A Biblical understanding of our call to protect our houses of worship (and the "Sheepdog Ethos" in general).

I have been speaking and writing on church security and the sheepdog ethos since even before my spiritual ("born again") birthday. In fact, it was through such an event that God prompted cop-turned-pastor Manny Hays to shove me into Christian ministry (the start of THIS ministry). When I first began teaching on this subject, there were not very many of us doing so. Sadly, while it is now much more common, there still remains little understanding of the biblical basis for protecting our houses of worship (and for self-defense in general). In fact, my friend Lt. Col. Dave Grossman spends a good deal of time in his own seminars on the issue of denial, and Jimmy Meeks of Sheepdog Seminars rightly states, " We have now documented over 700 violent deaths  on church and faith based property since 1999. In addition, thousands of sex crimes have occurred on church and faith-based property. We beg you, we plead with you - in tears - for the sake of your precious flock, do something before the enemy strikes your people. Do not fall prey to the mentality of the people in Amos's day, who said: " Nothing bad will happen to us ." (Amos 9:10)." Accordingly, God is pressing me to again share a message on this important topic.

Part of the inspiration for the title of this study comes via fellow chaplain/servant-warrior Jim Bontrager and his Warrior on the Wall Ministries.  One of his favorite quotes (and mine as well) is " I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it ..." Ezekiel 22:30. Indeed, God is looking for men and women " among them."  

So who then is a " sheepdog" -- a " man among them"? I open every single newsletter by sharing Col. Grossman's " On Sheep, Wolves and Sheepdogs" -- and for good reason. Evil is a reality in our world, and as we get closer to and closer the our Lord's return, that evil is growing ever stronger and more desperate (with our churches in particular being prime targets for attack). So are you a sheepdog? A servant-warrior "among them"?  As cops, we have little trouble understanding the sheepdog concept, but the sad truth is that the vast majority of those who serve in our God-ordained profession are not believers (thus this ministry). Moreover, of those who are and attend church regularly (as we should -- not "optional" for believers), getting them to train and carry their life-saving tools to church is often difficult indeed. 

So what else does our Lord tell us on this issue in His Word?  Here are just a few things for you to consider:

(1) Judges 7 should be required reading for every sheepdog.  What did " God's 300" do that was different from the rest of the army? They "lapped" -- they kept watch with their heads up and eyes open (again, I can find NOTHING in Scripture that mandates we pray with our heads bowed and eyes closed). 

(2) 1 Peter 5:8 -- " B e alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour."

(3)  Acts 20:28-29 --   "Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which He bought with His own blood.  I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock."

(7)  And, for those of us who serve in law enforcement in particular, our signature passage -- Romans 13:1-4 -- that is paraphrased, "... God's ministers for good and a terror  against evil ." (Are you the "terror" against evil God has called you to be?) 

More?  Here a great stand-alone study on biblical self-defense:     What Does the Bible Say About Self-Defense?

Throughout His human ministry here on Earth, our Lord often spoke of the importance of protecting the sheep (the "sheep gate" of his day was most often the shepherd himself, and likely his sheepdogs with him, lying across the opening -- John 10:1-15). While the primary emphasis is on the spiritual, I also believe the physical is strongly implied.  

Teaching on this sheepdog concept, fellow police detective and minister J. Warner Wallace correctly wrote, " If every field was filled with sheepdogs, there would be little or no threat from wolves at all. The only reason sheepdogs are necessary is because there are still sheep, and sheep need protection. But if we could genetically alter every sheep and turn each one into a sheepdog, the threat from wolves would vanish.  You may not feel like you're the biggest sheepdog in the yard, but when everyone in your midst is a sheepdog of one kind or another, you're in a good place. That's why each of us needs to slowly transform ourselves from the   prey   to the   prepared . It's time for all of us to become   sheepdogs ." -- Why Every Christian Needs to be a Sheepdog.  AMEN to that!

In closing, notice the word " Christian" Jim Wallace and I have both used in this study. What does that word mean and what is its implication for us here?  A recent Barma study revealed that perhaps only four percent of those who call themselves "Christian" in America are genuinely that...meaning they hold to a biblical worldview and have been born again in Christ. Folks, we can't truly be the sheepdogs God has called us to be (whether it be in our churches or on the street as cops) unless we are serving under the leading, protection and direction of the Holy Spirit!  And who has that indwelling power and presence?   ONLY those who are genuinely born again in Christ!  Is that you?  With the understanding that it is ONLY through Christ ( John 14:6) that we can be saved (no, we can't "badge" our way into heaven...or out of hell), consider the following:

TRAIN hard and stand your post!

MC