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I’m proud to say that I’m a sheep.
I really enjoyed Mark T. Barclay's book Sheep, Goats, and Wolves. I read it in about an hour. Mr. Barclay does an excellent job of explaining the types of Christians in the body of Christ and using the analogy of Christians with animals (Jesus did the same thing). It opened my eyes to why people act the way they do and helped me see what category I fell into. But after reading the book, I just realized that most Christians are goats.
When I read the section on the sheep
and saw their qualities, I knew I was a blessing to God and my pastor. I always tell people that when I go to church, I want the Word, and I need the Word. Mr. Barclay states, “The less strife, arguing, doctrinal debate, dissension, and turmoil present, the more they (sheep) enjoy. True sheep will
turn away from agitated waters even if they thirst.” That is so true. If more
Christians focused on God and His word and left everything else in the world
(and church) alone, they could receive what God has for them, help hold up their pastor’s hand, and carry out the calling on their life.
When I read the section on goats my
eyes were opened to the fact that most Christians are goats. The part that
stood out the most to me was when Mr. Barclay stated “so while they (goats) are
under your care, milk them as often as you can! Get all the milk you can before
they leave.” Wow! Should non committed Christians be used for their money and
or talents? I thought about that for a while and realized that while they are
under the leadership of someone, they still must behave a certain way because
that leader will have to account for what he taught and what he allowed to go
on. But I also recognize that the pastor (if called by God) will have a
discerning spirit, will know what type of Christian a person is and how to get
them to contribute to the kingdom of God.
The section on wolves raised more questions
for me than gave me answers. Are wolves believers or make believers? Are they
demons? Why do they seek more to destroy the flock and not the shepherd? Why
not just stay in the world and help destroy it? Do most wolves in sheep’s
clothing go undetected by the shepherd (but not the sheep) because he wants the
church to “grow”? Is salvation possible?
I asked my fellow Christians, and they gave me insight on wolves because I was totally lost. I now know that when I see a wolf, I scream, “Wolf, Wolf.” Before, a wolf may not have devoured me, but I would have watched them devour another sheep because I didn’t know the difference.
The section on watchdogs also made me
realize the role of those who protect the shepherd and the sheep from the
wolves but not from each other. That made me realize what my role will be. No,
I won’t be a watchdog, but I will be a worker in the kingdom and on the front
lines of ministry. A watchdog has to have the master’s (and whatever or whoever
the master is responsible for) best interest at heart.
Like Mr. Barclay said, shepherds
(pastors) have been on both sides of the aisle. They know what it is to be a
sheep and be in leadership. We can never say the pastor doesn’t know what
we’re going through. I reread that statement again because I skipped over it
the first time. But it’s so true. Many Christians, including myself, feel that
pastors are giving unreasonable rules to live by and that they do not know what
it like to be single or in a bad financial situation or dealing with all the
stuff that goes on in churches. But when I read that statement again, I had to check myself and thank God for the shepherds that He has placed in the kingdom.
Overall, I loved this book. It opened my eyes to my fellow believers' actions and how we can help and not
hinder our pastor and the kingdom of God.
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