The Character of The Shepherd
1 Peter 5: 1 – 4
July 20, 2008
Pastor Ben Fleming
The character of a shepherd
In his book “A Shepherd’s Look at Psalm 23,” Philipp Keller, a shepherd himself writes, “ It is no accident that God has chosen to call His children sheep”. The behavior of humans and sheep is very similar according to Keller…. Sheep do not just take care of themselves as some might think. They require more care than any other class of livestock, endless attention and meticulous detail to their needs. To most animals, God has given them an uncanny instinct to find their way home. But if sheep stray into unfamiliar territory, they become completely disoriented and cannot find their way back home….. Is it any wonder that Jesus used the parable of the lost sheep to communicate this point. Sheep need a shepherd to guide them, provide for them, protect them and sometimes rescue them from harm.
Sheep spend most of their time eating and drinking. If they become lost, they are helpless to find adequate food and water. Left to themselves, sheep will indiscriminately eat both healthy and poisonous plants. They will over graze and ruin their own pasture. Sheep have to be led to water that is not impure or stagnant, not too hot or too cold and water that is not moving to rapidly. Could that be why the King David writes “he leads me beside quiet waters”? Ps 42:11
“why are you caste down oh my soul?” and in Ps 23 it says, he restores my soul. When sheep become fat or with too much wool they can fall over on their sides and they cannot get back up again ---- if the shepherd does not come and pick them up and put them on their feet they will die. This is the picture these two Psalms give us about believers who are caste down.
Sheep are in need of other assistance as well. Because their wool secrets a large volume of oily lanolin that permeates their fleece, much dirt, grass and wind blown debris can cling to it. Since they have no ability to clean themselves, they remain soiled until the shepherd shears them. Get this: Between shearings the shepherd must clear the dirty sticky accumulation from under their tails or they cannot eliminate waste and they may become sick and die. Sheep are naturally passive and defenseless against predators, and when they are attacked their only response is to flee in panic and the shepherd must be continually on the guard to defend and rescue the sheep from attack. If you read the gospels you will find time and time again Jesus referring to His children as disoriented, confused, unclean and spiritually lost sheep without a shepherd.
God does not expect His children to feed themselves spiritually, lead themselves and protect themselves. In God’s economy – He designed His children to be shepherded as a flock by a shepherd and not by a preacher in a TV box or in a book. The prophet Isaiah compared all of mankind like lost sheep in Isaiah chapter 53:6 “All of us like sheep have gone astray, each has turned to his own way”.
Believers in Jesus Christ are prone to wander… The book of Hebrews warns the believer, “be careful lest you drift away.” In almost every flock of sheep there will be a fence walker. This is often the biggest ewe with the best looking wool. She will always be looking at the grass on the other side of the fence and finding a way to get out to that grass – which is always worse than the grass in front of them. The fence walker will even lead her own lambs out and others will follow ----- eventually the shepherd has to kill the fence walker to protect the rest of the flock. Believers are prone to take in what is bad for them, they become unclean, they are highly vulnerable, they are defenseless on their own, and they are often naïve. It is easy to see why God would command and demand that there be shepherds over His sheep…..
Conclusion: For someone to call themselves a believer in Jesus Christ and yet they have nothing to do with a shepherd and a flock of other believers is a contradiction. That person is deceiving themselves. The call for shepherds who are faithful and responsible is compelling in the New Testament. Our text for this morning.
July 20, 2008
Pastor Ben Fleming
The character of a shepherd
In his book “A Shepherd’s Look at Psalm 23,” Philipp Keller, a shepherd himself writes, “ It is no accident that God has chosen to call His children sheep”. The behavior of humans and sheep is very similar according to Keller…. Sheep do not just take care of themselves as some might think. They require more care than any other class of livestock, endless attention and meticulous detail to their needs. To most animals, God has given them an uncanny instinct to find their way home. But if sheep stray into unfamiliar territory, they become completely disoriented and cannot find their way back home….. Is it any wonder that Jesus used the parable of the lost sheep to communicate this point. Sheep need a shepherd to guide them, provide for them, protect them and sometimes rescue them from harm.
