Sheep Herders
Churches and pastors are sheep herders. Sheep of course are followers of their shepherds. Sheep don'' think for themselves, they just bah, bah, bah. Sheep will follow their leader. Amazingly, Jesus stated that His sheep hear His voice. Quite astonishing is the fact that church goers DO NOT hear the Shepherd Jesus Christ, but instead they hear the voice of their pastor or elder of their particular church affiliation. Many sheep heard the voice of Herbert W. Armstrong or Garner Ted Armstrong or any one of a multitude of other voices that pretended to been shepherds of God. Virtually anyone who will do the research with the Strong's Exhaustive Concordance, will find under the word "shepherd" in the four Gospels, that Jesus NEVER once referred to anyone as "shepherd" other than Himself. So where does that leave the church "shepherds" who call themselves "pastors" or "elders?"
A great many sheep herders in the pulpits of churches are really wolves in sheep's clothing. Wolves devour the flock and the sheep are fleeced. The sheep live in need, while the wolves live in splendor and luxury at the expense of the naive sheep who cannot think. The sheep give their wool and go without, so that the sheep herders will have plenty. Sheep herders in the pulpits always deceive the sheep and take advantage of them. Sheep herders in the pulpits always bleep "follow me" and I will give you eternal life, because I speak for the Great Shepherd. Of course the sheep herders are really wolves and only the few ever sense the danger they live in and escape.
Van Robison
What gets my goat the most, about HWA and the the followers of HWA, is that many of those "sheep" had children and/or spouses die because they believed in and followed HWA's doctrines.
ReplyDeleteNorm
One minister once said to me that the only one who is not a hireling is Jesus Christ himself. I still don't see any other way to take that statement except that he was admitting that he was a hireling, and that he believed all ministers were hirelings, and also, that this was the proper role of a minister-to turn the members over to the wolves whenever they appear, and then run away! Correct me if wrong, but Jesus never used the term hireling in a flattering way.
ReplyDeleteIt was asked: [...So where does that leave the church "shepherds" who call themselves "pastors" or "elders?"...]
ReplyDeleteThey're just hirelings:
John 10:12 But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.
13 The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.
And yes, some hirelings, by God's Spirit, do good things while other hirelings, perhaps far too many, by means of another spirit (James 4:5; I John 4:6) do evil things (e.g. cause scattering, division, strife, confusion, family break-ups, etc.).
Regardless, they are all hireling, but thankfully the following is still true of Christ:
"I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine." John 10:14
John
But, but, but!!!
ReplyDeleteThe hirelings are the wolves!