Responsibilities and
Expectations of the Pastor – Watchman - Good Shepherd
12/30/2017
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“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on
religion? Come to Me. Get away with Me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show
you how to take a real rest. Walk with Me and work with Me—watch how I do it.
Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting
on you. Keep company with Me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” Matthew11:28-29
Learning to follow Jesus as a lay person {not
clergy} takes a lifetime journey of continued growth so taking time to find
rest is very necessary so you do not get weary in doing so. Being in the
ministry seems to take twice as much out of you because you have to always be
ready for whatever tasks may come your way.
As a Pastor – Watchman – Good Shepherd; Your main
job in order to reach the world for Christ is to know God yourself, to know his
word, to faithfully preach and teach that word to your people, and so be used
by God to create a community that does far more than you could ever do.
Thus:
Right now, I am shepherding you though not preaching. When I am writing the
devotions I share with you – I am shepherding you. When I am reading about
winds of false doctrine affecting the church so that I can teach you, warn you,
and protect you – I am shepherding you.
The
teaching of the Word, including applying it to our specific cultural context,
is a key part – indeed, biblically, probably the most prominent part – of
shepherding.
Some other
aspects of biblical shepherding also have to do with serving the flock as a
whole: Designing worship services so that we might express joy in Christ
corporately, praying for the flock as a whole.
So,
biblically, the most prominent aspect of shepherding is serving the flock as a
whole.
Here
is a pretty good “Job Description” for a Pastor who is being hired by a Church
or by an Organization to Pastor one of their different locations –
A pastor
is the spiritual leader over a group of people or congregation. He furthers the
work of the church while leading others into a growing relationship with Jesus
Christ. A pastor can practice within a specific concentration, such as working
with children, overseeing a ministry or serving as a senior pastor. He follows
the particular demands his denomination or church tradition requires, including
those of character, experience and educational requirements. Pastors can be
full-time, part-time, bi-vocational or a volunteer.
Role Model
Pastors
are natural role models. By using biblical standards to model how pastors live,
love and lead, others will gain insights on how to exercise their own faith.
For example, the way a pastor talks about his spouse or how he spends money may
speak more than any sermon he could preach on the subject. In this sense,
congregants may read more into their pastor's life than they read the Bible.
Congregational Care
As a
pastor, your congregation needs to know you care about them and the special
needs or situations they're experiencing. You need to be proactive in visiting
them when they're in the hospital or going through a tough time, and church
members may come to you when they need wisdom or are struggling to meet a need.
Even if you're not a professional counselor, you can offer pastoral guidance
and care that's rooted in the Bible. The larger the church, the more likely
you'll have to structure congregational care through a team of people that you
mentor. Exercise proper boundaries, such as turning down requests to officiate
funerals or weddings outside of your congregation to avoid professional
burnout.
Church Leadership
Churches
typically have a leadership structure pastors work with to identify and nurture
the core goals of the congregation. If your church has a team of elders or a
group of spiritually mature members, you will be able to work with them in
understanding and articulating what that vision is. If you notice an increasing
number of babies being born among your members, you need to adjust how you
structure children's ministry, parenting classes and child care during Bible
studies. If a teacher who works with teenagers is being a bad example, confront
him and implement a system of accountability in response.
Create Services
Weekly
church services, such as large worship gatherings or age-based activities
traditionally fall under the responsibility of the pastor. Whether you're in an
up-front teaching role or a behind-the-scenes planner, others will take their
cues from you on what it means for services to be meaningful and successful.
You will also take part in creating other services, including funerals,
baptisms and weddings that serve the needs of your members.
Develop a Network
Part of
developing your church's network includes growing its internal structure and
external connections. You will plan special seasonal events, meet with
volunteers, lead meetings, connect with visitors, disciple members or create a
staff that helps your church deepen its identity in Christ. Likewise, attend
ministerial association meetings, take part in national training conferences,
develop friendships with missionaries, and meet with leaders in your community
to better expand your church's influence locally and globally.
Pastors and
ministers have an almost limitless number of duties in their roles as leaders
of church congregations. Specific duties vary by denomination and church, but
several biblically-mandated responsibilities are common across most Christian
churches and impact the level of a pastor's success.
Worship
One of the core
duties of a pastor is to lead worship services. Traditional Christian churches
hold worship services on Sunday morning. However, contemporary churches
sometimes have services Wednesday or Saturday night as well. A pastor normally
prepares and presents most the regular worship sermons or messages. This can
include several hours of reading and outlining during the week.
Counsel
A more one-on-one
duty of a pastor lies in shepherding his flock. Pastors provide counsel or
support to church members in a variety of ways. Offering advice or counsel
during challenging times or for pre-marital couples is common. In Catholic
churches, priests also receive confessions of sin from members to absolve and
provide direction on how to repent. To effectively fill this role, pastors need
several biblically-directed qualities, such as compassion, kindness and
empathy.
Leadership
Pastors are
expected to lead by example and to challenge church members to follow biblical
principles. The Bible highlights a number of moral virtues a church leader
should possess, including strength of character, love, caring, grace and
humility. Though pastors are human and often teach by reflecting on their own
mistakes, they are expected to maintain a higher standard of behavior to
effectively guide others.
Knowledge
Being
knowledgeable of the Bible and in prayerful communication with God are both
duties and responsibilities for pastors. Daily Bible study and strong
theological understanding are vital to the ability of a pastor to lead and
teach. He may also lead others in study and must demonstrate a strong working
knowledge of scripture for worship and counsel.
Additional
job responsibilities may include:
·
Assisting in church financial matters
·
Overseeing management of all areas of the congregation's
ministry
·
Supporting, overseeing and evaluating congregation staff
·
Holding regular staff meetings to coordinate ministries
·
Ensuring church facilities are functioning
To work as
a pastor, you must have comprehensive knowledge of the Bible and a strong
religious conviction. You also must be ordained by a church or accredited body.
Beneficial skills may include:
·
Strong character
·
Impartiality
·
Public speaking
·
Compassion for struggles and concerns of others
·
Ability to communicate clearly
Needless to say, being a Pastor {Watchman or Good
Shepherd} is a 24 hour a day job that one must be called by God to do or you
will get burned out and quit. God qualifies those He calls into the ministry.
Those who study for years and years getting massive degrees are usually the
ones who ultimately fail at being a “Good Shepherd”.
As we learn about the Watchmen or God
Shepherd/Pastor we need to make it clear that they too are “sheep” being lead
by the Master Shepherd through the Holy Spirit. These men and women have also
gone astray! They too need to have their iniquity laid on another. They
too have all the problems of sheep – they are sometimes just plain stupid, they
tend to wander.
Think of
this image: The Chief Shepherd takes two sheep out of a hundred, and says, “OK,
you serve as shepherds in my absence: Guard the flock, lead them to pasture,
keep the other sheep from wandering.”
Will that
work? No. Those sheep will fail in the task. They can’t do it. They are sheep!
But that’s
NOT the biblical image. Jesus does NOT leave the flock. He is present – working
through sinful, inadequate shepherds, showing His power in our weakness to His
glory.
