Sunday, January 20, 2013
Saturday, November 10, 2012
Why should we train native teachers?
Introduction:
A follower (disciple)
of Jesus Christ needs to grow towards spiritual maturity for his (her) own walk
with the Lord and should impact and influence others around him (her) that they
will grow in their spiritual walk, being a witness of the gospel and diligent
teacher of the word of God. For the gospel and the Word of God to penetrate
into communities wide and deep making transformations and behavioral changes,
leading people to the Kingdom, the ministry of Biblical Teaching has to become
more organic in natural real life environments and less a professional
vocation. Apostle Paul asked Timothy his disciple to train faithful men who
will be able to teach others also. (2 Tim 2:2). This is Biblical and we need to
get back to the Biblical mandate of Mission and the Great Commission, instead
of perpetuating mission and witness a project of an agency external to the
community. In India, with thousands of communities and hundreds of languages
within, the preachers of the Gospel and the teachers of the Word have a greater
role in empowering the people of God to be students and teachers of the Word.
Training Native Teachers (TNT), focus on this at the very lower strata of the
society.
Native Teachers:
‘Native Teachers’ is referred to people at the grass-root level communities-
men and women- who become opinion leaders and role models to people in their circle
of reference or influence. A coach will train native teachers with the goal of
equipping them to be trainers in their contexts. Native Teachers are the
faithful men and women of God who will become teachers for his or her
people.
The Native
Context: A contrast
India, the
subcontinent, is full of people; over one billion (1.2 billion).
India…
1.2 Billion People
6,38,365 Villages
73% people live in villages
2549 communities/ people
groups
438 living languages
Over 1,600 dialects
Literacy in India…
National 72%
Urban
79.9%
Rural
58.7%
Female
Literacy in India
Urban : 72.9%
Rural
: 46.1%
|
73% of the Indians
live in rural villages. People of India belong to diverse cultures, over 2,800
major people groups or ethnic communities.
Each of these
communities has their own heart language. They speak over 400 languages and
about 1,600 dialects. Among these
languages only 22 are officially recognized as regional languages in India.
Though 72 percent of the people are said to
be literate, illiteracy is a major challenge in India. Literacy is rare among
most of the adult poor, rural villagers and tribal population of India.
As per the
latest records available, the literacy rate in urban India is 79.9% while
the literacy in rural India is only 58.7%.
There is a
greater disparity in the female literacy rate, where it is 72.9% in urban India
but only 46.1% in rural India.
Many people and communities in India still
live in the oral tradition. Many of them have not gone to a school. They do not
make sense of a news paper or do not read a bus board when they need to travel
occasionally. This is true of the urban poor too. Most of these slum dwellers
or the homeless were never educated and do not send their children to schools
even today.
Training Native Teachers: The Need
Almost all the theological
and Bible colleges in India cater to the educated young people from the middle
strata of the society. Most of the Seminary educated graduates hardly go to the
lower strata of the society as missionaries though there are exceptions. It is
quite usual that they press on towards climbing the social and theological
ladder. As the number of tele-evangelists who feed the ‘sprouting Christian TV
channels’ increase and as the concept of mega church pose a role model for the ‘new
generation Church’ for the preachers and teachers in the making, the vast
majority of the poor villagers still remain the least reached. The native people groups, the poor villagers,
the illiterates, and the marginalised people listen to the gospel or learn the
Word of God only when someone go over to them.
It is all the more
important today in a country like India, to take the Biblical training to
people where they are in their heart language. Community based ministry
training can enhance the lay leaders at the grass-root level to be effective
teachers and trainers and empower the believers to be effective witnesses among
their own communities.
Why should there
be a focus on developing Native Teachers
- (Here are a few points derived from personal observations and discussion with preachers, teachers and individual believers)
- A big majority of Christian ministers do not work towards equipping believers or members of their Churches with the study of Word.
- Many who have flavour for learning and teaching, break away to start new ministries or churches and continue with the same pattern of leadership.
- Most of the lay members of churches believe Bible has mysteries and one needs special gift and revelations to understand the Word of God.
