From the Fold to the Flock

Many believe Jesus taught little about the Church during his earthly ministry. However, this is not entirely true. While the word "church" only appears a few times in the gospels, Jesus taught much about what life together would be like after his redeeming death and glorious resurrection. Many of the parables provide a beautiful glimpse into this new way of life. Perhaps none says more about church life than the parable of the Good Shepherd found in the tenth chapter of John. In this new book, Neil Silverberg deals extensively with this parable drawing on the rich history of the Old Testament account of the relationship between Jehovah and his sheep (Psalm 23), Jesus uses this story to illustrate what life with him and other sheep would look like in the new covenant age. As the great Shepherd, he had come to take the sheep out of the fold of Judaism and bring them into the freedom and liberty of true church life. The application couldn't be clearer. Many modern churches are much like ancient folds that hold people in and restrict them from experiencing all that God desired for the new covenant community. Today people everywhere hunger for a real experience of the church. As they come alive to the grace of the Gospel, they are also seeking a simpler expression of life together and kingdom reality. This new work will definitely serve to shed much light on the glorious freedom that God intended all his people to experience together in the church.