A shepherd during biblical times protected his flock with his life and guided them away from wolves. Wolves run in packs and the job of the Shepherd is filled with multiple tasks at one time. He has to ensure his flock is nourished and both protected day and night from the predators of the world.
Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep”, (John 10:11-18). Then Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me,” (John 10:27).
Some Shepherds have selective recognition of predators that enables them to discount the danger of public wolves and instead focus on piety, i.e. devoutness, prayer, and living a life of loving others and loving God. This is good and wonderful to a point but this will not protect the flock because they do not learn to hear their Shepherds protective voice warning them. This would be like the shepherds of old teaching the sheep to be good sheep knowing the wolves are coming to kill them and scatter them. Today’s wolves and sheep are human. All of the body of Christ are called to stand and fight against evil, (Ephesians 6), but they must be taught by their shepherds.
However, there are, “…greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter, (Isaiah 56:11). Christ’s shepherds have to teach the flock how to stand and withstand evil or these shepherds are complicit in enslaving and destroying the body of Christ.
The wolves today are malicious because they are spiritual, working behind the scenes through flesh and blood supporting unseen demonic evil agendas that attack the hearts and minds of the body of Christ. These wolves support and condone apathy enabling predators to slaughter the flock by making evil normal and righteousness wrong. The shepherds today ignore these evils because in the literal sense these evils live among us, around us and attack the body through the culture in which we live. Shepherds and Christians are not called to passive service but to vigilance “to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3). Some shepherds don’t contend with these voracious evils, and therefore do not protect their flock in teaching them how to recognize and stand against the predators of today.
The worldwide attack on Christianity by the alphabet LGBTxyz predators run in packs. They are attacking the body of Christ in America, Europe, Great Brittan and beyond through the mediums of religions and the political ideologies. In America they are represented by today’s Democrat Parties antichrist progressive agenda. This spirit of the antichrist is teaching and justifying a Sodom and Gomorrah’s lifestyle that is an all-encompassing abomination before God, (Jude 7). This evil parasitic Lord of the Flies covers everything they touch with darkness from condoning pedophiles, transgender mutilation of children, to drag queen events manipulating and stealing the innocence of children by teaching them sexual perversion is normal. Then social and public media are reinforcing and supporting every form of bodily debasement known to humankind. This involves teaching our children in schools every kind of gay and straight sexual perversion.
Most Shepherds and youth pastors today seem clueless through their inactive silent behavior. The body of Christ doesn’t follow these shepherds because no one hears their voices exposing these predators to our children and adults. Teaching them biblical solutions for protecting the body of Christ from being destroyed by this abomination before God, homosexuality, (Romans 1:18-32).
Drugs and the marijuana wolves are being supported throughout America and has the effect of addicting our children and adults to a Schedule 1 Drug. Schedule 1 drugs, are a type of poison that is both psychologically and physiologically addicting. This drug has been proven to destroy motivation and become the reward for living. Thus, dooms the abusers to a life of drug induced blankness. Marijuana is being touted as a medicine or recreational drug when no medicines, but the most restrictive, are Schedule 1 Drugs. When the ravages of cocaine are a Schedule 2 Drug. Shepherds and youth pastors may be unknowingly complicit in their inactive silent behavior that is destroying and failing our children. They must be sticking their heads in the sand by consenting and ignoring these predatory drugs by failing to warn and protect the children of the body of Christ.
Then there are the political predators, who most shepherds have over the years volitionally covered up by convincing themselves they cannot talk about the evils of politics. Many have unknowing compromised Christ’s biblical stance against evil and have become distorters of the faith. They have created the ostracism of evil by acting like these predators are a special above their pay grade so they can’t be exposed. They have prevented Christians from learning how to expose “those minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, unless the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, … should shine on them,” (2 Corinthians 4:4). The overall effect is these Shepherds and many in the body of Christ have self-retarded their ability to speak truth into this evil. Preventing the speaking the Spirit of truth into darkness when all Christians are commanded to expose evil, (Ephesians 5:11,13). When predatory antichrist politics are destroying America’s economy, energy sector, military, law enforcement, election integrity, national security, Constitution and overall national well-being of every Christian as rapidly as possible.
Shepherds know the solution to combating these predatory wolves has to come through the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said, “For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed,” (John 3:20). Shepherds are commanded to warn the flock how to recognize and expose evil and how to stand and be good citizens like Paul. This is so Christians can use their voices of truth to call upon the Spirit of truth by speaking and acting as God fearing citizens. This will ignite the collective will of the citizenry because the will of God begins in the community of Christ’s Church, not in a building but in the community.
All Shepherds must start teaching Christians they have the weapon to deter today’s predators. They have the power of the living Spirit of God, the greatest power on earth that God promises will guide them into all truth and the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, will testify of Christ, (John 15:26) into the darkness of humankind, (Acts 26:18). The Holy Spirit convicts unbelievers through believers speaking God’s truth for they have been commissioned to be God’s mouthpiece to the end of the earth, (Acts 1:8). Then responsible shepherds teach their sheep to speak and expose the public darkness with the reality of the word of truth, because the power of the Spirit reinforces the saints by “convicting the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment,” (John 16:8).
This power is none other than . . . “The word of God . . . living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart”, (Hebrews 4:12). Shepherds, it is way past time to protect the flock by teaching them how to use God’s offensive weapon to protect the flock with their lives, and guide the body by teaching them how to speak, stand and withstand today’s predators.
David Howard, Foxhole Ministry Billings MT.