Knowing someone’s state as a
Church/Christian Leader is to know his/her general condition and disposition.
It means knowing the mental state, emotional state, physical and spiritual
state.
Ø It could be a confused state
Ø
It could be a bad or
corrupt state
Ø
It could be a
depressed state.
It is only when you know the state
of someone that you know the needs of the person. Knowing the state of your
flock will show you that at one time or the other, someone is always in need of
something or has something to give.
HOW TO KNOW THE STATE OF YOUR
FLOCK
Ø
Knowing by Observation
and perception:
“And Jesus, when he came out, saw much
people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep
not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things. And when the day
was now far spent, his disciples came unto him, and said, This is a desert
place, and now the time is far passed: Send them away, that
they may go into the country round about, and into the villages, and buy
themselves bread: for they have nothing to eat. He answered and said
unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they say unto him, Shall we go and buy two
hundred pennyworth of bread, and give them to eat? He saith unto them,
How many loaves have ye? go and see. And when they knew, they say, Five, and
two fishes. And he commanded them to make all sit down by companies
upon the green grass. And they sat down in ranks, by hundreds, and by fifties. And when he had
taken the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaven, and blessed,
and brake the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before them; and
the two fishes divided he among them all. And they did all
eat, and were filled”.
Mark 6:34-42
Jesus leadership was empowered not
by a sense of duty or obligation or by a desire to build an image; but by
compassion. Great leaders or Church/Christian Leaders like Jesus build a deep
love for people that moves them to do far more than obligation could ever
induce. When you deeply love the people you lead, you would be able to perceive
their state or condition per time. You will know exactly what they are passing
through by observing them. At
first, Jesus saw them as sheep without shepherd and had great compassion in
them. Therefore, he taught them scriptures for their spiritual nourishment and
after teaching them, he saw that the people were hungry and tire. He provided physical
food for them after meeting their spiritual needs. Jesus saw them with the eyes
of his heart and felt what they needed at the time they were physically hungry
and tired. He did not send them away as the disciples have suggested.
One thing is to see the needs of your flock with the heart of compassion; another is to respond to it with an act of love. As Church/Christian, we must learn to see the people we lead with the eyes of our heart and respond to their needs with compassion as Jesus did.
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