DAY 766 - It's Your Mission to Look after Your Sheep (請按此處收聼廣東話Cantonese podcast click here)

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Want to know why I have been writing and recording my blogs and podcast daily since August 10, 2009? Click these three links:

Confirmation from John Stott in 2009: 
http://bishopsilas.blogspot.com/2009_07_01_archive.html
My MicroMacro Discipleship, A missing DNA in Discipleship Development: http://bishopsilas.blogspot.com/2009/07/introduction-micromacro-discipleship.html
Subject Shifting Devotion Method(Inspired by John Stott in 1991): http://bishopsilas.blogspot.com/2009/08/count-down-5-subject-shifting-devotion.html

                               Today's Reading: 1 Peter 5:1-7

** If you would like to learn a simple and good way of Daily Devotion method please read my “Count Down 5” from my Devotion on Fire blog:

http://bishopsilas.blogspot.ca/2009/08/count-down-5-subject-shifting-devotion.html

To use this simple and good way of Daily Devotion method please click this link:

 .Subject Shifting Devotion.pdf

Please click this link to read 1 Peter 5:1-7

English(ESV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1 Peter 5&version=ESV

Chinese: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=彼 得 前 書 5&version=CUV

Bible Study

     When you become a Christian, you become a sheep under the care of Jesus as your Good Shepherd and those under-shepherds Jesus prepared and appointed to take care of you. Sooner or later, you will be appointed by Jesus as an under-shepherd taking care of those who Jesus prepares for you to take care.

     Is there any secret to become a well qualified under-shepherd. Yes, Peter tells us two ways.  

Let's take a look at what Bishop N.T. Wright says (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N._T._Wright ) :

      
      Peter has learnt well from Jesus himself the central thing about being God's under-shepherds: don't lord it over them, but be an example (verse 3)…
     The normal 'worldly' way of 'leadership', of course, is to boss and nag, to threaten and punish.  You may be able to get sheep to do what you want that way, but they will be neither happy nor healthy.  Such an approach may look 'strong', but it is in fact weak.  The call to be a humble shepherd is the call to the true strength in which one doesn't have to shout or bully, because the work of humble service has forged such a strong bond between shepherd and sheep that the shepherd only needs to walk towards the pasture and the sheep will follow.

N.T. Wright. The Early Christian Letters for Everyone. Louisville,KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2011, p.92-93,94.

      So, what kind of shepherd you are? Do you know what kind of responsibility you are carrying? 

Let's have a time to be still and give the Holy Spirit space to speak through the passage we have just read. Offer this time up to Jesus as you listen to him, while listening to "Gabriel's Oboe":  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmax47l2hLU

Spiritual Journal

    The title I heard from Jesus today is: It's your mission to look after your sheep

    The message I got from Jesus today is an inspiration I got from a staff of Trinity Western University. I had a few email contact with this wonderful gentleman taking care of a booking of Summer Camp next year. I wrote an email to him yesterday thanking him for his efficiency and professional skills. What I just received from him is a simple one powerful line that goes with today's theme:

Thanks Silas!

It is my mission to looking after my customers J   

    He is surely a good example of what Peter is talking about: a good and humble shepherd! 

    The term "under-shepherds" Bishop Wright uses is very interesting. It means, "Don't think that we are the good shepherd who can lord our sheep". We are those assistant shepherds entrusted by Jesus and under the command of Jesus as our Good Shepherd. We are unable to win over the roaring lion. You can not get away from Satan, the roaring lion's pursue. If you are not under the daily love, care, guide and protection of the one and only one Good Shepherd, our Lord Jesus Christ, you would sooner of later be eaten alive and so as your sheep! 

Dear Lord Jesus,
Lead us to know that it is our mission to look after our sheep. And, you are the Good Shepherd, we are just under-shepherds. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

Please click this link to worship with us -

從心合一

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJWZQyLzDRQ

Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jbe7OruLk8I&noredirect=1

You may choose to follow my other daily blog: 

Daily Devotion on Fire 2(2 years plan -One year New Testament, one year Old Testament): 

http://bishopsilas2.blogspot.ca/

Daily Devotion on Fire (3 years and 3 months plan, one chapter a day to finish reading the whole Bible): 

http://bishopsilas.blogspot.ca/

Break.Build (40 days daily devotion- For Renewal or First Step for new Christians): http://www.breakbuild.blogspot.ca/

Emmanuel330 (40 weeks First Step Bible Study): 

http://emmanuel330.blogspot.ca/

This blog:
Discipler 123 (Daily devotion using N.T. Wright's NT for Everyone as source)

http://discipler123.blogspot.ca/


Rev. Nicky Gumbel's daily devotion: Bible in One Year
http://www.htb.org.uk/bioy