John 10: The Shepherd’s voice

Major Philip Garnham suggests we need to listen closely to God’s call.

Key texts

• John 10:10 and 11

‘The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep’ (John 10:10 and 11). These days, there seems to be a great deal of media coverage of the everyday lives of the world’s ultra-rich. I hope this publicity encourages us to reflect on what a truly rich life could possibly be like.

Pause and reflect

• For a few minutes, think about what kind of people you consider to have the richest, fullest life possible.

Many people might say that it’s those who work hard to gain material wealth, power or fame, or all three. Surely, the richer, more powerful and more famous you are, the fuller and richer your life is.

In our study passage, we are shown a radical, counter-cultural, alternative view. From this perspective, it’s those who are consumed by – and worship – these material values that have had the best stolen from them. They have been robbed.

In contrast those who follow Jesus, the Good Shepherd, who loves us so much that he suffered and died for us, are the ones who live the richest possible life. From our study passage, we can see that those who decide to put the King and his Kingdom first in their lives are rescued from the deeply embedded cultural lies that tell us that wealth, status and fame will produce life in all its fullness. Being saved from the empty life of self-centred materialism by our encounter with Jesus, an interesting question arises. What, then, should we do with our lives?

Pause and reflect

• What comes into your mind when you hear the phrase ‘full-time ministry’?

As you read this on Candidates Sunday and ponder the phrase ‘full-time ministry’ in our Salvation Army context, I suspect that you may well imagine that I want you to be thinking about officership. However, Peter reminds all followers of Jesus: ‘You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light’ (1 Peter 2:9).

The word ‘royal’ in this verse is one of a group of words in Koine Greek – the language that the New Testament was written in. They are the basi words: the King is basileus, the Kingdom is basileia, and those who work in the service of the King are the basilikos – that’s us. How amazing is that!

In Exodus 19:6, Moses tells Israel: ‘You will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ In Judaism, priests were intermediaries or intercessors for the rest of the nation. In describing the followers of Jesus the King as a ‘royal priesthood’, Peter makes the same remarkable statement about us.

The Salvation Army is part of the Christian Church that strongly believes in ‘the priesthood of all believers’. This means that, whether you are in work, out of work, unable to work, a student, retired or too young to work, you have an overriding primary vocation – to be a member of the rich and beautiful fellowship of royal priests who serve King Jesus every day of their lives. However, within this wonderful royal priesthood, to which all followers of King Jesus belong, the New Testament mentions that each of us is given spiritual gifts so that we may be even more effective in serving the King than we would be in our own strength. The lists of gifts are in Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12 and Ephesians 4. If you are uncertain about your spiritual gifts, it would certainly be worth, carefully and prayerfully, examining these chapters.

Peter writes: ‘Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen’ (1 Peter 4:10 and 11).

Pause and reflect

• Take time to prayerfully reflect on your current life and context.

If you know that you are a royal priest working for the King, and that you are fulfilled and flourishing in your work and life in general, that’s wonderful. You are living life to the full. However, if you are feeling a bit unsettled and lost – not quite sure as to what to do with the next stage in your life – then perhaps you need to remember that the Good Shepherd specialises in helping lost sheep find their way to the place where they should be (see Luke 15:3–7). Among other possibilities, perhaps the form of full-time ministry known as officership might be something for you to consider and pray about.

How will you know what the right way for you is? Some Salvation Army officers have a dramatic calling to officership and some don’t. For me, although I had work that I enjoyed, I had a quiet but growing conviction that being a Salvation Army officer was what I was born for. When the Good Shepherd began to whisper that in my ear, I have never had one minute’s regret that I listened to and obeyed him. All I can recommend is to spend some time listening to him.