Pastors: The Shepherding role of
every Christian
Pastors are shepherds of
God’s sheep, having the care for their spiritual teaching and ministry, which
often includes helping provide physical as well as spiritual needs. Pastors counsel as well as teach, and they
are a resource for their people to connect with others in the church as well as
with their families, neighbors, employers, and community.
The following list of the Shepherd’s
jobs is taken from the small book The
Minister as Shepherd by Charles Jefferson.
The nation
of
31Then Joseph said to his brothers and to his father's
household, "I will go up and speak to Pharaoh and will say to him, 'My
brothers and my father's household, who were living in the
47 1Joseph went and
told Pharaoh, "My father and brothers, with their flocks and herds and
everything they own, have come from the
3Pharaoh asked the brothers, "What is your occupation?"
"Your servants are shepherds," they replied to Pharaoh,
"just as our fathers were." 4They also said to him,
"We have come to live here awhile, because the famine is severe in
5Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Your father and your brothers
have come to you, 6and the
The Lord told Moses to tell the Israelites: Your children will be shepherds here for forty years. (Numbers 14:33a, NIV)
And… women were shepherds too!
Rachel:
9While he was still talking with them, Rachel came with her father's sheep, for she was a shepherdess. 10When Jacob saw Rachel daughter of Laban, his mother's brother, and Laban's sheep, he went over and rolled the stone away from the mouth of the well and watered his uncle's sheep. (Genesis 29:9-10, NIV)
Zipporah:
15When Pharaoh heard of this, he tried to kill Moses, but Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in Midian, where he sat down by a well. 16Now a priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came to draw water and fill the troughs to water their father's flock. 17Some shepherds came along and drove them away, but Moses got up and came to their rescue and watered their flock.
18When the girls returned to Reuel their father, he asked them, "Why have you returned so early today?"
19They answered, "An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds. He even drew water for us and watered the flock."
20"And where is he?" he asked his daughters. "Why did you leave him? Invite him to have something to eat."
21Moses agreed to stay with the man, who gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses in marriage. (Exodus 2:15-21, NIV)
King David was a shepherd (a
fore-shadow of Jesus):
11So he(Samuel) asked Jesse, "Are these all the sons you have?"
"There is still the youngest," Jesse answered, "but he is tending the sheep."
Samuel said, "Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives."
12So he sent and had him brought in. He was ruddy, with a fine appearance and handsome features.
Then the Lord said, "Rise and anoint him; he is the one." (1 Samuel 16:11-12, NIV)
In the past, while Saul was king over us, you were the one who led
71from tending the sheep he brought him
to be the shepherd of his people Jacob,
of
72And David shepherded them with integrity of heart;
with skillful hands he led them. (Psalm 78:71-72, NIV)
Jesus- the greatest shepherd ever
quoted
by teachers of law to Herod
" 'But you,
are by no means least among the rulers of
for out of you will come a ruler
who will be the shepherd of my people
"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. (John 10:11, NIV)
"I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me-- (John 10:14 , NIV)
May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, . . .. (Hebrews 13:20, NIV)
For you were like sheep going astray, but
now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. (1 Peter 2:25, NIV)
Seven roles of a shepherd of human
sheep:
You are a shepherd of the people you are related to. Every line of
relationship gives you access to shepherd people: family, fellow workers,
neighbors-- regardless of whether they call you “shepherd” or not. Remember,
Pharaoh had the Israelites shepherd his flocks too!
To the elders among you, be 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…
And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away. (1 Peter 5:1a, 2, 4, NIV)
1. Watchman
Jesus said, “What I say to you, I say to everyone: 'Watch!' " Mark 13:37
The prophetic is a watch function in our church:
The words of Amos, one of the shepherds of Tekoa--what he saw concerning Israel two years before the earthquake, when Uzziah was king of Judah and Jeroboam son of Jehoash was king of Israel. (Amos 1:1 , NIV)
Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock
of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the
Things we were commanded to watch for by Jesus:
·
false prophets-
Matthew 7:15 (a false prophet is one who gathers sheep after anyone except
Jesus)
·
deception- Matthew
24:4
·
complacency/lethargy-
Matthew 24:42
·
temptation in
difficult situations by praying- Matthew 26:38
·
yeast of Pharisees
and Herod- Mark 8:15
·
teachers of the
law- Mark 12:38
·
greed- Luke
12:15
·
sin- Luke 17:3
·
end time events-
Luke 21:36
Prayer is a watch function
2. Guard
protecting those entrusted to us from
harm
The rock to kill Goliath came out of a shepherd’s bag: Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd's bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine. (1 Samuel 17:40, NIV)
David kills the lion ad the bear and
qualifies for Goliath
3. Guide
Two principle ways of guiding:
Titus 2:7 In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness
(Jesus speaking) “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.” (John 13:15, NIV)
(our role) “. . . not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.” (1 Peter 5:3 , NIV)
4. Physician
We
are under a cultural obligation to heal the sick (see Luke 11).
5. Savior
Two kinds of lost
"What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? (Matthew 18:12, NIV)
Be 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; . . .. (1 Peter 5:2, NIV)
6. Feeder of the sheep
When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?"
"Yes, Lord," he said, "you know that I love you."
Jesus said, "Feed my lambs." (John 21:15, NIV)
Jesus replied, "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat." (Matthew 14:16, NIV)
7. Lover of the sheep
"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. (John 13:34, NIV)
Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart. (1 Peter 1:22, NIV)
Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. (1 John 4:11, NIV)
What does the mean today to me?