Yes, we know that a pastor needs to get paid if he
is working 40+ hours a week to take care of a congregation of people. Nowhere
does it say that a pastor would get filthy rich doing God’s work. A true,
honest, humble, Workman of God will be content with just the necessities of
life. Not one single Pastor or Evangelist needs an 18,000 square foot home or
private jets. Just because they are pastors does not put them above the people
they are to be serving like Christ’s example. Anyone following a man or woman
of God who lives in the lap of luxury and brags about it, needs to realize they
are following a FALSE TEACHER, PREACHER or EVANGELIST – THEY ARE NOT A WATCHMAN
for GOD – They are INSTRUMENTS of your destruction from the PIT OF HELL, Satan
himself who wants to drag as many people as he can with him into a dark eternity.
REAL Watchmen {Good Shepherds} serve God willingly – NOT because they are
promised a big paycheck. Let’s read 1
Peter 5 together and learn more about being a true Watchman – Good Shepherd.
Therefore, I strongly urge the elders among you [pastors, spiritual
leaders of the church], as a fellow elder and as an eyewitness [called to
testify] of the sufferings of Christ, as well as one who shares in the glory
that is to be revealed: shepherd and guide and protect the flock
of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily,
according to the will of God; and not [motivated] for shameful gain, but
with wholehearted enthusiasm; not lording it over those
assigned to your care [do not be arrogant or overbearing], but be examples [of
Christian living] to the flock [set a pattern of integrity for your congregation].
And when the Chief Shepherd (Christ) appears, you will receive the
[conqueror’s] unfading crown of glory. Likewise, you younger men [of lesser
rank and experience], be subject to your elders [seek their counsel]; and all
of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another [tie on the
servant’s apron], for God is opposed to the proud [the disdainful, the
presumptuous, and He defeats them], but
He gives grace to the humble. Therefore humble yourselves under the
mighty hand of God [set aside self-righteous pride], so that He may exalt you
[to a place of honor in His service] at the appropriate time, casting all your
cares [all your anxieties, all your worries, and all your concerns, once and
for all] on Him, for He cares about you [with deepest affection, and watches
over you very carefully]. Be sober [well balanced and self-disciplined], be
alert and cautious at all times. That enemy of yours, the devil, prowls
around like a roaring lion [fiercely hungry], seeking someone to devour. But
resist him, be firm in your faith [against his attack—rooted,
established, immovable], knowing that the same experiences of suffering are
being experienced by your brothers and sisters throughout the world. [You do
not suffer alone.] After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all
grace [who imparts His blessing and favor], who called you to His own
eternal glory in Christ, will Himself complete, confirm, strengthen, and
establish you [making you what you ought to be]. To Him be dominion (power,
authority, sovereignty) forever and ever. Amen.
If
you feel God has called you into the ministry; whether it be in a Pastoral
Role, Associate Pastor, Youth Pastor, Children’s Pastor, Elder or Deacon; I
feel it is important that you take the time to read the Word of God and know
what those roles entail so you will be the best in your calling.
Here
is what we learned from Peter about doing the Lord’s Work:
1. Shepherd, guide and protect the flock of
God among you.
2. Do not become a leader out of compulsion,
but voluntarily accept your position according to the will of God.
3. Don’t do it for shameful gain {to get rich}
4. Be wholeheartedly enthusiastic to be in the
position
5. Don’t lord over those assigned to your care
[do not be arrogant or overbearing]
6. Be an example of Christian living with
integrity
7. When the Chief Shepherd {Christ Jesus}
comes back, you will receive the [conqueror’s] unfading crown of glory.
8. Younger men be subject to the Elders
[seeking their counsel]
9. Clothe yourself with HUMILITY toward one
another [tie on the servant’s apron]
10. God is opposed to the PROUD [the
disdainful, the presumptuous, and He defeats them], but He gives GRACE to the
HUMBLE
11. Humble yourself before God [setting aside
self-righteous PRIDE], so He may exalt you at the appropriate time.
12. Cast all your cares [all your anxieties,
all your worries, and all your concerns] on Him, for He cares for you [ with
deepest affection and watches over you very carefully]
13. Be sober [well balanced and
self-disciplined]
14. Be alert and cautious at all times
15. The devil prowls around like a hungry lion
seeking whom he may devour
16. Resist the devil, be firm in your faith
[against his attack – rooted, established, immovable] knowing your brothers and
sisters around the world suffer like you also
17. After you have suffered for a
little while, the God of all grace [who imparts His blessing and favor], who
called you to His own eternal glory in Christ, will Himself complete,
confirm, strengthen, and establish you [making you what you ought to be]
Let
us look at 1
Corinthians 1 in the Message Bible to see what Paul says about God calling
and qualifying verses the well learned {highly educated}.
I, Paul, have been called and sent by Jesus, the Messiah, according to
God’s plan, along with my friend Sosthenes. I send this letter to you in God’s
church at Corinth, believers cleaned up by Jesus and set apart for a God-filled
life. I include in my greeting all who call out to Jesus, wherever they live.
He’s their Master as well as ours! May all the gifts and benefits that come
from God our Father, and the Master, Jesus Christ be yours. Every time I think of
you—and I think of you often!—I thank God for your lives of free and open
access to God, given by Jesus. There’s no end to what has happened in you—it’s
beyond speech, beyond knowledge. The evidence of Christ has been clearly
verified in your lives. Just think—you don’t need a thing,
you’ve got it all! All God’s gifts are right in front of you as you wait
expectantly for our Master Jesus to arrive on the scene for the Finale. And not
only that, but God himself is right alongside to keep you steady and on track
until things are all wrapped up by Jesus. God, who got you started in this
spiritual adventure, shares with us the life of his Son and our Master Jesus.
He will never give up on you. Never forget that. I have a
serious concern to bring up with you, my friends, using the authority of Jesus,
our Master. I’ll put it as urgently as I can: You must get along with
each other. You must learn to be considerate of one another, cultivating a life
in common. I bring this up because some from Chloe’s family brought a most
disturbing report to my attention—that you’re fighting among yourselves! I’ll
tell you exactly what I was told: You’re all picking sides, going around
saying, “I’m on Paul’s side,” or “I’m for Apollos,” or “Peter is my man,” or
“I’m in the Messiah group.” I ask you, “Has the Messiah been
chopped up in little pieces so we can each have a relic all our own? Was Paul
crucified for you? Was a single one of you baptized in Paul’s name?” I was not
involved with any of your baptisms—except for Crispus and Gaius—and on getting
this report, I’m sure glad I wasn’t. At least no one can go around saying he
was baptized in my name. (Come to think of it, I also baptized Stephanas’s
family, but as far as I can recall, that’s it.) God didn’t send
me out to collect a following for myself, but to preach the Message of what he
has done, collecting a following for him. And he didn’t send me to do it with a
lot of fancy rhetoric of my own, lest the powerful action at the center—Christ
on the Cross—be trivialized into mere words. The Message that
points to Christ on the Cross seems like sheer silliness to those hell-bent on
destruction, but for those on the way of salvation it makes perfect sense. This
is the way God works, and most powerfully as it turns out. It’s written, I’ll
turn conventional wisdom on its head, I’ll expose so-called experts as crackpots. So where
can you find someone truly wise, truly educated, truly intelligent in this day
and age? Hasn’t God exposed it all as pretentious nonsense? Since the world in
all its fancy wisdom never had a clue when it came to knowing God, God in his
wisdom took delight in using what the world considered dumb—preaching,
of all things!—to bring those who trust him into the way of salvation. While
Jews clamor for miraculous demonstrations and Greeks go in for philosophical
wisdom, we go right on proclaiming Christ, the Crucified. Jews treat this like
an anti-miracle—and Greeks pass it off as absurd. But to us who are
personally called by God himself—both Jews and Greeks—Christ is God’s ultimate
miracle and wisdom all wrapped up in one. Human wisdom is so tinny, so
impotent, next to the seeming absurdity of God. Human strength can’t begin to
compete with God’s “weakness.” Take a good look, friends, at
who you were when you got called into this life. I don’t see many of “the
brightest and the best” among you, not many influential, not many from
high-society families. Isn’t it obvious that God deliberately chose men and
women that the culture overlooks and exploits and abuses chose these “nobodies”
to expose the hollow pretensions of the “some bodies”? That makes it quite
clear that none of you can get by with blowing your own horn before God.
