1st Peter 5:1-4 A
So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: 2 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; 3 not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. ESV
There's a lot in this passage to think on. But I want to focus on elders and shepherding.
"Elders" (presbuteros) are those who preside over the assmbly(ies) of believers. They are "overseers." They are also referred to as bishops is some translations. Regardless of the title used, these are older men, mature in the faith and able to teach - disciple - believers. They act as the guiding authority for individual assemblies of believers.
Historically, it has not been a rare thing for elders of one individual assembly to confer or associate with elders of another assembly for the sake of fellowship, unity and consistency. Though we like to see "denominations" as abominations, they are (or at least should be), in actuality, an association of like-minded and like-believing elders who confer together and draw from the collective experience, wisdom and knowledge to guide multiple assemblies.
For instance, when Paul addresses his missive to the "Church at Ephesus," it is not beyond considering that he was addressing multiple assemblies in that place. The "church building" and the mega-church being conventions yet to come, it would not be surprising to find several "assemblies" of believers in one locale. That being a possibility, it would follow that the "elders" in that place over those individual assemblies would work together for the good of all.
BUT - it is the role of the elder as shepherd that most touched my heart. I was mentored by older pastors back in the day when doctors made house calls and elders did too. These "shepherds" took seriously their obligation to care for the flock - from the greatest to the least. They considered it their obligation to stay informed and involved with those under their care. These men were in no way "professionals." Even those ordained as "pastors" or "teaching elders" who had received training and education at seminary for that specific ministry did not consider themselves professionals but, rather, merely servants.
Interestingly, shepherds have not really had a good reputation in history. They have been characterized as sneaky, lazy, shiftless, etc. So, of course, we have to be amazed that David was a shepherd and that the angels came to the shepherds with the good news of the incarnation.
Let me take a different perspective, one we have unfortunately (and probably intentionally) lost. The sheep are under the authority and care of the shepherds. There is an intrinsic obligation laid upon the sheep to submit to the shepherds. Now for sheep-sheep, there is little question of who is in charge; but for people-sheep or sheeple, it seems we have rejected that aspect of the relationship - much to our harm.
We have made the position of the shepherd (elder) one of status and prestige. We have little problem letting them "care" for us as long as that care is within our comfort zone.
What we do have a problem with is the authority of the shepherd - their obligation and right to "rule" over us.
Paul writes to Timothy:
2 Tim. 4:2
preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. ESV
Now, we have little problem with the preaching part - as long as it doesn't get too personal. We even tolerate the exhortation part as long as it doesn't exhort too much.
But we have a real problem with the reprove and rebuke part of their role. This is an all too common disconnect in our assemblies. We don't mind preaching and exhorting but the other smacks too much of meddling.
Now consider:
Eph. 4:11-14
And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. ESV
How are they to do this if we refuse to accept their reproof or rebukes? Well, they can’t.
The sad part is that we are not rebelling against men but against God. "He" gave these roles and responsibilities. These elders are His means for accomplishing His will for His saints.
Ok - let's get it out there. There are some really poor and even evil "shepherds" out there. But it is our obligation to discern the quality and character of those we would follow, those whose authority we would submit to. So we can't claim to be victims.
Placing one's self and one's family under the care and authority of any man or group of men is never something to be done lightly. We are not to be spectators or mere consumers.
When we are considering joining an assembly or fellowship, it is our responsibility to check out the leadership and just as diligently the statement of faith or mission statement. It is our obligation to ask tough biblical, even theological questions of the leadership before we prayerfully seek to make a decision.
I've been a part of a fellowship whose shepherd(s) were mere position and status holders. They were shepherds based upon their congeniality and popularity. There was little hope of sound care or guidance from them. The fellowship we are now a part of was thoroughly "vetted" by both my wife and myself before we decided to place ourselves under the care and authority of the "session" (elders).
One "test" was whether the "teaching elder" (most would call him the Pastor or Preacher) was willing to correct, rebuke and/or reprove AND, if the context and content in which he did so was biblical. Of course, it was kind of a ringer because I had, years ago, mentored and discipled one of the elders of this fellowship, so we went in with a greater level of confidence of being satisfied.
Are you safe in the care and oversight of your shepherds? Do they actually shepherd the flock according to the biblical model? Do you submit to their authority with comfort and confidence or do you just ignore that part of the relationship?
When shepherds are not faithful, the wolves eat well and the shepherd ultimately feeds upon the flock.
More on this next time...........................
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