![]() ![]() Timothy, that shepherd, pastor, of the people in Ephesus, he warns him of exactly this phenomenon. Jesus says this is true of real sheep and of His followers.īut I wonder, did no sheep ever come out of the fold when another shepherd called? Is it true that no follower of Christ ever listened to the voice of a stranger, but that His sheep always flee the voices of false shepherds? St. ![]() They will not listen to strangers, and they certainly will not follow anyone who comes along saying, “Follow me.” Instead, they will flee from those strangers. His sheep will listen to His voice, and they will know it because He speaks to them over and over again. He says that He will come and call them each by name, they will hear Him, and He will lead them out. Jesus says the same thing is true of His sheep, His followers. They trusted their shepherd to lead them to green pastures and still waters, and to make them lie down in safety. Then, in the morning, each shepherd would come and call his sheep, and only his sheep would come because they knew his voice. For example, I hear that, at least in some parts of the world, the shepherds would put all their sheep together in one sheepfold for the night. What I do know, or think I know, I know second- or third-hand at best. In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice."Video of the Divine Service is here. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. "The gatekeeper opens the gate for, and the sheep recognize his voice and come to him. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. What Jesus Did! is written by Phil Ware and is available in book form. This material may not be reproduced in part or whole for commercial use without written consent. In the name of Jesus, my Lord and shepherd, I pray. Bless me as I learn to recognize his work and his leading in my life. Gracious God, please help me follow your Son as my shepherd as I commit to spend more time with him in the Gospels. Let's renew our passion to know the Jesus of the Gospels and follow his words! Fortunately, we also have the Holy Spirit to help us do just that. The only way to recognize Jesus' voice is to listen to and follow the words God has given us from Jesus in the Scriptures. He will lead us where he wants us to go and bless us as we need to be blessed, but we need to be able to distinguish his voice from the many false religious voices that crowd into our world today. How do we learn to do that? By reading his words in the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, & John in the Bible) and learning to recognize his ways and his will. We, in turn, need to learn to recognize his voice when he calls us. Jesus wants us to know that as our shepherd, he knows us intimately and will call us by name. They follow their shepherd while sheep from other flocks follow their own shepherd even if the flocks are intermingled. After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice."Įven today, one shepherd's sheep are separated from other flocks by the sound of their shepherd's voice.
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