Today we’re comparing and constrasting two thoughts and yet
I believe their individual paths will intersect. The name of this blog is Sheep vs.
Sheep. I should begin with the question,
“Are you a weak sheep or a lost sheep?” But…
what is the purpose of this question?
Furthermore, what brought on this question, and why am I posing it to
you? I’m certainly willing to answer
those questions, and I might even say… “Take notes”.
I was reflecting almost a year ago. I was considering the majority of people in
churches. I wasn’t conflicted then, but
now I am. My thought at the time was
that church leaders had been more attracted to filled structures, and thus
churches had become full of weak sheep.
I’d heard with my own ears leaders refer to the church as a hospital,
and initially, it didn’t offend me or strike me as odd. It sounded reasonable in remembering how
Jesus traveled around healing the sick.
As an extension of the Lord’s ministry, the church then being looked
upon as a hospital is not so bad.
Then came the question of whether the church should be
filled with weak sheep or the lost sheep.
With this question, then came the need to make a personal and individual
distinction. As I read the Word of God
and look at the way the disciples organized, I see more and more that there’s a
difference. Naturally, with the heart of
Christ, the church will always appear to be a bit of a nursery, but my mind is
drawn moreso to the word “nursery” as it relates to green houses.
My attention is now turned both to the nature of the
organization of the church as well as the people that seek them out. Historically, the lost sheep was known to be
the Jewish people; the descendants of the Israelites. The term spoke mainly to birthright. Later, after Jesus died we know that the
grace of God was extended to the none Jewish people and became a matter of
belief in Christ. Through the release of
the Holy Spirit— the Spirit of Truth; a new people came forth. These are the believers in Christ and they
are given the biology of Christ. This
biology is not simply the result of confession.
This biology is a result of “the walk”.
This walk— a walk that is fashion after Christ is the walk of the New
Lost Sheep. This sheep is not
broken. This sheep is not fleeting. This sheep is not “lost” in the sense of
going door to door, from church to church, or believing another human as being
their entryway onto God, but the “New Lost Sheep” is merely lost in that they’ve
been reconciled to God through the death and resurrection of Christ and is
coming back into their divine nature. This
“New Lost Sheep” is not looking for or is in need of a God on earth. This is an understanding that for the church
structure to evolve and the population of people that seek to know the Living
God through the counsel of the church structure first has to develop. This is an understanding that changes the
mental imagery of the church as an emergency room type of place to a green
house or nursery where lives are not remaining in a weak and near death state,
but are constantly growing, evolving, and transforming.
The purpose of this LAB is not to point an illegitimate
finger, or to cloud your mind with a point on the map. The purpose of this LAB is to remind us,
people of faith, whether church goer or church leader to keep surveying the
crowds that we develop as well as become a part of. The question was and still is, “Are you a
weak sheep or a lost sheep?”
Before I end this first LAB, I’ll like to share with you two
scriptures.
The first comes from Timothy 2:20-21. It reads, “In a large house there are
articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for
special purposes and some are for common use.
Those who cleanse themselves from the latter will be instruments for
special purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good
work.”
The second scripture comes from Romans 2:14. It says, “When
Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law,
they are a law for themselves. Even though
they do not have the law, they show that the requirements of the law are
written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts
sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.
Therefore we the people of God, believers in Christ, who
represent “The New Lost Sheep”, are not divided or segregated by birthright nor
are we made elite by the circles we find ourselves a part of, but we are
carriers of the Biology found in Christ by the walk we choose and some of us
having this biology as is stated in the scripture from Romans without
nurturing.
So we go forth remembering this and remembering to continue to pose the
question of which sheep we are throughout our evolution in Christ.
Thank you for joining Life of LAB 2018, I hope you'll drop by tomorrow for Blog-2.
Remember to go within that you may never go without. The God within you awaits you. Until our paths collide again, I wish you... Peace, Love, Life, and Complete Wholeness in Christ.
NaTisha Renee Williams
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