John 10:11-16 NKJV

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. 12But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. 13The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. 14I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. 15As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. 16And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.”

We who believe in Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of our lives, who have denied self, died with Christ to sin, and are now living in obedience to his commands, in practice, in the power of God, are Jesus’ sheep. And he is our shepherd. And we follow him wherever he leads us in doing what he has for us to do as his followers. And he leads us in the way that we should go. He tells us that to be his followers we must deny self, die to sin, and obey him. So we must forfeit our former lives of living in sin and for self to follow him.

The Hirelings

We now have pastors (elders, shepherds) who are over the sheep within the gatherings of the church, or what are falsely being called “the church.” Many of them are being paid to be over the sheep (the Christians) in leadership, so they are hirelings. But not all who are pastors of church congregations are dedicated to leading the sheep in the right direction, which is for their good. Not many of them would literally lay down their lives for the welfare of the sheep. Many are looking at what’s in it for them, for what they can gain.

So many of them today have been trained in marketing schemes and in business techniques on how to “grow their churches,” i.e. on how to draw in large crowds of people from the world into their gatherings. And they have been trained in who they want in their gatherings and who they want to get rid of, too, and on how to attract the world to their gatherings. And so they dilute the gospel and entertain the world, and many preach canned sermons which are intended to attract the world so that the world will like them.

So, they are not thinking of the welfare of the sheep. But they are thinking about how they can grow their businesses and be successful in drawing in large crowds of people from the world into their gatherings. And they are more interested in people liking them than they care about whether or not anyone who professes faith in Jesus Christ is literally living for the Lord in submission to his will, in obedience to his commands. So they would rather do what is popular even if it sends people to hell on the promise of heaven.

The Good Shepherd

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who is God, the second person of our triune God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – loved us so much that he literally gave his life up for us on a cross so as to put our sins to death with him. And he was raised victorious over the grave in victory over sin, death, hell and Satan. And all of this was on our behalf that we might deny self, die to sin, and follow our Lord in obedience to his commands so that, by faith in him, we might have the hope of salvation from sin and eternal life with God.

Then he gave us the Holy Spirit to live within us to teach us all things pertaining to Jesus Christ and to his will and purpose for our lives. And he gave us his written word in the Scriptures to teach us his ways so we will now walk in his truth and righteousness in holy living. And he counsels us in the ways of the Lord, and in the ways that we should go, and he warns us against Satan’s lies and his tricks, and against false shepherds who lie to the people, so that we will not fall for the lies but so we will obey the truth.

One Flock One Shepherd

And he also taught us that, since his death on that cross, there is no longer any division between Jew and Gentile. For we are one people of God by faith in Jesus Christ. And all who do not believe in Jesus are one people, too, but they are not God’s people, but they are antichrist. So all Jews who do not believe in Jesus are not God’s chosen people, and all Gentiles who believe in Jesus are one people with believing Jews as one nation, one sheep fold, and one flock under one shepherd, no longer two different groups of people.

So, not every pastor of a church congregation is a man of God preaching the truth that Jesus taught, leading the people to follow Jesus Christ in obedience to his commands. And not every “church” congregation is the body of Christ, the people of genuine biblical faith in Jesus Christ, God’s true church, following Jesus in obedience, doing what he commands us to do. Many of them are just businesses incorporated under the state being marketed to the people of the world just like any other worldly business.

And not all Jews are God’s chosen people. Only those who believe in Jesus Christ. And the physical and political nation called “Israel” is also not God’s chosen people, because, as a nation, they have denied Jesus as the Christ, their Messiah, and so they are antichrist (1 John 2:22). So only those who are followers of Jesus Christ are biblical Israel and are God’s chosen people, and we are not two separate groups. We are one flock with one shepherd, Jesus Christ, who follow our shepherd in obedience to his commands.

[Genesis 17:7-9; Genesis 18:19; Matthew 21:43; John 8:18-19,38-47; John 10:16; Romans 2:28-29; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 9:4-8,25-28; Romans 11:1-36; 1 Corinthians 3:16-17; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18; Galatians 3:16,26-29; Galatians 4:22-31; Ephesians 2:11-22; Ephesians 3:1-6; Colossians 3:12-15; Titus 2:14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-16; Hebrews 8:6-13; 1 Peter 2:9-10,24; 1 John 2:22; Jude 1:5; Revelation 2:9; Revelation 3:9]

Here is Your God!

Based off Isaiah 40:9-31 NIV
An Original Work / July 18, 2012
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

You who bring good tidings to Zion,
Lift up your voice; raise with a shout,
And do not be afraid of the people.
Say, “Here is your God!”
See how the Lord God comes now with power.
His arm rules for Him; His reward with Him.
He tends His flock just like a shepherd,
His lambs in His arms.

Do you not know? Have you not heard?
Has it not been told you from beginning?
Our Lord sits enthroned above all things.
None to Him compare.
Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens.
Who made all of these? Who calls them by name?
Because of His great power and strength,
All accounted for.

Why do you say, “My way is hidden
From the Lord, and my cause forgotten”?
Do you not know? Have you not heard?
The Lord, He is your God.
He will not weary. He gives us power.
Those who trust in Him will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings just like eagles;
Walk and do faint not.

One Shepherd One Flock
An Original Work / May 18, 2026
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love