(Part 6)
© by Gary W. Crisp
Shepherds of the Lord’s Flock
Ephesians 4:11d : “The gifts He gave were that some would be pastors”
The Greek word, poimen (poy-mane’) defines the ministry or “calling” of the shepherd who is called of the LORD. However, if we look at the Hebrew word for shepherd (ra’ah, [raw-aw’]), specifically where shepherd is used in Psalm 23 (The Lord is my Shepherd...) we see a much wider and clearer picture of who a shepherd is. Here, the word “ra’ah” means “to tend a flock, i.e. pasture it; to prepare for grazing; to rule, but more in the sense of ‘leading’ than dominating. Another meaning is “to associate with (as a friend); be a companion, keep company with; devour or eat up (but these two meanings suggest ‘dining together’), hence: to feed, eat or share a meal.
It also suggests that a shepherd “makes friends” or has a “friendship” with his sheep, as a herdman who keeps sheep. This is brought out very nicely in the teaching of Jesus and the “Good Shepherd” in John 10...
“(1) Very truthfully, I say to you, ‘He that enters not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. (2) But He that enters in by the door is the Shepherd of the Sheep. (3) The porter watches and opens to him, and the sheep hear (and understand) His Voice. He knows each of them, calling them by name, and He leads them out. (4) When He brings them forth (or sends them out) He always goes before them, and His sheep follow Him, for they know His Voice (and trust Him). (5) And they will not follow a stranger , but will flee from him, for they don’t know (or trust) the voice of strangers’. (6) Jesus spoke this parable to them, but they (the Pharisees) could not understand the things which He spoke (for they were not His sheep).
(7) Then said Jesus to them again, ‘Very truthfully, I say to you, I AM the Door of the Sheep. (8) All that ever came before me were thieves and robbers, and the sheep did not hear them. (9) I AM the Door. If any man enter in by Me, he shall be saved, and he shall go in and out, and find pasture. (10) The thief doesn’t come except to steal, to kill, and to destroy. I AM come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. (11) I AM the Good Shepherd, and the Good Shepherd gives His Life for the sheep.
(12) He that is a hired servant and not a real shepherd, and who doesn’t own the sheep, sees the wolf coming, and he leaves the sheep, fleeing for his life, and the wolf catches them, and scatters the sheep. (13) The hired servant flees, because he is a hireling (only in it for the money), and he really doesn’t care for the sheep.
(14) I AM the Good Shepherd, and I know my sheep, and I am known by those who are mine. (15) As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father: and I lay down My Life for the sheep. (16) I have other sheep, which are not of this fold. I must also lead them and bring them , and they shall hear My Voice; and there shall be One Fold, and One Shepherd. (17) Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My Life, that I might take it again. (18) No man takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself (gladly, willingly, joyfully). I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. I have received this command from My Father’.(25) (Answering another question of the Jews) Jesus said, ‘I told you, and you would not believe. The Works that I do in My Father’s Name are proof, and they bear witness of me. (26) But still you can’t believe, because you are not My Sheep. As I told you: (27) My sheep hear My Voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. (28) And I give them Eternal Life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My Hand. (29) My Father, Who gave them to Me, is Greater Than All, and no man is able to pluck them out of My Father’s Hand. (30) I And My Father Are One’. (31) And at that point, the Jews took up stones once more to stone him.”
So, whenever the Good Shepherd does His Job, the religious leaders are always there to “stone” Him. From this lengthy portion of scripture in John 10, we are reminded of just how “important” we are to the Lord. For example --
He cares for us...
Who Are Good Shepherds?
John 10 tells us plainly what the Good Shepherd does for His Sheep. Should the pastor, the man called to be a shepherd of God, do any less? Or at least, shouldn’t he strive to do what the Good Shepherd does? If he does less, then he is no better than a hireling, the one who “ran off” when he saw the hungry wolf approach. Pastors today do not have it easy, I’ll admit. But I’ll also have to admit that some pastors end up hindering their own work by not “allowing” the Five-fold Ministry and the Nine Gifts of the Spirit to move and operate in their churches. It is difficult to sympathize with a struggling pastor if he steadfastly refuses to receive the Gifts that God has granted to him and his people. Make no mistake about it -- God takes no pleasure in seeing a pastor or his church struggle, nor does he delight to see the sheep of His Pasture lack for spiritual food, clothing or water. But consider this: If God has given things (i.e., Gifts) to tend to these needs and to make up for any lack, then it is a dishonor not to receive them from His Hand and then use them to bless His church and His people, the sheep of His Pasture.
Yes, I know -- some churches and some pastors say they have not known, nor have they heard about the Gifts. But I must ask...why is that? These Gifts are clearly expressed in scripture. They are not “hidden” or “disguised” in mysterious words or in convoluted text. There are even healings, prophets, miracles, and mighty acts of God in the Old Testament. They are there for us to see, if we will but have “eyes to see”. Let us move in and claim them, even as the Children of Israel moved in, claiming all of the Land of Promise... at least that which the soles of their feet touched upon, for Deuteronomy 11:24 states -- “Every place where the soles of your feet shall tread, that shall be yours; from the wilderness and Lebanon; from the river, the river Euphrates, even unto the uttermost sea shall your coast be.”
