“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. But a hireling, he whois not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.” John 10.11-13

The Book of Pastoral Rule
Gregory the Great (ca. 540-604)
“Now to go up against the enemy is to go with free voice against the powers of this world for defence of the flock; and to stand in the battle in the day of the Lord is out of love of justice to resist bad men when they contend against us. For, for a shepherd to have feared to say what is right, what else is it but to have turned his back in keeping silence.”

Every day the people of God are assaulted by false worldviews and dangerous temptations. Unless they are equipped to recognize and resist these, they may fall prey to unbelieving ways – if not in what they profess, then in what they practice. The pastor’s job is to defend his sheep against the world, the flesh, and the devil, and to confront all false teaching and lies with the truth of God. In prayer, we seek the Great Shepherd’s care for His flocks, as the Spirit works to form Jesus in them. By the Word of God, we preach, teach, counsel, and otherwise equip God’s people for good works to His glory. And our example of hating sin and loving truth will certainly affect those we serve in positive ways. We must make sure that we know the people entrusted to us, and that we understand the times, or we will not know what to do in defending the flock of God (1 Chron. 12.32).

How do you keep up with the worldview developments of our secular and unbelieving age?

T. M. Moore

Mission Partners Outreach
The Lord calls all His sheep to be His witnesses, but being a witness for Christ doesn’t just happen. The flock of the Lord must be equipped for this calling, and Jesus has set shepherds over the flock to do that work. How can we equip the sheep to live for Christ and be His witnesses? Our Mission Partners Outreach provides the resources and framework for making witness-bearing disciples in your church. Want to learn how it works? Watch this brief video, then contact me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.for more information.

The Fellowship of Ailbe is supported through the generous and faithful gifts of those who benefit from and believe in our work. Does the Lord want to use you in this way? Please look to Him in prayer over this question. You can contribute to The Fellowship of Ailbe by using the Contribute button at our website, or by sending your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 19 Tyler Drive, Essex Junction, VT 05452. Thank you.

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.All quotations are from Gregory,The Book of Pastoral Rule,in Philip Schaff and Henry Wace, eds., Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 12(Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1895, 1995).