Everything that we have—right thinking and right living, a clean slate and a
fresh start—comes from God by way of Jesus Christ. That’s why we have the
saying, “If you’re going to blow a horn, blow a trumpet for God.”
Let’s
recap what we just learned from Paul’s admonishment to God’s church in Corinth.
1.
Ministers have
free and open access to God, given by Jesus.
2.
The church was
doing quite well with signs that proved it to be true.
3.
The churches
needed to get along.
4.
Silly bickering
over who you follow gets you know where.
5.
Jesus Christ is
the One who gave His life for us therefore He should be the only One we are
following. Jesus wasn’t chopped up into bits to give out to everyone.
6.
We are baptized
in honor of Christ changing our lives NOT to honor the person doing the
baptism.
7.
God does NOT
send us out to make a following for ourselves, we are to be leading others to
Christ Jesus.
8.
God exposes all
the “Experts” as crackpots turning conventional wisdom on its head.
9.
God uses what
would be considered to some highly educated people that which is dumb preaching
to bring salvation to those who need it.
10. God more often than not USES the “NOBODIES” to
expose the hollow pretensions of the “some bodies”.
11. God has made it so NO ONE – EVEN TODAY- has a right
to BLOW their own horn because He will shut you down every time.
12. Everything that we have – right thinking, right
living, a clean slate and a fresh start – comes from GOD by way of Jesus
Christ. Therefore if you must blow a horn, blow a trumpet for GOD!!!
As
a Watchman or Good Shepherd God calls upon you to deliver messages to His
people that are not always going to be pleasant. Anyone who delivers nice
fluffy messages week after week is NOT true “Shepherd”. God will discipline
those He loves {Proverbs
3:5-12, Hebrews
12:4-12}, so it’s only fair to expect that from time to time you will hear
sermons that make you squirm a little.
Ezekiel
was Watchman over Israel that God used over and over again to let the people
know how displeased He was with their actions. Let us take a look at a few of
those times to see how we can apply the lesson to our own lives.
1.
As the Watchman
God holds you personally accountable for the sins of a wicked man if you do not
warn him of consequences of his actions. On the other hand you will be free
from accountability if you warn him and he does not change or repent.
“Son
of man, I have appointed you as a watchman to the house of Israel; whenever you
hear a word from My mouth, warn them from Me. When I say to the wicked, ‘You
will certainly die,’ and you do not warn him or speak out to tell him to turn
from his wicked way to save his life, that same evil man will die in his sin,
but you will be responsible for his blood. However, if you have warned the
wicked and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his wicked way, he will
die in his sin; but you have freed yourself [from responsibility]. Again, when
a righteous man turns from his righteousness (right standing with God) and
sins, and I place an obstacle before him, he will die; since you have not
warned him, he will die in his sin, and the righteous deeds which he has done
will not be remembered; but you will be responsible for his blood. However, if
you have warned the righteous man not to sin and he does not sin, he will
surely live because he took warning; also you have freed yourself [from
responsibility].”
“Imagine a person who lives well, treating others fairly, keeping good
relationships—
doesn’t eat at the pagan
shrines,
doesn’t
worship the idols so popular in Israel,
doesn’t
seduce a neighbor’s spouse,
doesn’t
indulge in casual sex,
doesn’t
bully anyone,
doesn’t
pile up bad debts,
doesn’t
steal,
doesn’t
refuse food to the hungry,
doesn’t
refuse clothing to the ill-clad,
doesn’t
exploit the poor,
doesn’t
live by impulse and greed,
doesn’t
treat one person better than another,
But lives by my statutes and faithfully honors and obeys my laws.
This person who lives upright and well shall live a full and true life.
Decree of God, the Master.
“But
a wicked person who turns his back on that life of sin and keeps all my
statutes, living a just and righteous life, he’ll live, really live. He won’t
die. I won’t keep a list of all the things he did wrong. He will live. Do you
think I take any pleasure in the death of wicked men and women? Isn’t it my
pleasure that they turn around, no longer living wrong but living right—really
living? “The
same thing goes for a good person who turns his back on an upright life and
starts sinning, plunging into the same vile obscenities that the wicked person
practices. Will this person live? I don’t keep a list of all the things this
person did right, like money in the bank he can draw on. Because of his
defection, because he accumulates sin, he’ll die. “Do I
hear you saying, ‘That’s not fair! God’s not fair!’? “Listen,
Israel. I’m not fair? You’re the ones who aren’t fair! If a good person turns
away from his good life and takes up sinning, he’ll die for it. He’ll die for
his own sin. Likewise, if a bad person turns away from his bad life and starts
living a good life, a fair life, he will save his life. Because he faces up to
all the wrongs he’s committed and puts them behind him, he will live, really
live. He won’t die. “And yet Israel keeps on whining,
‘That’s not fair! God’s not fair.’ “I’m not fair,
Israel? You’re the ones who aren’t fair. “The
upshot is this, Israel: I’ll judge each of you according to the way you live.
So turn around! Turn your backs on your rebellious living so that sin won’t
drag you down. Clean house. No more rebellions, please. Get a new heart! Get a
new spirit! Why would you choose to die, Israel? I take no pleasure in anyone’s
death. Decree of God, the Master. “Make a clean break!
Live!”
2. As God’s Watchman you will
endure a lot of whining from the people because to them things God requires may
seem unfair. Tough, God said is not fair.
3. As the Watchman it is you
responsibility to give the people the message that God wants you to make the
decision to follow His rules so He can give you a FULL LIFE.
If
you quit with all the rebellion and belly aching maybe you could see fit to clean
house, get a new Heart, change your Attitude and get a new Spirit then God will help you make a
CLEAN BREAK and LIVE!!!
4. In Ezekiel
33, we learn that the Watchman is to sound the alarm {blow the horn}
warning people of any wars that are about to come upon them letting them know
they must turn from their sins and repent. If the watchman fails to do his job
the bloodshed will be upon his own hands.
