Feed my Sheep (Part 3) – Being a Responsible Shepherd

Feed my Sheep (Part 3) – Being a Responsible Shepherd

Part three in the series focuses on BEING A RESPONSIBLE SHEPHERD.

A key mark of a godly leader is that he/she is responsible. To lead is a responsibility vested on the leader. Yet, it is entirely a different thing for the leader to live up to the responsibility given to him/her.

Isa 40:10-11

10 Yes, the Sovereign Lord is coming in power. He will rule with a powerful arm. See, he brings his reward with him as he comes. 11 He will feed his flock like a shepherd. He will carry the lambs in his arms, holding them close to his heart. He will gently lead the mother sheep with their young. (NLT)

The Lord is a responsible shepherd: He provides food for the sheep (it is left with the sheep to eat or not) The Lord treats the young with special care and tenderness He cares for the mother also.   Q. Do you provide spiritual food for your people? Q. Are they eating the food?   One area we need to work better is how to care for the young Christians. It is more demanding to raise up than to baptise people. The 1^st 40days Bible study is not effectively done these days with many newly baptised Christians.   After the 1^st 40days what else?

When there is no growth plan then it is more challenging for the young to survive. We need to work on putting together a spiritual growth for at least 2 years for young Christians.   Another group of people we see that are forgotten are the older disciples.

We have observed that in the last 3 years we have led the Egbeda Region, most of the Christians we have lost are older Christians.   Q. why do they leave? For different reasons such as: Too proud to learn from others, think they know what they are doing, the worries of life, wanting to marry, bad attitude, neglect, over expectation etc…   Remember, the Lord feels responsible for both the young and old.

Bottom Line: let us stop being shallow and start being deep and very serious with shepherding.

Ps 23:1-6 23

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. 3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. KJV

David considered the Lord as his shepherd so he is not worried. The shepherd takes the sheep to feed in green lands (Note: it is still the responsibility of the sheep to eat). The shepherd also waters the sheep and guides the sheep in the right ways. The sheep is secured with the shepherd. The shepherd brings stability and security to the sheep. The rod and staff of the is to comfort the sheep   We lead people to feed. We too are to be led to feed. HOW? Since the Lord is the good shepherd we who are also sheep but doing the work of a shepherd are to feed so that we can help others to feed. We should be interdependent.

Learn from someone so you can teach others. Share your bible study and that will encourage them to draw nearer to God.   These are some key ways we show ourselves to be responsible for the people we lead:

Heb 3:12-14

12 See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.

SEE TO IT: they have a robust and appetizing bible study A fantastic prayer life A great life application of scriptures A good fellowship with others A deep concern for the Lost A godly family life Deep commitment to the church of God Being generous to family and the needy They are managing their health and resources very well This is a big task given us by the Lord (to see to it!) yet this is what a godly leader does, he/she sees to it, they make sure, they make it happen and they are on top of their ministries.

At the beginning of everyday, ask yourself this question: what am I going to ensure happens in the lives of the people I lead today? At the end of the day ask self: have I done my job today? Think about these words as you show yourself to be a responsible leader.   Feed my sheep!

John Foray Cawray.