Sheep spend most of their time eating and drinking. If they become lost, they are helpless to find adequate food and water. Left to themselves, sheep will indiscriminately eat both healthy and poisonous plants. They will over graze and ruin their own pasture. Sheep have to be led to water that is not impure or stagnant, not too hot or too cold and water that is not moving to rapidly. Could that be why the King David writes “he leads me beside quiet waters”? Ps 42:11
“why are you caste down oh my soul?” and in Ps 23 it says, he restores my soul. When sheep become fat or with too much wool they can fall over on their sides and they cannot get back up again ---- if the shepherd does not come and pick them up and put them on their feet they will die. This is the picture these two Psalms give us about believers who are caste down.
Sheep are in need of other assistance as well. Because their wool secrets a large volume of oily lanolin that permeates their fleece, much dirt, grass and wind blown debris can cling to it. Since they have no ability to clean themselves, they remain soiled until the shepherd shears them. Get this: Between shearings the shepherd must clear the dirty sticky accumulation from under their tails or they cannot eliminate waste and they may become sick and die. Sheep are naturally passive and defenseless against predators, and when they are attacked their only response is to flee in panic and the shepherd must be continually on the guard to defend and rescue the sheep from attack. If you read the gospels you will find time and time again Jesus referring to His children as disoriented, confused, unclean and spiritually lost sheep without a shepherd.
God does not expect His children to feed themselves spiritually, lead themselves and protect themselves. In God’s economy – He designed His children to be shepherded as a flock by a shepherd and not by a preacher in a TV box or in a book. The prophet Isaiah compared all of mankind like lost sheep in Isaiah chapter 53:6 “All of us like sheep have gone astray, each has turned to his own way”.
Believers in Jesus Christ are prone to wander… The book of Hebrews warns the believer, “be careful lest you drift away.” In almost every flock of sheep there will be a fence walker. This is often the biggest ewe with the best looking wool. She will always be looking at the grass on the other side of the fence and finding a way to get out to that grass – which is always worse than the grass in front of them. The fence walker will even lead her own lambs out and others will follow ----- eventually the shepherd has to kill the fence walker to protect the rest of the flock. Believers are prone to take in what is bad for them, they become unclean, they are highly vulnerable, they are defenseless on their own, and they are often naïve. It is easy to see why God would command and demand that there be shepherds over His sheep…..
Conclusion: For someone to call themselves a believer in Jesus Christ and yet they have nothing to do with a shepherd and a flock of other believers is a contradiction. That person is deceiving themselves. The call for shepherds who are faithful and responsible is compelling in the New Testament. Our text for this morning.
1 Peter 5:1 - 4 1To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder, a witness of Christ’s sufferings and one who also will share in the glory to be revealed: 2Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; 3not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. 4And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.”
Today we are going to look at the character of a shepherd or pastor and then next week we are going to examine the character of sheep in the flock of God. Peter gives us 4 points…..
1. Shepherds are commanded by God. ( Vs.1 ) “To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder, a witness of Christ’s sufferings and one who also will share in the glory to be revealed.”
Leadership and care of God’s people is expected and commanded by God throughout the New Testament…. The character of those who are to care for God’s children is described in 1 Timothy 3: 1 -7 and Titus 1:5 -9. God lays out the qualifications of an elder in those letters. Peter is writing to the churches. He is saying that in your flocks there are men who are to be elders. He appeals to those men. Other translations use the word exhort instead of appeal.
Peter wrote the word parakaleo – it comes from the same word root Jesus spoke of referring to the Holy Spirit. It means to call alongside or literally to encourage or compel someone in a certain direction. That is the role of a shepherd. To call someone alongside – to encourage them and compel them in a certain direction. There are three words in the New Testament that talk about a shepherd. Peter uses the word elder or presbuteros which simply refers to the man’s maturity for ministry. Another word is episcopos or bishop – which is an overseer or manager – but the word most closely related to shepherd is the word poimen which is the one who has the duty of feeding – caring for and teaching the truth of God’s Word – you know that person as a pastor.
Being a shepherd of a flock of God’s people involves many things. It requires one to have and exercise spiritual leadership, to grow spiritually and mature oneself and to protect the flock under ones care. But the most important aspect of being a shepherd of God’s people is to feed the flock through skillful preaching and teaching of God’s Word. A shepherd must hear from God…… Where does the mandate for a pastor of a flock of God’s people come from? You hear some people say they do not need a pastor….. Turn in your bible to John 21: 15 -17. The words Peter writes in chapter 5 might have come from his encounter with Jesus after the resurrection by the Sea of Tiberias.
