“”Come now, and let us reason together,” says the Lord...”

Isaiah 1:18

     When it comes to sheep, there are some in the office of pastor who lay an unusual kingdom claim to the entitlement of ownership of the LORD’s sheep. For is it not written, “Know that the LORD, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.” (Psalm 100:3). Does it not say plainly that the sheep are the LORD’s? That the sheep are the sheep of the LORD’s pasture?

     Spiritual fathers don’t own. For even the gifts they operate in are not their own. They “father”. Which is a verb, not a noun. Which is the operation of love of pointing those who are spiritual orphans and spiritual widows to the Father that they may come to know the voice of the One shepherd. Not their voice. The sheep don’t belong to them and never have. They are stewards of that which belongs to He who owns them. For is it not written, ““Behold, to the LORD your God belong heaven, even the highest heavens, the earth and all that is in it”? (Deuteronomy 10:14). Is it not also written, “The earth is the LORD'S, and all it contains, the world, and those who dwell in it”? (Psalm 24:1).

     For is it not true that the great king David was of himself also a shepherd? And as that shepherd, did David own any of the sheep that he tended to as their shepherd? Did he not, in fact, shepherd what belonged unto his father? And furthermore, because David spent time shepherding the sheep, did that serve as enough of a reason unto David for him to then usurp his position as shepherd and lay claim to owning those sheep? He never claimed ownership for he always knew clearly to whom they belonged. For is it not by his own hand that it is written, “The heavens are Yours, the earth also is Yours; The world and all it contains, You have founded them”? (Psalm 29:11).

     Those who serve as a spiritual father, or those who shepherd spiritual sheep, which is to walk in the office of the protector of the sheep, being those like David, they are there to guard the sheep from wolves and lions, and from false teaching. And to lead them to where they may find their daily manna. Which is from heaven. They are the light bearers of the nature of the Father. Theirs is the task of pointing the hearts of all those under their wing to the Father so that those they may for a season shepherd may all ultimately take on the nature of the Father. Not their nature. For they are not the father OF the sheep, but the father TO the sheep, for there is only one Father (Matthew 23:9). Theirs is the task of serving AS a father.

     At the same time, there are also those who pastor who question why some of the sheep they tended have found pastures elsewhere to subsequently feed from. But is it not written that there is a season and a time for everything under heaven? And are we not all under heaven? And are we not all called by the One who owns everything under heaven to progress from infant to man until we have all arrived at the stature of the fullness of Christ according to Ephesians 4:13? With that in mind, in the same way that from season to season farmers rotate the fields that they feed their flock from, is it not feasible that for each one of His sheep to arrive at a stature of the fullness of Christ, that from one season to the next, that some may need to eat from another pasture? And is it also not possible sometimes that those who, after a season, move on to another pasture, have done so because in the field in which they sought the love and nurturing of a father, they found no love, and no nurturing, but only stiff rules and judgment? For every child needs to know a father’s love. And every child needs to know the nurturing of a father. Spiritual father’s need to encourage their sons - and acknowledge them and praise them - so they grow into tall trees. Trees of righteousness. Maybe these are the type of fathers that sons will never jump from one field to the next to find their next meal?

Isaiah 1:18 “”Come now, and let us reason together,” says the Lord...”