In what ways can we participate in God's gathering of His people? God’s Shepherding Promise “I will bring them out from the peoples, gather them from the countries, and bring them into their own land.” (Ezekiel 34:13) The Lord personally pledges to seek every scattered sheep. Amazingly, He invites us to join Him in that gathering work. Share the Shepherd’s Call • Speak the gospel plainly—Jesus still says, “Other sheep I have…they will listen to My voice, and there will be one flock” (John 10:16). • Obey the Great Commission: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19-20). • Tell your own rescue story; personal testimony is often the first tug on a wandering heart. Pray for Scattered Sheep • Intercede by name for prodigals, unreached people groups, and persecuted believers (1 Timothy 2:1-4). • Ask the Lord of the harvest to send workers (Luke 10:2). • Stand in spiritual warfare, trusting the promise: “The prayer of a righteous person has great power” (James 5:16). Serve as Safe Pastures • Make your local church a welcoming fold—steady teaching, warm fellowship, meaningful worship (Hebrews 10:24-25). • Provide small-group “green pastures” where believers can be known and nurtured (Acts 2:46-47). • Model integrity; healthy sheep flourish under trustworthy undershepherds (1 Peter 5:2-3). Restore the Wounded • “Carry one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2). • Offer gentle correction to the straying (Galatians 6:1). • Partner with counselors, medical professionals, and mature believers to bind spiritual and emotional wounds (James 5:14-15). Welcome the Returning • Practice open-armed hospitality: “Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you” (Romans 15:7). • Celebrate repentance, mirroring the Father in Luke 15. • Provide discipleship pathways so returnees grow deep roots (Colossians 2:6-7). Stand Against Predators • Guard doctrine—hold firmly to the faithful word and refute those who contradict it (Titus 1:9). • Expose false teaching that scatters the flock (Acts 20:29-30). • Protect the vulnerable in practical ways—background checks, safe-child policies, accountability structures. Support the Global Gathering • Give generously to mission work; Paul praised believers who “sent me on my way” (Philippians 4:15-16). • Go on short-term teams or long-term assignments (Acts 13:2-3). • Equip indigenous leaders; sustainable gathering requires local shepherds (2 Timothy 2:2). Long for the Final Ingathering • Keep hope alive: “He will send His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect from the four winds” (Matthew 24:31). • Let that promise fuel perseverance—our labor is not in vain (1 Corinthians 15:58). • Anticipate the day when “a great multitude…from every nation” stands before the throne (Revelation 7:9). Until that day, every conversation, prayer, act of mercy, and step of obedience becomes a strand in God’s mighty net, drawing His people home. |
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