A Surprising Spiritual Gift
Dear Foothills Family,
We have two weeks remaining in the series on Spiritual Gifts. My focus this coming Sabbath is on "A Surprising Spiritual Gift – Shepherdology."
In his letter to the Ephesians Paul wrote "It was he (the risen Christ) who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers" Eph 4:11. The English word "pastor" comes from the Greek word "poimen" which means shepherd. When that Greek word was translated into Latin, it came out "pastores." The meaning is the same. To say “pastor” is to say “shepherd”. In fact, there is a whole field of pastoral theology called poimenics. We could call it Shepherdology!
Perhaps you've assumed that ordained pastors are the only ones in the church with this gift, but the gift of pastoring is like any other spiritual gifts and I believe there are many people in our congregation who are spiritually gifted to do the work of pastoring. It's kind of interesting, but not all pastors have the gift of "shepherdology”.
When we look at Ephesians 4:11 we can see a certain progression: Apostles and Prophets refer to those people who played a foundational role in the earliest days of the church. They spoke with direct authority from God in a sense that no one can today. It would be perfectly accurate to say that no one can claim to be an "apostle" or a "prophet" today in the same sense Paul speaks of here.
Evangelists were those gifted ones who spread the Gospel, won the lost and founded churches. They are like spiritual obstetricians whose main task is delivering the babies. Brother Tom will finish our series next week with a dynamic teaching entitled: "Are You an Evangelist?"
The pastors and teachers came along after the evangelists left and started "changing the diapers!" They taught the new believers, fed and protected them and organized them into local churches. The shepherd takes personal responsibility for the sheep. What does a person with the spiritual gift of shepherding do?
1. Shepherds lead the flock. In Psalm 78:70-72 we see that David shepherded God's people Jacob (Israel). He “shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them”. The shepherd goes in front and leads the way from pasture to pasture, from still water to running brook, from the high country to the rolling meadow. He knows where the wolves are and he knows where the green grass grows. It's the job of the shepherd(s) to lead the way.
2. Shepherds feed the flock. Jesus gave Peter his final instructions in John 21:17 "Feed my sheep”. This is the shepherd's main duty. Whether the shepherd is preaching, leading a small group, teaching a Bible Class, or working with Youth or in Adventurers, unless the sheep are fed, the shepherd is not doing their job.
3. Shepherds guard the flock (see Acts 20:28-29). There is an old Welsh proverb that says, "A lazy shepherd is the wolf's best friend”. Jesus said, "The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep”.
You and I cannot lay down our lives in the same way that Jesus did but we can follow His example and place our desire to care for the Lord's sheep above all else. Such men and women are hard to find. There is no need any greater, no task more difficult, no effort more exhausting, no work more ultimately gratifying, and no reward any higher! I'm grateful that the Holy Spirit is gifting numerous people in our congregation to be shepherds who care for His sheep.
Pastor Duff
