How to Care for Goat Christians

Are you a Christian leader? Do you step on toes in your preaching? Do you scald the people you preach to with a denunciatory style and a harsh demeanor? I get it – you see Christians acting like goats. You can’t turn your back on a goat. Goats eat anything and they “but” everything. If you’ve ever been around a flock of goats you know that without constant care they become filthy, parasite-infected creatures.

Jesus spoke of people as goats and sheep. But are you justified in scalding them with your temper all in the name of “that’s just your anointing?” You consider yourself to be a master of scripture to the extreme but don’t forget the following verse, son and daughter:

[Exo 23:19 KJV] … Thou shalt not seethe (boil) a kid (goat) in his mother’s milk.

How could that possibly apply? Peter spoke of God’s word as the sincere milk of the scripture. It is malfeasance in your calling. to take the nurture of God’s word to castigate and verbally abuse God’s people. It’s not apostolic, it’s not prophetic, it a sign of immaturity and vain posturing to get an “amen” from judgmental people without any true repentance taking place. I know you think you are calling people to repent but according to scripture, you are doing just the opposite. Remember the words of Paul:

[Rom 2:4 KJV] [it is] … the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance…

In your preaching, if you are giving the people something other than God’s goodness it is because your agenda is something other than repentance on their part. It is the goodness of God that leads men to repent. All else is being nothing more than a modern-day Pharisee showing off your preaching chops with no lasting effect on people who in reality desperately need wholesome words other than the void nurture of hard speeches and a strutting, prideful style of delivery.

I know whereof I speak. In the course of our years in ministry, we have counseled and ministered to people in profound and defiant levels of sin and transgression. When other ministers would see that someone THEY rebuked was listening to US, they would rush to our side and insist that we speak harshly as well. I refused, saying, “no that’s why they don’t listen to you anymore…” Instead, we gave them God’s goodness. We told them who Jesus was to them. We prophesied their destiny in Christ – and in time (patience is a prime characteristic of an apostle) they repented, deeply and lastingly.

If you are sitting under such a toe stomping ministry and delight to hear such a hard and harsh message, think about what you are doing. I see Jesus washing feet, even Judas’. Just because it delights your flesh to participate in such things, remember that you will stand as accountable for what you hear as that leader will answer for what they say. Sometimes its just immaturity of years. Other times it is something much more debilitating. Does it matter? Yes, because consequences exist for those engaging in any behavior either passively or overtly. Reciprocity can be a pain, rather to sow in mercy than reap in judgment. Selah.