- There is a myth among many that Bible can be understood and interpreted only by seminary trained and ordained ministers or preachers.
- There is thinking among many that Christian ministry - evangelism, Bible teaching, preaching (except Sunday school and other services) – is the work/duty of a qualified professional minister.
- Many important lessons and teachings of the Word that are supposed to empower lay people are not preached or talked about from pulpit.
- Hence in India we have more followers for Church and preachers and other than Christ and the Word of God. (more fans than disciples)
- There are thousands of villages and scores of districts in India with too little practicing Christians. In such places each of the believers can be equipped to be good witnesses of Christ who will also be able to study the word of God and expound it to the seekers.
- There are un-biblical concepts among Christians in India about “full time ministry”. Hardly anyone talk about “fulltime Christians”.
“And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses,
commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also”.
2 Timothy 2:2 (NKJV)
Monday, June 6, 2011
Let’s Go and Get on with the Gadaba
Philipose Vaidyar
The weekly market at Similiguda is colorful and full of people with all kinds of features who carry headloads of things for buying and selling. We are crossing the market, making our way to Pantriguda to meet one of the many native tribes- The Ollar Gadaba- at one of their habitat.
Gadaba people are migrants from the Godavari river belt and are believed to have settled in different parts of Orissa and Andhra Pradesh about 300 to 400 years ago. According to an estimate, there are about 60,000 Gadaba people in Orissa and Andhra Pradesh. In Orissa, they are seen in Koraput, Jaipur, and Malkangiri districts. In Andhra Pradesh, they are seen on the Eastern Ghats, especially in Salur, Chenthapilly, Pader Gudem, and other parts of the Visakhapatnam district.
There are three different groups of Gadaba people based on the language they speak. Ollar Gadaba, Mudhili Gadaba and Gutob Gadaba. Their cultural practices are similar, though there are some variations in other regions. But their languages are different.
The Ollar Gadaba people live in the Koraput district of Orissa, close to the Andhra Pradesh border. The landscape here is so different from the rest of the state or the country. Hills are all around as you travel, but not very steep, and hence not many hairpins. The roads are quite straight but go uphill and downhill. Most of the hills are barren, but there are huge trees here and there as remaining signs of deforestation. Social forestry and government plantations of teak and cashew are seen on these red hills.
Ollar Gadaba has the highest concentration in the Similiguda and Pottangi blocks. In a village, there will be 30- 80 houses and about 150-300 people.
This is Pandriguda, a tribal village, in Orissa, 40 km away from Koraput, the district capital.
It is a festival season for the Gadaba people. There are 12 festivals for the Gadaba around the year, almost one every month, in connection with the season. This is Karke Paroop, the first fruit festival of mangoes. Mango will be plucked and tasted only after this celebration, which goes about seven or eight days.
The first day will be a day of rest, after which all the work should be concluded. Any work done in the village or outside on this day will be penalized. Penalty varies and will be finalized by the village council. In the evening, there will be a dinner prepared by a few families on the basis of clan or neighborhood. Rice cooked with first-plucked mangoes will be the recipe.
The next day will start with a celebration, the whole village, men and women, are supposed to join in singing and dancing, or watch it. The peculiar steps by holding hands together will be accompanied by drums.
The third day will be a day for hunting for children. This is fun and training for children and a warm-up for older men. The next day, the older men will go hunting and continue it until they find an animal. Wild pigs are ideal prey to be hunted. This follows greater celebration and merry-making. Though drinking and smoking tobacco are common for men and women, dancing with the head of the hunted pig is a symbol of joy and victory.
At Pandriguda, this is the third day of the festival. As I framed this snapshot, the procession paused for a while. These boys are the hunted prey- a sparrow and a rat.
A squirrel and any good bird would be ideal, but this time they had to settle for a rat.
The procession is moving towards the village center and the altar. The whole village has gathered under the big tree. The elder women are ready to receive the young hunters. They will press a pinch of wet rice to the forehead of the young men and boys, and a flower is tucked into their ears. I, too, had this welcome treat as the guest of my guide and family, who are well accepted by the village. The hunted creatures will be cooked over fire and will be eaten.
