SELAH

[al Hartman]

                                      Selah

    There once was a time when all sheep were wild, and roamed where they would, finding food and water and shelter when they could, and suffering and dying when they could not.  For, of all the creatures, sheep were the least equipped and the least inclined to care well for themselves nor for each other.  The sheep multiplied, but they also perished in great numbers, starving, and freezing, and sinking in bogs and quicksand, perishing from thirst, and falling prey to voracious beasts.
    And so it was that, in the fullness of time, God looked upon the sheep and took pity upon them, and sent his Son among them for to show them mercy, and to save them, and to gather them unto himself and to lead them to live with God.  And so the Son of God became the first Shepherd.  And the Shepherd loved the sheep, and saved them from their many perils, and gathered them to himself, and dwelt in their midst.  And the sheep loved the Shepherd.
   
    But the sheep were not wise, and they grew restless, and they strayed far from the Shepherd as they wandered, each in its own direction.  And, alone or in small bands, they became lost.
    And the Shepherd said unto his Father, You have given me the sheep, and I have loved them and dwelt among them, but they have strayed away in many directions.  And the Father answered and said, Take you from among the sheep that are yet with you, and make of them men, like unto yourself, who you can teach to do as you do: to save the sheep, and to gather them, and to keep them safe from danger.
    So the Son did as his Father had said, and gathered unto him of the purest of the sheep, and made of them men like unto himself.  And he taught the men how to find the sheep, and to call them and to gather the sheep unto themselves, and to keep them safe, and    he called the men shepherds, and he loved them.  And the shepherds loved the Shepherd, and he sent them forth, saying, Gather you all the sheep and lead them unto me.
    So did the shepherds go forth, and the Shepherd went with them, and he encouraged the shepherds in all their labors.  And the shepherds did mighty deeds as they rescued the sheep, for the Shepherd was with them, giving them strength and courage.  But the dangers were great and many, and the shepherds had no strength of their own, but depended wholly on that of the Shepherd.

    Thus it was that the Shepherd called unto himself the shepherds, and said unto them, I must needs lay down my life for the sake of the sheep, and for your sakes, that you may have strength and wisdom to care for them.  And, to a man, they all admonished him, saying, No, Lord, for we cannot do the work for which you have taught us unless you are here in our midst.  But the Shepherd said to the shepherds, It is necessary that I do what I must do, for I must lay down my life, that I may return to my Father who sent me.  And when I am seated at my Father's side,
my Father himself will send my Spirit among you, to be among you and to dwell within each of you, that you may be strong and wise for the sake of my sheep.  And it shall be, said the Shepherd, that whatever anyone shall do unto you shall be as if it were done unto me, and whatever any of you shall do unto the least of my sheep, it shall be as if you had done so unto me.

    When the Shepherd had done as he had foretold, and his Spirit had descended upon each of his shepherds, then did they go forth mightily, and did gather the sheep unto themselves in the name of the Shepherd, and the Spirit of the Shepherd dwelt in their midst, and within each of them, shepherd and sheep alike.
    But the shepherds were men raised up from among the sheep, and were subject to all the weaknesses common to the sheep, and as the sheep were tempted, so were the shepherds.  And the Spirit of the Shepherd spoke to them each, not as the Shepherd had spoken; not as a Man in their midst.  But the Spirit spoke in a quiet voice within each of  them, bearing witness to their spirits of all that the Shepherd had said unto them.  And it came to pass that all who listened to the quiet voice of the Spirit bearing witness to the Word of the Shepherd knew peace, and prospered.  Yea, even in the midst of great troubles, knew they peace and prosperity, for their peace was of the spirit, and their prosperity was not of this world, but of that above, where the Shepherd was seated with the Father.

    But there were those, both sheep and shepherds, who heeded not the quiet voice of the Spirit of the Shepherd, but listened to the loud voices of the world and its temptations, and even though some of these prospered in the things of the world, they knew neither peace nor joy.  And some of the shepherds who listened not to the Spirit of the Shepherd did lead their flocks away and into bondage and there the sheep suffered greatly.  For the shepherds did beat the sheep, and confine them, and they laid great pain upon them, and amid the noise and confusion of the world, the quiet voice of the Spirit was all but silenced.  Yet, the Spirit did reside in every heart and spoke to any who would listen, and there were among the sheep those who heard the Spirit speak, and did note the contradictions between the words of the shepherds and the Word of the Spirit within them.
    Some of the sheep did approach the shepherds and enquired of them thus:  Lo, we hear the voice of the Spirit bearing witness to the Word of the Shepherd, but we hear no witness to the words that you speak.  And the shepherds were greatly angered, and reviled those sheep, and punished them, and withheld from them sustenance and comfort, and separated them from the other sheep.  Many sheep were content to follow the shepherds and did not listen to the Spirit within them.  But those who heard the Spirit, though they were persecuted, did fall upon their knees and cry out to the Shepherd, Lord, what are we to do?  For those to whom you gave charge over us have disregarded your Spirit and your Word, and have given themselves over to evil and have led us astray.