“When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love Me more than these?” Yes, Lord, he said, you know I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” Again Jesus said, Simon son of John, do you truly love me? He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you. Jesus said, Take care of My sheep. The third time he said to him, Simon son of John, do you love Me? Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him a third time, “Do you love Me? He said, Lord you know these things; you know that I love You.” Jesus said, feed My sheep.” Notice what Jesus says in this section:
* His sheep need to be fed. His sheep need to be cared for. Jesus tells Peter – feed my lambs – take care of my sheep – and again feed my sheep. Since Jesus said what He did – one must conclude that it is impossible for one to think of or believe that one is a child of God and say that one does not need to be cared for and fed by a shepherd. If that were the case then you would not find these commands in the bible and the words Jesus spoke to Peter was an option or they only applied to weak people. 2nd Jesus
* Feeding the sheep of Jesus communicates love of God. To feed God’s sheep involves tending them – caring for them and teaching them. Teaching them involves edifying and strengthening them with deep truths of spiritual food.
If what Jesus said to Peter is true- then when a believer does not submit themselves to teaching and preaching from God’s Word they are refusing the love of God. They are saying “I am spiritually self sufficient and the teaching and preaching of God’s Word in my life is not all that important”. …..2x Remember this point:
Feeding God’s sheep involves telling them not only what they want to hear but what they do not want to hear but need to hear! Point #2
2. Shepherds have a flock. (vs.2a) “Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care”
To be a shepherd is to feed a flock. It is to tend. It is to care for a group of God’s people. One cannot call one self a shepherd and you do not tend a flock. Peter is saying to the elders in the churches to feed the people. Teach the believers. Encourage the believers. Rebuke the believers. Equip the believers. Peter tells them to be pastors to believers in God’s flock. He is talking about the children of God. He is talking about the wider body of Christ and a local body of Christ.
Someone who calls them self a believer in Jesus Christ and does not sit under and submit to the teaching and preaching of one shepherd is fooling themselves. They are outside of the will of God. Why do I say that? In the church world today – there are people who go from church to church to church. They never get close enough and sit long enough under the teaching of a shepherd for that shepherd to know them. He never gets close to their sores. He never gets close enough to hear their pains – they are off to another flock. Do not hear me wrong: it is not wrong to be with others in the family of God. It is not wrong to pray with others in the family of God. Some people are proud today to say that they attend two or three churches. They are simply saying that they do not have a shepherd they submit to and they are not part of a flock. There is a sore or pain that they are hiding and they want no one to know about. Why does James say – confess your sins to one another so that you can be healed? Why does the writer of Hebrews chapter 13:17 say “obey your shepherd and submit to his authority, he watches over you and must give an account for you.” 3rd point Peter gives us…
3. Shepherds are to be examples. (vs. 2b -3) “…serving as overseers—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. “
Here Peter gives two positive ways a shepherd is suppose to act and two negative ways he is not. He says first - they are to serve as an overseer. An overseer is to watch over the sheep and to access their condition.
Today we are going to look at the character of a shepherd or pastor and then next week we are going to examine the character of sheep in the flock of God. Peter gives us 4 points…..
1. Shepherds are commanded by God. ( Vs.1 ) “To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder, a witness of Christ’s sufferings and one who also will share in the glory to be revealed.”
Leadership and care of God’s people is expected and commanded by God throughout the New Testament…. The character of those who are to care for God’s children is described in 1 Timothy 3: 1 -7 and Titus 1:5 -9. God lays out the qualifications of an elder in those letters. Peter is writing to the churches. He is saying that in your flocks there are men who are to be elders. He appeals to those men. Other translations use the word exhort instead of appeal.
Peter wrote the word parakaleo – it comes from the same word root Jesus spoke of referring to the Holy Spirit. It means to call alongside or literally to encourage or compel someone in a certain direction. That is the role of a shepherd. To call someone alongside – to encourage them and compel them in a certain direction. There are three words in the New Testament that talk about a shepherd. Peter uses the word elder or presbuteros which simply refers to the man’s maturity for ministry. Another word is episcopos or bishop – which is an overseer or manager – but the word most closely related to shepherd is the word poimen which is the one who has the duty of feeding – caring for and teaching the truth of God’s Word – you know that person as a pastor.