In the evening, we took a guided tour of the village. Most of the people were at home. Some women are busy drawing water at the well. They carry enough water for the home and for men to take baths at home. Groups of women are collected around some of the houses. All of them were having a drink of the homemade liquor from cooked rice.
We were back at home and sat to chat again; over the tea cups, we continued talking about village life. There is another noise growing closer. A group is heading out of the village. I was told that the men were going for another puja. We hurried on our last sip of tea and followed the crowd.
They had spears and axes. All were sharpened and fixed with new handles. The leader of the group pointed out a spot on the tarred road. A lady had carried some cow dung to plaster the puja ground. All the spears and tools were placed there. After some chants, the group leader spread some grains of rice. He had a newborn chicken in his
hand, which was released there after a few other chants. After the chicken pecked some rice, it was cut with the edge of one of the spears. An egg was placed standing on the scattered rice. Now the egg had to be shot with the bow and arrow. The spear became the measuring rod to set the distance. Good aim and ability to shoot mean success in hunting on the following day. Anyone can try; throwing stones is also allowed now, as not many are skilled in using bows and arrows.
One young man hit the egg with a stone. He is supposed to be the hero that evening, but he fled to escape; I was told, he needs to spend some money in turn for the treat he gets. Yet the crowd caught hold of his elder brother and carried him on his shoulders to the meeting place. He was seated on the raised stone platform under the tree. Some ladies were busy with the usual procedures of wishing everyone, wet rice on the forehead, and flowers for the ear.
The sun was disappearing behind the hills. The herdsmen were returning to the village with large flocks. Like anything else in the village, tending sheep or cattle is not just an individual matter. They share and take turns to take them for grazing. There are also hired men who will agree to tend the flock for a fixed amount for the year. As the herdsmen led the flock through the village, the cattle and goats divided and moved into their respective sheds. A day is winding down; it is time to eat, drink, and rest.
The descent of darkness had made Pandriguda quiet. There were no streetlights. Electricity hasn’t reached the village yet.
The day broke at about 5.30 in the morning. People began to move out to the countryside, with a wooden plank in their mouth- the vep (neem) tree branch-made toothbrush. The village naik (the elder) has not yet woken up from his night's sleep, in the front yard. A blanket he used to cover is lying nearby.
Naik’s wife, Murthal, is warming herself near the fire made outside. The village women once again became active at the well, drawing water. A group of young men appeared from one corner of the village. Two of them are holding two hens- one white and the other black. The group is heading to Naik’s brother’s home. It seemed that the Naik and his brother had a quarrel last night, after the heavy festive drink. Quarrels and fights are not allowed during the season, and the fine is normally a chicken. When the leaders are at fault, others will enforce it.
The young men with the third hen have now reached the Naik’s home to take hold of the fourth. One clever girl had released the hens from the hive by then.
There were claims, justifications, and arguments. The murthal (elderly woman), who could not even stand straight, began chasing the group, but they were determined to get the chicken. It was interesting to know how they could recognize one’s chickens. The young men succeeded in chasing to catch one. The four chickens will be cut and cooked soon. But they will share the dish with everyone in the village. Naturally, people in the village disagree and fight, but they do not hold grudges. Their community tie is stronger, and they love one another and respect each other. At festivals, they enjoy everything together.
The elders had decided to postpone the hunting for the next day since they were planning to go to a faraway forest. We too have packed up to return from the village. As we were getting into our vehicle, some women came running. They had a garland for each one of us; a symbol of acceptance, joy, and welcome back. It is customary to give them a gift in cash. As I posed for a group snapshot, in appreciation of their love for us, my regret was that I could not stay more than a day, and could not speak their language!
Gadaba Festivals
Festivals are very important in the lives of Gadabas. There is a festival in connection with every season and life in the village. Paroop is the Gadaba word for festival. Every festival will have singing, dancing, and merry-making, and of course, a sacrifice.
