Page 5 - Is Church an Option?

Why should you be in church? Because no sheep, anywhere in the world, has ever survived without a shepherd. No flock of sheep is safe without a shepherd. Sheep are mentioned more than five hundred times in Scripture, which is significantly greater than any other animal. In both the Old and New Testaments, sheep are the favorite analogy in describing believers and their relationship to the Father. If you are a Christian, you are a sheep. Gary Richmond, a former zookeeper/veterinary assistant at the Los Angeles Zoo, identified 10 traits about sheep that are true of us:
1. Outofallthedomesticanimals,sheeprequirethemostcareand supervision.
2. Sheeparecompelledbymobinstinct(i.e.,theytaketheircuesfrom each other).
3. Sheepareverysusceptibletofear.
4. Sheepareverytimid.
5. Sheepareanimalsoflowintelligence.
6. Sheepareverydestructive(theypossessabadhabitofbeinghard
on the pasture).
7. Sheepareverystubborn.
8. Sheeptendtowanderoff(theyarealwaysgettinglost).
9. Sheepareveryvulnerabletopredators.
10.Sheep have an incredible ability to get dirty. (All God’s Creatures,
pp.132-145)
The good news is that Jesus left the right hand of the Father to become the good Shepherd and servant to sheep. He died to save His sheep and He lives to keep them. In His visible absence, He has called “undershepherds” (pastors) to watch over His flock (1 Pet.5:1-4; Heb.13:17). If you claim to be one of God’s sheep, then you need an undershepherd to watch over you and care for your soul. Or do you think that you’re the exception to the rule?
Why should you be in church? Because of the hope you claim to possess as a Christian believer. The three great Christian virtues are faith (Heb.10:22), hope (10:23), and love (10:24; Cf. 1 Cor.13:13; 1 Thess.1:3). Hope is one of the great themes of the book of Hebrews (Heb.6:11-12, 18- 20) -- it is faith looking forward. Instead of looking back and wavering, as some among the Hebrews were doing, the Christian is to look ahead to
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