    And the Spirit of their Lord answered them and said, Do you yet heed my voice?  and they said, Yea Lord, we hear Thee.  
     Then did the Spirit of their Lord speak unto them thus:  Come ye out from among them and worship me, for in me is your salvation and your life, and great rewards await those who trust in me and do my will.  And they said, Yea Lord, we follow thy voice and worship Thee, but what of our bretheren who will not?
    And the Lord said, What is that to you?  For have I not told you that whatever is done unto you, for good or for ill, is done unto me?  
     Likewise, whatever you do unto them is done unto me.  For you cannot despise them, except you likewise despise me, and you cannot speak against them, except you speak against me.
    But go unto them and speak my good news, for they are your brethren, and they are my own, and those who will hear will repent and follow me, and those who will not, will not, and are none of your concern, except you entreat me on their behalf that they may yet be redeemed.
    For none have sinned against you, but against me, and they are mine to correct or to condemn.  
     Be thankful that you have heeded me and rejoice, and let your lives be full again.  Selah




    ...that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.  ...For unto whomsoever much is given, of him much shall be required...                                          Luke 12: 47-48

    ...Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.              Galatians 6:7

    ...Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengence is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.  Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head.  Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
                                                        Romans 12: 19-21
                                                       
    ...Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?  shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?  ...Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.  For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
                                                        Romans 8:35, 37-39
 


For the love of God,
brother al

[outdeep]

Excellent parable!  I have learned when looking at parables that the meaning is in the "punch line".  In other words, what is the truth of the story that you weren't expecting when you began reading but "pops out" suddenly, becomes strikingly clear, and takes you by surprise.

I found two:

First, The difficulty of the sheep to leave - isn't it better to stay in the flock.  Aren't shepherds (albeit with an abusive quirk) who at least feed us better than what we may find if leave the familiar and traverse into the unknown?  I know of a sister who strugges with this on a very human level - she should move to another city and finish her degree (best for her and her dependents), but her the family she knows is the Assembly.  What guarentee does she have that she will find friends in a strange church in a strange city?    But, does not this Spirit of the Lord call us to trust Him for the unknown?  Is this not what faith is all about?

Second, the attitude of the sheep against their brethren.  Should not the sheep rise up in anger?  Surely the anger is justified, but is degeneration of the anger into despising one's brethren in keeping with the voice of the Spirit?

Stories of beligerant and controlling ways of shepherds over the years affect me deeply as I have personally been hurt by controlling people as a child even before I met the Assembly (perhaps that is why some of those things didn't seem to me to be too abnormal).  I feel the anger rise on a very primal level as I look about for a verbal rock to throw.   Someone who can steamroll over people without expressing an ounce of remorce is something that leaves my mind completely boggled, makes me fearful, makes me want to lash out.

In processing this over the years, I found that continued rage, anger, and revenge is not the answer.

Rather, the tool of choice is empathy.  Without  excusing George's hurtful and controlling actions in the past, I have often asked the question - what was the neglect or abuse in George's childhood that made him into the kind of man he is - a man who cannot trust others and who feels deep down that it is a life-or-death issue to be in control?

Maybe George isn't evil.  Maybe he's just pathetic.  Maybe he's blind to his own delusion.  Maybe he needs God's grace.

When I discovered empathy, I discovered that the Spirit was indeed true and I indeed has the capacity to obey His order:  "But go unto them and speak my good news, for they are your brethren, and they are my own, and those who will hear will repent and follow me, and those who will not, will not, and are none of your concern, except you entreat me on their behalf that they may yet be redeemed"

-Dave

[TGarisek]

Dave, I'm so glad you're still posting, not that I thougth you'd ever stop...

I'm going to use some of your recent post as a spring board for comment, if you don't mind...

"First, The difficulty of the sheep to leave - isn't it better to stay in the flock.  Aren't shepherds (albeit with an abusive quirk) who at least feed us better than what we may find if leave the familiar and traverse into the unknown? "

Human beings resist change. Nature resists change. Equilibrium - an object at rest tends to stay at rest. We don't want to think about what's out there. Xfiles - even if it's the Truth! We don't like controversy either. We want the known quantity and fear the unknown, unfamiliar.

