1 Peter 5:1-4
Chapter five begins with a pastor’s conference and it is one
that will never be repeated because Peter is addressing fellow elders who were
witnesses of the life of Christ, they may have been on the sidelines and not in
the game, they are not the twelve apostles, but they were there and were
witnesses of the suffering of Christ. Peter uses the same terms to describe the church as Jesus
did, a flock, we are often compared to sheep and if you understand the habits
of sheep, they tend to stray from the shepherd, and they are easy prey when they
leave the flock, overall sheep are not that smart, and that’s what we are being
compared to.
Peter is the keynote speaker, he is the one they came to
listen to and this is what he tells his fellow elders: “Shepherd
the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion,
but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not
domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears,
you will receive the unfading crown of glory.” Most of us have very high expectations for our
pastors, we want them to perform perfectly at all times and in all places, just
like us, hell no, (sorry Mom) not like us, we are flawed, we are sheep,
remember we need a shepherd who will always come no matter where we wonder and
not only find us, but also baby-sit us till our next outing with the world and
sin.
There are a number of Christians who have been taken captive
by the enemy of their soul by putting their faith in a pastor, and when he
missed the mark, the mark they had set for him, and the enemy said; see he’s
not worthy of your trust, and guess what he’s not, never was and should not be
your gauge, but many who claim the name of Christian are sidelined by placing
their faith in a man, who just happens to have the title of pastor. And the Scriptures are clear that God
is holding the pastor to higher account, and God will deal with him, but God
has also told you if your the one that was taken captive, to keep your eyes on
Jesus and to assemble together often with other believers. The bottom line is that you are
responsible and if you are a part of the kingdom of Christ, then find a body of
believing sheep that are abiding in Christ, doing kingdom stuff now, and engaging
the darkness with the light that only Christ in you can show to those you come
in contact with.
Now back to those men who have been called to shepherd, I
have been in churches where you acted like a husband who thinks he is the boss
and not the head, never works that well does it? I’ve been in churches where the pastor was eager for gain,
it may be he wanted to be seen as the #1 guy in his denomination, and receive
the acclaim of other pastors, or he may have wanted all he could get doing the
hard work of being a shepherd. But
let me ask you pastors a question, why would you exchange anything for the
promise of an unfading crown of glory?
From the Back Porch,
Bob Rice
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