Being a shepherd of a flock of God’s people involves many things. It requires one to have and exercise spiritual leadership, to grow spiritually and mature oneself and to protect the flock under ones care. But the most important aspect of being a shepherd of God’s people is to feed the flock through skillful preaching and teaching of God’s Word. A shepherd must hear from God…… Where does the mandate for a pastor of a flock of God’s people come from? You hear some people say they do not need a pastor….. Turn in your bible to John 21: 15 -17. The words Peter writes in chapter 5 might have come from his encounter with Jesus after the resurrection by the Sea of Tiberias.
“When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love Me more than these?” Yes, Lord, he said, you know I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” Again Jesus said, Simon son of John, do you truly love me? He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you. Jesus said, Take care of My sheep. The third time he said to him, Simon son of John, do you love Me? Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him a third time, “Do you love Me? He said, Lord you know these things; you know that I love You.” Jesus said, feed My sheep.” Notice what Jesus says in this section:
* His sheep need to be fed. His sheep need to be cared for. Jesus tells Peter – feed my lambs – take care of my sheep – and again feed my sheep. Since Jesus said what He did – one must conclude that it is impossible for one to think of or believe that one is a child of God and say that one does not need to be cared for and fed by a shepherd. If that were the case then you would not find these commands in the bible and the words Jesus spoke to Peter was an option or they only applied to weak people. 2nd Jesus
* Feeding the sheep of Jesus communicates love of God. To feed God’s sheep involves tending them – caring for them and teaching them. Teaching them involves edifying and strengthening them with deep truths of spiritual food.
If what Jesus said to Peter is true- then when a believer does not submit themselves to teaching and preaching from God’s Word they are refusing the love of God. They are saying “I am spiritually self sufficient and the teaching and preaching of God’s Word in my life is not all that important”. …..2x Remember this point:
Feeding God’s sheep involves telling them not only what they want to hear but what they do not want to hear but need to hear! Point #2
2. Shepherds have a flock. (vs.2a) “Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care”
To be a shepherd is to feed a flock. It is to tend. It is to care for a group of God’s people. One cannot call one self a shepherd and you do not tend a flock. Peter is saying to the elders in the churches to feed the people. Teach the believers. Encourage the believers. Rebuke the believers. Equip the believers. Peter tells them to be pastors to believers in God’s flock. He is talking about the children of God. He is talking about the wider body of Christ and a local body of Christ.
Someone who calls them self a believer in Jesus Christ and does not sit under and submit to the teaching and preaching of one shepherd is fooling themselves. They are outside of the will of God. Why do I say that? In the church world today – there are people who go from church to church to church. They never get close enough and sit long enough under the teaching of a shepherd for that shepherd to know them. He never gets close to their sores. He never gets close enough to hear their pains – they are off to another flock. Do not hear me wrong: it is not wrong to be with others in the family of God. It is not wrong to pray with others in the family of God. Some people are proud today to say that they attend two or three churches. They are simply saying that they do not have a shepherd they submit to and they are not part of a flock. There is a sore or pain that they are hiding and they want no one to know about. Why does James say – confess your sins to one another so that you can be healed? Why does the writer of Hebrews chapter 13:17 say “obey your shepherd and submit to his authority, he watches over you and must give an account for you.” 3rd point Peter gives us…
3. Shepherds are to be examples. (vs. 2b -3) “…serving as overseers—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. “
Here Peter gives two positive ways a shepherd is suppose to act and two negative ways he is not. He says first - they are to serve as an overseer. An overseer is to watch over the sheep and to access their condition.
Think about it: For that to happen – the sheep have to be close enough or get close enough for the shepherd to see them and watch them. That takes time. When a pastor sees someone every 6 weeks you cannot watch them. When you say amen and the sheep head for the door you cannot watch them and observe them.
