Shepherding others as Jesus shepherds us!

   

Silence

1.   Put on your “brakes” and stop for a moment of silence

2.   Wait for God. Breathe deep for God's peace and feel His presence. Exhale your worries.

Praise and Thanksgiving

1.   Think through your day, all the times that made you smile

2.   Thank God for all those moments, and for all those people

3.   Sing a song to praise God (you are welcome to use "Father, I adore you" which I have been singing every morning for the past 20 years or your own choice to praise God)

          Father, I adore You, lay my life before You, how I love You.

          Jesus, I adore You, lay my life before You, how I love You.

          Spirit, I adore You, lay my life before You, how I love You.

      

Confession and Repentance (Subjective Shifting Devotion Method https://bishopsilas.blogspot.com/2009/08/count-down-5-subject-shifting-devotion.html

1.  Pray for the Holy Spirit to shine on you that you are able to discover your sins and be willing to repent:

     “Dear Holy Spirit, shine your light into the places of darkness in my life. Show me my sins, everything that blocks me from encountering God and having Jesus as my Lord. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.”

2.  Through the Holy Spirit, examine yourself for a short silence and then pray:

     "Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for dying on the cross for our sins and being victorious over death and sin. I confess my sins to you(pause, to tell Jesus what the Holy Spirit has shown you). Forgive my sins by your blood and help me follow you. Holy Spirit, fill me that I may be able to receive your gifts to love God and His people. In Jesus Name I pray, Amen."

3.  John Stott's daily prayer of Christlikeness (Christopher J.H. Wright, Cultivating the fruit of the Spirit. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2017, 13)

(Please click this link to see how God used John Stott to change my life:https://bishopsilas.blogspot.com/2009/07/

           "Heavenly Father, I pray that this day I may live in your presence and please you more and more.

             Lord Jesus, I pray that this day I may take up my cross and follow you.

             Holy Spirit, I pray that this day you will fill me with yourself and cause your fruit to ripen in my life: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control."

    

    The link to today's Time with Abba passages:   http://api.pastoralcareschool.org/twa/

    Time with Abba passages: (Psalm 31:1-8, Leviticus 14:1-57; Mark  6:30-56; Proverbs 10:11-12)

    Today's key passage:

     30 The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. 31 Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”

32 So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place.33 But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. 34 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.

  Mark 6:30-34

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 to Jesus as you listen to him. 

   

     My Listening

    The topic I received from Jesus is: Shepherding others as Jesus shepherds us! 

  

    

    1. Shepherding others as Jesus shepherds us! Why?

         

         When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.         Mark  6:34

                 

          Jesus had passion on so many people who thirst for truth. There were almost 10,000 people including women and children following Jesus that day. But, as we can see in Mark 6:34, they did not have shepherds to shepherd them. That's why Jesus went to shepherd and to demonstrate the miracle of the five loaves and two fish. With Jesus exercising His authority to perform signs and wonders He trained His apostles in a very serious way. 

     2. Shepherding others as Jesus shepherds us! How?

         Come to Jesus; Accept Jesus' sending; Receive Jesus' authority; Enter into Jesus' rest 

               Calling the Twelve to him, he began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over impure spirits.              Mark 6:7       

             We can see in Mark 6:7 how Jesus trained the Twelve apostles He appointed. The first thing is for them to learn the three steps of faith: 

              i/ Come : Come to Jesus

                 

                  Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed.

“Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What’s this wisdom that has been given him? What are these remarkable miracles he is performing?  Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.

 Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.”  He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. He was amazed at their lack of faith. Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village.       Mark 6:1-6

            

     When we look at how Jesus'  relatives and people in His own village challenged Him, did not believe in Him, rejected Him, then we know it is not easy for those twelve apostles to come to Jesus and followed Him!

     In reality, there are only very few Christians coming to be with Jesus each morning to have "quiet time", wait, read the Bible and pray. The research shows less than 5% of Christians are doing this daily. So, congratulations, you are one of those 5%!

              ii/. Accept: Accept Jesus' sending

               Coming to Jesus to follow Him is already not easy, to accept Jesus' sending is even more difficult. Why? First, you need to know what kind of sending it was and of how serious Jesus trained His apostles:

                   Calling the Twelve to him, he began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over impure spirits.

 These were his instructions: “Take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in your belts.  Wear sandals but not an extra shirt. Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town.  And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, leave that place and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.”

 They went out and preached that people should repent.  They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them. King Herod heard about this, for Jesus’ name had become well known.               Mark 6:7-14

              The training Jesus gave to His apostles and to us is to pull us out of our  " Comfort zone" so that we can experience the things only God can do and that Jesus' name becomes well known!  

           iii/ Receive: Receive Jesus' authority

            If you really can do what Jesus says above, you need to know that is not your ability, but the authority Jesus gives you! Are you willing to receive that authority? How?

           

          iv/ Enter into: Enter into Jesus' rest 

                   The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught.  Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place.              Mark  6:30-32

             This is the key and most important step!

          Because Jesus wanted His apostles to know the source of His power and authority is to go to a quiet place to be with God so that He can rest and receive strength and power!

           This is the secret of How Jesus has His authority and power and what Jesus wants to teach His apostles and us.

           Without this quiet time to rest in the Lord, Christians would be always on a "working", "doing" mode, sooner or later they will lose their passion and then burnout!

3. Shepherding others as Jesus shepherds us! Result?

    If you are willing to be trained by Jesus and by His servants like that, the result would be you will experience today Mark's passage, the miracle of five loaves and two fish! And, this kind of signs and wonders would happen frequently! 

    May you be willing to be trained by Jesus to experience this "Come to Jesus; Accept Jesus' sending; Receive Jesus' authority; Enter into Jesus' rest " so that you are no more a religious person but a true disciple of Christ, a true Christian! Then, you can train and shepherd those Jesus prepared for you to train and shepherd to experience "Come to Jesus; Accept Jesus' sending; Receive Jesus' authority; Enter into Jesus' rest"!

    Dear Lord Jesus, 

   Help us to be willing to be shepherded by you so that we can shepherd others and that they also can experience that four steps "Come to Jesus; Accept Jesus' sending; Receive Jesus' authority; Enter into Jesus' rest".  In Jesus name we pray. Amen.  

      Reflect on these questions:

     1. What inspiration have you received from today's catch and what have you heard from Jesus now?

      

      2.  What is your next step to be more closer to Jesus?

    

      Family Corner:

     Find an opportunity to share with your family the importance of today's message. 

     

Please click this link for the video version of this blog: 

https://youtu.be/mRuGHmhAa7o 

     To know, learn and practice the method of Time with Abba, please click this link: https://www.pastoralcareschool.org