Wolves among the sheep

In today’s society more than ever, wolves seek to satisfy their own appetites rather than help others.  Sadly, this can also take place within the church if the shepherd is not keeping a watchful eye on the sheep and the pastures they are in.  Jesus warned against such individuals that would be disguised as harmless sheep but they are really vicious wolves (Matthew 7:15).  This is one of many important reasons to have a God-ordained pastor that you submit to for not only feeding on the Word of God, but also for protection against enemies that come to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10).

How do these people become wolves?  They become filthy, and polluted, refuse to obey the voice of God, do not receive correction from the Word of God or the leaders of God, do not trust God, and stop drawing near to God (Zephaniah 3:1-6).  How can these wolves be identified?  The wolves can be identified by their fruit, also known as the way they act or live (Matthew 7:16).  Wolves are cruel, greedy, destructive, and predatory.  A person may say, “That would be easy to spot,” but these tendencies usually happen in private settings to not give away the wolf’s true identity until the proper time. 

One of the callings of a God-ordained pastor is to protect the sheep from such individuals.  Just as a pastor is to be like Jesus shepherding God’s people, it is important to protect the sheep.  Jesus protected not only the people that were being taken advantage of but also the house of God when He ran out the moneychangers from the temple (Matthew 21:12-13).  Being like Jesus requires pastors to run off any wolves that would seek to harm the sheep of God.  One of the issues of today’s time is when wolves call sheep to themselves from another flock.  This is a dangerous situation that allows the wolf to have full access to these sheep without hindrance.  These sheep are now open to anything the wolf desires to do.  One sign of a wolf leader is they do not submit to a leader themselves for wisdom or guidance.  They are instead a lone wolf gathering anyone to themselves for personal gain.  Another sign of a wolf leader is they dishonor God, His house, and His people to receive recognition or attention for themselves (Ezekiel 22:27-28). 

Wolves also make themselves seem more important or more spiritual than they actually are.  When wolves are hungry they will not spare the sheep and take as much as they want (Acts 20:28-30).  The real leaders that have been ordained by God must stand against these wolves to protect the people assigned to them by God.  Part of keeping out wolves requires pastors to rebuild the walls of righteousness to protect God’s people and house (Ezekiel 22:30). 

There are times that pastors must address these wolves within the congregation or at times call out wolf leaders to their congregation so the people do not become prey to any wolf.  When God’s people know what righteousness is they will be less likely to fall prey to any wolf that is seeking personal gain.  May Christians begin to see the wolves for what they truly are and may God-ordained pastors begin to call out wolves so others stay in the safety of the local church where God has called them to be fed and protected.