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t is interesting to watch a herd of milk cows. When it is milking time, one of the cows will start toward the milk barn. Soon the rest of the herd will fall in line behind the leader until they all arrive at the milk barn.
What does this have to do with a Christian relationship?
Have you ever been around a fellow Christian who failed to take a stand for Christ, when it was easier to follow the herd?
The herd instinct is strong
The herd instinct is strong
David, a Christian and supervisor of a young man named Jim, was thrilled when Jim told him of going to a Navigators meeting. It wasn’t long before Jim accepted Christ as his Savior. Then he had a zeal to see his friends come to the Lord.
One morning at work David noticed that Jim seemed quite downcast. When asked what the problem was, Jim said he had met with his friends the night before to tell them about Christ. They were at the usual meeting place — their favorite bar. Jim joined them and ordered a drink as he used to do. Soon he began to share with them the Gospel and tell them of how a relationship with Christ would make a difference in their lives. His friends laughed at him and said they saw no difference in his life. He was still with them and having a drink at the bar.
Jim’s desire to share about Christ was right, but he joined the herd.
There is a good biblical example of someone who followed the crowd.
When Jesus stood before the Sanhedrin, the High Priest Caiaphas asked, “Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God?” (Matthew 26:64) Jesus answered, “I am.” The Mosaic Law demanded death for this kind of blasphemy. But only the Roman government could pronounce the death penalty. So they took Jesus to the leaders of the Roman government. The Sanhedrin could give him a death sentence under the Mosaic Law, but not under the Roman rule. Jesus was then sent to Pontius Pilate to be tried for treason.
Pontius Pilate was the Roman Prefect of Judea (imperial magistrate) and had sole responsibility for the Roman court’s decisions. He could either set Jesus free or sentence him to death.
After questioning Jesus, Pilate came to the conclusion that Jesus was not guilty of the crime of which the Jewish authorities were trying to convict him.
Now the problem: how to satisfy the Jewish accusers and still free an innocent man. If Pilate set Jesus free, there could well be an uprising among the Jewish people. That would not bode well in Rome, and Pilate could not afford to have that happen in his Judean kingdom.
Wishing to satisfy the people lest they complain to the Roman Emperor, Tiberius, thus putting his position in jeopardy, Pilate sentenced Jesus to death by crucifixion. In the end, knowing that Jesus was innocent under Roman law, he bowed to the mob that was crying out, “Crucify him.” Pilate bowed to the crowd’s demand.
He followed the herd.
The herd can be several people, a crowd or even just one person. It makes no difference how many people are in the herd if you choose to not stand for Christ.
Getting out of the herd
How then do we take a stand as Christians and not be a part of the herd? We must let the light of Christ show in our lives, wherever we are.
Mary was an administrative assistant to a building manager well known for cursing. One day one of her friends asked how she could stand to be around the man since he used such foul language. Mary said, “He never swears around me.” Everyone working in the building knew that Mary was a Christian — including her boss, the building manager. She lived as best she could to show the love of Christ through her life. She was not a part of the herd.
Similarly, Peter works for a man who is well known as a story teller — stories that some would call dirty jokes. Peter lives his life for Christ, and his boss recognizes the difference. In 16 years on the job, Peter’s boss never subjected him to hearing one of the dirty jokes.
| If we show Christ’s love through our lives, we will stand out from the herd. |
Staying out of the herd
In 2 Corinthians 7:1 Paul states, “Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.”
Paul also states in 2 Corinthians 6:14-17: “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? … What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? ... For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: ‘I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.’ ‘Therefore come out from them and be separate,’ says the Lord.”
If we are going to stay out of the herd, then we must live a holy life. Because God has promised to live among us and be our God, we are made holy and must reflect that holiness in our life.
The Scripture reminds us that we have an obligation to live a certain way. We have a responsibility to pursue holiness.
Herds follow leaders
When the cows head for the milk barn, one leads and the rest follow. In every group there is a leader and the rest are followers. The question is, are you a leader or a follower?
In Christianity it seems there are a lot of followers — people who fail to take a stand for Christ. After all, isn’t it easier to just laugh when the smutty joke is told? Isn’t it easier, when the swear words are spoken, to just ignore them? When someone uses God’s name in vain, isn’t it easier to act as though it doesn’t affect us?
It is easy to be a follower but much harder for Christians to let others know we do not want to be a part of the herd. But the verses in 2 Corinthians 6 make it clear that the Lord wants us to come out from among them and be separate.
In addition, we have no need to put ourselves in a position to be tempted, which can easily happen when we are a part of the herd.
Are you a willing follower of the rest of the non-Christian herd on their way to the milk barn? Are you willing to take the more difficult approach and lead others to Christ?
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