Baptist City Blog

I’m afraid we often get the purpose of life and the ministry mixed up. It is very easy to get our priorities turned around; however, God made the priority quite simple. As long as our priorities are right, life will be filled with joy, and the ministry will produce and effective impact on those to whom we minister.

The verse above comes from the parable of the good shepherd. When you read the parable, you will find that the sheep are safe as long as they are with the shepherd. However, in this parable, there are three groups of people who have an interest in the sheep. One thing is very clear; it is all about the sheep. Let me show you the three groups so that you can determine which classification you fall under.

The first group is the wolves. Verse 12 says, “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.” You will notice that the wolf desires the sheep for one thing: to devour and scatter. The wolf doesn't care for the sheep, the only thing the wolf cares for is itself. Sadly, there are those in the Christian life whose whole interest is themselves and what they can get out of others. No leader should be out for their personal interests or gain because it is not about you, it’s about the sheep. You need to get out of the ministry if your whole purpose is to see what you can gain. The only thing a wolf leader does is they hurt Christians, and they scatter the flock of God.

The second group is the hireling. The hireling cares for the sheep as long as there is no difficulty. Verse 12 says that the hireling “seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth.” This leader is one who quits when times get difficult. This leader may on the surface seem to care for people, but in reality, this leader is still self-centered. My friend, the ministry is not easy. There are going to be battles in the ministry, but you cannot allow battles to keep you from taking care of those whom God has placed under your care.

The third group is the shepherd. The shepherd is all about one thing: the sheep. When danger comes, he stands between his sheep and the danger. When the hireling flees, he does everything in his power to keep the sheep safe. The reason is that he cares for them. Verse 14 says that the shepherd knows the sheep, and they know him. He spends his life with them. The shepherd is truly what God wants as the mindset for the Christian.

Let me ask you, what kind of leader are you? You will only make an impact on others if your life is truly about helping them become what God wants them to be. I believe the one key element to making this happen is that you must spend time with them. The shepherd knows the sheep because he spends time with them. You cannot become so desirous of position that you stop caring for those you lead if you get it.

Christian, let me encourage you to lay aside the CEO mindset that only shows up when you are on stage. Take on the shepherd Christian mindset that is willing to be inconvenienced so that you can help others. This is where you will find true joy in the ministry.