God-Centered Christian Leadership

"Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord : As surely as I live, says the Sovereign Lord , you abandoned my flock and left them to be attacked by every wild animal. And though you were my shepherds, you didn't search for my sheep when they were lost. You took care of yourselves and left the sheep to starve. Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord . This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I now consider these shepherds my enemies, and I will hold them responsible for what has happened to my flock. I will take away their right to feed the flock, and I will stop them from feeding themselves. I will rescue my flock from their mouths; the sheep will no longer be their prey. -- Ezekiel 34: 7-10 (NLT)

The Bible says to whom much has been given, much will be required. Pastoring, leading in the church, and divining the Word of God are incredible responsibilities. They are responsibilities to not be taken lightly. Those that perform these roles honestly and sincerely for God are to be appreciated greatly, especially in this age of false teachers and prophets. The New Testament is packed with warnings about false teachers and prophets for a reason -- because they are all around us today! I am not just talking about the obvious heretical poster children but also the more subtle type that leads their flocks astray with just a little leaven here and a small compromise there. Christianity is not a game, where we all play church every week until Jesus comes. If we truly believe what we believe then the eternal fate of everyone on this planet is in the balance. Our family and friends. Our co-workers and even the people we see every day in this life. I know people do not like to think or discuss such matters because they are not taught enough but there is a heaven and there is a hell. The vehicle chosen by God to bring people to the foot of the cross is the church. That is an enormous responsibility then for the leaders of the church. Paul explained to Timothy:

Keep a close watch on how you live and on your teaching. Stay true to what is right for the sake of your own salvation and the salvation of those who hear you. -- 1Timothy 4: 16 (NIV)

What we teach as leaders and ministers of the Word of God is extremely important to God. How we lead His sheep -- and remember they are His sheep -- is extremely important to God. Looking at the charges God is leveling at the leaders of Israel through the Prophet Ezekiel in our key verses we can see some warnings for today's leadership of the church. First of all, the leaders are accused of abandoning the flock, so that they are left to be attacked by every wild animal. This is prevalent in the modern church today. There is a confused understanding that some leaders appear to have. The church is supposed to be there for the members -- not the other way around. There is an over-focusing on how the people can best serve the needs of the church -- that is the individual church and not the body of Christ per se. It is a mindset that seeks to expand the building -- not the kingdom. It is always done with "Jesus on their lips" but as we see throughout the Old Testament -- the more Jesus was on the lips of leadership the less He was on their hearts. Now, how is this like abandoning the flock? Because the vast majority of people co-opted to "serve" are not ready to serve. They are not mature enough to serve. I have spoken with people who were thrust into leadership positions without so much as an interview or even a question about their own walk. These are sincere people who wish to help so they will do as they are asked but where does that leave them in their own development as a Christian? It leaves them abandoned and ripe for attack by the enemy. It seems as if the modern evangelical church system continues to focus solely on quick and dirty salvations through a poorly designed sinner's prayer theology and then figuring out how to best use the "saved" in ministry to further the church. The discipleship is poor at best if existent at all.

Secondly, God charges the leadership with not bothering to search for the sheep when they are lost. It seems sometimes that some modern leaders do not understand that a pastor is a pastor for all of the sheep, not just the cute ones. Not just the ones that "baa" the loudest. Not just the ones that agree. When Paul was addressing the leadership of the Church at Ephesus:

Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. -- Acts 20: 28 (NIV)

God is not saying watch over the ones we like. He is not saying to just watch over the ones that are agreeable. He says to watch over ALL of the flock and He reminds us why -- because that flock was purchased with His own blood. Even that sheep that didn't like our new program. Even that sheep that thinks we have issues with our worship. ALL of the sheep. It seems it has become in vogue sometimes for pastors to leave the pen door open and those that may not be in agreement can simply go find another pasture. That is so unscriptural because who knows what happens to them between the flock they were supposed to be in and the one they may eventually find? When Jesus told the parable of the 99 and 1 He taught that the shepherd goes after the 1 lost sheep no matter what. Every sheep that wanders away that we do not pursue, we will be answerable for come Judgment Day.

Lastly, God levels the accusation that the shepherd took care of themselves while the sheep starve. We see this all throughout modern Christianity in this country. Ministries getting fat on preaching nonsense such as prosperity doctrine. Pastors defending the usage of beyond luxury automobiles and learjets, while their congregants struggle from day to day. As much as there can be some physical need connotation here, God is really accusing the leaders of not feeding the flock spiritually. Like a worldly shepherd is responsible for the physical well being and growth of the sheep in his flock, so the Christian leaders are responsible for the spiritual well being and spiritual health of their flock. Yet what do we see these days pass for the Gospel? Are we preaching the flock half a Gospel? A compromised Gospel? A Gospel that is mixed with the leaven of secularism? Have we allowed the world system to infect our church and our preaching? In that same address to the elders at Ephesus, Paul declared himself innocent of their blood because he had not hesitated to proclaim to them the entire Gospel. The inference is a frightening reminder that we will be held accountable for the blood of those people God has given to us to shepherd. Yet time and again we see that the modern American Christian is so undernourished. They do not walk with any power or authority. They circle the same mountains for decades and are crawling into heaven. Yet they are taught to tithe correctly so that their pastor is taken care of properly. Plenty of preaching on how much God wants to bless them if they would only "release the seed" but not a lot of preaching on their sin, the blood of Jesus, or anything that would make them uncomfortable.

I say none of this with any joy or malice. I am just stating what God has said because when we are given the responsibility for leading, pastoring, or divining the Word of Truth -- we better take it seriously. Finishing the key verses show us how serious this is. If we lead people astray, leave the pen door open, or seemingly get fat off of the ignorance of the sheep we are supposed to care for and teach -- we will become enemies with God! This is how people who thought they were serving God their whole lives get to Jesus only to be told by Him that He doesn't even know them. Look very closely at these words from God -- "I will hold them responsible for what has happened to my flock." Lord let us be ever mindful of that.

Rev. Anthony