Unbelief Robs the Sheep
Let us be clear of one thing: There were places that the Israelites did not “tread” -- or claim or possess; there were nations they did not utterly destroy, as God had so specifically commanded; there were blessings and wonderful benefits they did not receive because of unbelief and fear. Look at Hebrews 3 & 4, to see just a portion of that “unbelief”. There are Christians (pastors being among them) who, because of fear or unbelief, do not “enter in” to His wonderful blessing of Miracles and Gifts.
There are those who absolutely refuse to believe in the miraculous things of the Lord. I once saw a man healed of a very crippled foot, but that very same man denied that any such healing had occurred. He had been sent by his church to “spy on” the healing service being held at a Bible School I was attending. I had seen the man healed, then later my pastor called for me to come to a “back room”, where they were counselling this man who held fast to his belief (or unbelief, as it were) that God had not healed him, because as far as he was concerned: “God did not heal anymore”. Or so his church had taught him.
I listened for a while as some men tried in vain to convince the man that God had, in fact, healed him thoroughly. They asked him to walk barefoot back and forth, and he did this without so much as a limp. But, when he placed his shoes back on, he walked with a very noticeable limp, because one of his shoes had a heavy lift built into it, to aid the man as he walked (before his healing). The man had apparently had this crippling affliction for many years, and his church had decided that his crippled foot would prove “too great” for this group of believers who gathered for a healing service. They were very, very wrong.
Even as this man argued and denied and resisted the words of those who only wanted him to have what was rightfully his as a believer, I watched in utter amazement that even this man’s “unbelief” could not hinder the Healing Power of the Lord. I do not know what became of the man after he left that night; I do not know if he stayed healed, for eventually unbelief will (or can) rob us of what is rightfully ours. I can only hope, as I had prayed for him back then, that this man would come to truly know and accept ALL that the Lord had for him.
Wounded, Crippled Sheep
I have thought of this man over the years, remembering his bewildered look as he tried to explain the impossiblity of what had happened to him. I remember him saying he had read the Bible through many times, and he knew that healing was not for us today. I remember his confusion, his pain, his struggle to explain something that he could not really understand. I can only guess what happened as he returned to his home church, prepared to expose those “crazy charismatics”. I felt sorry for the man; I still do. By that, I mean I feel sorry for any of those dear souls who cannot accept and receive all that God has for them. That includes pastors, who need all the help they can get, as they labor in the Sheepfold of the Lord.
To any shepherd of God who reads these words: Please accept and receive ALL that God has for you. Do not be afraid or unbelieving. Trust Him, and He will be faithful to you, showing you how to walk in His Gifts of Grace and Love. For no doubt, there are many wounded, crippled sheep who graze in the pastures to which you lead them. They may have come from other churches that rejected them and abused them, and they need all the love, all the grace and all the healing that the Lord has for them. There are many hurting, fearful sheep who are being fed from your words and ministry. Do not fail to feed them from ALL the Nourishment His Words can give; do not fail to minister His Wonderful, Refreshing, Life-giving Water; and allow God to Give, Do and Minister ALL of His Grace and Love...and one day you, faithful pastor, will stand before the Lord as a true and good shepherd.
And So...Who Are Good Shepherds?
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Pastors who are good shepherds will care for the Lord’s sheep, for the Lord’s people...
- A good shepherd will know each of of the sheep by name...no one sheep will feel “unknown”, unloved or rejected...
- Sheep will feel safe in a good shepherd’s fold; rejoicing to be in that shepherd’s pasture...
- A good shepherd will speak God’s Word, and we will hear, understand and trust him, because he serves the One True Shepherd...
- A good shepherd will go before us when we go out and lead us when we come in; we will not feel alone or isolated...
- A good shepherd will teach us about His Life, helping us to grow more Abundantly in Christ:
His Life, Eternal Life...
- A good shepherd will assure us and teach us how to know His Voice and have no need to fear the ravenous wolves that lurk about...
- A good shepherd will feed us, clothe us, give us water to drink, and he will always be our protector and covering, never leaving us or forsaking us...
- And lastly, but most importantly...a good shepherd will be willing to lay down his life for his flock, who are really God’s sheep. This sacrifice is done willingly and gladly.
As we look at this list, let us remember that we’ve taken these traits from the words of Jesus Himself. In describing Himself, He gave us a pretty clear picture of what a true shepherd should endeavor to be like. Of all the gifts He gives to the church, the Gift of the Pastor is the most clearly defined and easily seen. For this reason alone, no pastor of God’s flock should feel as though he has no direction or no goal for which to aim. The calling and duties of a pastor are so very clearly revealed, there should be no doubt as to what is expected of him. It is, I know, a tough job; a difficult job; one that needs all the help and aid possible. And without the Gifts God has given to the Church, which are intended to fill any lack or strengthen any weak areas, pastors really do have it hard.
Therefore, it would behoove all pastors to open their hearts, their minds and their churches to all of God’s wonderful Gifts to His Body. That is one of the purposes of this teaching -- To, hopefully, clearly look at these Gifts, as well as discuss what we might do to help them flourish in the churches of America. I will add to this teaching from time to time, as there are more thoughts to place in this area of the pastor. I also am beginning (and have a very good start) on the series of the Nine Gifts of the Spirit. Pray for me as I embark on this part of the journey, through these nine most Wonderful Gifts of God's Gracious Holy Spirit.
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