{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Christ Covenant Church","title":"What You Should Expect If Your Church Truly Possesses a Shepherd from Jesus","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":3690,"description":"A major reason churches fail to trust or follow their shepherds — or identify them as legitimately from Jesus, is bc they are ignorant of their job description - or more accurately, the job description they possess for that position in the church, does not agree with Scripture. \nBC I want to avoid that pitfall in this church, this morning we are going to discover and be reminded of what God says about this subject or, What you should expect if your church truly possesses a shepherd from Jesus\n \n1. They wb IMITATORS:\nJesus the Great Shepherd (Heb 13:20) promised to give Jesus-imitating shepherds as a gift to His people and primary caretakers of His body, the church, while He is in heaven. (Jer 3:15a “I will give you shepherds after my own heart”) = Shepherds w/the same heart (likes/dislikes, affections, agenda and desires) as Jesus (i.e., sheps who are imitators of Jesus in their shepherding). It’s fulfillment: (Eph 4:8 w/11 [“pastors” = shepherds] w/12 [“equipping…building up” = A caretaker]). POINTS NOT TO MISS: 1) If Jesus gave these kind of shepherds to His church, then it must not only be possible, but what we should expect and believe wb true of our shepherds. Hence the reason (Mat 10:40). 2) All of us need to possess a healthy level of skepticism, but skepticism that persists even when the evidence says otherwise is not healthy nor safe. It is pathological and rebellious unbelief (not against me –BUT GOD). Scripture to keep in mind (1Co 4:5 When the Lord comes He will “bring to light the things hidden in darkness and disclose the motives of men’s hearts” – i.e., no plausible deniability before God). \n2. They wb EDUCATORS:\nCentral to their role as Jesus imitators, these shepherds will spend copious amounts of time educating their people in God’s Word since this is the key to trusting God. (Jer 3:15 [Eph 4:14 = Education/understanding of God’s Word/doctrine wb how the shepherds shore up instability/distrust; Pro 22:17-19) = Trust is the by-product of...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/UXGjftzm8Yw--IISwUKe6A6-CX1YtARptisfLmFJFoI/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS81Zjc4/MmNmNTMxZjNmOTgw/YjA1NWRhYmMxMTNl/YmE1Zi5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}