SHEPHERDS’ TENTS

SHEPHERDS’ TENTS

“If thou know not, O thou fairest among women, go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock, and feed thy kids beside the shepherds’ tents” the daughters of Jerusalem intervene and beseech the Shulamite, on hearing her entreaty to the king, in verse 8 of Chapter 1 of the Song of Songs. The daughters of Jerusalem evince interest in her and guide her towards her beloved shepherd. “…. O thou fairest among women….” sing the friends of the bride in praise of her comeliness, though she is black. Nowadays we are disheartened to find a great deal of mud slinging, criticism, faultfinding, etc in our Christian circles. Do we appreciate and praise the good virtues of other children of God and the good works done by them? The bride who does not know the way leading to the flock of the Bridegroom is being guided by her friends to “go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock and feed thy kids beside the shepherds’ tents” in verse 8. How true is of a disciple who has lost the presence of the Lord or has missed the imprint of his Master on his pilgrimage, to go his way following the footsteps of the flock of the Lord, and to feed his kids (his family members or his congregation members) beside the shepherds’ tents! Dear shepherd, you should not keep your kids away from the tents of other shepherds under the pretext of “separation”. The malady that lies with you is that you don’t want your kids to be fed by the other shepherds in the shepherds’ tents. Kindly note that the pastors of other churches or the other servants of God are also in the shepherds’ tents. Do not limit the omnipotent and all-pervasive God to your church alone. The Church, the Body of Christ, is invisible and universal.

Do not jump to the conclusion that pastors of other churches than yours are false prophets or false teachers simply because they refuse to subscribe to certain Bible-doctrines. You may overemphasize such doctrines. Or you might have built your church upon these doctrines rather than upon Christ Himself, the Chief Corner Stone. Yet, you must accept them so long as they believe in the creation and the salvation plan of God, the virgin birth of Christ, the incarnation of God (manifestation of God in flesh), the recorded life, death, resurrection and ascension of Christ, the eternal life and the redemption through Christ Jesus, the ministry and the Person of the Holy Spirit, the invisible and universal Body of Christ, the Bodily return of Jesus in glory and power (second advent), the resurrection of the dead, the judgment, the hell, the eternal Kingdom of God. They may differ from you over other doctrines than listed above which, in my opinion, are so insignificant as to justify division of the holy Body of Christ. You have to accept them because they are also in the shepherds’ tents. You can learn many other things from their life and ministry, leaving alone controversial doctrines. The supernatural experiences claimed to have been attained by you in the Spirit realm may be different from those attained by them. Please note that “there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all…” (I Cor. 12:6). “By one Spirit we are all baptized into one body whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free: and have been all made to drink into one Spirit” (I Cor.12.13).

The false prophets or the false teachers are those who do not believe in the doctrines listed above, either in part or in whole. Such people are not in the shepherds’ tents. Do not divide the holy Body of Christ by means of petty doctrinal differences.

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