This picture was taken when I was a student in Israel. Our class was on field study one day when I noticed a shepherd and his flock, grazing quietly not far from our group. I inched closer and then stood very still to take some pictures. Soon the flock decided to head my way and literally surrounded me. It was a special moment when I got to experience for myself what it’s like be a shepherd. Now, almost ten years later, I’m a shepherd of a different kind, over the precious “people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand” (Ps. 95:7)

When Jesus appeared after His resurrection to Peter in Galilee, He taught His disciples about forgiveness and showed what pastoral ministry is all about. Last Sunday, we saw two important lessons from our passage in John 21:15-17:

1. A Pardon for Peter. Peter, intended by Jesus to be a “rock” in the early church, had committed a tragic sin. Not long after boasting he would go both to prison and to death (Luk. 22:31-33), he denied Christ and swore he didn’t even know Jesus. He had overestimated his own strength and underestimated the power of Satan. But having fallen down, Christ was ready to pick him back up and wash him in the cleansing blood. The three-fold question “Do you love me?” was a three-fold restoration for Peter. Christ had forgiven him, and still intended for him to lead the church.
2. A Plan for Pastors. Christ’s exhortation in this passage is not the language of fishing, but of shepherding. Jesus informs Peter that he is going to be entrusted with Christ’s sheep, and that he will be responsible for “tending” and “shepherding” them. This is a conversation Peter no doubt never forgot. Years later, Peter would urge the next generation of leaders, “Shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily…proving to be examples to the flock” (1 Pet. 5:2-3).

Shepherding God’s people is a wonderful privilege, but it’s hard work. It can be very messy, but it’s worth the effort. I shared this quote by Charles Jefferson toward the end of my message on Sunday:

[Shepherding] calls for self-effacement. It is a form of service which eats up a man’s life. It makes a man old before his time. Every good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. If a man is dependent on the applause of the crowd, he ought never to enter the ministry. The finest things a minister does are done out of sight, and never get reported. They are known to himself and one or two others, and to God. His joy is not that his success is being talked about on earth, but that his name is written in heaven. The shepherd in the East had not crowd to admire him. He lived alone with the sheep and the stars. His satisfactions were from within. The messengers of Christ must not expect bands of music to attend them on their way. Theirs is a humble, unpretentious, and oftentime unnoticed labor, but if it builds souls in righteousness it is more lasting than the stars.

Questions for thought and discussion:

• Is there sin in my past or present that I’m deeply ashamed of and feel is “unforgiveable”?
• What does this passage teach me about Christ’s forgiveness?
• Is there someone else who has hurt me deeply that I’m avoiding or trying to get revenge?
• What does Christ’s example teach about how I should treat this person who has let me down?
• Who has God called me to shepherd?
• Read Proverbs 14:4. Is it ever right to stay away from church because of the sin, self-righteousness, conflict, hypocrisy, and “messiness” that sometimes characterize church life?
• Do I honor, obey, and submit to my leaders as those who keep watch over my soul and will give an account to Christ? Do I follow them in such a way that they can do this with joy and not with grief? (Heb. 13:17)

Sunday’s sermon should be uploaded soon to our podcast site for free download.

This weekend, our church is hosting a rummage sale to raise money for missions. Every penny will go to support global missions and disaster relief. It’s been such a blessing to watch the Body of Christ come together and support the Great Commission.

The rummage sale idea began to take shape a few months ago. I remember meeting with our missions committee to discuss different fund-raising ideas. I felt burdened that we needed to do something this fall to help our International Missions Board get families on the field who are ready and just waiting for support.

We tossed around a lot of fund-raising ideas like bake sales, car washes, and sponsorships, then finally agreed a rummage sale would probably be best. It involves no overhead costs and has allowed us to tap into an income pool outside our own church. As an added benefit, it has drawn many unchurched people to set foot in our sanctuary, thus raising awareness and making initial contact with our church. (Plus, it’s given some of us an excuse to clean out our closets!)

Today is the second day of our sale. Praise the Lord, we’ve already raised $800, and would be thrilled if we could break a thousand. There will be a lot of clean up needed this afternoon to get the sanctuary back in order and ready for worship tomorrow morning, but all the labor has been worth it if more people around the world are hearing the good news of Jesus Christ.

Mark Driscoll recently finished a series of posts on 23 factors that church planters should consider when finding a church facility.

Many of these factors are important not only for new church planters, but also for established churches with existing facilities…

1. Sight
2. Time Flexibility
3. Set-up and Tear-down
4. Smell
5. Comfort
6. Lighting
7. Acoustics
8. Power
9. Location
10. Children’s Space
11. Room for Fellowship
12. Cost
13. Storage
14. Public Perception
15. Parking
16. Additional Space
17. Additional Use
18. Cleanliness
19. Accessibility
20. Signage
21. Conflicting Dates
22. Contract Length
23. Facility Options

Where is your facility the strongest? Weakest? Are there any glaring problems? Easy fixes? Not every improvement has to be a multi-million dollar renovation. Some of these factors can be radically improved with a simple change in lighting, paint, greenery, decor, fixtures, furniture arrangement, or room assignments.

We all need to continually ask how we can make our facilities welcoming to visitors and conducive for worship and fellowship. No space will be ideal. There will almost always both positives and negatives to any building. But Driscoll raises some excellent thoughts on an issue we often overlook.

You can download all four of Driscoll’s posts here as one pdf article.

Donald Whitney shares ten ways to cultivate fellowship (Greek koinonia) in your conversations with other Christians. These are great questions to get beyond the superficial and really take an interest in other people.

1. How is your ministry going? What do you enjoy most about it?
2. Where have you seen the Lord at work lately?
3. What’s the Lord been teaching you recently?
4. Have you had any evangelistic opportunities lately?
5. Have you had any obvious answers to prayer recently?
6. What have you been reading? How has it impressed you?
7. Where in the Bible have you been reading lately? What impact has it had on you?
8. How can I pray for you?
9. What’s the growth point in your life right now?
10. What are you passionate about right now?

Read the whole thing here.