There are people who have been coming to this small church for years and still I do not know them. I realize that some of that is my fault ---- I could be a better overseer. In our society, I believe that the challenge a shepherd has is that most people say to themselves – “if I get close enough to have a shepherd assess my condition” – “he might not like what he sees.” The second positive action a shepherd must take is to serve the sheep and be examples to the sheep. A shepherd must be an example to those he shepherds. He must be an example on Sundays and he must be an example in the community and at home. All throughout the NT you will find time and time again Paul telling his sheep to be an imitator of him. Do what Paul does. It is right for a pastor to tell his people to do what he does. It is not boasting. The week before Sunday June 29th I struggled with writing the message that I wrote “When God Changes Your plans” --- it was a personal message and most of it was for my son and daughter in law ---- several times I thought of not giving it but I heard God tell me – “let the people know your journey”.
In 1 Corinthians 4:16, Paul tells the believers ,”Follow my example as I follow Christ.” So --- it is right for a pastor to tell people about his personal life. It is right for a pastor to tell people about his prayer life – his own personal devotional life --- his married life --- his struggles – his personal finances. The challenge with this as a pastor is that you battle thinking that you are boasting when you speak of your life.
A pastor is not only to be an example to his flock by what he says and teaches them but how he serves them. He must be available at all times. You can call him at 6 am and 12 midnight. You can ask for his help anytime and in any circumstance. He does not just tell people what to do – he shows them how to do it and does it himself.
Now look at the two negative warnings: The first is that a pastor can battle with feeling like he must do what he does because of compulsion ---- what will people think? I must do this because I am a pastor. Peter says ---- pastor keep your heart tender --- keep your heart motivated by your love for God. It is God who you are to please and not people. It is God who sees what you do and how you do it. Battle for joy and battle to be a pastor whose heart is motivated because of His love for Christ. Peter also warms pastors not to be motivated by money or material gain. Peter is not saying that pastors must be kept poor – he is warning them of the temptation to be motivated by money.
There are people who have been coming to this small church for years and still I do not know them. I realize that some of that is my fault ---- I could be a better overseer. In our society, I believe that the challenge a shepherd has is that most people say to themselves – “if I get close enough to have a shepherd assess my condition” – “he might not like what he sees.” The second positive action a shepherd must take is to serve the sheep and be examples to the sheep. A shepherd must be an example to those he shepherds. He must be an example on Sundays and he must be an example in the community and at home. All throughout the NT you will find time and time again Paul telling his sheep to be an imitator of him. Do what Paul does. It is right for a pastor to tell his people to do what he does. It is not boasting. The week before Sunday June 29th I struggled with writing the message that I wrote “When God Changes Your plans” --- it was a personal message and most of it was for my son and daughter in law ---- several times I thought of not giving it but I heard God tell me – “let the people know your journey”.
In 1 Corinthians 4:16, Paul tells the believers ,”Follow my example as I follow Christ.” So --- it is right for a pastor to tell people about his personal life. It is right for a pastor to tell people about his prayer life – his own personal devotional life --- his married life --- his struggles – his personal finances. The challenge with this as a pastor is that you battle thinking that you are boasting when you speak of your life.
A pastor is not only to be an example to his flock by what he says and teaches them but how he serves them. He must be available at all times. You can call him at 6 am and 12 midnight. You can ask for his help anytime and in any circumstance. He does not just tell people what to do – he shows them how to do it and does it himself.
Now look at the two negative warnings: The first is that a pastor can battle with feeling like he must do what he does because of compulsion ---- what will people think? I must do this because I am a pastor. Peter says ---- pastor keep your heart tender --- keep your heart motivated by your love for God. It is God who you are to please and not people. It is God who sees what you do and how you do it. Battle for joy and battle to be a pastor whose heart is motivated because of His love for Christ. Peter also warms pastors not to be motivated by money or material gain. Peter is not saying that pastors must be kept poor – he is warning them of the temptation to be motivated by money.
Shepherds are to be properly compensated – in 1 Cor 9:7 --- Paul says that a shepherd has a right to expect the sheep he feeds to take care of him – and one cannot call a pastor ones pastor if you do not support him financially in the work he does. The last warning Peter gives a shepherd is to be careful that you do not fall into the trap of dominating people. Perhaps the easiest way a pastor can do this is by what he says. You can lord it over people with your words --- you can lord it over people through guilt --- you can lord it over people by appealing to authority – it is easy to manipulate people and try to play Holy Spirit in their lives. Shepherds are to be examples…..
