Pastors must nurture their people with the Word, exhorting them in sound doctrine (Titus 1. 9-10), telling them all the advice of God (Acts 20. 27). Pastors must protect their people from false doctrine and from those who seek to kidnap them. (Acts 20: 29-31). Pastors are to lead their people by setting a godly example (Hebrews 13. 7), equipping them for ministry (Ephesians 4:12), and conducting church affairs wisely (1 Timothy 5. 17). He must take care of his people, tenderly offering them all the necessary advice, help and encouragement.
In a word, pastors care. They don’t just care about their people, they care about them. They know him. They’re looking for him. They give their people what their soul needs, even when people the very don’t understand or want what they need most.
- In all this.
- Pastors reflect the image of God the Father.
- Paul exhorts Church leaders: “We also exhort you.
- Brethren.
- To warn the rebels.
- To comfort the discouraged.
- To support the weak.
- And to suffer for all?( 1 Thessaloniki 5.
- 14).
- This kind of person-to-person care is exactly what God promises to do for his people by making sure he will seek out the lost sheep.
- Bring back the lost.
- Connect the broken.
- And feed them all righteously.
- (Ezekiel 34.
- 16).
And the shepherds also reflect the image of our Lord Jesus Christ, who feeds God’s people upon all pastors, nourishes them through the ministry of each shepherd, and will feed them even when the ministry of all pastors is over. Is that why Peter calls Jesus? Supreme Shepherd?(1 Peter 5. 4). Jesus is the heir who God raised David up; He is the only true shepherd-king of God’s people. But does Jesus’ pastoral ministry not exclude human pastors?instead, it unies and strengthens them for their ministry.
Pastor, have you ever considered your own ministry in your local church to be part of the fulfillment of the prophecy?Remember that God promised to raise many shepherds upon His people when He raised upon them his supreme shepherd (Jeremiah 23:4-5). These shepherds would feed God’s people with knowledge and intelligence (Jeremiah 3:15).
To what extent do your priorities in ministry correspond to those of the divine shepherd?Are you familiar with the spiritual needs of your sheep?How much time and effort do you spend meeting these needs one by one?Are you more concerned about the number of new people entering the church building or if your soul is hungry or full?
Are you alert to threats to the health of your people in the faith, or leave your sheep at the mercy of false teachers, for not giving them an in-depth knowledge of biblical doctrine?
Do you know which of your sheep are fed up and which are malnourished, which are spiritually strong, and which are sick?Who is safe in the fold and those who roam the desert?
If you want to renew your mind on what constitutes the job of a pastor, consider how God guided his people through the web of Scripture. Admire their gentle care and powerful protection. Learn from your patient’s attention to the diverse needs of your staff, let yourself be amazed by the depth of divine tender compassion, by the fact that whoever holds the galaxies in hand also bends down to take those sheep in his arms too weak to walk And pray that, by your grace and by the power of your Spirit, God will make you a shepherd after your own heart.
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This article is part of the 9Marks Journal.
Translation: Vin-cius Silva Pimentel. Review: Vin-cius Musselman Pimentel. © 2015 Faithful Ministérium. All rights reserved. Website: MinistryFiel. com. br. Original: Biblical Theology and Pastoral Ministry.