Javion Jones

FridayFeb 5 at 12:09am

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The cultural irrelevance argument against the shepherd motif is a weak one. In fact, it may even be said to be a benefit to the metaphor. If it is true that little is known about the shepherd then it provides an opportunity to present an ‘untarnished’ metaphor, which conveys nothing more than that which is intended by the person using it. That is, if the metaphor is as poorly understood as opponents suggest, then it presents churches and church leaders with a blank canvas on which to paint an accurate picture of what it means to shepherd the flock of God. In this sense it is success as a metaphor does not rest on the pre-existing knowledge of those in a church but the clarity with which it is presented to those who previously knew nothing of it.

Furthermore, it seems that much of the rejection of the shepherd metaphor is not on the grounds of cultural relevance, but rather a desire for church leaders to write their own job descriptions as opposed to fulfilling the roles that God has called them to. “Shepherds are there for the sheep! Shepherds are servants entrusted with the care of the flock. The shepherd was hired because of the sheep.” The shepherd metaphor is not as much about communicating to the congregation the authority that a church leader has but communicating to the church leader the responsibility they have for the congregation.

What lies are you allowing to steal away your God-given identity? That is why it’s so important to know your God-given identity. It not only affects what you believe about yourself, but it also influences the way you live your life. Knowing who you are and Whose you are changes everything. If you knew that you were fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalms 139:14), that would change the way you view yourself. What would happen and what would you do if you knew that your identity was based on how God views you?

When you know that God validates you, you are no longer worried about your performance. You know that you are already equipped to do what God is calling you to do (2 Corinthians 5:20), and you have faith that He will do the work through you. Gone are the days what other people think or even what you think about yourself. Your faith and hope are no longer based on yourself or others, but God.

Until you know who and whose you are, you are going to have a hard time fully understanding why He created you: you’re going to have a hard time understanding your purpose. Your identity and your purpose go hand in hand. Your identity is comprised of your gifts, talents, education, passions, upbringing, and so much. All these factors serve as supporting roles and tool in your purpose. Knowing your God-given identity helps you better understand how they all fir together and what role that will play in your purpose and assignment.

Dorothy Jones

YesterdayFeb 8 at 8:50pm

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I have listened to people speak about world view in our faith for years.  The one thing I have always found challenging was that although they claim to seek scripture first in their worldview, it has always been filtered through their cultural and political lenses. They sound so very heartfelt when disusing their love for God and scripture, but they turn around and hate their neighborhood because they are different. This has led me to think more about the worldview perspective and how do these smart theologians keep writing volumes about love and peace but never living up to these values when it came to my people. My conclusion was worldview and the need to expand my own worldview. This happens in missions as well. We see missionary works travel the globe speeding and a very particular brand of the faith. Most of them are well-meaning and dedicated to the Great Commission.  They also mean to treat people right by taking courses in culturally sensitive as well as learning local customs and traditions. I Have found that the idea of worldview still greatly influences the outcomes of these efforts, as it should.  The problem is not the process but rather the 100’s years of one homogenous group dominating the scholarship, with little to any influence from other cultures that make up the vast majority of the world. So, what we end up with is wondering why a group of people can read and interpret the same information and still hate their neighbors. I another class I took on this idea of worldview, led by Southern Baptist professors, in this century I might add, told the call that Dr. Martin Luther King JR., was not a true Christian because he didn’t believe in the resurrection.  They also told us that Black liberation theology was not biblical.  I promptly told them what Dr. James Cone stated, the father of Black liberation theology, Any God not interested in the liberation of Black people is a God we don’t need.”