4. Shepherds serve the Chief Shepherd. (vs.4) “And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.” Every pastor of every flock. Every pastor of every church must keep in front of their minds that they serve the chief shepherd. The church belongs to Jesus – He is the good shepherd as John calls him – He is the great shepherd as Hebrews calls Him and He is the Shepherd and Guardian of souls as Peter calls Him. When Peter says “when the Chief Shepherd appears” he is referring to when Jesus comes again – those who took care of His sheep will be given eternal crowns that will never fade away. In the Greco- Roman world of Peter’s day – the winners of athletic events were given crowns and not trophies – Peter says the crowns that Jesus will award to His under shepherds will never fade away.
4. Shepherds serve the Chief Shepherd. (vs.4) “And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.” Every pastor of every flock. Every pastor of every church must keep in front of their minds that they serve the chief shepherd. The church belongs to Jesus – He is the good shepherd as John calls him – He is the great shepherd as Hebrews calls Him and He is the Shepherd and Guardian of souls as Peter calls Him. When Peter says “when the Chief Shepherd appears” he is referring to when Jesus comes again – those who took care of His sheep will be given eternal crowns that will never fade away. In the Greco- Roman world of Peter’s day – the winners of athletic events were given crowns and not trophies – Peter says the crowns that Jesus will award to His under shepherds will never fade away.
Shepherding a flock of God’s people is a serious – sobering responsibility. Every elder who cares for God’s people will stand before God on the judgment day and give an account of his ministry. Look on your outline at the words of the apostle James.
James 3:1”Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.” James is not trying to discourage God’s people from becoming shepherds - he is simply reminding them of God’s high standards and the coming judgment before the judgment seat of Christ.
Application:
1. Pray with your shepherd. Pray for your shepherd. Has your shepherd hear your prayers? Has your shepherd ever heard you praying for him?
2. Support your shepherd. Do not always expect him to come to you. Come to him even when you do not have a problem or a complaint. Be an encourager to your shepherd. Support the shepherds who are in training. Hebrews 13:17 17Obey your spiritual leaders, and do what they say. Their work is to watch over your souls, and they are accountable to God. Give them reason to do this with joy and not with sorrow. That would certainly not be for your benefit.
3. Mature yourself to where you become a shepherd. Stop expecting to be taken care of – start taking care of others. Get equipped to be a shepherd – ask God to give you a teachable spirit. A church needs more pastors. A church needs older women pastoring younger women. A church needs older men pastoring younger men.
Let us pray:
James 3:1”Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.” James is not trying to discourage God’s people from becoming shepherds - he is simply reminding them of God’s high standards and the coming judgment before the judgment seat of Christ.
Application:
1. Pray with your shepherd. Pray for your shepherd. Has your shepherd hear your prayers? Has your shepherd ever heard you praying for him?
2. Support your shepherd. Do not always expect him to come to you. Come to him even when you do not have a problem or a complaint. Be an encourager to your shepherd. Support the shepherds who are in training. Hebrews 13:17 17Obey your spiritual leaders, and do what they say. Their work is to watch over your souls, and they are accountable to God. Give them reason to do this with joy and not with sorrow. That would certainly not be for your benefit.
3. Mature yourself to where you become a shepherd. Stop expecting to be taken care of – start taking care of others. Get equipped to be a shepherd – ask God to give you a teachable spirit. A church needs more pastors. A church needs older women pastoring younger women. A church needs older men pastoring younger men.
Let us pray:
Ezekiel 34:11 -16 “For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I myself will search and find my sheep. 12I will be like a shepherd looking for his scattered flock. I will find my sheep and rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on that dark and cloudy day. 13I will bring them back home to their own land of Israel from among the peoples and nations. I will feed them on the mountains of Israel and by the rivers and in all the places where people live. 14Yes, I will give them good pastureland on the high hills of Israel. There they will lie down in pleasant places and feed in the lush pastures of the hills. 15I myself will tend my sheep and give them a place to lie down in peace, says the Sovereign LORD. 16I will search for my lost ones who strayed away, and I will bring them safely home again. I will bandage the injured and strengthen the weak. But I will destroy those who are fat and powerful. I will feed them, yes—feed them justice!
