If you are from the Grand Junction area, you might be familiar with some sheep statues near first street. I pass by the sheep statues whenever I go to McCalisters, or Walgreens and I always wonder the same thing, “what are those doing there.” After the Lee James, the State Director for FCA Colorado, came to visit us this past week, I may have gotten some insight to the meaning behind it. 
Let me first start out by telling you about FCA. Since 1954, Fellowship of Christian Athletes has been challenging coaches and athletes on the professional, college, high school, junior high and youth levels to use the powerful medium of athletics to impact the world for Jesus Christ. FCA is the largest Christian sports organization in America. FCA focuses on serving local communities by equipping, empowering and encouraging people to make a difference for Christ. One of the ways we do that is through the influence of athletes and coaches and what we call the “4 C’s”. The 4 C’s are platforms FCA uses in order to reach people. They are, coaches, camps, campus, and community.
Mesa County FCA is just starting out. Although there has been an FCA huddle on the Colorado Mesa University Campus, we were not recognized by the national organization because there was not staff here. Now we have representatives, and are working with national to expand the ministry in Colorado.
So, back to the sheep. In the Bible, there is a pretty strong emphasis of sheep in the Bible referring to God’s people.
Psalm 95:7
For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.
Jesus also tells a parable, which means “to compare, or illustrate a spiritual lesson” using sheep and goats.
Matthew 25:31-34
When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
Although there are similarities between a sheep and a goat, there are differences so great that Jesus said the goats would not inherit the kingdom of God. While the sheep are considered God’s children, the goats are not. Though, sheep and goats can remain in the same fold, when Jesus returns in all His glory, He will separate the sheep from the goats. Why? If we study the character of the animals, we can recognize that true sheep (God’s children) are affectionate and non-aggressive. They are easy to manage because they are submissive in nature. They rarely give the shepherd (their leader) problems. If they should give the shepherd a problem it is generally because the presence of a wolf or the butting of a goat has agitated them. Also sheep enjoy still waters, not liking to drink from agitated waters. This means that they are not quick to be where strife, arguing, dissension, or turmoil is present. Such problems make the sheep skittish and they are quick to scurry away from such discord. Sheep love to graze, meaning they love to eat the Word of God. They love to be in the presence of God.They rarely will miss a feeding or shall we say a meeting. They are hungry and love to graze in the green pastures. They are not in a hurry to move on and will stay as long as the shepherd allows. Although sheep are easily managed, they also are defenseless and vulnerable to danger. As leaders, it is important to provide the sheep with a comfortable, safe environment. We can do that as leaders if we recognize the danger of allowing wolves into the folds. This will come with the watchman and leader working together. Let’s take a look at the characteristics of a goat.
Goats tend to be more self-sufficientthan sheep, choosing to browse rather than graze in the pasture. They don’t enjoy the green pastures in the same way as the sheep. They are not always satisfied with what the shepherd (leader) gives them. They will nibble on the Word of God, a little here and a little there, yet they love to be seen in the high places. The goats walk with their tails held high, spiritually indicating pride, and they emit an offensive odor. There is something distinguishing about the goat, and that is the odor, or “air” about them.
So, the core message of the Parable of the Sheep and Goats is that good works will result from our relationship to the Shepherd, to Christ. Followers of Christ will produce good works, will treat others with kindness, will deal with others as if they were Christ because of their character. Those who reject Christ live in the opposite manner. While “goats” can indeed do acts of kindness and charity, their hearts are not truly in them for the right purpose – to honor and worship God by treating Him as our Shepherd.
So why did I even care to bring this up? We believe the Grand Valley is ready to hear and receive the Gospel of Christ. Not only are people ready to receive it, but people are being prepared to lead and shepherd the sheep. Good shepherds love their sheep and spare no effort when leading them to green pastures and clear water. The receptiveness and readiness is evident all over the place: even in the symbology of the sheep statues in the middle of Grand Junction. Ministries are growing rapidly, especially on the Colorado Mesa University campus. There are over seven different campus ministries that are taking place, not counting the high schools, middle schools, or churches. God has prepared this city, and more and more people are being receptive to the message of the Gospel.
References:
http://www.watchmanbiblestudy.com/Documents/SymbologyofSheepGoats.htm
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