WHO'S WATCHING THE FLOCK?

shepherd
Originally uploaded by Reza Vaziri

"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep." John 10:11

We are in a technological age like no other. People pay bills on their computers, watch movies and listen to music on electronic equipment the size of credit cards, they have tiny computers that make them accessible no matter where they are. The advances in my lifetime alone (and I am not THAT old) are mind boggling.

Many of these advances are blessings. I love that my kids can look at my folks when they talk to them two states away on Skype. I love that I can buy music right from my own living room and never set foot in the mall. I love that I can find just about any recipe or craft idea for school at the touch of a button. I just love convenience.

But, in some ways, all this electronic interaction can be a downfall. And of all the ways I see this technology coming of age, the most disturbing to me is the ability to broadcast sermons.

Now, first let me say, while I was on bed rest with my fourth child, being able to listen to my pastor online was an enormous blessing. I was encouraged by every message. There is no denying the benefit of having this ability. However, I missed the fellowship with other believers. And my pastor's family missed me. Now there is a movement to fill gyms with lots of believers and have the pastor broadcasting over ajumbotron. As if the sermon is the only thing that matters in a church.

I am seeing this more and more and I am amazed that no one senses a danger here. I do not believe this is Biblical. And if I see that, I am wondering why the men who went to seminary don't. Maybe it's me who is wrong. But, I don't think so.

It causes me to consider......What would Jesus do if he had chosen to come in an era of iPods, PC's, cell phones and Blackberries? Would he have sat on Zion and broadcast his wisdom to anyone with a TV or computer? I doubt it.

When God was creating the world, He spoke everything into existence. He said the word, and it was so. EXCEPT when He created people. When He did that, He actually got His hands dirty and breathed His breath into them. He touched them, and He spoke directly to them. He had a relationship with them. He created them to need that. He created you and I with the same need.

When Jesus was on earth, he went to live directly with the people. He touched people to heal them. He made himself available to anyone who wanted to be cared for. He stood face to face with those that would challenge him and allowed them a face to face encounter with him. He did not hide behind an email to rebuke others....he looked them in the eye and asserted what was right. He didn't have a help line for people to call for medical or emotional diagnosis....he healed them just by them being in his presence!

When Jesus ascended to heaven, he left his Holy Spirit. Before this, the Holy Spirit came and went, but with the advent of Christ, the Holy Spirit dwelt ever-present IN believers. He no longer departs from us, but is inside of us. Never leaving us. And because of that he has a hold of us and spurs us to the Lord's will, bringing us closer to God.

In the Bible, we know that the Good Shepherd knows his sheep and calls them by name and that sheep know the sound of his voice. But what if the earthly shepherd has never seen you? One might even argue that the shepherd of too large a flock could not know his sheep very well. Can he really protect his sheep and lead them if he doesn't even know who they are??

My question, then, is, WHY would a pastor "phone in" his sermon to people without going in among them? If there are too many people, shouldn't he be raising up men to shepherd part of the flock? If he is only accessible by what he presents electronically to his people he isn't really among his people as Jesus was. And isn't Jesus his example? Jesus raised up men to care for his flock. He told Peter three times to care for and feed his sheep. His love was great for his children. Being physically with people was trying at times for Jesus, but his love for them was greater than the strain. Paul writes over and over to the churches hepastored about how much he missed them and longed to be with them. AND, he taught new men to lead those churches in his absence. And those men raised up other men always turning their eyes toward Christ and not the pastor.

I know that these gatherings at gyms and other meeting places can provide fellowship among believers and I know those believers can be blessed by the messages. But, what about the pastor? Is it responsible to be leading people you don't know? Is the sermon REALLY the most important thing he has to offer? Do you think Jesus' sermons were the most important thing HE had to offer?

He never preached from the cross.