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I love the topic of apologetics. Understanding theology and why you believe what you believe has been intriguing in my life as a Christian. There are many voices out there in our communities. You have the influence of family, friends, co-workers, mentors, coaches, pastors, and those who oppose you. Above all this, you have the increasing sound of voices from different news networks and social media accounts declaring their own truths. Beyond the natural voices, there are voices in the spiritual realm. Satan, who is the father of lies, trying to deceive and distract you, and Jesus, the Good Shepherd, who wants to guide you into all truth and into a deeper love with your heavenly Father.
The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” (John 10:2-5)
As we observe John 10:2-5 I will strive to point you in the direction of how we overcome the distracting voices in our lives so we can hear the voice of Jesus clearly and how this impacts our confidence in our personal faith in Christ and in celebrating Easter.
In John 10, we see Jesus giving the Pharisees a parable of a shepherd and his sheep. In the parable Jesus makes it clear many shepherds have come and gone in Israel with many leading the flock in a very oppressive way. He declares that He is the good shepherd who will lay down his life for Israel. Many of the shepherds before him were hired hands who would flee in adversity, not caring about the sheep. And when good leaders who feared the Lord did arise, they would eventually die allowing the broken cycle of corruption to continue.
Recognizing that Jesus is our Good Shepherd is necessary to hear His voice. John 10:2-5 talks about the shepherd coming in through the door and speaking personally to his sheep. He knows each of their names and he is on a mission to lead them to peaceful pastures. Jesus knows each one of us individually and he wants to speak personally to each of us. He is on this mission of bringing us peace and freedom in him. When we take time to quiet ourselves and be still, we remove distractions and our minds can focus on him as the Good Shepherd who is bringing rest to our souls. Hearing his voice affirms his love for us and confirms his guiding truth which we read about in scripture.
Jesus makes a clear point that the shepherd goes before his sheep. Christ has gone before his disciples to the cross and now there is an expectation for us to follow. Why do we follow him when we know we will experience the suffering that comes with dying to sin? Because His loving voice is leading us as we abide in him. As we spend more time listening to Jesus’ voice, we bear the fruits of the Spirit including the humility and sacrifice which is displayed in Christ’s crucifixion. We also can recognize lies, false gospels, and the common messages which promote pride and greed that we see in our culture today.
John 10:5 speaks into the reality of the Good Shepherd’s sheep not following a stranger but rather fleeing because they cannot recognize his voice. This is a challenge for us even as Christians. In a society that loves to tickle our itching ears with messages of fighting for our own agenda and dreams, we must remember even in ministry, love must come before our mission. We must learn to sit at Jesus’ feet, our Good Shepherd, and humble ourselves to serve his kingdom with the love he has for us and this world. When we give attention to other voices, we begin to drift away from our purpose as sons and daughters of God.
Hearing Jesus’ voice and whether Easter should matter to us in our generation.
To overcome the voices of distraction we must draw near to God and meditate on his Word. When we do this, we become convinced that Easter does in fact matter, because Jesus, our Good Shepherd who died for us speaks to us and helps us understand the power of how his death and resurrection affects us. When we are convinced of the gospel message, the Holy Spirit teaches us and empowers us to be witnesses of the truth of God’s love in Christ. You may have not been a Christian for very long, but when you have a personal relationship with Jesus, you can share what he has been teaching you and doing in your life right away. I encourage you this Easter, share something that our Risen Lord is teaching you.
Brad Fehr is currently taking a Masters in Ministry Leadership online through Horizon College and Seminary in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. He enjoys serving in various ways including youth and young adult’s ministry. In the summer he likes getting involved in the Winkler baseball community as an umpire and golfing at the local course. Brad attends the Gospel Mission Church in Winkler, Manitoba.
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This article was originally published in The Recorder Vol 61 No 2
