Student Ministry - October 2021
Dear Church Family,
We live in an increasingly confused world. As society continues to deny God, who is the objective standard of right and wrong, good and evil, we find ourselves surrounded by people who do not have any true moral standard. This leaves people in a completely confused state of morality. Our students tend to be the ones on the front lines of this confusion. And the only governing standard of right and wrong that the world will support is popular opinion. This is no way to live. And as Christians, we don’t have to live this way. And we can actually be the solution, if we will faithfully follow Christ. But we must be on the lookout for false solutions to this confusion.
There is a lot of talk these days about whether someone is a lion or a sheep. The idea is that if you are a sheep, then you are a mindless follower who goes along with whatever you are told. And if you are a lion, then you are brave and strong enough to think and act for yourself. The exhortation that is often given is that you shouldn’t be a sheep and simply do whatever you’re told, because that makes you a slave and stupid. So we are told to be lions. We need to stand up to immoral leadership and ideologies in our world. What is interesting is that Christians are looking to this line of thinking as a solution to some of the problems we find in our world. And while there certainly are some truths found in this analogy, there is something that we Christians need to keep in mind… WE ARE SHEEP. BUT WE HAVE A SHEPHERD, AND HE IS THE LION OF JUDAH.
Jesus told us in John 10:3-5 this about His relation to us and how we will live as His sheep:
“The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.”
We as followers of Christ need not be ashamed to be called sheep. We just need to remember for ourselves and boldly remind the world who exactly we are following; Jesus Christ, the King of kings, Lord of lords, Lion of lions. I don’t need to be a lion. I already have a Great God and King who is my Shepherd, the Good Shepherd. And He is the Lion of Judah. We follow Him.
It is important to keep this in mind. Because ultimately all people are like sheep who need a shepherd (Matt. 9:36). All people are following something or someone. Even people who listen to others tell them to be lions are simply
following suit as a sheep. So it is inescapable. But this does not leave believers confused. Because if we belong to Christ, then we know His voice. We recognize Him by the reading of His word, and are led by Him step by step as His word gives light to our path. We do not listen to the voice of strange ideologies and subjective moralities invented by the mere will of man. We reject and flee from those things into the loving arms of the Shepherd who gave His life for us.
So Christian, my prayer for us as individuals, students, parents, grandparents, etc.; please do not try to lead yourself through the confusing fog of false morality. But instead, simply follow your Shepherd. He is the Good Shepherd who laid His life down for the sheep. And we sheep can trust in Him to guide us through all things.