No, I'm not really trying to be funny, though it is sort of funny until you realize just how sad it is..
Bruce the Shark, is of course, from the Disney Animated Film, “Finding Nemo.” He is a well-meaning Shark because his goal is to overcome his natural desire to eat other fish. He finds Marlin (Nemo’s Dad) and Dory and forces them to come with him to a meeting that could best be described as 12 step, Alcoholics Anonymous style of event. They meet two other sharks there and the meeting proceeds.
Bruce the Shark, is of course, from the Disney Animated Film, “Finding Nemo.” He is a well-meaning Shark because his goal is to overcome his natural desire to eat other fish. He finds Marlin (Nemo’s Dad) and Dory and forces them to come with him to a meeting that could best be described as 12 step, Alcoholics Anonymous style of event. They meet two other sharks there and the meeting proceeds.
Bruce leads the other two sharks in a
declaration which includes these words, “I am a nice shark” and
“Fish are Friends, not Food.”
Bruce also lets the group know that it
has been a few weeks since he has eaten a fish and the other two
sharks go wild in admiration for Bruce’s great accomplishment of
restraint.
In a sermon I delivered a couple of weeks ago, I changed Bruce’s statement to “Sheep are Friends, not Food” because many leaders in the Church feed on Sheep rather than protect them.
What happens with Bruce is that a few
minutes after making his declaration, Dory has a little accident, her
nose gets hit and some blood comes out into the water. Bruce, being
the shark that he is, can’t resist and tries to eat Dory and Marlin. The other two sharks try to do an “intervention” but
Bruce is going berserk because his shark instincts have been awakened
by the blood in the water.
I think you’re starting to get where
I’m going with this… Christian leaders are well-meaning, they
have good intentions, they try every trick in the book to attempt to
break in themselves, their improper ways, but in the end, if they
haven’t been transformed into something other than a shark, when
the blood comes into the water, they pounce.
This is why we are startled when it
happens. Because we don’t expect that such well-meaning people,
people who have supposedly devoted their lives to serving God’s
flock, would harm God’s Sheep.
Being a follower of Christ and becoming
a leader in His Church requires much more than behavior modification
techniques and positive mental attitude exercises. We must literally
change who we are and become “like Christ.” Develop the “mind
of Christ.” We must be changed from the inside out by the Word of
God & His power to the point that we are no longer swayed by the whiffs of blood
in the water.
The blood in the water that tempts us
is different for each person. For some it is to be provoked to
anger. For some it’s jealousy. Others, it is materialism or greed
that brings out the shark in us. Maybe for you it’s pride,
revenge, selfishness, ambition, control, competitiveness or even lust.
The question that I’m wanting for us
to consider today is this: Is there a trigger for you that still
triggers you? What is your blood in the water? If you can identify
it, then you can intentionally work on it.
2 Corinthians 10:5 exhorts us to “take
captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” When we take
a person prisoner, we question them for intel on how the enemy works
so that we can win the war. And since the enemy is both the devil
and our own flesh, we find out about his tactics and our weaknesses.
If we will take prisoner our thoughts and deeds that are against
God’s Word and ways, then with God’s help, we can change!
So what are we supposed to become? We
are supposed to be sheep. Jesus is the Lamb of God and He is also
our Shepherd. The big problem that we face is that no people naturally want to
be sheep. They are helpless, defenseless, easily victimized and
vulnerable. From a human standpoint, they make terrible leaders and
seem very weak.
If you asked any young man right now, “would you
choose to be a shark, or a sheep?” The vast majority would choose
to be a shark. Sharks are confident, cool, decisive, tough, in
control and mean! Sheep are… well, they are “followers.” Who
really wants to be a follower, anyway?
My son Ethan, when he was younger, enjoyed the movie, "The Adventures of Sharkboy & Lavagirl." That was cool! But it wouldn't have been a hit if it had been "Sheepboy!"
But unless we are sheep, are we really
even saved? I think not! Unless we are disciples, followers of
Christ, are we really living for Him? Unless we die to ourselves
daily, pick up the cross, place ourselves as living sacrifices on His
altar, are we in His army?
Our only protection as sheep is to stay
near to and listen to the voice of Jesus. It seems like a tremendous
risk until you realize that His protection is the ultimate! And then
our posture in serving within His Kingdom and even in the marketplace becomes Sonship. The
authority given us as sons and daughters of the King is well beyond
any other kind of authority that there is. Sonship leadership is Jesus Style Leadership and it is the most effective kind!
Think of this... King David, a man after God's own heart and a great leader was a shepherd. He led sheep and he led people. King Saul, his predecessor, was a donkey herder. He drove donkey's and he drove people. But that's a message for another day...
May we no longer be well meaning
sharks, but may we be changed from sharks (wolves) into followers of
Christ, gentle lambs, Children of God.
So the next time someone says, “You’re
such a follower!” Say, “Thanks! You can follow me as I follow Christ if you want!”