Kuse Paroop falls in January. Food cooked from the new paddy harvested and vegetables plucked are given to the cattle.
Nandee Paroop: Nandee is the female spirit of a clan, and the festival in her name is observed in February for special blessings.
Kardil Vatpondi Paroop during February- March is after the harvest of tuvar dhal (a kind of pulse) and before the new dhal is used for cooking.
Karke Paroop is observed in connection with the first plucking of mangoes during the early week of March. Mango is cooked along with rice and eaten together by many families. Days are set apart for hunting for children and for adults.
Bowda Paroop is before the monsoon arrives, when the people go to the hills to collect certain leaves to stitch together as a raincoat. This leaf coat will be used as an umbrella and will be used for manual work during the rainy season.
Diyali Paroop in November is in honor of Mahalaxmi, the goddess, and a buffalo or bull is sacrificed on a hill.
Jone Punnet Paroop falls in July and is in connection with the harvest of the maze. A chicken will be sacrificed by each household at the field as a thank offering for the harvest.
Varees Punnet Paroop: Varees is paddy, and this will be in September. The newly harvested paddy will be collected for the festival, and new pumpkins will be cooked.
Dasare: This is similar to the Durga Puja and falls in October.
Balee Paroop: Balee is sand, and the festival in December is not of Gadaba origin.
(Read more about the Ollar Gadaba people, their beliefs, and practices in the digital book: Trekking the Tribal Trail by Philipose Vaidyar)
All three Gadaba's- Mudhili Gadaba, Ollar Gadaba, and Gutob Gadaba- full-length narrative profiles with over 300 pictures can be ordered at createtools@gmail.com
See the New Release, Trekking the Tribal Trail. Click Here
My Focus on People Groups
https://sites.google.com/view/focusonpeople
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Where are my People?
Shepherds, CEOs, or Servant Leaders?
മലയാŕ´łŕ´¤്ŕ´¤ിŕµ˝ ŕ´µാŕ´Żിŕ´•്ŕ´•ാŕµ» ŕ´•്ŕ´˛ിŕ´•്ŕ´•് ŕ´šെŕ´Ż്ŕ´Żുŕ´•
The invisible flock
Where are the people who used to sit next to you on Sunday?
Not the ones who moved away, but those who quietly slipped out the back door
and never returned. Where are the wounded, the disillusioned youth, and the
elderly who built the foundation?
When did shepherd stop meaning "servant" and start
meaning "CEO"? Walk into almost any modern ministry and you will find
no shortage of vision statements, expansion plans, and personal branding. But
if the prophet Ezekiel walked into our gatherings today, would he see thriving
flocks—or leaders feeding on their own influence?
Statistics look great on a slide deck, but statistics don't
have names, hurts, or doubts. Behind the bright lights and growing budgets lies
a haunting divine query from Ezekiel 34: "Woe to the shepherds of
Israel who only take care of themselves! Should not shepherds take care of the
flock?"
Fifteen years ago, I first reflected on this severe warning.
Today, as platform-building continues to replace pastoral care, that passage
reads less like ancient history and more like a real-time diagnosis of
contemporary spiritual leadership.
The crisis facing the church today is not a lack of vision,
resources, or talent. It is a crisis of the shepherd's heart.
The rise of the platform and the decline of the flock
In many modern Christian circles, leadership has quietly
shifted from humble service to personal enterprise. The metrics of successful
ministry are no longer measured by how well the broken are healed or how deeply
the lonely are known, but by the size of the audience, the reach of the brand,
and the expansion of personal influence.
We see leaders who build platforms instead of people.
Success is calculated in social media followers, book sales, and building
projects, while the actual human beings within the community remain unseen. We
celebrate rising attendance figures on Sunday mornings while completely missing
the individuals who quietly drift away unnoticed through the back door.
When programs replace personal care, and statistics replace
names, the church ceases to be a refuge and becomes a corporation.
The institutional hold and the chaos left behind
This self-serving posture reveals itself most clearly in how
leadership is held and guarded. Across various denominations and independent
organizations, we observe leaders manipulating internal boards and rewriting
governance policies—often extending retirement ages simply to hold onto
authority, enjoy the perks of position, and prolong their reign.
