3 Rule of Shepherds
Posted: Sat Oct 25, 2014 5:17 pm
Just rule, military protection, abundant provision: those are the shepherd ruler’s traditional responsibilities. (p 64)
How does this play into the life of a pastor of a congregation? Provision, just rule, and protection.
Provision. Preaching and teaching the word of God. This is the daily bread of Jesus Christ that the pastor must provide to the congregation. Without this daily bread, none of us can survive. The pastor must provide this to the congregation through strong biblical preaching and Bible Study.
Just Rule. Leadership. The pastor has so many roles in the congregation but one of them is to provide leadership to the congregation and the elders or board of the congregation. The pastor must be just and wise as they lead the congregation.
Protection. What does protection look like today? A pastor can not keep bad things from happening to everyone in the congregation. There typically (I know there are exceptions globally) is no physical space to defend. That it is not always easy to identify those who would want to destroy the church. What does the pastor of a congregation need to protect these days? Maybe they need to protect the truth of Christ which is the Bible. Many denominations including my own have tried to take the truth away by not claiming the Bible as truth and Jesus Christ as sole Lord and Savior. The pastor needs to protect the truth and stand firm against the deterioration of this truth. Maybe also the pastor needs to protect the hearts of the congregation members by caring for them through the hard and difficult times. To be Christ’s ambassadors to them in the good and bad times.
How does this play into the life of a pastor of a congregation? Provision, just rule, and protection.
Provision. Preaching and teaching the word of God. This is the daily bread of Jesus Christ that the pastor must provide to the congregation. Without this daily bread, none of us can survive. The pastor must provide this to the congregation through strong biblical preaching and Bible Study.
Just Rule. Leadership. The pastor has so many roles in the congregation but one of them is to provide leadership to the congregation and the elders or board of the congregation. The pastor must be just and wise as they lead the congregation.
Protection. What does protection look like today? A pastor can not keep bad things from happening to everyone in the congregation. There typically (I know there are exceptions globally) is no physical space to defend. That it is not always easy to identify those who would want to destroy the church. What does the pastor of a congregation need to protect these days? Maybe they need to protect the truth of Christ which is the Bible. Many denominations including my own have tried to take the truth away by not claiming the Bible as truth and Jesus Christ as sole Lord and Savior. The pastor needs to protect the truth and stand firm against the deterioration of this truth. Maybe also the pastor needs to protect the hearts of the congregation members by caring for them through the hard and difficult times. To be Christ’s ambassadors to them in the good and bad times.