Shepherds and Sheepdogs

 

Soon after my return to Florida I felt isolated and in need of friends. My baptism in the Spirit caused the loss of my denomination and acquaintances. One morning I went to a pastors’ meeting in West Palm Beach and then to a large cafeteria for lunch. As I sat alone, watching people enter the dining room from the serving line, a young man appeared whom I had never seen before. In that instant, the Holy Spirit spoke, “He is your brother. I want you to meet him.” The same moment, I was able to discern a godly presence upon him. When I finished my meal, I went to his table and said, “The Lord tells me you and I are ‘brothers’.” He gripped my hand, said, “Praise God!” Then he welcomed me, “Sit down. I am glad to meet you!”

Instantly, we experienced a fellowship as deep as if we had been friends for years. But, more was to happen. While we talked, the Holy Spirit told me to show him the business card in my pocket. There was only one. Handing it to him I asked, “Do you know this man?” He took it and said, “Yes!, this is my prayer-partner and brother in the Lord! Where did you get his card?” Briefly, I explained about meeting this pastor at the meeting a few hours before.

The significance of that event in the cafeteria was not about the man at the table, the card, or the person who gave it. Rather, the Holy Spirit was showing me how His gifts could bring new friends into my life, bless, protect, and direct me even in the smallest ways. He was demonstrating that I need never be afraid, feel alone, or think I was helpless. As with Philip and the Ethiopian (Acts 8:26-39), He could cause believers to meet in the middle of the desert or in crowded cafeterias. Please hear this point: Had that man been a “wolf” whom I was planning to trust in some vital way, the Holy Spirit could also have shown me that. In California one time, while praying for a man whose office was on Wall Street in New York City, the Holy Spirit accurately gave me the names of two men in his New York office who were dangerous to his business. I had never heard of either of them. My friend confirmed that both men were there and he had already distrusted them.

I am not saying that we—or any other sheepdog—will function perfectly; I certainly do not. At best, we are imperfect vessels. What I am saying is that we can function much better than we are presently doing. Nor do we seek gifts of our own choosing. We seek the Giver who distributes “to each one individually as He wills” (1 Corinthians 12:11). Let me ask you a personal question: Have there been times in your life when you made imprudent, costly mistakes because you depended on your eyes and ears and not your heart? The answer, of course, is yes. We are all guilty. Were there other times when you had a deep, deep “sense of warning” which you ignored? Again, all of us must admit that we have done so. Had you known that God had a provision to protect you from many of those blunders, would you have accepted it?

Tags: featured, sheepdogs, shepherds

Category: Ministry, Spring 2010