This is why Fullerton will gravitate to Tim who will wait in the wings until the dust blows over - my take! Obviously, the same phenomenon is occuring elsewhere.

"Second, the attitude of the sheep against their brethren.  Should not the sheep rise up in anger?  Surely the anger is justified, but is degeneration of the anger into despising one's brethren in keeping with the voice of the Spirit."

The sheep willingly, at least more willingly than other animals, go through the chute and bow the neck. We have been scolded for reacting, chided for bristling. We've done it to ourselves even when nobody else was speaking.

The Fullerton assembly seems to be resorting to "bow the neck" behavior. Don't be aggressively pursuing the money issues or you're labeled a dissenter. When you ask what the consequences will be for the LBs who have stepped "aside" you're taken to task with, "Haven't these brethren suffered enough?"

Is this an aggressive pursuit of righteousness? I don't understand the reticence.

[Connie W.]

Hi Tony, Dave & Al
Have you guys read Who Moved My Cheese?  Another great alegory.  Interestingly enough, it was Animal Farm that started me thinking about Assembly practices back in the day.
Connie

[outdeep]

You are right (Tony) in what you say.  In my talk of empathy, I was thinking more of how I keep myself from despising people to the extent that I would be no help to them.

To give an illustration:  Our foster daughter often has extreme behavior problems where she acts like a little witch.  Because I understand why she is angry and can empathise with her this keeps me from packing her up and sending her back to the Department of Social Services at times.

On the other hand, the fact that I can empathise with her pathology doesn't keep me from getting in her face and making it clear in no uncertain terms that her behavior won't be tolerated.

I would suggest that this is the attitude with leaders.  We can certainly empathize with their sin and their need for a savior and even wonder (as I did) about the psycological dynamics that made them what they are.  Nevertheless, we (not necessarily I, but courageous folks like you) call them to account - not because we want to destroy them, but because we understand that this kind of confrontation is the best thing for them and the sheep under their charge.  Controlling people are only helped by people who are stronger than they are.

As for the concern I have seen on this board about negative comments, sarcasm and joking, I would consider myself as guilty as anyone else, but I don't feel guilty about it.   We listened to George for thousands of hours having his views forced upon us without the ability to comment.  This is our day and our hour to make our reply.  I guess each person will have to decide in their own heart when it crosses over into being downright meanspirited or unprofitable.  Do we not read political cartoons that give insight poigent insight into issues of the day?

I have not read Cheese.  I did love Animal Farm.  A great assignment would be to read Animal Farm and next to each character, write in a name of someone in the Assembly who the character represents.  Its a bit haunting how well things match up

[guest]

Dave,

I read with interest the discussion on "Animal Farm".

You said, "It's a bit haunting how well things match up".

Actually, I think its mainly revealing about the weaknesses of fallen human nature.  Years ago I had the experience of watching normal, fun loving teenagers morph into little Adolphs.

I was inducted into the USAF in 1959 with a large group of guys from the Los Angeles area.  The AF put us all on the train at Union Station and we pulled out that night.  What a riot.  We were all 18 or 19 years old and boy, did we make the most of the opportunity to play.  We were all over that train at all hours.  

Then after two nights and a day on the train, we arrived at Lackland AFB, Texas.  One of the first things the tender hearted, fun loving Drill Instructors did was to appoint a Barracks Chief and four Squad leaders.  These were the guys in charge of us when the sergeants weren't there at night or on Sunday.

You wanna talk about Adolph Hitler!  These guys, armed with the SOVERIEGN AUTHORITY OF THE GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and backed up by the UNIFORM CODE OF MILITARY JUSTICE, which talks about shooting traitors, prison for lesser infractions, dishonorable discharges, courts martial for just about anything you might do and on and on, made our lives hell.

We were scared to blink at them, not knowing that the sergeants were laughing up their sleeves all the time, while this nasty aspect of human nature surfaced and they terroroized the rest of us, all the while doing the job of molding us into the obedient, mindless, TEACHABLE, kids they wanted.

Later, the sergeants changed leaders, so these guys could get their turn on the bottom of the heap.  Imagine how second generation Hitlers treated first generation ones.

Do you see any possible analogies with assembly practices here?  I can.   The sense of being empowered and superior lets aspects of human nature that we normally suppress, (which helps us to avoid black eyes), get loose and have free reign.  Some who never had a chance to boss others around just might not have been so nice if they had had the opportunity to "be on top".

Sobering isn't it.

Tom Maddux

[Arthur]

And some may prove themselves to be kind, fair and selfless if promoted.  Those are the true leaders.