Definition Essay: the Good Shepherd

Now today, instead of shepherds herding sheep, cowboys herd cattle. There are a few reasons why modern day shepherding was easier then ancient Biblical shepherding. Second, the shepherds don't have to worry about lions or other animals where they live, because they have a fence to protect the animals but sometimes they do have to worry because they might not have a fence to protect their animals. Third, the herder doesn't have to chase the animal because there is a fence to stop the animal. Shepherding is still used today and how it was 2,000 years ago, there are still shepherds to herd sheep. Shepherd has been around for thousands of years and it will continue for another hundred years. There have been many shepherds that herded sheep, one famous one is David. David is a well-known shepherd in the biblical times. There are a few versus about shepherding. John 10:11 says I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. John 10:14 says I am the good shepherd, and know my [sheep], and am known of mine. I think God chose the lowly shepherds is because he knew before the shepherds knew that they were going to announce the birth of his Son, the Christ. Even though the Romans fought back the Eagle when it was lost, that shows how much they protected or honored

As we examine the heroes of the faith outlined for us in the Old Testament, we would be hard pressed to find a more faithful man that King David. After the death of King Saul, David became the King of the Hebrew people. David, who was meek and pious, steadfastly believed in the true God and tried to do His will. He had endured much persecution from Saul and other enemies but did not become bitter, did not lift his hand against Saul, as he was the Lord’s anointed, but placed all his hope in God, and the Lord delivered him from all his enemies.

In his recent article for the October 7th issue of Commonweal magazine, David Bentley Hart highlighted how different the Christians of the New Testament are from modern day Christians. Hart’s article, titled “Christ’s Rabble; The first Christians were not like us”, argues that the first Christians were so different than present day Christians that we would have a very hard time getting along with one another if we meet today. Hart, a fellow at the Notre Dame Institute for Advanced Studies, came to this conclusion after in-depth study of the text of the New Testament in its original koine Greek. His work translating the New Testament for Yale University painted a clear picture of the character of the first Christians and underscored how far from the original meanings of the text we have come.

From that day on David showed his loyalty to God, by speaking victory into existence. For example, before David battled Goliath, he consulted how the Lord will help him have the strength to kill the mighty giant, and let it be known that there is a God among them. The end results were David being triumphant over Goliath. People saw him differently, no longer a shepherd boy but a warrior, and a future king of Israel.

We can say that the problems of others are not our own, that we are not the shepherds of our flock, but Jesus says we are, even if it is only to show concern for those others who wander from the truth.

God calls his people to obedient. In return for obedience, God promises to provide. During the time of Solomon the people of Israel lacked obedience. God as king was no longer good enough. Israel’s lack of obedience caused them to anoint a king that also lacked faith in the Lord. Man is broken and even great leaders have flaws. Israel’s demand for a king ultimately resulted in the division of the kingdom.

The purpose of this book is meant to create a foundation for Christian lifestyles. It addresses the origin of Christian values, and portrays the evolution of Christian worldviews throughout history. It briefly explains the biblical narrative and develops ideas in which Christians are able to live out their faith and deal with other worldviews existing in our world today.

Doing good deeds are an important part of the Christian life, but they do not grant an entrance into God’s kingdom. Everyman, as a morality play, does still have some Biblical truth and teaches a valuable lesson about life.

Fay and Shepherd are to be commended for creating this thought provoking book. The authors persuasively implored Christians to encompass witnessing into their lives, then supported their points with specific biblical guidance. For example, when confronted with an individual who declines to accept Jesus because they believe they will be unable to live a Christian life the authors provided Phil. 4:13 as the scriptural response. They were successful in conveying their deep concern for unchurched and lost souls.

Introduction Dr. Christopher J. H. Wright (Ph. D., Cambridge) is an Old Testament scholar, an ordained Anglican ministry, and is the director of international ministries with the Langham Partnership International. In Knowing Jesus Through the Old Testament, Wright seeks to display the continuity between the Hebrew Scriptures and Jesus’ self-understanding. Wright maintains that Jesus’ self-understanding rooted in the history of salvation that God planned and worked for Israel. This review will show that Wright’s book provides the reader with a rich understanding of Jesus’ unique identity as the Hebrew

Jesus has been presented to me in a consistent way from my youth beginning in kindergarten through my high school experience. My initial understanding of Jesus is that he is a fully human, fully divine savior that serves as a teacher for his historical peers through contemporary times. The conceptions and understanding I have of Jesus had not been contested, challenged or questioned until I came to St. Joseph’s. While my original ideas of Jesus have largely remained unchanged throughout the course, they have been significantly strengthened through exploring and

David has known little beyond the camp fences, the little he knows about God and Christianity made him question his identity or lack off. "God of the green pastures and the still waters, please don't help me. I want to do it by myself so that You'll know I've found something I can do for You ... I am David. Amen." (Holm, 2000:106). David wants to be a Christian but he does not know how to. He speaks to God in a formal way and every time pronouncing himself as if God does not know who he is. David in reality does not know he is but as David’s journey progresses David’s Christian identity

Good Shepherd: Jesus identifies himself as the good shepherd who knows his sheep and lays down his life for them.

The Old Testament Psalms included many references to the kingdom of God. For example, Psa 145:13(KJV) “Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations.” The psalmist speaks of God’s rule, sovereignty, and power. So, Jesus’ purpose was to enlighten the people, mainly His disciples, as to a new way of understanding about the kingdom of

The church is in need of major renovation when it comes to making disciples. The concept of making disciples to follow the Lord Jesus Christ seems completely foreign to the church today. In order to achieve the desired goal of making disciples for Christ, training others to go out and proclaim gospel, and helping others to train people to disciple one another, one needs to go back to foundation of the Word of God. It is in God’s Word where multiple examples are found of how to make disciples to follow Jesus Christ. It is my desire to see more people in the church have a passion for discipleship. Therefore, this paper will examine in detail how to make disciples in a ministry context. This will be accomplished by examining the 5 V’s of discipleship—vision, values, views, vehicles, and verifiers. It is my purpose to examine each area in order to have a detailed plan of discipleship that will be used in my own ministry context to make disciples for Christ. I hope that this plan can and will be used to train others in the church to make disciples, and disciple one another, for the glory of God.