They hadn't arrived. The bishops of the Church are some of the watchmen on the tower. “Shepherd the flock of God that is among you.” (1 Peter 5:2 ESV) Introduction A. Peter exhorts the Asian elders to “shepherd the flock of God that is among you” (1 Peter 5:2). Yet the one thing that is crucial to this role is time spent with people. And so we have an oversight of great responsibility. Yechezkel [Ezekiel], Artscroll Tenach Series. Brethren, I confess to you that I am not very comfortable in the calling I have received. Unless you can overcome yourself, competing against your own tendency to be lazy, indifferent, to be at ease, you cannot have the disciplined life that results in the exertion and the effort that leads to the effectiveness. And that, dear friends, as you well know is a nonstop, 24hour a day job, nursing a baby. In verse 10, he says, “You're even waiting for His Son from heaven.”  And over again in chapter 2 and verse 13, he says, "We constantly thank God that when you received from us the Word of God's message, you accepted it not as the Word of men but for what it really is, the Word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe." Because it could not survive alone in the desert, my father picked it up and brought it home. The Lord holds his shepherds accountable for the safety [meaning the salvation] of his sheep.”2 The bearers of the priesthood have this great responsibility, whether it is father, grandfather, home teacher, elders quorum president, bishop, stake president, or other Church calling. And you find, for example, that word used in 1 Timothy 3 and in Titus chapter 1 as the word to describe church leaders. 77:20). They were a good church. I memorized it as a child, as I am sure many of you did. Maxwell, John C. The Maxwell Leadership Bible. He rarely turned around to look at the sheep; he just steadily climbed the steep, rocky hillside. A faithful shepherd knows his sheep, and touches their lives, and pours his whole life into them. I had not been a good shepherd or steward of that which my father had entrusted to me. The Hebrew word for “know” is yadah. It is a huge responsibility, requiring much more than the ability to preach or teach well. There were times when it was so cold or stormy and I wanted to stay home and be comfortable, but in my mind’s ear I could hear my little lamb bleating, and I knew I needed to be a good shepherd and go with my senior companion. What specifically can the sheep do to help the shepherds? “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD to the shepherds, “Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! As I said, it wasn't fatal and life threatening, but it was there. Another great responsibility is that of the home teacher. The shepherd of psalm 23 didn’t happen upon the place of rest. For the past twelve years Rickie has served as one of the elders for the Campbell Road congregation. But at the same time, the anticipation of the second coming of Jesus Christ cannot make us indifferent to the present. And it could have been that there was a point of conflict in the Thessalonian church, and some were wondering why these others had charge over them, and they were a little bit nonsubmissive. And you're familiar with them. And Richard Baxter was right when he said, "This is not a burden for the shoulders of a child." David had the courage to go after the lion and the bear. We ask you to be faithful in your stewardships as the shepherding priesthood authority of the Church. Some flocks may include as many as 1,000 sheep. And then down in verse 6 he says, "You became imitators of us and of the Lord, you received the Word and much tribulation with the joy of the Holy Spirit, you became an example to all the believers." In my travels to Wales and New Zealand, I have seen many such pastoral places. Now, the section falls into four categories. If shepherds are not fulfilling their proper spiritual responsibility to the sheep, and sheep are not fulfilling their proper spiritual responsibility to the shepherd, the church can never be what God intends it to be. The Bible says that He even took care of the details of their lives. Often, we find them complaining to Moses. And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. In my travels to various countries, I hear about rising unemployment and the difficulty in finding a job. ", That's a cynical view of the church. There's too many hypocrites." 5:4 tells us, if the shepherds carry out their responsibilities properly, the Chief Shepherd will reward them with crowns of glory, but if not, will be judged accordingly…This does not mean that sheep blindly follow, because they have the same guide as the shepherds, the Word, and therefore should only follow their local shepherds as they in turn follow the Chief Shepherd…. Fallen and sinful people make up the church. Would I know? I know of his faith. It’s not pointing from the sidelines and giving orders. Said Paul to Timothy regarding the bishops of the Church: “This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. But still, the true church is far better than any other organization, association, or institution on the face of the earth, because it moves toward being like Jesus Christ, because it represents Him in the world, because its life is energized by the Holy Spirit, because it lives under the instruction of the Word of God, because it applies spiritual power mutually through fellowship and service among its members. IMPORTANT: WE WILL BEGIN FIRST PHASE OF MEETING AT THE BUILDING. I have learned that leadership is not for the weak, lazy, or unsure. Please notice the little phrase "in the Lord." They were all sort of equally old in the Lord, which makes it difficult for someone to take the leadership role, when others know that he is no more a mature in terms of time than they are. Tonight I would like to speak to the priesthood of God in their capacity as the Lord’s shepherds. All things being considered, this is a noble group. And it's far from the reality of what the church should be and what the true church is. Stories I Tell (to be published in 2010). We thank You, Lord, that the church is like Noah's ark. You be encouraged and you be built up about your future. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. Labor among the sheep, authority over the sheep, instruction for the sheep – and give you instruction. It is our duty to rule for His sake, the Lord's sake, not for personal power, personal prestige, personal gain, personal career advancement, but for the Lord. What about evangelism? This shows us you cannot learn all of this information through our few moments together after services. He wants to lead us in the best paths for each of us. Should not the shepherds feed the flocks? To be a shepherd is to be involved and invested in the lives of the people. 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