Full Life - Shepherding the Flock

The apostle Peter also left an urgent commission to the church of Jesus Christ. Some understand it as a charge only for leaders, but I believe that, in the context of today’s world, its fulfillment is for the whole church. The church, as a community of believers in Christ, increasingly needs men and women who understand what it means to shepherd.

To shepherd is a metaphor for tending a flock. Tending a flock is a cultural metaphor. Peter is not expressing a wish, but an order, a command, a mission (like Christ’s Great Commission). This commission from Peter is not addressed to managers, business owners, presidents, or union leaders, but to shepherds or to those who, called by God, exercise the ministry of godliness and brotherly love with the diligence the occasion calls for. Why promise to do someone good tomorrow if you can do it today? Why put off sharing the Good News of salvation with the person God has placed on your heart when you know it is a matter of life or death? Yes, salvation is a matter of life or death!

After asking Peter three times, “Do you love me?” and receiving an affirmative answer, Jesus did not say, “Thank you, Peter, for loving me,” but, “Feed my sheep” (John 21:17)—that is, care for your brothers and sisters as a shepherd cares for his sheep. The church must have a shepherd’s heart, and although the pastors who lead churches must be respected as such, every member of the congregation must prepare to take on the role of shepherd when the right moment comes and another brother or sister is in need. What does it mean to shepherd?

First, it means to feed. What is the food, and how should we feed others? The Word of God is the food, as is sound counsel based on the Scriptures. We can all feed the body of Christ; there is no need to be a biblical scholar or to have gone through many discipleship programs. A fresh word is a balm that eases pain and nourishes the soul. It is a matter of the heart more than of learning—not of emotionalism, but of what flows from a genuine relationship with God. When we have a genuine relationship with our Lord, we can shepherd others with his Word.

Another meaning is to guide. We are not the Holy Spirit, but if he dwells in the Christian, then he also equips us to guide others. One does not necessarily have to be a leader, but rather to have a servant’s heart. In the church there are abundant opportunities to guide brothers and sisters who are weaker, who have not grown enough, who have fallen and need restoration. Sheep often fall, slip, wander into the deserts of life, and need the hand of a watchful, godly servant. Guide them so they will take action, serve them with the best exhortation you can offer, minister to them so that together you can seek the best solution to their problem. Each of us should be attentive to the spiritual needs of those around us and guide them with the Spirit’s help.

A third aspect is to care for them (protect them). Humanism makes inroads into the churches; it slips in subtly dressed in the latest fashions, but it remains a system opposed to Christianity and is therefore “atheistic.” There are many new doctrines, religious trends, fads, and concoctions of every kind of “spirituality” that claim to bring peace and well-being, but ultimately lead people away from God. Recently I heard a sister in Christ say that “yoga” was the best way to get in touch with the divine. Out of respect, I will keep to myself what I said to her. We have more than enough reasons to protect God’s flock from ravenous wolves and doctrines drawn from pamphlets.

God’s people need shepherds while they await the shepherd announced by the prophet Ezekiel in the verse that heads this meditation: people transformed by the power of the gospel (Romans 1:16 and Thessalonians 1:5), anointed by the Word, who shepherd others but also allow themselves to be shepherded. You are one of them; do not doubt it. Put the Word into action!

God bless you!