ONE FLOCK, ONE SHEPHERD
Enoch Pereira
Translated by Filipe S.S. Gouvea
The following, wonderful prophecy made by Ezekiel was fulfilled in Jesus.
"I myself will feed my flock and make them lie down, saith the Lord God."
"I will raise up for them one shepherd, and he shall feed them;"
"Ye therefore my sheep, the sheep of my pasture: ye are men: but I am your God, saith the Lord God." Ezekiel 34: 15,23,31.
Jesus fulfilled the content of his words when he said, "I am the good shepherd: I know my sheep, and they know me." "They shall hear my voice, and there shall be a flock and a shepherd." John 10: 14,16.
That is why Jesus also warned us: "But you will not be called masters, for one is your Master, and you are all brothers. No one on earth should call your father, for only one is your Father, he who is in heaven. You are not to be called guides, for one is your guide, the Christ." Mathew 23:10
In the kingdom of God it is a crucial question for Jesus to be recognized as the only guide, the only chief, the only teacher, the only shepherd. Everyone else is nothing more than a brother to one another.
What Jesus said is that only he is in charge of his own body: the Church. He is the head of his body.
The Kingdom of God does not function like the organizational systems of this world. Jesus is the sole person to occupy a position of authority.
He, through his Spirit, makes his life flow, including his authority, power, and gifts unto those that are part of his body.
Ministries are not positions of power. They are manifestations of the Lord himself that flow through our brothers. When something spiritual flows in someone, it is because God finds in such person a surrendered heart and therefore finds freedom to use it as he pleases. It does not signify that we are anything; it simply means He is in us.
Paul knew of the condition under which he was called. And it was not to stand over the brethren, ruling over them; rather he was called to serve beneath them, as a slave to all. The condition of the calling had already been set by Jesus, by containing the impetus of the disciples to assume positions of government over others.
"Ye know that the rulers of the peoples rule over them, and that the rulers exercise authority over them: it is not so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your servant. You shall be your servant, even as the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many." Mathew 20:25.
That is why Paul, aware of this condition, said: "Because I was free from all, I became a slave to all, that I might gain as many as I could."
"So far, we have come to be considered the world's rubbish, the scum of all."
"Neither that which planteth is anything, neither he that watereth, but God that giveth growth."
"For to me it seems to me that God has put us, the apostles (the envoys), lastly, as though we were condemned to death."
1 Co 9:19, 1Co4: 13, 1 Co 3: 7, 1Co 4: 9
"God hath chosen the humble things of the world, and the despised, and the things that are not, to bring to naught those that are, lest any man should boast in the presence of God." 1Co 1:27.
Thus, we can at most be instruments of God; not that we are capable of anything by ourselves.
He can use some as apostles, some as prophets, some as pastors and teachers. It is He who operates these functions.
"But one and the same Spirit accomplishes all these things, distributing them, as he pleases, to each, individually." 1Co12: 11.
"There is one Lord ... who is above all, acts through all, and is in all." Ephesians 4: 5-6
God did not call anyone to assume leadership posts with titles and recognition. He is able to use each and every individual, all the while distributing his gifts to fulfill the purpose of building his own body.
It is not a question of instituting men for a certain position. He calls us to note, to notice, to recognize, to identify the flow of His Life and gifts in the life of our brothers. It is a privilege that we must have access to the wealth that comes from God through men who, by submitting themselves to Him, manifest spiritual maturity.
God gave Paul, Timothy, and Titus guidance to identify the mature in each city. (The Vine's Expository Dictionary translates καθίστημι - kathistēmi - as noticing, identifying the most mature). It was not to entitle these men, but so that upon being identified, they would be strengthened in their condition of lesser slaves. And on the other hand, this identification was also important for the younger ones to be more certain that the services that came from that brother were really manifestations of the Lord.
Understanding the way Jesus governs his Body promotes deliverance both to receive the edifice that comes from everywhere, and to be an instrument of God for the service of the saints.
In his Kingdom, God gives no room for pride among the brethren. He knew titles would swell the hearts of men.
Therefore, call no man master, guide, or shepherd. "You shall not be called ..." so. There is only one teacher, there is one guide, there is one shepherd "Mathew 23:10, Ezekiel 34:23, John 10: 14,16.
Jesus is the only one worthy of receiving honor and glory, strength and power and every good thing under the sun and above.
