Recently I heard about an interesting “compassion test” done at a seminary. The students had to write a report about compassion and the Good Samaritan. The morning the report was due, the professor had a friend dress up like a person who had been beaten and robbed. He had ripped clothing, fake blood, etc. The teacher had the victim lie near the pathway where most of the students would walk to class. Surprisingly, all of these future pastors and missionaries walked past this person and offered no help. Obviously, there is a difference between knowing what a Pastor should do and actually doing it. The same principles hold true for the Church. We are not just to know what our calling is but to practice it. This of course is important for all Christians but it is especially true of church leadership. Today we continue our study and look at the role of leadership in the New Testament church.

We have established in message #1 “the nature of the church; observing its supernatural power, origin and current state… Next we have established in message # 2 the gifted men God called unto ministry of His church. We spoke of the Evangelist and we identified the purpose of the church and we left off speaking of it two important functions. —evangelism (to make disciples) and edification (to teach them). By these two functions we can define the purpose of the church is to produce mature believers in Jesus Christ engaging them in local gathered community.
I Church Elders vv1.

1. Not only did the Lord call Evangelist but also Pastor / teachers (Ephesians 4:11) this in the only place where the word pastor is used in the New Testament. In verse one Peter writes to the elders. Elders (PRES¬BUTEROUS) translate a word from which we get our English word “presbyter.” It refers to a senior officer or leader in the church. In Titus 1:5 & 7, the words elder and overseer (“bishop” -EPISKOPOS) are used interchangeably. It refers to the same office. It also refers to “pastors” given that Peter tells eld¬ers to be shepherds of God’s flock

2. Pastors are also called elders and overseers who shepherd a flock 1 Pet. 5:1-2).
Elder refers to more to the spiritual maturity aspect, overseer (“bishop”) to the work of administration in the church, and “pastor” to preaching and teaching God’s Word. ) There are only two offices in the church that of pastor and deacons.
In 1Timothy 5:17 elders are described as those who direct the affairs of the church and whose work is preaching and teaching.

3. In the early minutes of our church we note that the minister was called Elder and it appears that this was the common name for the Church leader. However, in our time the word pastor has become more predominate. The Bible also teaches this as one of two offices of the New Testament church as listed in I Timothy 3 and Titus 2. Believers should be careful to obey God’s command in 1 Thess. 5:12, 13. Paul’s advice is to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake (5:13a). Spiritual leaders deserve respect not because of their personalities, but because of their work of faithfully preaching and teaching God’s Word.

2. Pastors are to be knowledgeable, well-prepared preachers and teachers of God’s Word. The pastor’s only authority comes from the Word of God, not his opinions. In that context, a pastor is to preach and teach, or exhort, and rebuke with all authority (Titus 2:15b). All preaching and teaching must be based on the Word of God. Paul makes this responsibility of pas¬tors clear when he writes pastors must hold fast the faithful word as he hath been taught. He wrote to Titus 1:7-9 what a pastor is to be and do. A study of God Word makes it clear what the man of God duties are to be in the local church.

3. However, the church has complicated and exacerbated this office by adapting the Bible to agree with their thinking for the church; but it is not Gods. This is often the methodology by which pastors are installed in the local churches. Pastors are often installed as errand boys, maintenance men and a warm body to fill a pulpit on Sunday. This however is not God’s design for His church. flock and it needs as Peter wrote in our morning text an under-shepherd.
4. Sheep need a Shepherd to give attention to their spiritual needs & issues. The Lord Jesus talked about us being His sheep in His loving care as the great shepherd of His own people. It is wonderful imagery and if we’re going to understand what Peter is teaching in this passage about the duties of an Elder we have to understand a little bit about the analogy of shepherding. Psalm 23 is a wonderful passage to understand the work of the shepherd.
According to Jeremiah 23 and Ezekiel 34, the sin of the shepherds in Israel is that they did not feed the sheep. That is a primary function as well as keeping the sheep safe.

