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The Shepherding Movement

The Shepherding Movement
I do not consider myself as an expert on the Shepherding movement; but because it is everywhere and affects so many Christians I feel I must address this issue.
What is the Shepherding movement? I recommend reading it on wikipedia and The Shepherding Movement comes of age.
http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/04/shepherding.htm .
In the early 1970s a movement sprang up to help Christians be more accountable: they would submit themselves unto another person to help them stay on the straight and narrow; later this became hierarchical in nature transforming most of this power to the pastor.
The pastor would justify this doctrine by quoting such passages as “Obey them that have the rule over you” and maybe a couple of similar passages from the Bible. The Shepherding Movement had such variations as submit to the pastor or first to the pastor and than to the elders; whatever the pattern they either supplemented the authority of Jesus or even completely replaced it in the believer’s life. God made us priests and Jesus High priest so we would have direct access to the Father.
Why than did Paul require us to obey those over us? If you will notice he always said those things to spiritual babies; to children; or to the rebellious.
What did Paul himself do? In Galatians 1: 10-12 he said if he pleased men he could not please Jesus Christ; but what he did and received was directly by revelation of Jesus Christ. In Galatians 1: 17 he said he did not even go to the apostles but got alone with Jesus in the desert. Read the first two chapters of Galatians to find out more of what Paul did; Paul did those things because he was not rebellious but genuinely sought out the will of God and submitted himself to it.
One of the great problems of the shepherding move is that you need to pray to the pastor and even to the elders: the word prayer means “To ask”. When God appeared to Moses at the burning bush and Moses insisted on a helper God told Moses that he would be to Aaron (his helper) instead of God and Aaron would be to Moses instead of a mouth; this is a very important revelation that parents and leaders take the place of God in those they lead.
When Israel came out of Egypt God wanted to speak to and lead each one; but they told Moses you get the word from God and tell us because we are afraid of God Exodus 19.
It is of utmost importance for parents and leaders to get those they are leading to hear directly from God as soon as they can and interfere with that as little as possible: get your subjects as close to God as possible through Prayer, Bible reading, and meditation and then completely surrendered to God so God can use them.
It should be noted only those who are completely surrendered to God know the way; all others who want to serve God well always think a song, a doctrine, a certain kind of worship: standing, sitting, or kneeling will take them the next step higher; they are only following shooting stars: they burn brightly for an instant then they look for another shooting star.
My brethren God may use songs, doctrines, and worship in your life but only He can raise you up to the next step. God alone and nothing else can raise a person to higher life; so if you want your children and parishioners to walk to a higher level (walk in the Spirit) than get them to Pray, seek God’s Face surrendering to His will rather than your own or they will never be able to serve God properly.
If part of your body had to get its instructions from other parts of the body it would not work: it will work only as it receives its instructions from the head only; yet each part is always submitted to each other because it is submitted to the head: if your children walk with the head and you walk with the head you will be in perfect harmony with each other.
The Bible says we have one mediator between God and man: so if it is necessary for us to mediate for someone let us get them connected to the true mediator Jesus as soon as possible they must learn to walk with the head.
John tells us in 1 John 2 that we have an anointing as Christians that does not lie and we do not need men to teach us. When Jesus walked this earth He had a sword coming out of His mouth and no one could defeat anything He said; we who are taught by God also have a sword coming out of our mouth which no one can defeat. God’s will for His people is that we be a people of power that no one can defeat; but we have to walk His high road not with our bellies.
The reason there is so much confusion on this and other subjects, are that God’s people are living way below the standard that God has called us to live in and they depend on others who also are living below standard to lead them, and all we have is a mess.
Paul compares the two roads in Philippians 3: he calls one the high road and the other the belly road.
I can tell you if you keep your people under you then they will never grow up nor can be ever real effective in God’s Kingdom; for they can not serve your kingdom and God’s Kingdom at the same time.
Brother Frank
frank@thetrueword.com

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