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The Church’s Responsibility – To Feed the Sheep, even Public Officials

 

For example, in the twentieth century, the Protestant Churches of America (The Roman Catholic Church was subject to fewer problems in this area because of its governmental structure & approach to theology) saw a conflict arise to divide whole denominations – the liberal, higher criticism theologians & teachers, who denied major tenets of biblical faith. One of their major beliefs was in the church’s responsibility for social reform. Conservatives who opposed them thought they were entering into a realm that God had forbidden for the church to enter. Therefore, the conservative believers ended up with disdain for social reform, particularly after seeing the leftist political policies advocated by liberals of the church.  (And I’m not referring to a political position when I say “conservative” or “liberal” in this context. I’m referring to a belief in the fundamentals of the Christian faith.)  Piles of books have been written about the controversy. I want to focus on one aspect of the debate, & I’ll be taking conservatives to task for one of their positions.

Here’s the key question: Can public officials, even judges, be Christ’s sheep? Of course, they can. There’s nothing in the scripture advising that public officials cannot be saved & brought into Christ’s flock. Although Corinthians says that few are of noble origins, that’s a far cry from saying none can be saved. And we live in a different era, not the very infancy of the church of Jesus Christ. In fact, there are examples of rulers, even kings, being converted during their reigns.  (See Nebuchadnezzar’s conversion in Daniel chapter 4.)  Does a position against social reform mean public officials are left out in the cold with respect to their official capacity? That cannot be because that would mean an area of life left out of the sovereign God’s reign, a place in the world to which His all-powerful word cannot or does not reach. It would mean that public officials get an exemption for their acts committed while acting in an official capacity. “Lord, you can’t judge me for that. Why, I was acting in my judicial capacity, a place for which you chose not to give mankind guidance.” It would also mean a place to which God’s grace could not reach, for there would be no point to God giving grace to officials who had no responsibility to apply God’s will to their actions while in office.

It would also mean the church gets a “pass” also. It would mean that the church can feed public officials what they need to live their personal lives, for their off-duty belief & behavior, but for their official work, there would be nothing for the church to offer. But wouldn’t that also deny the personal pastoral care & spiritual nourishment, which a public official needs for his official life? Is work life, Christians’ public service life, so separated from the rest of their life that God cannot speak to it? That God through Christ cannot teach the public official knowledge needed to know how to either advance or undermine His kingdom?

Jesus accused the religious/political leaders of his day of great sin, so great that he said they’d experience the greatest judgment to ever come upon a political grouping of people in history.  See fn 1 below.  Jesus certainly expected them to know God’s will for leading people & made clear they’d be held accountable for that leadership or failure of leadership.[xv]

Ironically, the very incentive for conservatives believers in the bible to avoid “social reform” by not addressing the duty of public officials is what should motivate them to get going on that duty. If the liberal wing of the Protestant Church cannot get the bible correct on the key issues of life, (fn 2 below) then how will they do anything but teach wrong-headed thinking to public officials in their attempt at “social reform?”  (See fn 3 below)  Yet, even in light of that dangerous situation, conservatives leave the field to the liberal theologians, thereby denying any solid “food” to public officials. In avoiding “social reform” & in so separating church & state that the church denies to certain members of the flock the food Christ ordered to be fed to them in their official duties, the church fails in its duty.

And the church contributes to the decline of a society that is ignoring God’s word. They leave public officials with only the food which “wolves” can provide. Of course, wolves don’t provide food; they eat the flock. What would Christ say to that? Would he say, “I’m so glad you avoid advising public officials about public policy, lest someone think that my Father actually cares about public officials and what they do while performing their duties?” Or would he say, “They’re not my sheep when they’re on duty, so who cares where the ship of state leads? I care only for individuals in their individual lives. Society doesn’t matter to me.”

Such a situation is neither pastoral, nor teaching, nor loving, nor compassionate toward those sheep who serve in civil government. It is, however, other-worldly, so much so that it makes one question the point of civil government at all. But the bible has way too much to say on civil government for us to approach it with that attitude. This attitude is also not charitable with the “knowledge” specially given by God for the feeding of the flock. Or has there been a famine of the word?  (See fn 4 below)  A form of judgment upon our society?