II Directives to Elders vv.2-4

1. Peter reminds them to shepherd the flock of God, feed and protect. Peter says, “Look, I’m exhorting you as a fellow elder.” He takes a humble and caring position. In fact the word exhort is “pä-rä-kä-le’-ō” to come along side and instructs or encourage. He declared, “He, like them is an elder.” Peter comes on the basis of his experience and then he comes as a witness of the sufferings of Christ that puts him in the category of an Apostle. This phrase also “a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed” (vv. 5:1) most likely refers to the Transfiguration, where Peter saw Christ in His glory. He’s talking about that day when along with James and John; Peter too was taken up to the mount and there the Lord pulled back the veil of His Shekinah glory of God.

2. Peter, who was called to a shepherding role exhorts elders to feed God’s flock (5:2a). The Greek word translated “feed” (poi-mī’-nō) is also translated shepherd or pastor and literally means to feed, to tend a flock, keep sheep or to supply the fundamentals for the soul’s need. A pastor / shepherd lead sheep from pasture to pasture so the flock can find adequate food. A pastor leads from pasture to pasture that is of scripture to scripture or Bible book to Bible book-so the flock of God might be fed. He has the basic responsibilities to lead and feed and to serve as overseers. The flock of God for which I have responsibility is here. A flock of God that others have responsibility for is elsewhere. My responsibility is not to be responsible for the whole flock, but to be responsible for the one flock that God has given to me. It is Gods Flock. A serving pastor rightly preaches and teaches God’s Word.

Application:
Review, the primary task is feeding. This is a full-time relentless responsibility. When church leaders stop learning, they stop leading. Average time for message preparation for a new sermon done correctly is 15 hours. Therefore, church leaders must have a growing relationship with Christ that comes from studying God’s Word. We protect the sheep in order that they may continue to be fed the truth by learning and preaching the truth.

3. Second, he said taking the oversight.” Exercising oversight is the word “episkopeo”, from which we get episcopal which is taken from that word, of course. It means to have scope over. The word over-seers is also translated “bishops.”

Peter continues by giving three things Pastors are not to do: They are not to serve because they must, but because they are willing to serve the Lord. Note he said not by “constraint”. You shouldn’t be forced into this. Forced into it by fleshly pride, forced into it by peer pressure, forced into it by intimidation, forced into it for fear of failure or whatever, forced into doing what you do because of some professional duty, or because you have ambition and you want to succeed at one level so you can go to another level. It can’t be under compulsion. In one sense you’re under compulsion to preach the gospel: For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!

4. Next, not for “filthy lucre” that is sordid gain, but with eagerness.” Not for shameful gain, not for money. You’re not in it to become rich… It’s okay to make a honest living as a pastor, I want to affirm that. Those that preach the gospel should live by the gospel. Those that are faithful in the Word and doctrine should be worthy of double pay, double honor, Paul says to Timothy. But this is not the motive like some televangelist on TV today. I Timothy 5:17-18
5. Concerning the office of pastor, Peter writes, not lording it over those en¬trusted to you (53a), which means not overbearing. Pastors are not to be dictators; they are to be spiritual leaders and examples to the flock (5:3b). The authority comes from the Word and when you speak the Word, that’s authority. Pastors must be ex¬amples; church leaders must be ex¬amples and models of Jesus Christ.
If leadership is not an example of a born again believer, than believers will not follow.
British Field Marshal Montgomery is credited with the following statement concerning leadership: Leadership is the capacity and will to rally men and women to a common purpose and the character which inspires confidence. When we live carelessly, we fall in the snare Satan puts out for us. We will fall into reproach. The reproach in this context would be the accusations the community would make toward the guilty party, as they mocked him to his face about being a church leader.

Application:
It is far more difficult now to preach and teach God’s Word than it was 33 years ago when I began my ministry. Not only is there a public attack on the author¬ity of the Bible, but also attacks from some inside the church. The command in 2 Timothy 4:2 is to preach when it is popular and when it is not.

God rewards faithful pastors because this fulfills the role of edification to produce mature believers. To what end are we doing this? Look at Ephesians 5:12 and this is where we will pick it up next time.

Conclusion:
The Chief Shepherd “Christ” commands us to feed the flock, lead them, protect them, purify them, set an example for them, shepherd the flock given to you, and some day when Jesus appears the Chief Shepherd will reward His faithful shepherds with eternal glory.