The Pastor, God’s Gift to the Church

Lesson 6 The Pastor, God’s Gift to the Church

Text: I Peter 5:1-4 The elders which are among you I exhort, who also am an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ; and a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed; [2] Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly, not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; [3]Neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being ensamples to the flock; [4] And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.

Introduction:

Peter writes as an old man shortly before his martyrdom. It is encouraging to see how the Lord changed the rough self-centered fisherman to the mighty preacher of God. Like Peter, and like Paul, the chief persecutor of Christians before he met Christ, God is still in the business of calling men to Himself and to His work as pastors. As Jesus Christ becomes the center of their lives, and they walk in the power of the Holy Spirit, they are transformed into mighty instruments in the hands of God.

When Jesus rose from the dead, He gave gifts to the church. He gave gifted men – apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastors and teachers.?Ephesians 4:11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, [12] For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, [13] Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ…?The initial apostles were personally chosen by Jesus Christ and had seen the risen Christ. They were foundational for the church. Prophets in the Old and New Testament were gifted to have infallible information concerning the future as well as their thundering preaching against sin. Although we do not have apostles and prophets in exactly the same way that we find them in the New Testament, we still receive the gifts of evangelist, pastor and teacher.

The meaning of the term “pastor.”

The Bible uses three terms describing the work of the pastor. He is the shepherd who cares for the sheep, leading them, feeding them, and protecting them from harm. Abel, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and his 12 sons, and David were all shepherds. The shepherd David described the Lord as his shepherd who cared for him. Although now the term bishop is used somewhat differently, initially the bishop emphasized the role of the pastor in directing and supervising the flock of God so that all received the proper care. The third term, the elder, emphasizes the wisdom and experience of the pastor in leading the flock. In Suriname, the elder was said to possess “levens ervaring” (life-experience); the believers would look at that as more necessary than education per se for a leader.

The apostle Paul recognized that each church which he started needed a pastor. When he returned to follow up his new churches at the end of his first missionary journey, he arranged for the churches to choose pastors (elders).?Acts 14:23 And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed.??

The method of work of the pastor:

Peter gives great insight into pastoral work:?I Peter 5:[2] Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly, not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; [3] Neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being ensamples to the flock;

First, the pastor is to feed the flock. He needs to give the whole counsel of God.?Acts 20:20 And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you but have showed you and taught you publicly and from house to house [21] Testifying both to the Jews and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ…[27] For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.??Some pastors will trim their message because they are afraid of the reaction of those in their flock, but the pastor must care for the flock and protect them against false teaching. Sometimes that position is unpopular with man, but we must be faithful to God rather than man.

The pastor must lead by example. When we preach, we preach to ourselves first, and need to apply our teaching to our own lives.?I Peter 5[3] Neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being ensamples to the flock;?When we are challenged by the very words of scripture, we experience that we need God’s help. We cannot truly completely obey in our own strength. This provides a healthy dose of humility.?I Peter 5:5 Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves to the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility; for God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble. [6] Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time. James 4:6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore, he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble.

The motive of the pastor:

The preacher needs to be God-called. The church is the church of the living God. The believers are the flock of God. This is not a profession for making a good living. He should not be primarily looking at his salary as his motivation.?Acts 20:28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with His own blood.?The pastor must not forget that he must give top priority to having the right relationship with the Lord, taking heed unto himself. If he is not right with God, how can he lead others into that relationship?

The pastor does need some remuneration, and he should normally be supported by his church.?I?Corinthians?9:14 Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel.?The church is not “paying” the pastor for his services, but it is providing for his needs so that he can devote his time to doing what God has called him to do – to care for God’s flock. His reward will ultimately come from the Lord Himself.?I Peter 5:4 And when the chief Shepherd (the Lord Himself) shall appear, ye shall receive aa crown of glory that fadeth not away.

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