Aaron Ivey teaches about our role as a shepherd. Jesus calls himself the Good Shepherd, and calls us to imitate how he shepherded people while he was on earth.
Here are a few of the main points:
Aaron Ivey: John 21 – this is when Jesus was hanging out with Peter on the beach. Jesus cooks breakfast for Peter. They’re hanging out and having this really intimate conversation. Imagine Peter, normal dude Peter, sitting with Jesus, the son of God. Jesus is cooking him breakfast, and they have this conversation. He’s hearing the Good Shepherd, who already defined himself as the Good Shepherd, say this:
15 When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” 16 He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” 17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. 18 Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” 19 (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.”
The Good Shepherd said to Peter, “Follow me.” He says, “You go feed my sheep.” Jesus is about to leave. He’s about to head on up to heaven, and he says, “You now get the opportunity to be a shepherd.”
When we’re thinking about shepherding people, it’s way more than leading people well. It’s way more than be inspiring or even just having wisdom or encouragement. It’s more than being a mentor. It’s more than being a counselor. It’s all of those things, but it’s more than that. It’s being a shepherd that embodies the same exact characteristics that Jesus embodied when he said that he’s the good version of what he wants us to be.
When we talk about people in our ministry, that’s got to really stretch and change how we view our role in their lives. It’s so much more serious and eternal than most of us think about it. I want to be a good leader in your life, and I want to be a good leader in my families life, but more than that, I need to strive to be a shepherd like the scripture says a shepherd actually looks like.
So all of those things that you guys named like laying down yourself, being submissive, realizing where authority came from, going after the sheep that were lost; all of that is the context for what it means to lead a band, to lead your campus, and to lead your family at home.