We also learn
that “A GOOD PERSON’S good life will not save them; they must REPENT of their
sins just like anyone else. IF they refuse to listen they will die in their
sins as a good person and spend an eternity separated from God. Likewise, if a
wicked person repents and starts living a righteous and just life-being
generous to the down-and-out, restoring what he has stolen, cultivate life
nourishing ways that don’t hurt others-he will live.
We learned that
people will give you compliments; they will come and listen to you, however
most of them will never do anything you say. When you become the talk of the
town, you have basically become entertainment. If you have warned them about
the wrath of God towards their sinful ways, yet they continue living the way
they please, God will bring devastation their way at which time they will
realize there was a Watchmen {prophet} among them. By then it is too late.
As
you can see from what you just read, Israel is a stubborn nation that
continually disobeyed God just like many of us still do today. Because of
Israel’s stubbornness and unwillingness to listen to God’s Watchmen Ezekiel, we
learn from Paul in Romans
10 that Israel was reduced to “RELIGION”. The people would
not even believe God’s Watchman, Isaiah when He told them about the coming
Messiah. Look at what Paul talks about in Romans
10 so we can learn how to apply the lesson to our own
lives.
Believe me, friends, all I want for Israel
is what’s best for Israel: salvation, nothing less. I want it with all my heart
and pray to God for it all the time. I readily admit that the Jews are
impressively energetic regarding God—but they are doing everything exactly
backward. They don’t seem to realize that this comprehensive
setting-things-right that is salvation is God’s business, and a most
flourishing business it is. Right across the street they set up their own
salvation shops and noisily hawk their wares. After all these years of refusing
to really deal with God on his terms, insisting instead on making their own
deals, they have nothing to show for it. The earlier revelation was intended
simply to get us ready for the Messiah, who then puts everything right for
those who trust him to do it. Moses wrote that anyone who insists on using the
law code to live right before God soon discovers it’s not so easy—every detail
of life regulated by fine print! But trusting God to shape the right living in
us is a different story—no precarious climb up to heaven to recruit the
Messiah, no dangerous descent into hell to rescue the Messiah. So what exactly
was Moses saying? The word that saves is right here, as near as the tongue in
your mouth, as
close as the heart in your chest. It’s the word of faith that welcomes God to go to
work and set things right for us. This is the core of our preaching. Say the
welcoming word to God—“Jesus is my Master”—embracing, body and soul, God’s work
of doing in us what he did in raising Jesus from the dead. That’s it. You’re
not “doing” anything; you’re simply calling out to God, trusting him to do it
for you. That’s salvation. With your whole being you embrace God setting things
right, and then you say it, right out loud: “God has set everything right
between him and me!” Scripture reassures us, “No one who
trusts God like this—heart and soul—will ever regret it.” It’s exactly the same
no matter what a person’s religious background may be: the same God for all of
us, acting the same incredibly generous way to everyone who calls out for help.
“Everyone who calls, ‘Help, God!’ gets help.” But how can
people call for help if they don’t know who to trust? And how can they know who
to trust if they haven’t heard of the One who can be trusted? And how can they
hear if nobody tells them? And how is anyone going to tell them, unless someone
is sent to do it? That’s why Scripture exclaims, A sight to take your breath
away! Grand processions of people telling all the good things
of God! But not everybody is ready for this, ready to
see and hear and act. Isaiah asked what we all ask at one time or another:
“Does anyone care, God? Is anyone listening and believing a word of it?” The
point is: Before you trust, you have to listen. But unless Christ’s Word is
preached, there’s nothing to listen to. But haven’t there been
plenty of opportunities for Israel to listen and understand what’s going on? Plenty,
I’d say. Preachers’ voices have gone ’round the world, their
message to earth’s seven seas. So the big question is, why
didn’t Israel understand that she had no corner on this message? Moses had it
right when he predicted, When you see God reach out to those you consider your inferiors—outsiders!—you’ll become insanely
jealous. When you see God reach out to people you think are religiously stupid, you’ll
throw temper tantrums. Isaiah dared to speak out these
words of God: People found and welcomed me who never so much as looked for me. And I
found and welcomed people who had never even asked
about me. Then he capped it with a damning indictment:
Day after day after day, I beckoned Israel with open
arms, and got nothing for my trouble but cold shoulders and icy
stares.
So what did we
learn from this passage that we can apply to our lives?
1. Like the Jews who are impressively
energetic regarding God without the comprehensive “setting-things-right” that
is SALVATION being God’s business, we have many people today attending church
on Sunday, showing out for those around them, then leave church NEVER
“setting-things-right” so they can receive God’s beautiful plan of SALVATION.
2. Selling your religious wares and trying to
work out your Salvation on your own is not part of God’s Plan. God’s Plan is
SALVATION through the Son of God who gave His life for you.
3. Moses knew that it was near impossible for
mankind to follow the Law Code with all its fine print. He knew that trusting
in God would help you get your life right.
4. The core message from anyone called to be a
Watchman or “Good Shepherd” needs to be Faith that welcomes God to go to work
and set things right for us, acknowledging to God that Jesus is our master
embracing body and soul. It is God who does the work of SALVATION in your life;
all you have to do is ACKNOWLEDGE it.
5. It does NOT matter to God what your
“RELIGIOUS” background is, if you trust in Him with ALL your heart and soul, He
will be generous with His help for you.
6. It is the responsibility of the Watchman –
Good Shepherd – Preacher to point people to the One that they can trust their
life with. It is through the preaching of the Word of Truth to people ready to
hear that SALVATION will be manifest.
7. Moses had it right when he
predicted, When you see God reach out to those you consider your inferiors—outsiders!—you’ll become
insanely jealous. When you see God reach out to people
you think are religiously stupid, you’ll
throw temper tantrums. Isaiah dared to speak out these
words of God: People found and welcomed me who never so much as looked for me. And I
found and welcomed people who had never even asked
about me. Then he capped it with a damning indictment: Day
after day after day, I beckoned Israel with open arms,
and got nothing for my trouble but cold shoulders and icy
stares.
Let us now look at some more Scriptures from the New
Testament that applies to being a Watchman or Good Shepherd for God.
1.
2
Timothy 2:14-18 {MSG} – Repeat basic essentials and quit nitpicking
Repeat these basic essentials
over and over to God’s people. Warn them before God against pious nitpicking,
which chips away at the faith. It just wears everyone out. Concentrate on doing
your best for God, work you won’t be ashamed of, laying out the truth plain and
simple. Stay clear of pious talk that is only talk. Words are not mere words,
you know. If they’re not backed by a godly life, they accumulate as poison in
the soul. Hymenaeus and Philetus are examples, throwing believers off stride and missing the truth
by a mile by saying the resurrection is over and done with.
2. 2 Timothy 4:1-5 – Preach the Word,
not what people want you to preach
I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who
is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom:preach
the word [as an official messenger]; be ready when the time is right and even
when it is not [keep your sense of urgency, whether the opportunity seems
favorable or unfavorable, whether convenient or inconvenient, whether welcome
or unwelcome]; correct [those who err in doctrine or behavior], warn [those who
sin], exhort and encourage [those who are growing toward spiritual
maturity], with inexhaustible patience and [faithful] teaching.For
the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine and
accurate instruction [that challenges them with God’s truth]; but wanting
to have their ears tickled [with something pleasing], they will accumulate for
themselves [many] teachers [one after another, chosen] to satisfy their own
desires and to support the errors they hold,and will turn their ears away from the
truth and will
wander off into myths and man-made fictions [and will accept the
unacceptable].But as for you, be clear-headed in every
situation [stay calm and cool and steady], endure every hardship [without
flinching], do the work of an evangelist, fulfill [the duties of] your
ministry.
