JESUS WOULD ALSO FIND THE OTHER SHEEP THAT ARE NOT OF HIS SHEEP PEN. THERE SHALL BE ONE FLOCK AND ONE SHEPHERD.
One Flock and One Shepherd.
Jesus-The-Good-Shepherd – The Problem of Black Sheep
Defines man in all his dimensions to account for human existence in the Natural World.
Whole Dude - Whole Concept 
In the church I attended from infancy through teen years there was a stain glass image of the Good Shepherd, holding a black lamb to his breast. After I became a Christian I would look at that black lamb and say, “That’s me.”
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Hi David,
I am glad to hear about the image of Good Shepherd in your Church. I will be equally glad to read the rest of your message.
Whole Dude
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The rest of the story is not so nice. That church sold the building to the city, pews, pipe organ, stained glass windows and all. For a short time it stood as the Martin Luther King Jr. Youth Center, but the finally leveled it and turned it into a parking lot. Still Jesus remains my Good Shepherd. Unfortunately that church that built a church in the suburbs slowly became a seeker friendly church. There are good strong Christians there, but it all seems show. When we were in Paterson, NJ we struggled to get between 100 and 150 on a Sunday morning (including Sunday School. Now they boast a membership of over 20000, but one of the elders said he doesn’t even know 10% of the congregation. One of the associate pastors was forbidden to wear a tie, by the senior pastor. The church is a lot like Laodicea. “Behold I stand at the door and know. If any man will open the door I will come in to him and sup with him and he with Me.” In other words, for some at least, Jesus isn’t even in the church.
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Hi David,
Thanks for sharing your story.That is the general trend of the Church Movement these days. The Churches and their founders are simply involved in Empire building of their own. None of them have any basic concern for preparing the souls for the dawn of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. Practically, they are just involved in enriching themselves as if there is no Second Coming of the Christ.
Whole Dude
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It wasn’t always that way. I remember this woman who always thought she had a message in tongues and the elders were sent to speak with her. When that didn’t work the pastor politely explained that unless she had the interpretation she was to remain silent. A few pastors later one was set to have an attendance drive. I met with him and suggested that if he preached the truth people would learn where the food was and start coming without a program. He didn’t listen to me. It went downhill from there. Now, yes, they seem more concerned about numbers than feeding the spirit and soul of those there.
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Thank You. Speaking in tongues reminds me of the Pentecostal Church in my area. But, nothing serious gets revealed. I have seen a guy go up and speak few things and then translate his own vision. In his vision, he saw the transformation of the first lady’s wardrobe. There was rejoice and he announced a special fund raising drive for the fulfillment of his vision. Members pitched in to raise a lot of money for it will be disrespectful to buy some cheap stuff on sale. This Church has a very rigid policy about tithes, offerings, gifts, and donations. The policy demands a share of all kinds of amounts that qualify to be counted as earnings. Typically, it includes rebates, refunds, bonus and any kind of financial remuneration besides salary or wages. Each year, the tithe amount must increase to keep up with any salary or wage increase. The Pastor would not hesitate to expose people who fail to make the annual increase. He directly insults during the middle of the worship service and blames them for lack of faith. I know people who give more for they were sacred of getting publicly admonished. People who can’t afford to give donations and other offerings have to give their time doing work for the Church. Tithes are God’s money. Paying less is called theft. Offerings cover the maintenance costs etc., Speaking in tongues is like the icing on the cake.
Whole Dude
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It seems there are fewer and fewer churches that stick to the Word of God, so my advice to you is to study the Bible (keeping things in context) and let God teach you. He can also lead you to a good church. It won’t be perfect. Mine is good, but I tell the pastor that he can only preach part of the sermon. It’s up to us to go home and look up the Scripture references (putting things in context) and complete the sermon. It’s also important to be around other Christians.
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Thank You David. Life is a long journey with a heavy burden. It is impossible to be a follower of Christ without carrying the burden of the Cross.
Whole Dude
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