Gathered, but also brought

“I am the Good Shepherd. I know my own sheep and my own sheep know me. In the same way, the Father knows me and I know the Father. I put the sheep before myself, sacrificing myself if necessary. You need to know that I have other sheep in addition to those in this pen. I need to gather and bring them, too. They’ll also recognize my voice. Then it will be one flock, one Shepherd. This is why the Father loves me: because I freely lay down my life. And so I am free to take it up again. No one takes it from me. I lay it down of my own free will. I have the right to lay it down; I also have the right to take it up again. I received this authority personally from my Father.” (John 10:14-15)

We have all probably read or heard this portion of scripture at one time or another, but I never really caught something that Jesus was saying until this morning. Read that passage again with me and stop at the sentence where Jesus talks about having other sheep in addition to those in this pen. Did you ever see that before? I guess I just glossed over it, but if we want to know why Jesus delays his return to this earth, maybe we can extrapolate from this verse that he is doing some 'sheep gathering' so the pen is more than full - it is overflowing! He was talking with his disciples when he shared these words - telling them truth in simple story form so they can begin to understand it. His 'pen' wasn't full enough - he had more work to do in order to gather more sheep into the pen. He needs to gather and bring them into the fold - meaning that this 'pen' we call Christianity and the churches that make up his 'pens' aren't really 'full' yet. There is more room to grow!

Do you know what the response was to Jesus' teaching that day? It was a 'split' in the Jewish ranks. Why? Truth divides the sheep from the goats every time! Think of the 'religious' as the goats and the ones Jesus called his 'disciples' as the sheep. There are a lot of 'goats' in this world, concerned about all the rules they have to keep in order to attain some form of 'right-standing' with their god. Goats serve a 'god' of some form, but not the One True God. Sheep follow the Shepherd - their very existence and sustenance is because of his tender care over his flocks. We aren't one big 'pen' of believers, but many 'pens' spread hither and yon - soon to be gathered into his presence all as one, but now we are in a kind of 'holding pen' we call our local church. It is within these 'pens' we find we can feed and grow, share and multiply.

Look at what Jesus says again - I need to gather and bring them. Gathering sheep may be one thing - getting them to all move in the same direction at the same time may be quite a different task! If you have been part of a local church for any time at all, you know exactly what I mean by that statement! It isn't easy getting all of the 'sheep' to get moving in the same direction. Some doddle along, not overly concerned about the pace being set by others. There will be some who are always out front of the rest, just ready to 'move out' at a moment's notice - attentive, quick to respond, always listening to the Shepherd's voice. We may find others just so intent on whatever it is they are focused on that they are totally unaware the rest of the flock is about to move on to the next place God has prepared for them spiritually. 

Churches are filled with all kinds of sheep - some may label them lazy or crazy, regular or 'out there' - but regardless of what 'label' we attach to those sheep within our 'pen', they are all under his care and watchful eye. All must be brought along - not just gathered in. I think this is the purpose of the 'pen' we call our local church. God intends for our 'pen life' to be the place where we are gathered with the purpose of us being 'brought along' in this Christian walk. It is a place for us to grow - to be brought out of where we have lived for so long in unsheltered and unsafe spiritual, emotional, and physical conditions. Then he brings us into a place where we learn to walk together - providing for our spiritual needs, healing our emotional hurts and hang-ups, and then helping us to break free of those things that have bound us physically. Be gathered, but don't forget he is also doing the work of bringing us along! Just sayin!

Watch your step!

We are so blessed to live in a country where we can worship freely. There are still a multitude of people in this world who must live 'undercover' because of their belief in Jesus Christ - because it is not a 'permitted' religion within the country where they reside. The places of worship for these individuals are sometimes the tiny living rooms of a group of believers where someone opens the meeting with prayer, shares a thing or two from the scripture, all the while longing for a trained pastor to be their shepherd. In some senses, those believers are closely worshiping together in much the same way the early church did - or even as the nation of Israel did until Solomon built the Temple in Jerusalem. They open their homes, gather under a large tree in shade of the day, or find a shelter somewhere just so they can be together and share from the Word of God. This is the heart that drives them - not that they have to 'go to' church - for they 'are' the church.

Watch your step when you enter God's house. Enter to learn. That's far better than mindlessly offering a sacrifice, doing more harm than good. (Ecclesiastes 5:1)

Solomon was charged with the responsibility of giving God's people a place of permanent worship - he built the Temple in Jerusalem - the first "physically permanent" structure for the presence of God. Up until that time, God's presence had been enclosed in a tent-like structure we know as the Tabernacle. It was "portable" and served Israel well during the time they moved throughout the wilderness, were on the move while taking the land of Canaan, etc. David had longed to build God a "permanent" house for his glory to indwell, but that task was passed on to his son, Solomon. Solomon gives us some words of "wisdom" about coming into the "house of God". It is a warning to those who would choose to worship at the throne of God - no matter where the 'location' of that worship may be. He reminds us that we are not to enter God's presence flippantly - but with mindful care. I wonder how many of us head off to churches around this world on our day of worship (whether it be Sunday, Saturday, Friday or another day of the week) without even so much as a consideration of why it is that we are going. I imagine that there are many of us that can say without a doubt that there is absolutely no "fore-thought" in that "church attendance". In fact, it is more of a social gathering than a time to seek God, learn of him, or celebrate his presence.

In Old Testament times there was a great deal of preparation that went into worship. Hearts and minds were "cleansed" - thoughts focused - bodies prepared. Why? Because they were entering into the presence of a holy God (even if they didn't 'go' anywhere to do so). Solomon reminds us that we are to use "care" in entering God's presence - coming into God's house is really another 'gathering place' for entering into his presence. The attitude of heart that he reminds us we need is one of serious attention - in other words, we have made provision to learn. We have centered our focus so that we are open to learning what it is that God is about to share with us. In the presence of God, revelation is available. Careful attention to being readied to learn is what we need to glean from this scripture. When we are "open" to receive from God, there is an expectancy that reaches out toward God in worship and in attentiveness to the sharing of the Word. We must enter to learn - come with a purpose. Learning comes as we become "acquainted" with the object of our attention. If we are attempting to learn the task of driving an automobile, we spend some time learning about what makes it work, how it is maneuvered, what distance it takes to stop its forward movement, and what steps we must take to ensure safety in our driving ventures.

So it is with coming into a position of being open to receiving from God - we have to become acquainted with the object of our attention. That suggests we have to place our attention on him - being eager to learn of him. This is the beginning of our journey - many are preparing to gather somewhere this week. What a tremendous thing it would be if we could enter into his presence this week with a fresh determination to learn of him - careful to enter with purpose, attentiveness, and great anticipation of what it is he has to offer us as we gather together! Don't forget to make room for Christ in your worship experience - after all, it is the real purpose of that experience. Enter into his presence - he is waiting to bless you with the best gift of all - HIM! Just sayin!