Instead of preparing the next generation and stepping down
with grace, authority is hoarded. When these leaders finally depart—whether
through old age, scandal, or death—they frequently leave their churches and
institutions in utter chaos. The sheep are left with heavy financial burdens,
fractured communities, and deep spiritual disorientation.
Self-appointed apostles and modern "prophets"
arise, building personal empires at the explicit cost of the flock. They feed
on the fat and clothe themselves with the wool, but they do not strengthen the
weak, heal the sick, bound up the injured, or search for the lost.
The wounded and the invisible
Because the shepherd’s eyes are fixed on the stage, the most
vulnerable are routinely overlooked:
- The
young people: Disillusioned by hypocrisy, performance, and spiritual
superficiality, they leave the faith without anyone ever pursuing them or
asking why.
- The
silent suffering: Believers wounded by spiritual abuse, legalism, or
severe pastoral neglect sit in isolation, wary of organized church life.
- The
forgotten: The elderly, the widowed, the single parents, migrants, and
the economically poor who bring no prestige, big tithes, or social capital
to the organization remain completely invisible.
We are left with churches where hundreds or thousands
attend, but terribly few are truly shepherded.
God’s radical response: Decentralized, servant leadership
God’s answer to ancient Israel—and to us today—was not to
appoint a bigger earthly CEO, establish a tighter central hierarchy, or set up
a religious dynasty. God’s answer was to become the Shepherd Himself.
In Jesus Christ, the Chief Shepherd came down. He did not
come to be served, but to serve, setting a completely new model of leadership.
He left the ninety-nine to seek the one lost sheep. He washed feet, spoke to
outcasts, remembered names, and ultimately laid down His life for the flock.
Crucially, when Jesus passed on this responsibility, He did
not create a supreme earthly monarchy to be handed down from one patriarch to
another. When He commissioned Apostle Peter, He initiated a decentralized,
shared model of pastoral care.
As Peter later writes in 1 Peter 5:1–5, the responsibility
of shepherding is multiplied across local elders who are called to:
Be examples to the flock, leading by personal character rather than
dictatorial authority.
- Serve
willingly and eagerly, not for dishonest gain, financial greed, or
personal prestige.
- Refuse
to lord it over others, recognizing that the people belong to God, not
to the leader.
True biblical leadership is not centralized power that feeds
off the people; it is decentralized care that empowers, protects, and serves
them under the authority of the Chief Shepherd.
The three questions before us
Ezekiel 34 and the gospel of Jesus Christ present us with
three fundamental questions that every believer, pastor, and church body must
answer today:
1. Where are My people?
This is God's searching heart. He knows the names of the
invisible ones. He sees those sitting alone in hospital rooms, the youth
wrestling with doubt, the migrants struggling in silence, and the saints who
stopped coming to service because no one noticed their pain.
2. Where are My shepherds?
This is God's direct challenge to leaders. Are we caring for
the flock, or are we using the flock to build our own platforms? Are we
preparing others to lead, or are we clinging to power until everything falls
apart?
3. Who will go and find them?
This is Christ’s invitation to the entire body of believers.
Shepherding is not reserved for a clerical elite or a charismatic speaker on a
stage. Every Christian is called to participate in God's search—to visit the
sick, listen to the hurting, bring back the wandering, and offer genuine,
sacrificial love.
The true Shepherd’s promise
The ultimate hope of Ezekiel 34 is that God does not leave
His people at the mercy of bad shepherds. He declares in verse 11: "I
myself will search for my sheep and look after them."
Jesus fulfilled this promise on the cross and continues it
through His Spirit and His true, humble followers. The call today is to abandon
the lure of empire-building, tear down the platforms of self-promotion, and
return to the simple, costly, and beautiful work of shepherding God's
people—one person, one name, and one lost sheep at a time.
Stop reading here: Below is my first published blog:
See the New Release, Trekking the Tribal Trail Click Here
My Focus on People Groups
The First write up, published in 2010
Philipose Vaidyar
Where are the Neediest People?
