Sheep, Hearing the Shepherd

In John 10, Jesus characterizes Himself as the 'Good Shepherd' who loves and cares for His sheep. This is shown in His providential leadership of His church.

God's people are often compared to sheep, yet some question whether they need a human shepherd. How does one know whether a minister is a true shepherd?

If sheep choose to become 'without a shepherd,' they reject one of Christ's major gifts to His flock, taking themselves outside of His established order.

When our lives change, we do not have to fear that things are out of control. As the Good Shepherd, Christ changes our circumstances for our benefit.

Even though under-shepherds do not always perfectly emulate Christ, He has nevertheless established their roles and has gifted them to serve in this way.

The closer we get to God, the more likely we will have persecution, but also the greater and more real He becomes and the more likely we will serve Him correctly.

In most biblical contexts, 'spirit' refers to the invisible, internal activating dimension of the mind. Synonyms include heart, mind, and thoughts.

Do Christians need a church? With all the church problems in recent years, many have withdrawn. Yet the church—problems and all—serves a God-ordained role.

The voice of God, whether expressed through thunder, events of His providence, handiwork of creation, or the preaching of His truth, is recognizable to His flock.

Richard Ritenbaugh, reflecting that 30 years have passed since the death of Herbert W. Armstrong, and 24 years since the founding of the Church of the Great God, marvels that the greater church of God continues to scatter over 400 separate organizational s. . .

The shepherd and door analogies in John 10 depict the close relationship of Jesus with His flock as the security and stability provided by His protection.

Martin Collins, focusing on the episode in Matthew 18:1-3, where some presumptuous disciples speculated about who would receive the highest posts in the Kingdom of God, cautions that ambition, arrogance, and pride would short-circuit such aspirations. Plac. . .

God's calling is personal and individual rather than general, opening otherwise closed minds, replacing spiritual blindness with spiritual understanding.

Jesus reveals that the Father has always had supreme authority, and that He and His Father are absolutely at one in purpose. We must conform to their image.

In the unsettling letter to the Laodiceans, Jesus paints a picture of Himself in relation to the church that reveals His people care about other things.

The term house can mean structure, family, kingdom, or church of God. The instruction to us personally is to not leave the church or fellowship of faith.

Martin Collins, affirming that the thing that sets Christians apart from others is that they believe Jesus Christ rose from the dead and that He is alive and actively interceding for us right now, admonished us to know, follow, and strive to conform to Chr. . .

Richard Ritenbaugh, citing Cicero's dictum, "If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need," indicates that those two items provided contentment for the Roman leader. Indeed a garden can be a source of peace and calm, giving us. . .

Increasing knowledge without the capacity to process it leads to insanity. To combat information overload, we must get back to the basics of Christianity.