SHEPHERD THE SHEEP. 1st Peter 5:2-3 Some of the final words the Lord Jesus Christ spoke to Peter just before He ascended into heaven were, “Feed My sheep… feed My lambs.” This meant more than ensuring they had spiritual food; it also included meeting other needs by “tending” to them, caring for them as a steward cares for his master. This work will continue until the Lord comes or the shepherd is taken home to heaven by death.
Being a shepherd to the Lord’s people is a work the Master has delegated to those the Holy Spirit has raised up and equipped to fulfill the role God has given them. There are not officials who have been elected by the majority vote of a group of constituents in a local church to lead and care for them. Instead, these are mature fathers in the faith, men of God’s choosing, who are to watch over God’s people as overseers, not for dishonest gain of any kind, but with a desire for their welfare and growth in the local assembly of believers. God has put them in charge of His children!
Peter identified himself as an elder responsible for the Lord's people. He knew from experience the facts and needs associated with "judgment in the house of God." He set an example for elders before instructing them to be examples to the flock where they were. He was also a "witness of the sufferings of Christ." He doesn't refer to himself as a witness of the glory of Christ, even though he had been on the mount of transfiguration.
The sufferings of Christ brought about his restoration after his failure. He knew personally the power of discipline and the effects of restoration. As a "partaker of the glory that shall be revealed," he recognized he would share in the glory of Christ even though he had experienced failure. Suffering and glory are mentioned in the epistle as a theme of the Old Testament prophets. They are also a cause of rejoicing for the saints and, here, a motivation for the elders to be faithful in their work.
Peter was doing what the Lord Jesus had told him to do and was taking his own advice by working with other elders to care for God’s people. In using himself as an example, he gives some characteristics of good leadership: They realize they are caring for God’s flock; they are eager, not obligated, to serve; they are not concerned with what they get out of it, and they lead by example. They are motivated by love for God and His people, knowing they are doing God’s will as under- shepherds for the Chief Shepherd. He did the same things for the great flock for which He bled.
Teaching and tending the flock of God is a solemn responsibility that includes making disciples, leading them, and restoring them when they fail. They were not distant leaders but were among the flock, actively working with them. In that way, they could watch them and discern when potential problems and needs arise. The motivation behind this work is not compulsion but willingness, because they know they are caring for God's flock. Their service is not under pressure nor for material gain, but an eagerness to do this for their Lord. They are concerned with what they can give, not what they can get. Their leadership is not by intimidation or threats, but by example, spiritual willingness, and a delight in the privilege of serving the Lord by serving His people. In this way, they can show others how to live an effective, satisfying life with meaning and purpose.
Although the duty of shepherds is to care for God’s flock, they know and love the flock as their own. Shepherding involves faithfully feeding, leading, restoring, and making disciples of those under their care. They mix with, associate with, and actively work with them. They are consistent, committed men who are examples in words, deeds, and attitude toward those in their assembly. Shepherds are mature men with caring hearts, willing to bear burdens, endowed with divinely given abilities, and possessing the qualifications described in 1st Timothy and Titus.
The desire to serve God and His people is present in each one of those who are ready and willing to be used. Sometimes they wait impatiently, like a child, responding only to sight and sound, yet with latent potential. Gradually absorbing what is needed to live and grow, and feeding constantly, the earnest younger man unfolds like a flower to the sun, eager to receive information and continually growing by absorbing, like a sponge, both the good and the bad.
The problem with a novice is that they may learn indiscriminately. They need wise guidance from those who are older, who can teach patiently those who are easy prey to everything that comes along. Unless the overseer provides administrative guidance, recognizing that the novice needs to hear the truths we live by, the novice will not develop spiritually. By unfolding God’s word carefully and practically, and by learning that wrong often follows hard on the heels of right, the shepherd faithfully warns the lambs and sheep. The things he taught have been learned and understood, and are now consistently claimed and practiced.
The results of guarding those with a ready mind are that faith grows exceedingly. A mind fed and nurtured by those who know God and lovingly guarded learns the value of others coming to faith in Christ and of growth in the grace and knowledge of the Lord. They learn to care anxiously and to show interest in the spiritual well-being of others by thinking spiritually. They see beyond material gain and self-glory to the need to speak compassionately for the benefit of others. The learner, in turn, having learned from those older, gets involved and begins to counsel wisely.
Now, they themselves are making the will of God real to others, clearly explaining the scriptures, and showing, by their lifestyle and the words they teach, the way of God more perfectly. They keep returning to the basics and the impact of doctrine, communicating them repeatedly. So, the new and growing ones will do the same, living justly and honorably, and seeing the value of living for Christ by loving others fervently. As the cycle of generations of faith continues, it depends on those who willingly feed and lead the flock of God with a loving mind.
They came from God, born of the Spirit and given to a generation to reveal God’s grace. Special to Christ’s name, each one now bears it and is placed on earth as His representative in this place. Some are young in faith; others have lived for God for years, yet the example doesn’t esteem one age over another. This flock of God needs guidance from those who bear wisdom, so they can provide good leadership to the sisters and brothers in the assembly.
Leadership isn’t only words, though words can be important. Greater value lies in spiritual insight that watches your actions. Those who lead glance back seldom, if at all, aware of their deportment, knowing that those who follow your leadership will soon be like you. They will talk much like you; they hear the words you say, so their language will reflect how you spoke God’s truth. The prayers you make in public and what you do on the Lord’s Day will all be lived out twice, as sheep determine each act’s worth.
The Lord’s sheep will follow shepherds to the beach or the place of prayer. What you believe should be valuable to them is what is valuable to you. If you sometimes stop to wonder why so few of them are there, consider your own example to them, lest you rue your failure. Think of the one you follow, using Him as your example, and then maybe those coming behind will consider the way they go. When believers feed their souls day to day, from you they’ll taste a sample and, from your example, determine what is important to do and know.