They are in the cities; some say, due to rapid urbanization migration to cities is on the rise and the mainstream population will be in cities in a few years, they believe. They are in hi-tech jobs and in the multinational software field; that’s what the big industry is. They are in world markets; that’s where the business and the outsourcing are. They are in IT; that’s how the world is moving today…” The analysis goes on.
Most of the mass media messages today including Christian TV, are formatted for the upper-middle class. They are believed to be the opinion-makers and movers of society. It’s only a partial truth.
The builders of the nation are not just managers and professionals. Every individual, community, and people group (ethnic, linguistic, social, economic, and professional groups are important and they have a role to play in society and possess a place in God’s kingdom. But most often many are ignored or neglected. We need to acknowledge and identify every people and the people who are needy in different respects whether urban or rural.
Take for example urbanization. People move from villages to cities. The affluent use their brain to earn and build their citadels in posh environments while the poor and the uneducated use their muscle power to win their bread and weave their dreams under tin roofs and plastic sheets. If the population grows and moves to cities, the number and size of slums also will swell. The information-rich continue to become richer while the information-poor continue to live in perpetual poverty and struggle to live just for a day. The rich in India survive because of the poor, in all respects. In a country like India, the rich and poor live together in the same geographical area, especially in the cities. Before we can think of reaching them, before we formulate messages for them, we need to understand different layers of society- the powerful and the marginal.
One easy indicator for
this is to look at them from the perspective of their basic lifestyle- where
they live, what they eat, what they wear, how they communicate, and transport.
Where do they live?
What do they
wear?
What do they eat and
where do they eat?
How do they ‘convey’
and use conveyance?
When we assess their status we also need to think about the individuals who lead them.
WHO ARE THE LEADERS?
Who are the leaders of my People?
The leaders of my people
are powerful. Money and media have replaced muscles. Information and media
are powerful. They lead people so they can manipulate information. They are
dealers rather than leaders. Instead of helping their flock, they are helped;
instead of serving the needy, they are served. They thrive and prosper at the
cost of their followers. They boast that they do not own anything in this
world. But they live in the air, meet in five-star hotels, and once they land, they
move only by the costliest vehicles to meet their crowd. Since they are not
news-makers, they buy channels to make sure they will be on the mini-screen. Let
the land be swept by a tsunami or shudder by the quake; it means an opportunity
for them to serve and come into the limelight. The poor, vulnerable, underprivileged,
and unreached are essential for their sustenance.
Several social sector sponsorship programs in the name of the poor are deceptions. The slogans of justice and sustainability of the poor are on paper and on digital media. Not even 2% of the sponsorship reaches the sponsored children directly in kind!!
Heavy, thick management survives and serves them; stay on the leadership to the maximum to get fattened. The rest goes for publicity, mobilization, and managing systems and procedures. More people work on systems, tools, information processes, internet and intranet, designing, monitoring, and evaluation than on the field where the poor and needy are!
The disparity and injustice within their organization are Himalayan!
Can you imagine that a CEO of a certain social organization draws INR 8,25,000 per month, then an array of Senior Directors, Group Directors, senior managers in the leadership alone, and all their support staff, while a new staff in the field gets INR 15,000 to 20,000 per month?! The staff with 10 years of experience used to get INR 40,000 per month, and with the re-recruitment process, being given a pay of 15,000 to 20,000.
A sponsored child (all the children) used to receive a one-time benefit of Rs. 300 or 400 per year, but due to recent regulations, that benefit is still being reduced. Field staff who do the heavy work are heavily reduced, jobs are combined, and salaries are reduced, whereas there is only an increase in leadership positions. A couple of years ago, according to one of the auditors, the organization reduced 50 field staff to take care of the promotion of 5 directors to the level of senior directors.
We would pay a heavy price for this in the years to come!
The leaders of today are not very different from those of a few thousand years ago.
The leaders of Israel are rebuked by the Lord, and He still rebukes. The message is still relevant today. Ezekiel, the prophet of Israel, was urged by God to speak against them. The Word of God comes against the leaders who feed on their sheep. Let those who have an ear, let him hear!
