READ: LUKE 15:1- 32
What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost until he find it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. …I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, …. – Luke 15:4-7
According to Jesus Christ, to be a good shepherd you must leave the ninetynine and go looking for the one lost sheep. In the fifteenth chapter of Luke, Jesus Christ teaches about the “good shepherd”, the “good woman” and the “good father”. A good shepherd looks for the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost son. The “good woman” looked for the lost coin and that made her a good woman! (Luke 15:8-10)
The “good father” looked out of the window for his lost son and that made him a good father! (Luke 15:11-32).
The “good shepherd” searched for the lost sheep and that made him a good shepherd! (Luke 15:4-7).
These scriptures make it clear that to be a “good shepherd” you must actively seek out the lost. Therefore a good shepherd or a pastor is really an evangelist as well. I did not write the Bible and I am simply quoting from the scripture. These scriptures come from the words of Jesus Himself as well as from the letters of Paul. They clearly reveal God’s intention for pastors to fulfil their calling by doing the work of an evangelist. My own experience as a healing evangelist has proved to me that
leaving the ninety-nine sheep and looking for the “lost” does not diminish the church. Indeed, the church is stronger and healthier when pastors do the work of an evangelist.