“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down
his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the
sheep.
So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep
and runs away.
Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it.”
John 10:11-12
Churches sometimes cannot and should not be open and
welcoming to all.
No church would welcome a known terrorist into their
midst.
Remember how reluctant the 1st century church was to
receive Saul of Tarsus into their midst?
Even after the Holy Spirit spoke in a vision to a
disciple in Damascus called Ananias, that same disciple at first resisted going
to Saul because Saul was, what today we might call a terrorist. Only after reassurance form the Holy Spirit
“...he is a chosen vessel for me, to bear my name before the Gentiles...”
did Ananias hesitantly go and pray for him to receive
his sight back.
So short of
intervention by the Holy Spirit the 1st century church would not
have opened its doors to a terrorist any more than they would have invited in
the devil in an attempt to ‘reform’ him.
And yet, in one form or another, we often have done
just that.
Of course, we don’t knowingly do it but that in itself
is not something we should boast about. Naiveté is not a characteristic the
church should boast in when God has cautioned us with these words spoken by
Jesus to his disciples in
Matthew 10:16:
“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of
wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.”
God has wisely chosen to give the sheep shepherds who
are to look out for the sheep.
Have you prayed for your shepherd today – that he
might wisely discern and guard the sheep in his fold?
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