213. Gather His Flock
Jeremiah 23:3 And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase.
The remnant of the flock of the Lord is all the believers in Jesus Christ. The first meaning of remnant in context includes the faithful Israelites who have been scattered in the Exile. By extension, the flock includes all faithful believers who are scattered throughout the world. These believers in Christ are the result of God’s gathering. The fruitful increase of the remnant has grown into the worldwide invisible Church.
For each individual believer in Jesus the promise is ever true: He will gather us into the flock of fellow Christians from wherever we have strayed or been driven. The Holy Spirit gathers the whole Christian Church and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith. He gathers each individual and He gathers all the individual believers into One Flock under One Shepherd. In this flock they will be fruitful and increase.
Our sins drive us away from God and His Kingdom, but the Lord promises the faithful that He will continually gather them into the Flock and into Himself. He calls us to repentance and faith regularly. We respond with thankfulness and praise and the resultant good works and witness. Because of the Lord’s promise we can trust Him that He will call, gather, enlighten and sanctify us, and we shall be fruitful and increase. This is God’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes.