The Good Shepherd: Shepherding Through Unofficial Shepherds

By Alma Angella Sullivan-Lovell

The Father does not only seek true worshipers, but he seeks those who will nurture the hearts of those true worshipers. He seeks SHEPHERDS!! His ideal candidate does not always possess the skills necessary at the time of recruitment, but he is able to identify a d

• Language: English
• Publisher: ReadersMagnet LLC
• Release date: Aug 7, 2023
• ISBN: 9798890911223

Alma Angella Sullivan-Lovell

Angella Sullivan Lovell was raised in a Christian home, but she made Christ the Lord of her life at age 19, when she came to the understanding that a relationship with Christ was a personal decision and that she could no longer depend on the faith of her parents to know God. Surrendering to a personal relationship with Christ has been exciting and still continues to be the most exciting thing about her life. Angella completed her undergraduate studies majoring in theology at Jamaica Theological Seminary and has a Master's Degree in Counseling Psychology, majoring in Mental Health / Marriage and Family from Palm Beach Atlantic University. She attends Family Church - Village in West Palm Beach, where she resides with her husband Derek and daughter Desiree. She believes being a companion to the Lord is her first ministry, which brings her into her second ministry of prayer and intercession. She also writes and teaches bible studies, and is currently working on her third book. Being discipled by an intercessor in her early Christian life gave her not only a drive to get to know Christ more, but also a passion to lead others into a growing relationship with Christ. Her early mentor, an intercessor, taught her three very important principles on which Angella has built her walk with Christ: (1) the importance of alone time with the Father in his Word and prayer, (2) what to do with what he shares from his heart for herself and his people, and (3) passion for the body of Christ, not a denomination. These three principles have been the driving force of her faith. As early as Angella can remember, she has had a passion to know the mind of Christ in everyday circumstances and to use that as part of her decision-making process, as well as to mentor others out of her knowledge of the Word and her intimate relationship with God. Apart from her time alone with the Lord, what gives Angella her second greatest thrill is mentoring believers and seeing them grow in intimacy with Christ. Angella's life has demonstrated the importance of being authentic with people, and so she would always say what needs to be said in her interactions and relationships with others. She is not afraid to confront and challenge, as it is all done in love. A common phrase among those she interacts with is, "you can depend on Angella to tell you the truth." Her relationship with the Lord is truly admirable. She wrestles with the Lord more than anyone I know, and while wrestling, she never considers the end result. The natural mind may see her as defeated; however, it is usually great spiritual gain in growth and a powerful testimony. It would do Angella a great injustice to write about her and not mention a side of her that so many admire, the "Diva." Beauty on the inside is her focus, but she is in her element when a friend beautifies herself (and I don't mean with meekness) outwardly, as well with fashion. If you are one of her friends, she teaches you and helps you to be fashion-conscious within your tolerance level (what a friend!). Again, patience is executed as she holds your hand and subtly helps you along the fashion runway. She even takes the time to get you clothing that will bring out the beauty in you.

Book preview

FRONT.jpg

The Good Shepherd: Shepherding Through Unofficial Shepherds

Copyright © 2023 by Alma Angella Sullivan-Lovell

Published in the United States of America

ISBN Paperback: 979-8-89091-121-6

ISBN eBook: 979-8-89091-122-3

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any way by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the author except as provided by USA copyright law.

The opinions expressed by the author are not necessarily those of ReadersMagnet, LLC.

ReadersMagnet, LLC

10620 Treena Street, Suite 230 | San Diego, California, 92131 USA

1.619. 354. 2643 | www.readersmagnet.com

Book design copyright © 2023 by ReadersMagnet, LLC. All rights reserved.

Cover design by Kent Gabutin

Interior design by Dorothy Lee

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Historical Use of the Words Shepherd, Sheep, and Flock

Chapter 2 What Makes Him The Good Shepherd?