Timothy even
traveled with Paul on his apostolic journeys, alluding to a role as an
apostle. Yet in spite of his calling as
an elder and leader, he was a younger man.
3. 1
Timothy 4 – Concentrate on personal development {Spiritually}
But the [Holy] Spirit explicitly and unmistakably declares that
in later times some will turn away from the faith, paying attention instead to
deceitful and seductive spirits and doctrines of demons, [misled] by the
hypocrisy of liars whose consciences are seared as with a branding iron
[leaving them incapable of ethical functioning], who forbid marriage and advocate
abstaining from [certain kinds of] foods which God has created to be gratefully
shared by those who believe and have [a clear] knowledge of the truth. For
everything God has created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is
received with gratitude; for it is sanctified [set apart, dedicated to God] by
means of the word of God and prayer. If you point out these instructions to the
brothers and sisters, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, constantly
nourished [through study] on the words of the faith and of the good [Christian]
doctrine which you have closely followed. But have nothing to do with
irreverent folklore and silly myths. On the other hand, discipline yourself
for the purpose of godliness [keeping yourself spiritually fit]. Physical
training is of some value, but godliness (spiritual training) is of value in
everything and in every way, since it holds promise for the present life
and for the life to come. This is a faithful and trustworthy saying
worthy of full acceptance and approval. It is for this
that we labor and strive [often called to account], because we have fixed our
[confident] hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially
of those who believe [in Him, recognize Him as the Son of God, and accept Him
as Savior and Lord].
Keep
commanding and teaching these things. Let no one look down on
[you because of] your youth, but be an example and set a pattern for the
believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in [moral] purity.
Until I come, devote yourself to public reading [of Scripture], to preaching
and to teaching [the sound doctrine of God’s word]. Do not
neglect the spiritual gift within you, [that special endowment] which was
intentionally bestowed on you [by the Holy Spirit] through prophetic utterance
when the elders laid their hands on you [at your ordination]. Practice and
work hard on these things; be absorbed in them [completely occupied in your
ministry], so that your progress will be evident to all. Pay close attention to
yourself [concentrate on your personal development] and to your teaching;
persevere in these things [hold to them], for as you do this you will ensure
salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.
4. 1Timothy 1
– Correct False Teachings
Paul, an apostle (special messenger, personally chosen representative)
of Christ Jesus by the commandment of God our Savior, and of Christ Jesus (the
Messiah, the Anointed) our Hope [the fulfillment of our salvation], to Timothy,
my true son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace [inner calm and spiritual
well-being] from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
As
I urged you when I was on my way to Macedonia, stay on at Ephesus so that you
may instruct certain individuals not to teach any different doctrines, nor to
pay attention to legends (fables, myths) and endless genealogies, which give
rise to useless speculation and
meaningless arguments rather than advancing God’s program of instruction which is grounded in
faith [and requires surrendering the entire self to God in absolute trust and
confidence]. But the goal of our instruction is love [which springs] from a
pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Some individuals have
wandered away from these things into empty arguments and useless discussions, wanting to be teachers of the Law [of
Moses], even though they do not understand the terms they use or the subjects
about which they make [such] confident declarations. Now we know [without any
doubt] that the Law is good, if one uses it lawfully and appropriately, understanding the fact that law is not
enacted for the righteous person [the one in right standing with God], but for
lawless and rebellious people, for the ungodly and sinful, for the irreverent
and profane, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, for
sexually immoral persons and lechers, for kidnappers and slave traders, for liars, for perjurers—and for whatever
else is contrary to sound doctrine,according to the glorious
gospel of the blessed God, with which I have been entrusted. I thank Christ Jesus our
Lord, who has granted me [the needed] strength and made me able for this, because He considered me faithful and trustworthy, putting me into
service [for this ministry], even though I was formerly a blasphemer [of our
Lord] and a persecutor [of His church] and a shameful and outrageous and
violent aggressor [toward believers]. Yet I was shown mercy because I acted out
of ignorance in unbelief. The grace of our Lord [His amazing, unmerited favor
and blessing] flowed out in superabundance [for me, together] with the faith
and love which are [realized] in Christ Jesus. This is a faithful and trustworthy statement, deserving
full acceptance and approval,
that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am
foremost. Yet for this reason I found mercy, so that in me as the foremost [of
sinners], Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example or pattern for those who would
believe in Him for eternal life. Now to the King of the ages [eternal],
immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
This command I entrust to you, Timothy, my son, in accordance
with the prophecies previously made concerning you, so that [inspired and
aided] by them you may fight the good fight [in contending with false
teachers], keeping your faith [leaning completely on God with absolute trust
and confidence in His guidance] and having a good conscience; for some [people]
have rejected [their moral compass] and have made a shipwreck of their faith. Among
these are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan, so that
they will be disciplined and taught not to blaspheme.
So we see that age is not a
factor when filling the role of Elder or Watchman-Good Shepherd. In order to be
the “Good Shepherd” one must continually meditate on God’s Word ever growing
and maturing with understanding in order to detect and put a stop to false
teachings in the church.
Let us examine verse 10 because
so many different translations of the Bible take the word lecher out and put
homosexual in its place. A lecher was a man described as needing excessive sexual activity [Synonyms – Casanova, Don Juan, lothario {seducer of
women}, lounge lizard, masher, philanderer, satyr, wolf, womanizer] [Related
Words – amorist, gallant, ladies’ man, lady-killer, lover, paramour, Romeo;
debaucher, romancer, seducer; whoremaster, whoremonger].
5. 1Timothy
3:1-7 – Be blameless and beyond reproach able to maintain personal house as
well as the house of God.
This is a faithful and
trustworthy saying: if any man [eagerly] seeks the office of overseer (bishop,
superintendent), he desires an excellent task. Now an overseer must be
blameless and beyond reproach,
the husband of one wife, self-controlled, sensible, respectable, hospitable,
able to teach, not addicted to wine, not a bully nor quick-tempered and
hot-headed, but gentle and
considerate, free from the love of money [not greedy for wealth and its
inherent power—financially ethical].He must manage his own household well, keeping his children
under control with all dignity [keeping them respectful and well-behaved] (for if a man does not know how to
manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?). And He must not be a new convert, so that
he will not [behave stupidly and] become conceited [by appointment to this high
office] and fall into the [same] condemnation incurred by the devil [for his
arrogance and pride]. And he must have a good reputation and be well thought of by those
outside the church, so that he
will not be discredited and fall into the devil’s trap.
The
Greek work for pastor is “poimen”. The
literal meaning of the word poimen is shepherd.
English translations of the Bible only translate poimen as “pastor” only
one time in the entire New Testament in Ephesians 4:11
6.
