House Church Talk - For Wounded Sheep, A Answer to Why

[jim sutton]

"Claire Bennett" wrote:
> I've seen firsthand the ripped and bleeding sheep, barely surviving attacks 
>by wolves, both within and without the sheep pen.  It makes me angry just 
>learning about the evil perpetrated upon them, and upon the watchmen and 
>rescuers who attempt to warn and rescue.
> 
> As we enter a time of greater deception than we have ever known before, you, 
>the wounded rescued may be among the few that have their eyes open and are 
>alert to the danger soon to come.  
> 
> A couple of things to keep in mind:  Sorry if you've heard this before.
> 
> A wolf is a wolf is a wolf.  A wolf is not a sheep in need of dental work. 
> If you've tried putting your hands in his mouth, you know this.  Many wolves 
>have been taking advantage of the latest techniques in cosmetic surgery.
> 
> How do you know a wolf?  Look for teeth marks.
> 
> Shalom
> Claire


Great stuff, there, Claire.

I always appreciate good insight and good humor.  And as Paul (and Ezekiel and 
Jeremiah, too, for that matter) said, the wolves will always be among us.

This is one reaon we need to always point the sheep back to the shepherd, 
urging everyone to stay close to Him.  For, as long as they remain close to 
Him, they've nothing to fear from wolves and bears and lions, etc. that are 
always out there waiting for a stray.

Of course, predators are not the only danger for sheep.  Thirst and starvation 
will kill, too.  And so can the cold.

One summer I was driving a truck that hauled cattle, pigs and sheep.  I will 
never forget sitting on a sheep ranch in Idaho one day, waiting to take on a 
load of sheep.  The shepherd came along, a young woman.  She was calling out 
to a large group of sheep, and they all followed her voice.

It was midsummer, and our truck was running, to keep the air conditioning on. 
 It was just idling, so the engine wasn't very loud until you got right up 
close to it.

The woman talked to and called out to the sheep as she walked along, and she 
was headed for a sheepfold in front of the truck.  All the sheep kept 
following her.  It was an amazing thing for me to see.

She walked right in front of the truck, opened the gate and called to the 
sheep as she walked inside the sheepfold. And they started in after her.  But 
as she got closer to the middle the sheepfold, her voice was not so clear to 
the sheep that were just outside the gate -- where our truck was running.  She 
kept calling to them, but they began to look around, confused, and to wander 
off some.

I saw what was happening and told my co-driver to shut the engine off.  He 
looked at me like I was nuts.  I told him again to kill the engine.  He did 
so, and immediately, all the sheep snapped right around and went in the 
direction of the shepherd's voice.  She called, and all of the sheep soon 
gathered around her inside the sheepfold.

I felt especially blessed that day to have seen such a thing with my own eyes. 
 It was John 10 all over again for me.

Sometimes there is so much noise that the sheep simply cannot hear the 
shepherd's voice.  Only the ones really close to the Shepherd don't get 
confused and begin wandering off.

Our world is filled with a great many noises, and the enemy of our souls does 
all he can to crank up the volume, to divert the sheep's attention away from 
the Lord Jesus -- the only Savior we have.  As believers, we do well to always 
point everyone's attention back to Jesus.  We do well to encourage folks to 
stay very close to Him, and to always keep their eyes on Christ, the one true 
Shepherd.

If they get too busy staring at all the scary things out there, who knows what 
they'll do?  But if they stick in close to the Shepherd and follow Him, 
listening for His voice and responding to Him, they will be just fine.  He is 
the only Help, the only Hope, the only protection that any of us have.

Jim