Shepherd and Sheep..Equal, but Different

It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. (Ephesians 4:11-13 NIV)

There is a great deal to be learned from this text. First, it shows us the duty of the shepherds of the Church. The Shepherds, or elders, or pastors, or whatever their office might be, are not elevated from the Church, but a part of the Body of Christ. They have a peculiar function, however, and that function differs from the rest of the body.

Here in Ephesians, Paul tells us that it is the duty of ministers to "prepare God's people for works of service." It does NOT say that they are to do the works of service, but to prepare God's people for works of service. Thus, God's people are listed as a group, the sheep, opposite the shepherd. The shepherd is, of course, also a sheep, but he is the under-shepherd given to watch over the flock of God.

Peter said in 1 Peter 5:1-4:

The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.

The elder is also a shepherd. He is to "feed the flock of God." In fact, the word used here for "feed" is the verb form of the same Greek word used for "shepherd," or "pastor." So it says to "feed," "shepherd" or "pastor" the flock of God. The flock of God, then here is used as Paul used the phrase, "God's people" in Ephesians. They are listed as a group as opposed to the elders.

In Acts, a harrumph arose over the gentile widows being neglected. The apostles stated in response to the need, "But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word" (Acts 6:4).

Thus, clearly a pattern emerges. The elders or shepherds of the church are to "give themselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word." This is how that they will "feed the flock of God," and "equip God's people for works of service."

Most people don't understand the particular functions of each office of the church. We see the apostles evangelizing, and doing everything else, but their ministry still revolved around the things mentioned above. The elders they ordained over the churches, on the other hand, also had the same duty to feed the flock of God.

Therefore, the shepherds of the Church are for the CHURCH. They are to teach God's Word to CHRISTIANS. The Christians then go out to do works of service in their everyday lives, and as a church to work in concert as they can to get the message out.

The reality, however, seems to be that most church folk expect the pastor or other "shepherd" oftentimes to do everything, to lead everything, to think of everything. That is not the case.

If a pastor is praying and studying and delivering sound doctrine to his flock, then he is doing what God called him to do. Those who feel their church could do more, should be the first ones to get busy doing it. I'm not griping, but just being honest. Especially for those of us who are bi-vocational, it is overwhelming sometimes just to do what "little" it seems that we do.

If you have a desire to reach out in a certain way, don't wait on the pastor. Reach out, and then invite others to join you. That's the way Jesus did it. That's the way the apostles did it.

I'll leave you with one important scripture. The Bible tells us clearly in Acts 8 that the Church was persecuted, and so fled from Jerusalem. However, the apostles stayed behind: On that day a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. (Acts 8:1). What was the Church to do without their shepherds? The Bible says, "Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went" (Acts 8:4).

So the Bible tells us plainly that it was the Church, without Her apostles/shepherds, that went and preached the word "wherever they went." Don't blame the pastor. Get out and do the work!