July 14, 2009

• Good Shepherd, send us good shepherds to shepherd us.

  At tent of meeting we're continuing to reflect on and pray over Jesus' words to the seven churches in Revelation 2 and 3.
  
  Last week I shared how I've asked many of the friends and subscribers of tent of meeting to pray about writing a prayer related to Revelation 2-3 that I might post here. Today I'm including a prayer of my own, but am posting it here under my other screen name, naphtali_deer, because this prayer reflects the passion and calling God has given me to pray to uphold the purity of the Church, specifically regarding false teachers who are infiltrating the Church and bringing with them false gospels.

  I originally posted this prayer here along with the following introduction:
  
  God continues to impress on me the need for us to pray for shepherds to care for the flock as Christ cared for the Church. There are too many false shepherds and hirelings out there, too many wolves in sheep's clothing. Too many teachers who are corrupting and compromising the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As we pray for workers to go into the harvest, we must be praying for God to send good and faithful shepherds to care for His flock.

  Would you please pray along with me that our Good Shepherd would send us good shepherd to shepherd us?
  
  From Revelation 2:

  And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: The words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword. 13 I know where you dwell, where Satan's throne is. Yet you hold fast my name, and you did not deny my faith even in the days of Antipas my faithful witness, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. 14 But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, so that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice sexual immorality. 15 So also you have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans...
  
  And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: The words of the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze. 19 I know your works, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first. 20 But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols...

  Lord Jesus Christ,

  Here we see two churches which were compromising on doctrine and teaching. Their works were good in many ways, and you even commended them for that, but you called them out for false teaching.

  The apostle Paul tells us that you have given gifts to the Church, particularly the gifts of apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor and teacher in part

  so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

  And Paul tells the Ephesian elders to

  Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. 29 I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; 30 and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them.

  Father, we are so in need men and women who will pay careful attention to themselves and to all the flock. Guard and protect us. You gave Your Son's precious blood as a ransom to redeem us. We are the sheep of Your pasture. Here our cries. We are sheep, helpless and too easily swayed, too easily deceived. You have intended the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers to help keep us rooted in right doctrine, so we would not be tossed to and fro. There are false teachers everywhere we turn, particularly as the communication is so wide open now on the internet. The thieves continue to infiltrate the flock, appearing as angels of light. Yet all they intend to do is to rip apart Your sheep. They come to steal, kill and destroy. Many appoint themselves teachers and act like teachers but they have not received the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They are not Your appointed and anointed teachers. Yes, it is true that they are teaching, but they are not teaching the Truth, the pure Word of God, they are not teaching the simplicity of the Gospel of Christ. And one day You will hold them accountable. Right now they are being deceived. May You open their eyes so they might be true shepherds who lift up Christ to Your glory. Send us shepherd who bring your message of life and life abundantly. May You protect our eyes and ears and hearts and minds from false shepherds and false doctrine. Though it is true that in the end each one of Your precious sheep will not hear the voice of the hirelings or strangers, yet there are times we can be drawn away and deceived for a time. Give us ears to hear Your voice and not the voices of the hirelings. We thank You that You have given us eternal life and we shall never perish. None of these false shepherds can snatch us out of Your hand, O good Shepherd, and no one can snatch us out of Your Father's hand, the great Shepherd of the sheep. Amen.

  Good Shepherd, send us good shepherds to shepherd us.

  Great Shepherd of the sheep,
  You bought us with Your own precious blood.
  We are Your precious sheep.
  Many who are yet not of Your flock are vulnerable and confused.
  They are in bondage.
  They are in turmoil.
  They are in torment.
  They believe they are already saved and eternally secure.
  They are deceived.
  They believe external conformity to the religion of men is all they need to be saved.
  They do not understand they must be born again because they never hear the teaching of regeneration.
  Send us shepherds who will guard the flock and guard the Gospel.
  We are Your people, the sheep of Your pasture.
  Good Shepherd, come shepherd us.
  Good Shepherd, send us good shepherds to shepherd us.
  Good Shepherd, hear our prayer.

  Great Shepherd of the sheep,
  You bought us with Your own precious blood.
  We are Your precious sheep.
  Many of Your flock are vulnerable and confused.
  They are in bondage.
  They are in turmoil.
  They are in torment.
  They have no assurance and no peace.
  They are deceived.
  They keep condemning themselves even though You have freely justified them by grace through faith.
  They do not clearly understand Your teaching of grace because they keep hearing false gospels of legalism and works.
  Send us shepherds who will guard the flock and guard the Gospel.
  We are Your people, the sheep of Your pasture.
  Good Shepherd, come shepherd us.
  Good Shepherd, send us good shepherds to shepherd us.
  Good Shepherd, hear our prayer.

