Day 2409 – Our Fiery Ordeal – A Job Description for Shepherds – 1 PETER 5:1-4

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Welcome to Day 2409 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Day 2409 – A Job Description for Shepherds – Daily Wisdom

Putnam Church Message – 06/23/2024 Our Fiery Ordeal – A Job Description for Shepherds. 1 Peter 5:1-4 Last week, Peter encouraged us to understand that trials and tests in life are God’s classroom for purifying and refining us to be more like Christ. We realize that God is faithful, and we need to rest in Him. Today’s passage is 1 Peter 5:1-6, on page 1892 of your Pew Bibles. We will focus on those with leadership positions within a local church, but it also applies to all of us as we partner to further God’s Kingdom on earth. I will read it from NLT today to give us a better perspective of this passage. ¹ And now, a word to you who are elders in the churches. I, too, am an elder and a witness to the sufferings of Christ. And I, too, will share in his glory when he is revealed to the whole world. As a fellow elder, I appeal to you: ² Care for the flock that God has entrusted to you. Watch over it willingly, not grudgingly—not for what you will get out of it, but because you are eager to serve God. ³ Don’t lord it over the people assigned to your care, but lead them by your own good example. ⁴ And when the Great Shepherd appears, you will receive a crown of never-ending glory and honor. Every worker knows the necessity of keeping their tools in a good state of repair... If the worker loses the edge, he knows there will be a more significant drain on his energies, or his work will be poorly done. It reminds me of Ecclesiastes 10:10: Using a dull ax requires great strength, so sharpen the blade. That’s the value of wisdom; it helps you succeed. The shepherding of shepherds' hearts goes back to Jesus Himself, who invested three years preparing his disciples to carry on His work after His departure. The tried-and-tested Apostle Paul encouraged the young ministers Timothy and Titus to stay hard at the work of the ministry after he was gone. At this point in his letter, Peter turns from a general readership to those responsible for spiritual leadership in the churches. He now fine-tunes his words to the shepherds, or “elders," of those churches, lest they “neglect their responsibilities” or themselves. In many churches worldwide, the pastor's position is considered the local church's leader. While I understand how and why this has occurred in most local churches, the word pastor only appears once in the Bible. Pastor is one of the church’s speaking gifts from the Holy Spirit as found in Ephesians 4:11. Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. All other times church leaders are mentioned, Scripture refers to them as ‘Elders’ and ‘Deacons.’ In nearly every instance, it references a plurality of elders within a local congregation, no matter how small. One of the elders may have the gift of a pastor and/or teacher. Still, each of the elders will have an area of responsibility to assist the function of the local church. We have structured Putnam’s boards or teams to fit this Biblical example. It is not that the pastor’s gift is more important. All spiritual gifts are equally crucial for the smooth operation of the local body of believers. Peter’s discussion of elder leadership appears in the context of how Christians can endure the fiery ordeal of unjust treatment, trials, and tribulations in this life as they look with hope toward the next. Peter argues that strong, spiritual leadership is essential to thriving both in the church and this world. When leaders, let’s call them shepherds, model holiness and hope to those in their charge, the whole church can look to the Chief Shepherd, who provides hope in hurtful times. — 5:l-2a — Peter begins his address with “And now.” It may appear that suddenly shifting into low gear and plowing through issues of church leadership seems a little out of place in his fast-paced treatment of the practical Christian life. But in Peter's mind, how believers live their lives in a hostile and unholy world is closely tied to the function of leaders who serve as shepherds to guide their flocks. In these first couple of verses, I see two effective principles for those called to leadership in ministry. The first is that pride of position must be absent. Notice how the apostle Peter refers to himself. Although he was an eyewitness of Christ's suffering, death, and resurrection, he says, I, too, am an elder. (5:1). And I, too, will share in his glory when he is revealed to the whole world. He shares his readers’ destiny. He also serves with them on the same ministry team. They're in this together. Any leadership position can lead to pride, and it takes a mature and humble person not to succumb to that temptation. It can be especially prevalent in ministry leadership for several reasons:

• Elders/Shepherds speak and serve on behalf of God.
• Elders/Shepherds address groups of people (some quite large) regularly.
• People make major life decisions based on Elder/Shepherd teaching.
• Elders/Shepherds are trusted by most—and held accountable by few.