But even if that were true, surely that is not how Christ wants us to remain. Surely he came to redeem us from judgment & feed his people who serve in civil government, whose policies may affect so many people for good or ill. So, while the public official is no different from any other person & needs spiritual food & teaching from those who are gifted to provide such, the feeding affects us all, not just the one. Those called to be teachers in the church (fn 5 below) must obey Christ’s admonition to feed his sheep, & the definition of sheep would logically have to include public officials in their official capacity.

Are Christ’s under-shepherds not up to the task? That is always the case. They may consider themselves lacking in training, missing a law degree, & incapable of teaching officials about their duties. No matter their insecurities and weaknesses, they must fight for Christ’s kingdom in a hostile world. (fn 6 below) And Christ promises to be with his servants & give them what they need to fulfill his will – feeding of the sheep. (fn 7 below)

Back to the source of knowledge, the gift of God’s knowledge. If the minister lacks the spiritual food needed for the public official, the teacher must wait on the Lord. (fn 8 below) As the teacher waits, resting in the God who knows all things & whose Spirit will guide us into all the truth,” (fn 9 below) God will provide, just as he provided to Peter, the ability to feed the sheep. The statement, “I don’t yet know the answer” is a statement of faith. By saying that, you acknowledge two things: 1) That knowledge is a gift from God, & 2) by using the word “yet,” that you trust Him to give the gift in His good time. (fn 10 below)

If you “deserve” it. I put the word in quotation marks lest it be mistaken for some form of earning it. We cannot earn a gift, then it wouldn’t be a gift at all. But we can place ourselves in a position of humble reception that acknowledges our inability to earn & the fact that God alone can give heavenly food for any purpose, whether it’s the care of a family or the care of an entire society. To acknowledge your responsibility to God in a certain area along with your complete inability to adequately perform the doing of that duty as God would have it performed, places you in the position in which God blesses the needy person, that person who must meet needs today, in this world. So God will meet that person “poor in spirit” & give to them . . . “the kingdom of heaven.”  Matthew 5:3.  And that perhaps means bringing a little of that other world into this world.

Wait on the Lord, & He will renew your strength. Don’t wait for the minister to feed you the food you need as a public official. Go to the teacher & ask, or go find the teacher who will feed you. But believe that you don’t deserve it, can never deserve it, & place yourself in the place of humble acceptance of God’s gift of knowledge as to the judging of civil society. It is no less important to Him than any other part of the world He created.

Don’t be a King Saul, whom God wanted removed from office for not being a humble recipient of what God wanted.  See I Samuel chapters 13-15.  The making of ungodly decisions does not invite God’s blessings. Don’t follow King Saul in his rebellion.  (fn 11 below)

 

1. “Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets. Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell? Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city: That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.” Matthew 23:31-9, KJV.

2. “Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples, saying, ‘The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat: All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not. For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. But all their works they do for to be seen of men: . . . .’ ” Matthew 23:1-5a, KJV.

3. By definition, the liberal theologian cannot “feed my sheep” because they deny that the speaker of those words is the Chief Shepherd & Son of the living God. The food given by liberals is by definition not only incorrect, it is misdirected. They feed the sheep their personal unbelieving opinions, not the word of God. In fact, they feed the sheep to the wolves. Paul told the Ephesians before his arrest in Jerusalem: “For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.” Acts 20:29-30, KJV.

4. “ ‘Behold, the days come,’ saith the Lord GOD, ‘that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD: . . . .’ ” Amos 8:11, KJV.

5. “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: . . . .” Ephesians 4:11-2, KJV.

6. “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; . . . .” II Corinthians 10:3-5, KJV.

7. “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.” II Corinthians 4:7, KJV.

8. “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31, KJV.

9. “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.” John 16:13, KJV.

10. This is what Daniel did with respect to interpreting King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. As a man of faith, he asked for time to seek the answer. Daniel 2:16-19.

11. See I Samuel chapter 22. “And the king said unto the footmen that stood about him, Turn, and slay the priests of the LORD; because their hand also is with David, and because they knew when he fled, and did not shew it to me. But the servants of the king would not put forth their hand to fall upon the priests of the LORD.” I Samuel 22:17, KJV.