This is seen in Ezekiel 34:1-16 and ff
1 And the Word of Jehovah came to me, saying,
2 Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and say to them, So says the Lord Jehovah to the shepherds: Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks?
3 You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool; you kill the fat ones, but you do not feed the flock.
4 You have not made the weak strong, nor have you healed the sick, nor have you bound up the broken. You have not brought again those driven away, nor have you sought that which was lost; but you have ruled them with force and with cruelty.
5 And they were scattered for lack of a shepherd. And they became food to all the beasts of the field when they were scattered.
6 My sheep wandered through all the mountains and on every high hill. Yea, My flock was scattered on all the face of the earth, and none searched nor sought for them.
People live in the hills and mountains. As invaders came in, the natives who could not resist them or did not submit to the oppressive caste system forced upon them fled to the interior hills. These are the tribals of today. (North-Eastern tribes are exceptions). Those who were willing to submit to them by receiving menial jobs and status in society became the scheduled castes. This is history and the story repeats in new formats and with new implications. In urban cities today, the weak and the poor find their solace in slums. The powerful continue to lead, oppress, manipulate, kill and make the weak their food.
The prophecy continues…
7 Therefore, shepherds, hear the word of Jehovah:
8 As I live, says the Lord Jehovah, surely because My flock became a prey, and My flock became food to every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, nor did My shepherds search for My flock, but the shepherds fed themselves and did not feed My flock.
9 Therefore, O shepherds, hear the word of Jehovah.
10 So says the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require my flock at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the flock. or shall the shepherds feed themselves any more; for I will deliver My flock from their mouth, and they will not be food to devour.
11 For so says the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I myself will search for my sheep and seek them out.
12 As a shepherd seeks out his flock in the day that he is among his scattered sheep, so I will seek out my sheep and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day.
13 And I will bring them out from the peoples, and gather them from the lands, and will bring them to their own land and feed them on the mountain of Israel by the rivers, and in all the places of the land where people live.
14 I will feed them in a good pasture, and their fold shall be on the high mountains of Israel. There they shall lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture, they shall feed on the mountains of Israel.
15 I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, says the Lord Jehovah.
16 I will seek the lost, and bring again those driven away, and will bind up the broken, and will strengthen the sick. But I will destroy the fat and the strong; I will feed them with judgment.
The master shepherd, the son of God, came to this world to seek the lost and save the perishing. He heals and saves, delivers, restores, sustains, and satisfies. But today, many leaders are far away from the lifestyle of the master. Neither they are available for the needy, nor they are reachable for the lost; not affordable for the poor. They live and lead for themselves. They manipulate information; exchange it to mobilize resources for their benefit in the name of the poor and vulnerable. They hide in their luxuries and want to reach the lost through mass media. The lion's portion goes for the management of sustenance of the leadership.
In the name of healing and salvation, they build their kingdoms on this earth and promote themselves and their products. Their strategies are to please those who support them. They look at the people only through defined ‘windows’. They want to ‘bless the nation’ by casting a national vision for the coming decades. They think they can ‘disciple a whole nation’ and ‘build’ them up. They are willing to network with others who fall into their wavelength. They recruit more personnel for different layers to have higher profiles and promotions for themselves. Whatever be the work, people are considered human resources and manage them as resources and with economic principles. The structure and restructure the organization and make new definitions to save their positions and suppress the lover caders and grass-root employees. The Word of God is against such leaders; the judgment of God is coming upon them. God hands them over to wickedness that they never repent unless they are fallen caught red-handed.
That’s how Jesus saw the people and their leaders.
When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to the disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” [Matthew 9:36-38] And then he called his disciples and sent them.
He asks us: “…. do you love me?”
If ‘yes Lord’ is the answer, His response is “Feed my sheep”
He still asks us: “…do you love me more than these?”
If ‘yes Lord’ is the answer, His response is “Take care of my sheep”
How do we take care of our people???
Pictures from personal files are used only for illustrations
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