Pastor Barry's  "Chapter & Verse"  Day 17

January 17;      I Peter 5:2;       226/260(III);        ‘Shepherd the Flock’----

1 Peter 5:2 Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly;

The word Pastor is only used once in the Bible (Ephesians 4:11).  The word shepherd is the same word as pastor.  In the natural, a shepherd is to feed the sheep and protect them.  That is exactly what a pastor is to do spiritually.  He must feed or teach the sheep the Word of God.  He also must protect them from unscriptural teachings that would hurt them spiritually.  Peter, in verses 2 and 3 lists some responsibilities of the pastor.  First the pastor must fulfill his ministry willingly, not by necessity.  To shepherd a congregation is the greatest honor.  If the Lord Jesus has called a man or woman to pastor they must see the calling as an incredible gift and not a burden.  There are challenges in the pastorate and no one can fulfill this ministry unless they are truly called by the Lord.  But if indeed the person is called to pastor, the grace of the Lord is there to enable them to do this.  The pastor has every right to be financially compensated for his oversight of the flock.  Study of the Word, prayer and dealing with people is work and the pastor has the right to earn a decent salary.  Conversely, the pastor must not be greedy and look to his ministry as a means of get rich as opposed to a fair wage earned by sincerely doing the work of the ministry.  Finally, the pastor is to teach them from the Word of God, principles to live by.  He cannot require others to live a certain way. The pastor’s life must be an example for the congregation to follow.