Another important mark of a church leader is that he has a pastoral heart. We have a great picture in Scripture of the shepherd and the sheep. It is a picture which the Jews would understand. They would be very familiar with the sight of a shepherd with his sheep.

• Scripture uses the picture of the LORD as our Shepherd. See Psalm 23:1; 80:1; Isaiah 40:11;John 10:11,14. A shepherd provides, feeds, protects, cares and works hard for the flock. Nothing is too much trouble. I have spent a holiday on a sheep farm and seen the farmer at work with his flock. The shepherd’s heart, eye, faithfulness, strength and tenderness towards his sheep was very evident. Now all of this applies to our Lord Jesus Christ. David writes, “The LORD is my shepherd” (Psalm 23:1). Literally he speaks here of JEHOVAH JESUS:-
  • as Jehovah -- all power
  • as Jesus -- all sympathy
  David powerfully reminds us that the Lord God Almighty is MY Shepherd.
• The Bible teaches that as pastors, elders and leaders, we are to be shepherds. This a great privilege, but with solemn responsibilities! A careful reading of Ezekiel 34, an important chapter on ‘Shepherds and Sheep’, reveals three things:-
  1. The importance the LORD places on the care of His sheep.
  2. The tragic way the shepherds of Israel abused their position.
  3. The removal of the spurious shepherds to allow the LORD to care for the sheep.
  This strongly emphasises the importance God places on the well-being of His people. Another passage on shepherding is 1 Peter 5:1-4. Notice in verse 2, “Be shepherds…” This is a command, a directive to be obeyed. Consider the following:-

1. It is God’s Flock

It’s not ours as leaders, nor the denomination’s, but God’s! The Bible reminds us of this:-

• God’s Church. Look up Acts 20:28b; 1 Corinthians 1:2a; 1 Timothy 3:5 and notice the words, “the church of God”, and “God’s church”.
• Christ’s Church. But Scripture teaches that the church belongs to Jesus Christ. He loves the church and gave Himself up for her, Ephesians 5:25; He purchased her with His blood, Revelation 5: 9,10; and He is building His church, Matthew 16:18. When Jesus restored Peter in John chapter 21, notice His use of the word ‘my’ “…my lambs” (v15), “…my sheep” (v16,17).

This is an important reminder, the church is not mine, nor yours, but the Lord’s.

2. God’s Flock is Entrusted to our Care!

God loves His sheep, Christ lay down His life for the sheep and we are to care for the sheep on His behalf. In Ezekiel 34, verses 2,3, the word ‘care’ occurs three times. The Lord was concerned that the shepherds of Israel were caring for themselves rather than the flock, verse 2. They simply did not care for the flock, verse 3. Contrast this with Psalm 78: 70-72; Isaiah 40:11; Jeremiah 3:15; 23:1. The clear command in 1 Peter 5:2 is to “Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care.” Entrusted to our care is God’s flock, God’s church, God’s children. What a privilege and opportunity! But what tremendous responsibilities. We dare not take them lightly. We are ‘Carers for Christ’. We serve in the freedom of the gospel as we watch over the life and the doctrine of God’s flock.

3. We Serve His Flock as Overseers

Compare 1 Peter 2:25 with 1 Peter 5:2, and notice that He oversees our souls, and we are to oversee theirs! The exercise of this God-given authority is always a service. It is ministerial, not imperial. The leader is the servant, NOT the ruler, the autocrat, or the dictator. The supreme model is the Good Shepherd who gave His life for the sheep. See John 10:11.

Notice the following in 1 Peter 5:1-4:-

• "...not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be." - verse 2. The shepherd is not reluctant, but he’s eager, he’s willing as God wants him to be. It is a joy and a privilege to serve Christ this way. But a balance is needed, for any diligent shepherd of God’s people will soon feel the weight of pastoral care. Look up 2 Corinthians 11:28.
• “…not greedy for money…” - verse 2. The Greek here means, ‘shameful gain.’ Jesus taught that a workman is worth his wages, Matthew 10:10. Compare these words with 1 Corinthians 9:7-12. Paul is being practical here for the under-shepherd needs money to live and to eat. This is not shameful gain, but it becomes shameful gain when money becomes the motive. We can start loving money and become greedy for money. Some high-powered TV evangelists have set a poor example!
• “...but eager to serve…” - verse 2. Who do we serve? First of all the Lord. Secondly the congregation, the flock. Under our pastoral care will be the bereaved, the lonely, those who are ill, those in hospital, the dying, those getting married, the backsliders and the rebellious, those needing discipline, those needing love. The list is endless, because human needs today are endless. We are to be eager to serve.
• “And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.” - verse 4. Christ is surely coming, and when he does we must stand before Him and give an account. Look up Hebrews 13:17, and compare with Matthew 25:21.

Did you miss one of the previous studies?
Study 1
Study 2
Study 3