Chapter 3 Contemporary Shepherding: What’s Hindering its Effectiveness

Chapter 4 Shepherding is a Special Task 1: Indicators of Inadequate/Improper Shepherding

Chapter 5 Shepherding is a Special Task 2: The seriousness of not properly shepherding God’s flock

Chapter 6 True Shepherds in Unofficial Capacities: A New Generation of Shepherds

Chapter 7 The relationship of the unofficial shepherds with Christ, the Commander in Chief

Chapter 8 A Message to the Official Shepherds: How Official Shepherds can Utilize Unofficial Shepherds

Author’s Biography

Dedication

And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory 1 Peter 5:4 (ESV).

This book is dedicated to my spiritual daughter, friend, and mentor, Avril Doris Bailey, who epitomized the perfect example of the Unofficial Shepherd.

To my friend and all Unofficial Shepherds, know for sure that in the eyes of your Father, you are the genuine McCoy of a Shepherd. Thank you for allowing the Father to process you out to embrace suffering, loneliness, and unending precious hours in his presence away from others and worldly pleasurable activities, for allowing him to plant his sacred love for his people in your heart and passion for the establishment of his Kingdom, but most of all, a fervent jealousy for his GLORY.

On behalf of all the other Shepherds that you groomed and mentored, thank you. Thank you for taking the time to invest in others who are now investing in so many. Thank you for stepping in and taking care of the Father’s flock. Avril, you are gone and have come into your Father’s recognition as truly his Official Shepherd. For those of you who are still laboring, THE GOOD SHEPHERD will come soon, and your reward will be with him.

Introduction

The Call: Shepherding Is A Special Task

Shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock

1 Peter 5:2-3(ESV).

The Father does not only seek true worshipers but also those who will nurture the hearts of those true worshipers. He seeks SHEPHERDS! When a Fortune 500 company, or in fact any growing accelerating company, is looking to fill a critical executive position, they usually use recruiters. They know filling that position with the right person is critical to the growth and success of their organizations. This is true of leadership whether in the world or in the Kingdom. The difference is when these companies look for a leader, the person has to be already who they are looking for, possessing all the qualifications, while with our heavenly Father, he speaks of the things (people) that are not as though they were. His ideal candidate does not always look or possess the skills necessary at the time of recruitment, but he is able to identify a diamond in the rough. Those he uses as unofficial shepherds possess the tenacity and resilience to take the process of refining and therefore build the tolerance for the journey, they will take others through as they are used by God to mentor others into unofficial shepherds.

When the Church selects leaders like the world does, we set ourselves up for trouble. We must learn to recognize and nurture those with a call on their lives. A typical example of this is when the Lord sent Samuel to Jesse’s house to select one of his sons to be king of Israel. I am sure that when Samuel told Jesse what the Lord said, he selected based on which of his sons he thought would fit the position based on exterior appearance, natural characteristics, and talents. Having gone through all the sons except one, David, the Lord rejected them all. Then, the least in the field that Jesse did not think of was God’s choice. What does God have to say about David, a man after his own heart. His heart was after God, meaning that it was set on pleasing God. That’s the heart that God wanted to govern his people. The fact that God went through so many sons of Jesse showed he is very picky when it comes to who he places over his people, and he still is today. They do not have to be perfect, but they must possess a special kind of heart that lends itself to processing.

A common definition of shepherd or shepherding according to Oxford language reads as follows: a person who takes care of and guards a flock of sheep.

A shepherd in the Biblical sense is one who has a relationship with and responsibilities to the Flock. The word shepherd actually means companion, friend, attendant, or guide. Why am I writing about the GOOD SHEPHERD? A few weeks ago, I was at my special hide away with the Lord and he led me to read John 10:11-13 (NLT)-

¹¹ I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep. ¹² A hired hand will run when he sees a wolf coming. He will abandon the sheep because they don’t belong to him and he isn’t their shepherd. And so, the wolf attacks them and scatters the flock. ¹³ The hired hand runs away because he’s working only for the money and doesn’t really care about the sheep.

