The below was written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit based on the many teachings received from my father, Rev. Olusola Areogun.
Title: The Shepherd, His Sheep And The Goat
Main Text: Jeremiah 3:15 AMPC
15 And I will give you [spiritual] shepherds after My own heart [in the final time], who will feed you with knowledge and understanding and judgment.
Who is a shepherd?
A shepherd is not somebody that appoints himself over a sheepfold; he is appointed by God and he will give account to God.
1 Peter 5:2-4 AMPC
2 Tend (nurture, guard, guide, and fold) the flock of God that is [your responsibility], not by coercion or constraint, but willingly; not dishonorably motivated by the advantages and profits [belonging to the office], but eagerly and cheerfully;
3 Not domineering [as arrogant, dictatorial, and overbearing persons] over those in your charge, but being examples (patterns and models of Christian living) to the flock (the congregation).
4 And [then] when the Chief Shepherd is revealed, you will win the conqueror’s crown of glory.
Jesus Christ is the Chief Shepherd and every sheep has an under-shepherd over them.
If you are sheep following the food and not the shepherd, you will eventually eat poison. There must be a personal interaction between the sheep and shepherd that builds trust; you must know that your shepherd will not feed you poison.
Ephesians 4:14 KJV
14 That we henceforth are no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
There are winds of doctrines, and where there are mixtures of doctrines, contrary winds will blow and cause a storm in the sheep’s life.
As divinely ordained, the shepherd has the diet (doctrine) the sheep is to feed on to grow well and remain healthy and strong.
Acts 2:42 KJV
42 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.
Shepherding is not an accountability to man but God. It is a job from God that the called must do with caution and sensitivity.
Hebrews 13:17 AMPC
17 Obey your spiritual leaders and submit to them [continually recognising their authority over you], for they are constantly keeping watch over your souls and guarding your spiritual welfare, as men who will have to render an account [of their trust]. [Do your part to] let them do this with gladness and not with sighing and groaning, for that would not be profitable to you [either].
It is not an easy nor a pleasant job. The sheep gets muddy, and the shepherd gets into the mud for love and duty sake and cleanses the sheep with water, the same water would he also bathe himself in.
Ephesians 5:26 AMPC
26 So that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the Word
The prayer and word that the shepherd uses on the sheep with faith are what he also uses on himself. The just shall live by faith.
Hebrews 10:38 AMPC
38 But the just shall live by faith [My righteous servant shall live [a]by his conviction respecting man’s relationship to God and divine things, and holy fervour born of faith and conjoined with it]; and if he draws back and shrinks in fear, My soul has no delight or pleasure in him.
When a sheep keeps returning to the mud ignoring the shepherd’s voice and belittling his efforts, the cleansing with water will no longer make the impact intended. That sheep has opened up to strange experiences and practices that create a flaw in its character and brings about a transformation into a goat.
A goat in size and shape may look like a sheep, but it is no longer under the shepherd’s leadership. A goat stubbornly chooses its path – the way that seems right but ends in destruction.
Proverbs 14:12 KJV
12 There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.
The goat has a strange ability to feed on anything, not caring what it is nor where it came from. The more different the diet is from what the shepherd recommends, the tastier it seems to be.
The goat’s sight, sound and smell are not pleasing to the shepherd. The voice and instructions of the shepherd are strange to the hearing of a goat.
It is the sheep that God gives a place in a shepherd’s heart.
Psalm 23:1-3 KJV
23 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
The sheep responds to the leading of the shepherd that “Psalm 23” applies to.
1. The sheep shall not be in want
But the goat shall always be in want.
2. The sheep will lie down in green pastures. But the goat – the rebellious will dwell in a dry land.
Psalm 68:6 KJV
6 God sets the solitary in families; He brings out those who are bound into prosperity;
But the rebellious dwell in a dry land.
3. The sheep will drink from still, calm and clear waters.
The goat will not have the same.
And so on!
Ask yourself these questions and answer them in all sincerity:
1. Are you a sheep or a goat?
2. Are you having sheep’s experiences with the shepherd as highlighted in Psalm 23 or not?
3. How well are you following the shepherd?
4. Are you following the voice of your shepherd, or you are just tagging along with the sheep?
5. Does the voice of the shepherd mean something to you, or is it the voice of the stranger that is music in your ears.
The shepherd will give an account to God for the sheep under his leadership.
And there will be a separation between the sheep and the goat.
The sheep on the right-hand side
The goat on the left-hand side of Judgement.
Matthew 25:31-33 AMPC
31 When the Son of Man comes in His glory (His majesty and splendour), and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.
32 All nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them [the people] from one another as a shepherd separates his sheep from the goats;
33 And He will cause the sheep to stand at His right hand, but the goats at His left.
So please…
Ephesians 5:15-17 AMPC
15 Look carefully then how you walk! Live purposefully and worthily and accurately, not as the unwise and witless, but as wise (sensible, intelligent people),
16 Making the very most of the time [buying up each opportunity], because the days are evil.
17 Therefore do not be vague and thoughtless and foolish, but understanding and firmly grasping what the will of the Lord is.
The Message Bearer
Cornelius Bella
corneliusbella 