  Great Shepherd of the sheep,
  You bought us with Your own precious blood.
  We are Your precious sheep.
  Many of Your flock are vulnerable and confused.
  They are in bondage.
  They are in turmoil.
  They are in torment.
  They have no hope, no rest and no freedom because they keep trying to atone for their sin.
  They are deceived.
  They keep relying on their own works to save.
  They do not clearly understand Christ's work was sufficient to save because they keep hearing they must work to earn their salvation.
  Send us shepherds who will guard the flock and guard the Gospel.
  We are Your people, the sheep of Your pasture.
  Good Shepherd, come shepherd us.
  Good Shepherd, send us good shepherds to shepherd us.
  Good Shepherd, hear our prayer.

  Great Shepherd of the sheep,
  You bought us with Your own precious blood.
  We are Your precious sheep.
  Many of Your flock are vulnerable and confused.
  They are in bondage.
  They are in turmoil.
  They are in torment.
  They think they can be good and make society good in their own power, through morality.
  They are deceived.
  They try and try to make themselves and society holy apart Your Holy Spirit's power.
  They do not clearly understand how the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit renews and transforms because they do not hear of Him or His work.
  Send us shepherds who will guard the flock and guard the Gospel.
  We are Your people, the sheep of Your pasture.
  Good Shepherd, come shepherd us.
  Good Shepherd, send us good shepherds to shepherd us.
  Good Shepherd, hear our prayer.

  Great Shepherd of the sheep,
  You bought us with Your own precious blood.
  We are Your precious sheep.
  Many of Your flock are vulnerable and confused.
  They are in bondage.
  They are in turmoil.
  They are in torment.
  They persist in living an ungodly life without blinking an eye to their sin.
  They are deceived.
  They have made grace cheap and corrupted grace and turned it into a license to sin.
  They do not clearly understand salvation includes a life of sanctification by the Spirit because they do not hear You have called us to be a holy people.
  Send us shepherds who will guard the flock and guard the Gospel.
  We are Your people, the sheep of Your pasture.
  Good Shepherd, come shepherd us.
  Good Shepherd, send us good shepherds to shepherd us.
  Good Shepherd, hear our prayer.

  Father, we grieve that there are so many who are leaders in the Church who do not love the flock. There are so many irresponsible and false shepherds just as we read of in Ezekiel 34 and II Peter. You have seen them. They do not care for the flock. We are grieving.

  Should not the shepherds feed the flock? Indeed, should they not?

  Should not the shepherds give living water to the flock? Indeed, should they not?

  Yet the false shepherds continue to feed themselves and not the flock. They continue to be wells without water. They do not strengthen the weak or bind up the broken. They do not bring back what is driven away. They do not seek what is lost. They rule with force and cruelty. They makes promises of liberty but actually bring the sheep in the bondage. They deceive and beguile unstable and weak souls. As a result, many sheep are left scattered and made food for the beasts of the field. They are wandering and straying because the shepherds have forsaken the right way.

  Father, look down upon Your sheep. Your sheep are scattered and wandering. Protect us from false shepherds. Shine Your light on those false shepherds to show them for who they are. Father, we pray for You to have mercy on these false shepherds. Would You draw them to Yourself? May Your kindness lead them to repentance.

  Yet even as we ask this, so long as these false shepherds persist in teaching false doctrine and corrupting and compromising the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we must separate ourselves from them. Open our eyes to see truth from error. Deliver Your sheep from these false shepherds and then raise up responsible and true shepherds over Your flock.

  Good Shepherd, send us good shepherds to shepherd us.
  

  Father, You are a jealous God. Please raise up men and women like the apostle Paul who had a godly jealousy for the flock:

  I wish you would bear with me in a little foolishness. Do bear with me! 2 I feel a divine jealousy for you, for I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. 3 But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. 4 For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough.
  

  –II Corinthians 11:1-4

  Good Shepherd, send us good shepherds to shepherd us.

  Father, You have made it clear there is one Gospel. Please raise up men and women who will guard against those trying to corrupt or compromise the gospel in any way:

  I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed. 10 For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ. 11 For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man's gospel. 12 For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.
  

  –Galatians 1:6-12

  Good Shepherd, send us good shepherds to shepherd us.

  As His Spirit leads you, please add your prayers to the Good Shepherd to send us good shepherds to shepherd us.

  • 8:54 AM
  • Comments Off