All these things can easily lead to pride—and a terrible fall. Proverbs 16:18 Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall. This makes Peter’s humble identification with other church leaders so insightful. If Peter, one of the original twelve disciples and the earliest spokesman for the church, would identify himself as a “fellow elder,” all of us in ministry ought to follow suit with a humble view of any position we hold. The second effective principle is that the heart of a shepherd must be present (5:2a). The very first imperative in this passage is “shepherd," which translates poi|mai|nõ “Care for the flock.” The word is used figuratively in ancient literature and the New Testament for any general leadership role or particular position. Besides the figurative use of this term, many analogies in Scripture compare God’s relationship to His people with that of a shepherd to His flock. The related noun poimën is the basis for our English word “pastor,” which is only one of the gifts for the church, as I previously read in Ephesians 4:11. In 5:2, Peter doesn't tell the elders to “shepherd your own flock” but to: Care for the flock that God has entrusted to you. Throughout this passage, the flock is seen as those entrusted to the care of the elders, not as their own followers. The ultimate Shepherd is God. However, the elders should serve as faithful under-shepherds, looking to the Chief Shepherd, Jesus Christ, as their inspiration and model. Peter uses the image of a “shepherd” intentionally. The role of a shepherd certainly includes teaching, but it’s not the same as being only a teacher. It includes administration, but it's more than being an organizer. It includes having a heart for evangelism, but it involves more than preaching the good news. Peter addresses some of the specific attitudes and responsibilities required of shepherds of God's flock in 5:2b-3. Peter also refers to the responsibility of shepherding to Watch over it (the flock) willingly. The Greek word here is episkopeõ. The related noun episkopos refers to an “overseer" (traditionally “bishop”) in the qualifications for that office (1 Tim. 3:2; Titus 1:7), but the term can also refer to the same group of church leaders as “elders" (Acts 20:17, 28). When the original apostles exercised direct oversight in the churches, the offices of elder, pastor, and overseer were synonymous. After the apostles departed, the office of a senior overseeing elder developed to help stabilize church authority. In later centuries, this position would develop into the episcopacy, the authority of a single bishop over several churches. During the New Testament period, however, elders and overseers, of which at least one would have the gift of a pastor or teacher, were all a calling with the same responsibility to shepherd the flock. All three of these terms—“elders," “shepherd," and “overseers”—are used together in Acts 20:17, 28. Paul called the “elders” of the church of Ephesus to meet him in Miletus, then instructed them, “So guard yourselves and God’s people. Feed and shepherd God’s flock—his church, purchased with his own blood^[a]—over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as leaders.^[Elders] (Acts 20:28). — 5:2b-3 — After encouraging the leaders of the churches he wrote to, Peter gives three practical attitudes with which earthly shepherds are to exercise oversight. He structures each of these in the same form, including a negative quality and a corresponding positive attitude. The first attitude is one of willingness—“ Watch over it willingly, not grudgingly" (5:2b). Grudgingly or Compulsion implies doing something by force. Peter knew it could become a chore for elders to motivate themselves to maintain the high-energy ministry requirements. I do have a confession to make. Over the years, I have struggled with the attitudes of many full-time paid pastors. Whether it is an air of self-importance because they think their vocation is a call from God that is somehow more holy and special than any other vocation, or that their Biblical knowledge sets them above others and feeling that people should show them respect without earning it, or having a victim mentality because of the pressures on their vocation. Some of these mindsets have been propagated within the church for centuries and are also inferred or taught in many Bible Colleges and Seminaries. This is not what we see in the early New Testament churches or written in Scripture. No matter your vocation or current life season, your life is a high calling if it is done for the Glory of God. We all have struggles and trials of various kinds, and we are responsible before God to maintain a Biblical mindset. Yes, there are positions within a local church| that take on more of a leadership or shepherding role. Still, we are all called to use whatever spiritual gifts God has given us to strengthen and encourage the local congregation and the universal church. So, as an elder or shepherd in a church, your attitude needs to be one of willingness to serve. If we are not willingly serving, Peter's words imply that a change needs to be made. This starts with a change of heart and attitude. The second attitude for shepherds is eagerness— not for what you will get out of it, but because you are eager to serve God. (5:2c). Peter contrasts genuine excitement for ministry with financial motivation. The term “what you will get out of it” implies a motivation of greed. It means focusing on what the flock can do for them, rather than what they can do for the flock. Titus 1:10-11 illustrates the same idea with a concrete example: Many rebellious people engage in