I took out my journal and started writing: Christ will not leave us in times of spiritual demonic attack. He will stay and fight for us. Are pastors today really shepherds? Does the flock have someone to drive away the enemy when they are under attack? Is that why so many are being ministered to by Christians that are not pastors, but men and women who truly have a shepherd’s heart given to them by God. The ministry of intercession, deliverance, and inner healing is so needed today. I was speaking to a friend recently, and she was saying that when she gets home from work in the evenings, she has so many people to pray for and phone calls to make to check up on people and pray with them. She says that during the day, the Lord lays people and things to pray about for them on her heart. She jots it down, and when she gets home, she lays hands on those concerns and just intercedes for people. She goes on to say, I cannot focus on my problems; I have to take care of God’s people. Now tell me if that is not the heart of a shepherd?

I continued reading until I got to John 11:33-35, and I kept asking the Holy Spirit, why were you deeply angry and deeply troubled? I continued writing what I believed was his response to me: Angella, I need shepherds that will have a heart for my people, shepherds that will weep as they see the state of my people. I want my people gathered to me; I want them prepared to meet me, but first I want them to experience me here. I do not want them to be strangers when I come. I want them to see my glory and experience my power, my friendship, my love before seeing me. I want them to know I am not counterfeit; I am real, and I want them to know it while they are here on earth. I want them to know I am the real deal without seeing me in person; I want them to experience me through my Word and my Spirit that lives within them. You are my shepherd, and I want you to train more like you. Give freely that which you have received from me. Train shepherds to have a heart like mine for people.

I continued writing what I believe the Holy Spirit was saying to me. You asked why I was deeply troubled and angry, and I will tell you: it’s seeing the rich behaving poor; it’s seeing the strong acting weak; it’s seeing the brave cower; it’s seeing the hopeful hopeless; it’s seeing, most significantly, the safe being afraid because there are so few true shepherds to reinforce my security and demonstrate my deep love. That same scene you saw in John 11 with Mary, Martha, and the hopeless defeated crowd of Jews, it’s the same scene I am seeing today. It makes me angry and troubled. I need shepherds for my people who will bring them hope. Train shepherds that will gather my people to me. Train those who love me, having an intimate relationship with me out of their obedience and passion for me. Train those who are not considered shepherds but that I, the Lord, see as shepherds of my flock.

A week later, I went to our special spot, and honestly, I did not remember at the time this word above. This particular day I was hurting so badly; I felt broken with a sense of despair. Though I am usually able to work with people and do not take on their emotional state, this day, it seems I took it all in. I had just met with a Christian man who was having marital problems, and he was so hopeless, devastated, broken, weak, fearful, and afraid. So, I wrote to the Lord in my journal as soon as I got to our spot. I had to get it all out and lay it on him, for it was too heavy on me. I wrote: "I cannot tell you how heartbroken I am to see (Name) in that state. All I can remember is Jesus seeing the Jews at Lazarus’ grave, broken and hopeless. A grown man who acknowledges you as savior so hopeless, fearful, controlled, desperate, confused, spiritually illiterate, in a form of godliness without spiritual power, beaten down, feeling less than (a man, a husband, a father, ultimately a human being), joyless, peaceless… I now know what bondage looks like. I am sure I have seen this before, but it looks and feels so new. I am seeing it through different eyes; I hurt when God’s people are hurting. I hurt even more at their ignorance that he is not able to help them when they do not look to him for their answers. Oh, how he longs to comfort them: ‘Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing’

(Matt 23:37 NIV)."

I hurt when they do not know the key is putting faith in the work of Christ and allowing the Holy Spirit to do his transforming work and equip them to use the Word of God and apply spiritual warfare. Nothing else can resolve deep hurt and pain like my client was experiencing. Only the authority and power of Christ can deal with this. Then, I said to the Holy Spirit, this is what a shepherd-less people look like. Words that fit the description of a shepherd-less people would be hopeless, broken, fearful, confused, spiritual illiterate,