Ephesians
4:11-13 – Operate in the Gift God has given you
And [His gifts
to the church were varied and] He Himself appointed some as apostles [special
messengers, representatives], some as prophets [who speak a new message from
God to the people], some as evangelists [who spread the good news of salvation], and some as pastors and teachers [to shepherd and guide and
instruct], [and He did this] to fully equip and
perfect the saints (God’s people) for works of service, to build up the body of
Christ [the church]; until we all reach oneness in the faith
and in the knowledge of the Son of God, [growing spiritually] to become a
mature believer, reaching to the measure of the fullness of Christ [manifesting
His spiritual completeness and exercising our spiritual gifts in unity].
Here pastor is
listed as one of the God-Appointed offices in the church, but it is plural
“pastors” and rules of Greek grammar here demand that pastors and teachers here
refer to one office. So if we accurately
translate poimen to be shepherds, and it is one office, more properly Ephesians 4:11 reads “shepherds as teachers.”
Is anyone among you sick? He must call for
the elders (spiritual leaders) of the church and they are to pray over him,
anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith will
restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has
committed sins, he will be forgiven.
This verse is
consistent with all previously mentioned texts showing a group of elders being
called upon to minister to the church in healing. It nowhere mentions having one pastor being
called upon for such a ministry.
7.
John
10:11-15 – Be a Good Shepherd voluntarily NOT for selfish gain
I am the Good
Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down His [own] life for the sheep. But the hired man [who merely serves for wages], who is neither the shepherd nor the
owner of the sheep, when he sees the wolf coming, deserts the flock and runs
away; and the wolf snatches the sheep and scatters them.The man
runs because he is a hired hand [who serves only for wages] and is not concerned about the [safety of the] sheep. I am the Good Shepherd, and I know [without any doubt those who are] My own and My own know Me [and have a deep, personal relationship
with Me]—even as the
Father knows Me and I know the Father—and I lay down My [very own] life [sacrificing it] for the
benefit of the sheep. I have other sheep [beside these] that are not of this fold. I must bring
those also, and they will listen to My voice and pay attention to My
call, and they will become one flock with one Shepherd.
Here in John we see why Jesus wants His Shepherds to take
the office voluntarily out of Love for the people. Too many times we watch as
pastors leave a church for more MONEY or a little distention occurs and they
run. Being a “Good Shepherd” with a heart for the people has given me great
joy. I would never want to be one of those hired hands who end up lusting for
more Money and betray God. When you follow the example Jesus gives here you
will have a congregation of people who will follow your lead, you will even be
able to reach out to the lost sheep {people} in your area and bring them into
your fold {House of Worship}.
8.
Titus 1:7-11 - Be upstanding so you can affectively exhort
the church in sound doctrine.
For
the overseer, as God’s steward, must be blameless, not self-willed, not
quick-tempered, not addicted to wine, not violent, not greedy for dishonest
gain [but financially ethical]. And he must be hospitable [to believers,
as well as strangers], a lover of what is good, sensible (upright), fair,
devout, self-disciplined [above reproach—whether in public or in private]. He
must hold firmly to the trustworthy word [of God] as it was taught to him, so
that he will be able both to give accurate instruction in sound [reliable,
error-free] doctrine and to refute those who contradict [it by explaining their
error].There are many rebellious men who are empty talkers
[just windbags] and deceivers; especially those of the circumcision [those Jews
who insist that Gentile believers must be circumcised and keep the Law in order
to be saved]. They must be silenced, because they are upsetting whole families
by teaching things they should not teach for the purpose of dishonest financial gain.
Exhorting God’s flock in sound doctrine is how the people
are fed nourishment from the Word, but an overseer must also be able to protect
the sheep from ravenous wolves who appear in sheep’s clothing, or from
deceivers, rebellious men and empty talkers who upset whole families and draw
away disciples after themselves.
9.
1
Corinthians 4 – Be a humble servant of Christ
1.
Be
regarded as servants of Christ and stewards {trustees, administrators} of the
mysteries of God [that He chooses to reveal].
2.
Be
found faithful and trustworthy.
3.
Know
that God NOT man will judge the motives of your heart.
4.
Learn
from your Elders who will lead you to Christ and assume responsibility for you.
5.
Do
not be boastful for what you know has come from another or from God.
6.
You
will be a spectacle to the world, both to angels and man.
7.
You
will be regarded as a fool for Christ if you are operating as a true
Watchman/Good Shepherd, not wise, strong and highly esteemed like those self
serving ministers who crave Wealth and Recognition.
8.
Know
that you will be reviled and verbally abused therefore be patient and endure.
9.
Do
not be arrogant and pretentious.
10. Be subject to those who can test your
[spiritual] power based on the power of God not just empty talk.
10. Acts
15 – Disagreements in the church need to be resolved by a group of men
knowledgeable in the Word of God, not settled by one “OPINION”.
Some men came down from Judea and began teaching the brothers,
“Unless you are circumcised in accordance with the custom of Moses, you cannot
be saved.” Paul and Barnabas disagreed greatly and debated with them, so it was
determined that Paul and Barnabas and some of the others from their group would
go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and the elders [and confer with them]
concerning this issue. So, after being supplied and sent on their way by
the church, they went through both Phoenicia and Samaria telling in detail the
conversion of the Gentiles, and they brought great joy to all the believers. When
they arrived in Jerusalem, they were received warmly by the church and the apostles
and the elders, and they reported to them all the things that God had
accomplished through them.But some from the sect of the
Pharisees who had believed [in Jesus as the Messiah] stood up and said, “It is
necessary to circumcise the Gentile converts and to direct them to observe the
Law of Moses.” The apostles and the elders came together to consider this
matter. After a long debate, Peter got up and said to them, “Brothers, you know
that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the
Gentiles would hear the message of the gospel and believe. And God, who knows and
understands the heart, testified to them, giving them the Holy Spirit, just as
He also did to us; and He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing
their hearts by faith [in Jesus]. Now then, why are you testing God by placing
a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we have been
able to endure? But we believe that we are saved through the [precious,
undeserved] grace of the Lord Jesus [which makes us free of the guilt of sin
and grants us eternal life], in just the same way as they are.”All the people
remained silent, and they listened [attentively] to Barnabas and Paul as they
described all the signs and wonders (attesting miracles) that God had done
through them among the Gentiles. When they had finished speaking, James
replied, “Brothers, listen to me. Simeon (Simon Peter) has described how God
first concerned Himself about taking from among the Gentiles a people for His
name [to honor Him and be identified with Him]. The words of the Prophets agree
with this, just as it is written [in Scripture], ‘After these things I will return, and I will rebuild the tent of David which has
fallen; I will rebuild its ruins, And
I will restore it, So that the rest of
mankind may seek the Lord, And all the Gentiles
upon whom My name has been invoked,’ Says the Lord, Who
has been making these things known from long ago.
