-23 (AMPC):
“Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father Who is in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name and driven out demons in Your name and done many mighty works in Your name? And then I will say to them openly (publicly), I never knew you; depart from Me, you who act wickedly [disregarding My commands].”
According to the Lord Jesus, many speaking in His name are disregarding His commands. Pastoral leadership that does not teach and follow God’s doctrine is misrepresenting Him and is a worker of iniquity. That pastoral leadership is willfully missing God and has evil purposes and desires.
In conclusion, we must know the Shepherd’s voice. We must check our hearts and peace. Are we being equipped and edified? We must examine the fruit in our own lives. If the church we are part of is not teaching sound doctrine, we will remain ignorant of the gospel of Jesus Christ and be in a constant state of stagnation and condemnation. We risk being dominated, misused, and abused by egocentric pastoral leadership. We will fail to recognize and acknowledge the Holy Spirit’s role in our lives. We will not get the help and counsel from Him to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18).
We must know if the doctrine we’re being taught is from God. We must know if what is being said is from His Spirit or if someone is speaking their own thoughts, opinions, and beliefs with evil intentions. If spirit and life are not evident in the doctrine taught, it’s time to find new pastoral leadership. If the voice of the pastoral leadership lacks the fruit of the Spirit and does not sound like the Good Shepherd, it’s time to relocate to a church where sound doctrine is being taught–biblical teaching that accurately and correctly communicates and demonstrates what God the Father, the Son of God, and the Holy Spirit have said and commanded, and is completely supported by what is written in the Bible.
In our next post, we will continue exploring how a shepherd must provide a secure sheepfold and protect the sheep under their care.
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 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.
