Jump Start # 3695

John 10:13 “He flees because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep.”

The past two Saturday mornings found me teaching about shepherding and leading. Two Saturdays ago I was in Texas and the discussion was about Legacy in leadership. Love that topic. This past Saturday it was with several from my home congregation as we held a leadership workshop. One of the special things that comes out of that workshop are the breakout sessions between the lessons. The men are divided up and they go into different classrooms and I give them a scenario, most times, something that really happened. They have to discuss the matter, come up with a Biblical answer and then we share that among each other. This is a good exercise for those who are not shepherds to see some of the things that elders have come across their tables and it illustrates how we must work together. I might have an answer, but someone else brings up a perspective that I didn’t think about. Working together. Working as a team.

Saturdays mornings and leadership. I love it that more and more congregations are putting thought into things like this. For too long, the only time the discussion of elders came up was when there was a crisis. One of the elders moves or one passes away. All panic. The preacher preaches on the qualifications and a couple of names are put before the congregation. They are appointed and every breathes a giant sigh of relief and all is put back on the shelf until the next time a crisis arises. Not really a good plan and model to follow.

Getting disciples to see that all of us are leaders is important. You are the light of the world, Jesus said. Not, you ought to be. I hope you will be. But, rather, YOU ARE. And, every dad is a shepherd. His flock is his family. He does at home what the shepherds in the church do. He guides. He nourishes. He spiritually feeds. He sees that his little flock is Heaven bound. And, in time, if this man has made the right choices and grows, all God does is give him more children, the congregation.

Who are going to be the next shepherds? Has any thought been given to that? Has any steps been made to prepare for that? That’s the value of shepherding classes and workshops.

Our verse today shows the contrast from the hired hand and the good shepherd. The hired hand is in it for a paycheck. It’s all a job to him. He has no passion or skin in the game. When the wolf appears, as our verse indicates, the hired hand is gone. He’s not risking his neck for a bunch of sheep. He doesn’t care. The passage states plainly, “he is not concerned about the sheep.” The hired hand is only concerned about himself.

In contrast, the good shepherd loves the sheep. His heart is in what he does. When the wolf shows up, the good shepherd stands the ground between the wolf and the sheep. He’ll fight to the death because he wants no harm to come to the sheep. The sheep are safe with the good shepherd near by. The hired hand is a threat to the sheep. He’ll leave them when they need him the most.

Some thoughts for us:

First, you want someone watching you who will stay in the game. Does he get scared? Probably. Does he get tired? Certainly. But his heart is with those sheep. And, in God’s church, we need men who will stand up to wolves and fight for the safety of the sheep. David fought a lion and a bear while protecting his father’s sheep. And, shepherds today fight modern wolves who want to endanger the people of God.

Second, the revealing word in our passage today is “concerned.” The hired hand doesn’t care. Not his problem, he thinks. But, the good shepherd does care. He always cares. He’ll stay with the sheep until he is no longer needed. One can teach the basics of watching sheep. But this “heart” stuff, either you have it or you don’t. It is sad to appoint men as leaders who are not concerned. Some like the position, but not the work. Some believe it gives them power, which it really doesn’t. The shepherd didn’t begin to care when he picked up the staff and started watching sheep. It began long ago. He has always cared. He has gone out of his way to encourage. He has been a friend to the people of God. Appointing such a person is simple and easy. He cares and it shows.

Third, leaders must continue to grow and learn. In both Saturday morning sessions, in Texas and at home in Indiana, multiple shepherds were in the audience. They came. They took notes. They asked questions. They shared insights. Pity the man who thinks that he has learned all there is to know about leading just because long ago he was appointed a shepherd. Such a man becomes stale, stagnate and stuck. Growing shepherds will create a healthy culture in which others will want to lead as well.

Leading the people of God…what a privilege and an honor. Leading people all the way to Heaven. Maybe it’s time to get the men in your congregation together on a Saturday morning to talk about these things.

Roger

Jump Start # 3442

John 10:13 “He flees because he is a hireling, and is not concerned about the sheep.”

Our verse today comes from the section of Scripture we call the “Good Shepherd.” There are four characters or elements running through these thoughts. First, the Good Shepherd. That is Jesus. Second, is the hireling, or the hired hand. Third, is the thief. Fourth, are the sheep.

The Good Shepherd is good to the sheep. He leads them. He protects them. They know each other. The Good Shepherd is all in. He’s invested in the sheep. He is willing to give His life to save the sheep. The thief is trying to harm the sheep. Two opposite actions taking place. The hireling is not interested in the sheep. He is only interested in himself. Our verse today states, the hireling is “not concerned about the sheep.”

Have you ever wondered what are the qualities of someone who is not concerned? What is it like when someone doesn’t care?

First, they don’t think about others. In this account, the hireling sees a wolf and he runs. He is only interested in himself. He only wants to talk about himself. He only sees things through his perspective. He won’t be praying for the sheep. He won’t stay awake thinking about the sheep. He won’t be developing plans to help the sheep.

Now, before we leave this thought, we must recognize that there are hirelings in the church. All they care about are themselves. They never help out. They never pitch in. They never are counted on. And, when they have something to say, it’s always about them. They want this and they want that, but don’t count on them to help out. They want someone to serve them.

Second, it is obvious that the hireling is the wrong person who was put in charge of the sheep. The very idea of watching over the sheep is to watch over them. He is to care for them. He is to protect them, feed them and guide them. But in this story, when the wolf appeared, the hireling ran. You wouldn’t want this type of person to babysit your kids. The hireling should have never been hired. He didn’t do his job. He failed.

And, that tells us that sometimes the wrong person can be put in charge. We see this in politics. We see this in business. And, sadly, we see this in the church. Leaders, as God warned through Ezekiel, who were only concerned about themselves. The sheep were wounded, sick and scattered. And, where were the shepherds? They were eating and taking care of themselves. The sheep were neglected.

To lead God’s people a person must first of all be a people person. He has to not only like people but to be genuinely interested in seeing others do well, especially spiritually. Some have the strange idea that if someone were put into a leadership role, then they would learn to be a leader. That generally fails most times. If someone isn’t showing concern and leadership qualities before, it is likely that he won’t show them afterwards. And, when a church is led by hirelings and not shepherds, the church will flounder and fail.

Third, there is yet hope. A selfish person can become humble, serving and develop the heart of a true shepherd. Most kids have selfish periods of their lives. But, with the help of Jesus, we turn, grow and change. We learn to become less interested in self and more interested in others. We learn to put others first. We do this, because we see this in Jesus. We learn from the One who washed the disciples feet. We see the care and compassion of the Savior. We drive out the selfishness  and replace it with a spirit of serving others.

It takes time to change like this. Culture doesn’t help us. Commercials are all about self. But as one grows in Christ, the process, like the hymn, less of self and more of Him, begins to grow. And, in that transition, a person starts serving, leading and helping others. He no longer acts like a hireling. He’s there to stay and he’ll fight to the death for the well being of God’s people.

Thieves…hirelings…and shepherds, around sheep and around the church. Be the salt and be the light. Be a leader that points people to the true Shepherd, Jesus Christ.

Roger