What do you do when someone roars at you?

Most of us know the answer instinctively. We roar back. We defend, we push, we insist on being right. That’s the lion in us. But Jesus is both the Lion of Judah and the Lamb who was slain, and He sends us into the world the same way He was sent: as lambs among wolves.

My spiritual son Paul Yadao and I wrote our new book, Lambs Among Wolves, to explore what that looks like in real life. It’s the next step after The Heart of Roaring Lambs. That book was about becoming roaring lambs. This one is about being sent out as roaring lambs.

I want to share one story from the book with you. It comes from one of our ministry leaders in Cuba, and it answers a question I hear often: Are lambs always supposed to be the victims?

From Chapter 3, “The Shepherd’s Heart”:

“Carlos” doesn’t like hearing that knock on his door. He is one of our ministry leaders in Cuba, a lion of a pastor who has been used very powerfully by God. But he has really struggled with the communist system, especially with one inspector who knocks on his family’s door to interrogate and intimidate them. When Carlos is enjoying time with his family and hears that knock, he has not found a lion response to be very helpful. Lions know how to fight. When someone roars at them, they will roar back. It’s their natural instinct. One of these interrogations happened while I was visiting in Cuba. I had just shared about having a lamb’s heart and Carlos had asked me what a lamb would look like in this situation. Should he just take the abuse without responding? Are lambs always supposed to be the victims? This was, after all, a matter of good versus evil. There’s a right and a wrong. Do we just have to put up with the wrong?

We prayed together and asked for the Lamb’s wisdom, and I advised Carlos to try something next time the official came. “Invite him in,” I said. “Tell him it’s good to see him and ask him how his family has been. Get to know the names of his wife and children and ask how you can serve them or even pray for them. Maybe find out what his favorite rum or his favorite cigar is—that would really surprise him, coming from a Christian leader—and give him a gift. Try to become his friend and let him know you want to honor him.”

Carlos looked at me like I was crazy. Maybe I didn’t understand how much of an enemy this man was. But he was willing to give it a try, so that is exactly how he approached it. When the official came for his next visit, he met a lamb, not an adversary roaring like a lion.

“Hi, how are you?” Carlos said. “How is your wife? I’ve never asked if you have any children. How many do you have? Are they doing well?”

This communist official had three boys, so he and Carlos had a discussion about family life. Walls began to come down, a little bit of trust started to build, and the atmosphere changed. Carlos’ lion response had never worked, but shifting back into the humility of a lamb made a difference. Yes, this man was a political and social enemy, but God’s lambs love their enemies. They wash feet, look for opportunities to love and serve, and add value to the lives of those around them. They mark their enemies for a blessing. Now if Carlos ever needs to speak into this situation as a lion, he can do it in the context of a relationship, not in a tension-filled confrontation. A lion’s voice sounds much less challenging between two friends. Carlos found that becoming a lamb actually changed the environment. The communist official no longer comes in like an enemy. Sometimes he even treats Carlos like a friend, and doors have opened up that otherwise would have remained closed. It is beautiful to see our Cuban brothers and sisters who have been trained to be lions learn to capture the Lamb’s heart.

The Love of the Shepherd

Jesus presented Himself as the Good Shepherd who gives His life for His sheep. This is the major theme of John 10, a “define the relationship” moment for Jesus, His current followers, and His future followers (who surprisingly would include sheep “not of this fold”). The Good Shepherd loves His lambs—love was His motivation for laying down His life—and His lambs love Him. His lambs know His voice and follow Him, and He protects them from the thief who comes to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10). But this same Shepherd who loves His lambs also sends them out into a world full of wolves.

Seems like a contradiction, doesn’t it? The Good Shepherd protects His sheep and lays down His life for them, but He also sends them into a dangerous world where wolves attack and devour. But there’s a reason for this apparent contradiction. Sending His lambs out among wolves is the only way He can show His love to the wolves. Otherwise they will never see it. This goes back to our calling as carriers of shalom, the environment of the kingdom.

There is no such thing as a demonstration of God’s kingdom that is not infused with, saturated in, motivated by, and overflowing with love.

The kingdom is founded on love, and wherever it advances in this world, it advances in love. If it advances but not through love—through anger, territorialism, pride, or anything else—then it isn’t actually the kingdom. This is why lions may need to slow down and fill their hearts with the love of the Lamb before claiming authority with the roar of a lion. The lion’s roar is a valid expression of the kingdom at times, but the kingdom only advances through the power of love.

Who is knocking on your door right now? It might be a difficult coworker, a family member you can’t seem to reach, or someone on the other side of an argument that never ends. What would it look like to meet them as a lamb?

That’s the journey Lambs Among Wolves invites you into. It’s full of stories like this one from the nations, and each chapter ends with reflection questions, so it works well for personal study or for walking through with your small group.

You can get your copy on Amazon or at leifhetland.com/roaringlambs.