useless talk and deceive others. This is especially true of those who insist on circumcision for salvation. ¹¹ They must be silenced, because they are turning whole families away from the truth by their false teaching. And they do it only for money. One qualification for elders is that they are free from the love of money (1 Tim. 3:3; 6:10). God's elders/shepherds should have an attitude of self-sacrificial zeal—not merely a willingness to serve but an authentic enthusiasm that springs from the heart. This principle flies in the face of the excessive professionalism typical in the ministry today. Degrees, résumés, popularity, and references don't qualify a person for ministry. Instead, an eagerness to serve— occasionally at significant personal cost—is vital to a well-rounded shepherd and well-grounded ministry. The third attitude for successful ministry is humbleness— Don’t lord it over the people assigned to your care, but lead them by your own good example. (5:3). With the phrase “lord it over the people,” Peter echoes Jesus' warning against a domineering leadership attitude: ²⁵ But Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. ²⁶ But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, ²⁷ and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. ²⁸ For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matt. 20:25-28) The idea of “servant leadership” finds its basis in this warning against “lording leadership.” Admittedly, “servant leadership” is an overworked expression often misunderstood. However, it does summarize Jesus' teaching on the importance of resisting authoritarian approaches to shepherding. Jesus didn't exhibit that attitude—neither should we. We must be team leaders and members—fellow learners, sharers, and partners in the same work. We can only be “good examples” when we're engaged in the same service we expect from others serving with us. Elders/Shepherds who lead like Christ exemplify servanthood. — 5:4 — Concerning the role of leaders in the church, Peter points out two practical principles: pride of position must be absent (5:1), and the heart of a shepherd must be present (5:2a). He then illustrates the shepherd's heart with three essential attitudes: willingness (5:2b), eagerness (5:2c), and humbleness (5:3). Granted, shepherding the flock of God can involve hard work! Many other vocations also involve hard work. This is why Peter ends his address to the elders, shepherds, and those who possess the gift of the pastors/teachers of the churches with a reminder of their eternal reward. If Christ's shepherds faithfully discharge their duties with the proper attitudes, they will receive a crown of never-ending glory and honor from Christ upon His return. As the “Chief Shepherd,” Jesus serves as the model of how His earthly shepherds are to serve. We are all involved in the ministry of right living, showing the Kingdom of God through us, and Christ Himself is the perfect model of ministry. As he has done throughout this letter, Peter wraps up his discussion on leadership by pointing to Christ as the source of true hope in hurtful times. When the going gets difficult in ministry—and as with many areas of life, there are times when it's borderline unbearable—we can be motivated to go on. Christ Himself continued in His ministry despite horrendous obstacles and hostile reactions, but the result of His sacrificial service was magnificent. We, too, can be assured of our future reward for faithful service at the judgment seat of Christ (1 Cor. 3:10-14). APPLICATION: 1 PETER 5:1-4 Some Advice for Shepherds Allow me a few extra moments to address those who are serving now or will be in the future as an elder, in other ministry positions here at Putnam, and also in the worldwide body of Christ. Let me speak, shepherd to shepherd, elder to elder—as Peter did two thousand years ago. This is good advice for all of us as believers. First, if you teach, remain a good student. Stay teachable. Read. Listen. Learn. Observe. Admitting when you're wrong is just as important as standing firm when you're right. Share the things you learn with those you teach. Not one of us in ministry is a know-it-all, so don't set yourself up as one. Few things are worse than an arrogant teacher of the Bible! Second, if you lead, delegate well. Think about what it would be like to listen to yourself. Exaggerating your leadership role is just as dangerous as underestimating your gift and service. No, |others won’t do things exactly like you would. No, delegation won't always result in the quality of work you expect from yourself. But learn to let things go. If you don’t, you'll model a horrible form of “lording leadership” >through your example, |and this will result in the kind of leadership husbands will take home with them, |bosses will implement in the office, |and other elders/shepherds/pastors will reflect in their own ministries. Third, don’t take yourself too seriously. Laugh often—especially at yourself. Make yourself the brunt of your humor. Point out your own foibles and fumbles. Remind others and yourself that you're only human, and that the almighty God, through the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ, is working out His perfect plan through imperfect people empowered by the Holy Spirit. Fourth, get some rest. Back off. Loosen up. Recharge your batteries. Refresh your personal life. Keep yourself from running at full throttle day after day. As an entrepreneur and business owner with the privilege of also serving in various church positions over the past 45 years, I have found it easy to view business as a modern-day equivalent of martyrdom. We repeated