Therefore it is my judgment that we do not trouble and make it difficult
for those who are turning to God among the Gentiles [by putting obstacles in
their way], but that we write to them that they are to abstain from anything
that has been contaminated by [being offered to] idols and from sexual impurity
and from [eating the meat of] what has been strangled and from [the consumption
of] bloodFor from ancient generations [the writing of] Moses
has been preached in every city, since he is read aloud in the
synagogues every Sabbath.” Then the apostles and the elders, together with the
whole church, decided to select some of their men to go to Antioch with Paul
and Barnabas—Judas, who was called Barsabbas, and Silas [also called Silvanus,
both], leading men among the brothers. With them they sent the following
letter: “The apostles and the brothers who are the elders, to the brothers and
sisters who are from the Gentiles in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia, Greetings.
Since we have heard that some of our men have troubled you with their
teachings, causing distress and confusion—men to whom we gave no such
orders or instructions—it has been decided by us, having met together,
to select men and send them to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, men who
have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. So we have sent
Judas and Silas, who will report by word of mouth the same things [that we
decided in our meeting]. It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to
place on you any greater burden than these essentials: that you abstain from
things sacrificed to idols, and from [consuming] blood, and from [eating the
meat of] things that have been strangled, and from sexual impurity. If you keep
yourselves from these things, you will do well. Farewell.” So when they were
sent off, they went down to Antioch; and after assembling the congregation,
they delivered the letter. And when they had read it, the people rejoiced
greatly at the encouragement and comfort [it brought them]. Judas and
Silas, who were themselves prophets (divinely inspired spokesmen), encouraged
and strengthened the believers with many words. After spending some time there,
they were sent back by the brothers with [the greeting of] peace to those who
had sent them. [However, Silas decided to stay there.] But Paul and Barnabas
remained in Antioch, and with many others also continued teaching and
proclaiming the good news, the word of the Lord [concerning eternal salvation
through faith in Christ]. After some time Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us go
back and visit the brothers and sisters (believers) in every city where we preached
the message of the Lord, and see how they are doing.” Now Barnabas wanted to
take [his cousin] John, who was called Mark, along with them. But Paul kept
insisting that they should not take along with them the one who had quit and
deserted them in Pamphylia and had not gone on with them to the work. And it
became such a sharp disagreement that they separated from one another, and
Barnabas took [John] Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus. But Paul chose
Silas [who was again in Antioch] and set out [on his second journey], commended
by the brothers to the grace and favor of the Lord. And he traveled through Syria and
Cilicia, strengthening the churches.
This series of
verses reinforces the concept of group leadership under the direction of the
Holy Spirit. The elders and apostles were the recognized oversight, but the
entire church was involved in solving its problems. How much different this
method is than our modern day pastors who have the weight of such conflicts on
their shoulders alone. Even though Paul was the chiefest among apostles, he too
was sent. The final decision in this conflict was made by “the apostles and the
brethren who are elders” (see Acts
15:23), not by a lone pastor or a board of elders under pastoral control.
In Acts 15 we see
decision for the guidance of church teaching done on a collective basis after
they became of “one mind” having done what seemed to the Holy Spirit and
themselves. Effective group leadership can only come through much prayer and
dependence on God, along with discussing matters openly.
First - several
men were sent to discuss the matter of circumcision; apostles, elders and other
men. Doctrine was discussed and decided
by a coalition of believers. Second - a group of leaders from one church were
sent to the “apostles and elders” of another church to discuss doctrinal
beliefs affecting the entire church. It
is clear that the first century believers recognized group leadership. What you
don’t see is the modern method of one pastor meeting with another past of a
church.
11. Acts
20:17-38 – Shepherds of God’s people are subject and accountable to one
another in their leadership positions.
However,
from Miletus he sent word to Ephesus and summoned the elders of the
church [to meet him there]. And when they arrived he said to them: “You know well how I
[lived when I] was with you, from the first day that I set foot in Asia [until
now], serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and trials which came
on me because of the plots of the Jews [against me];[you know]
how I did not shrink back in fear from telling you anything that was for your
benefit, or from teaching you in public meetings, and from house to house,
solemnly [and wholeheartedly] testifying to both Jews and Greeks, urging them
to turn in repentance to God and [to have] faith in our Lord Jesus Christ [for
salvation]. And now, compelled by the Spirit and obligated by my
convictions, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there,
except that the Holy Spirit solemnly [and emphatically] affirms to me in city
after city that imprisonment and suffering await me. But I do not consider my
life as something of value or dear to me, so that I may [with joy]
finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to
testify faithfully of the good news of God’s [precious, undeserved] grace
[which makes us free of the guilt of sin and grants us eternal life]. “And now, listen carefully: I know that none of you, among whom I
went about preaching the kingdom, will see me again. For that reason I testify
to you on this [our parting] day that I am innocent of the blood of all people.
I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose and plan of
God. Take care and be on guard for yourselves and for the whole flock
over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as overseers, to shepherd (tend,
feed, guide) the church of God which He bought with His own blood. I know that
after I am gone, [false teachers like] ferocious wolves will come in among you,
not sparing the flock; even from among your own selves men will arise, speaking
perverse and distorted things, to draw away the disciples after
themselves [as their followers]. Therefore be continually alert,
remembering that for three years, night or day, I did not stop admonishing and
advising each one [of you] with tears. And now I commend you to God [placing
you in His protective, loving care] and [I commend you] to the word of His
grace [the counsel and promises of His unmerited favor]. His grace is able to
build you up and to give you the [rightful] inheritance among all those who are
sanctified [that is, among those who are set apart for God’s purpose—all
believers]. I had no desire for anyone’s silver or gold or [expensive] clothes.
You know personally that these hands ministered to my own needs [working in
manual labor] and to [those of] the people who were with me. In everything I
showed you [by example] that by working hard in this way you must help the weak
and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed [and brings greater joy] to give than to receive.’” When he had said these
things, he knelt down and prayed with them all. And they began
to weep openly and threw their arms around Paul’s neck, and repeatedly kissed
him, grieving and distressed especially over the word which he had
spoken, that they would not see him again. And they accompanied him to the
ship.
What is Paul
saying to the elders in Acts 20? There
are five important points to consider:
1. Notice in Acts
20:17, Paul calls the elders (plural) to himself from a particular church
(Ephesus) where he, as an apostle, had founded a work. He gives them final
admonitions before he departs permanently from them. Paul’s warning is to the
entire group of men. In verse
28 Paul tells the elders to maintain a careful watch over themselves as a
group of leaders. Later in Acts
20:31 he tells them to carefully observe one another’s conduct, mannerisms,
etc. This shows that the
shepherds of God’s people are subject and accountable to one another in their
leadership positions. More than one
shepherd is needed to prevent deception from creeping in. In Acts
20:28 Paul tells them to take heed to themselves (i.e. he tells the elders
to look after their fellow elders) by making a distinction between the
shepherds and the sheep saying, “...also do the same with respect to all the
flock”. Again, group leadership is seen
along with group accountability.
2. Acts
20:29-30 Paul tells us the reason
there needs to be group leadership and what type of deception the shepherds can
open up to. Paul warns the elder/shepherds that after his departure rapacious
wolves would come in among them. Paul’s exhortation became even more sobering
when he said prophetically that these deceivers would, “from among your own
selves...arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after
them.” History is replete with examples
of good men of God who fall prey to the devil’s lies because they were
accountable to no one, because the church leadership was structure to
facilitate this kind of deception. It has been said that power corrupts, and
absolute power corrupts absolutely. We find this to be the case more often than
most would like to admit.
