The shepherd leader is welcoming
Not only does He enter by the door—calmly, safely and approachable—but He also becomes the door. He does not climb over walls or lobbing in religious bombs to the flock of sheep to convert them or convince them to follow.
He personally enters and interacts with the sheep. By entering gently, He makes a way for their security with God.
The idea of Jesus not only being the Shepherd, but also being the door is mentioned in John 10:7,
“So Jesus again said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.’”
Jesus is modeling a level of high invitation and comfort as a leader. He does not force His way in, or coerce His followers to enter in. Rather, He welcomes them and is a welcoming leader. This is an attribute we should mimic in our own shepherding-leadership.
If we are not providing a safe place for those we lead to enter into the conversation and the mission, we will minimize their gifts and marginalize the opportunity for them to feel known.
✍️🦭Mrs. Kalaiselvi Balakrishnan in Jesus Christ
Seek to develop a close relationship with God
The Apostle John is among the closest friends of Jesus Christ. This is evident when you read
Mark 5:37;
Matthew 17:1,
Matthew 26:37, and
Mark 13:3,
among others.
Like John, we must constantly be on our feet to grab every opportunity to stay close to God and His Son, Yahshua.
We can do this through prayer, bible study, meditation, and occasional fasting.
For John, it is not enough to be just part of Christ’s disciples. He knew that he can still go the extra mile. As a result, he was counted as the one whom Jesus loved (John 13:23).
✍️🐡Mrs. Kalaiselvi Balakrishnan in Jesus Christ 🐡✍️