3. A careful look at the meaning of some words
and phrases in this important passage of scripture would be helpful in seeing
God’s wisdom in reworking our churches current pyramid structure of authority
with a lone pastor at the top of the heap to an even distribution of the
leadership amongst fellow shepherds under the direction of the Holy
Spirit. God says elders can become
“rapacious wolves.” Rapacious means
given to seizing what one wants; excessively grasping; living on prey as savage
wolves. Is it any wonder with this type of potential deception amongst church
leadership that the apostle Paul exhorts the elder/shepherds to observe on
another’s conduct; to see if there are fellow elders who would prey upon their
own sheep?
4. Another deception elders were to look out
for amongst themselves was the men who spoke distorted and corrupted things.
“Distort” means to twist aside mentally or morally; to wrest from the true
meaning; to pervert. We see here how
elders who were also the teachers would twist the scriptures to their own
destruction, changing the true meaning of scripture to pervert the morals or
thinking of the flock. The word,
“corrupted,” literally means, “to taint; to change from good to bad; to debase;
to draw aside from what is right and proper; to pervert; to falsify as a
text.” Again, this is a clear,
deliberate perversion of God’s word. It
is clear from the text that certain elder/shepherds that would pervert, twist
and corrupt the gospel, “for the purpose of drawing away disciples after
themselves.” They prey upon sheep who
are not discerning. They do so by
changing the true meaning of the Word of God because of greed and lust for
power, prestige, sex, etc. They taint
the word, changing things from good to bad or from that which is right and
proper to that which is improper.
5. The
shepherds must be a plurality to prevent the
aforementioned abuses from destroying the church. Today’s church with its one-man leadership
not only fails to meet the needs of the individual believer who can never spend
quality time with overloaded pastors, but it also puts those pastors in a
position of vulnerability to demonic deception. In summary, two things can be
observed happening among church leaders:
1. Rapacious
wolves would “enter in” among them; it implies the deception occurs after the
church has become established.
2. The
apostle Paul’s exhortation to the elders of the Ephesus church was,” that from
among yourselves men shall arise,” and this indicates there were already
certain Ephesian elders in this group that would go astray and attempt to
deceive others in the flock.
The offices of the church must
be restored in their scriptural settings in order for this passage to be
fulfilled. In closing, let us carefully
take to heart the words of Ezekiel the prophet, who warns the shepherds of
Yahweh’s judgment if ever they use force and severity to dominate the flock.
12.
Ezekiel
34:1-4, 7-20,
23-24,
29-31 Then the word of the LORD came to me
saying, “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and say
to those shepherds, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Woe, shepherds of Israel who
have been feeding themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flock? You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with
the wool; you slaughter the fat sheep without feeding the flock. Those who are sickly you have not
strengthened, the diseased you have not healed, the broken you have not bound
up, the scattered you have not brought back, nor have you sought for the lost;
but with force and with severity you have dominated them…”
Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD: "As I
live," declares the Lord GOD, "surely because My flock has become a
prey, My flock has even become food for all the beasts of the field for lack of
a shepherd, and My shepherds did not search for My flock, but rather the
shepherds fed themselves and did not feed My flock; therefore, you shepherds,
hear the word of the LORD: 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Behold, I am against
the shepherds, and I will demand My sheep from them and make them cease from
feeding sheep. So the shepherds will not feed themselves anymore, but I will
deliver My flock from their mouth, so that they will not be food for
them."'"
For thus says the Lord GOD, "Behold, I Myself will search for My
sheep and seek them out. As a shepherd
cares for his herd in the day when he is among his scattered sheep, so I will
care for My sheep and will deliver them from all the places to which they were
scattered on a cloudy and gloomy day. I
will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries and
bring them to their own land; and I will feed them on the mountains of Israel,
by the streams, and in all the inhabited places of the land. I will feed them in a good pasture, and their
grazing ground will be on the mountain heights of Israel. There they will lie
down on good grazing ground and feed in rich pasture on the mountains of
Israel. I will feed My flock and I will lead them to rest," declares the
Lord GOD.
"I will seek the lost, bring back the scattered, bind up the
broken and strengthen the sick; but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I
will feed them with judgment. As for
you, My flock, thus says the Lord GOD, 'Behold, I will judge between one sheep
and another, between the rams and the male goats.
Is it too slight a thing for you that you should feed in the good pasture
that you must tread down with your feet the rest of your pastures? Or that you should drink of the clear waters,
that you must foul the rest with your feet?
As for My flock, they must eat what you tread down with your feet and
drink what you foul with your feet!'"
Therefore, thus
says the Lord GOD to them, "Behold, I, even I, will judge between the fat
sheep and the lean sheep… Then I will set over them one shepherd, My servant
David, and he will feed them; he will feed them himself and be their shepherd. And I, the LORD, will be their God, and My
servant David will be prince among them; I the LORD have spoken. I will establish for them a renowned planting
place, and they will not again be victims of famine in the land, and they will
not endure the insults of the nations anymore.
Then they will know that I, the LORD their God, am with them, and that
they, the house of Israel, are My people," declares the Lord GOD. As for you, My sheep, the sheep of My
pasture, you are men, and I am your God," declares the Lord GOD.
The good shepherd
lays down His life for the sheep NOT so they can have what He doesn’t – but so
they can have what he HAS – so they too can lay down their lives for the glory
of God.
Note
carefully: The shepherd is actually preparing
the sheep for slaughter! The shepherd is raising sheep so they can die.
Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the
mercies of God, to present your bodies [dedicating all of yourselves, set
apart] as a living sacrifice, holy and well-pleasing to God, which is
your rational (logical, intelligent) act of worship.
The goal of all shepherding is to
transform stupid, wandering sheep into the sheep likeness of Jesus: Sacrificial
lambs.
So:
·
My job is not to make you prosperous. My job is to protect
you from prosperity
·
My job is not to help you have a good life. My job is to
exhort you and to challenge you and to help you to lay down your good life for the glory of God and the joy of all
peoples.
That’s why the Holy Spirit makes men
overseers, elders, pastors:
·
To deepen joy in Christ: That is, to edify the church, so
each can say, “Earth has nothing I desire besides You – YOU are the pearl of
great price, worth selling all I have to gain, YOU are the treasure hidden in
the field, that out of my joy I give up all else to obtain.”
·
To express that deepened joy in Christ publicly,
corporately, as we say together in worship,
This world is empty pale and poor
Compared to knowing You, my Lord!
Lead me on and I will run after You!
·
And as a consequence of this deep joy in Christ, to spread
that joy in Christ to those in our culture – that’s evangelism – and to those
in other cultures – that’s missions – so that our great God might have all the
glory
That’s why we exist as a church.
That’s why God called me and your
pastors as Good Shepherds and as elders.
That’s why God calls YOU as His
sheep, His follower, and His disciple.
So that you, a wandering, stupid
sheep, might become like Jesus: A spotless lamb, laying down your life, for
your greatest joy, for God’s glory throughout creation.
Do you hear the call?
Will you follow?
Email me here, Rainbow Pastor David
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