Can Shepherds Be What God Wants?
Jim Mitchell
False teachers can be devastating. Those who are apt to teach and are able to stop the mouths of gainsayers will recognize false teachers and guide their spiritual family away from such teachers. Is that what the Holy Spirit was saying through Paul to the Ephesian overseers, elders, shepherds when he said, “take heed”?
We must be careful in selecting men to shepherd us. Because good oversight is needed, we must appoint those who know the word, practice moral qualities that even the world esteems, have shown their ability to raise their children, and aspire to lead (1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:6-11; 1 Peter 5:1-4).
God’s shepherds must love his teachings. The remarkable scribe and priest, Ezra, demonstrated the type of attitude and direction that the faithful shepherd must have (Ezra 7:6-11). He always taught and persuaded the Judeans, who had returned from the seventy-year captivity, that which God had laid upon him.
To be a representative of the "I AM," certain plans have to be accepted and pursued. First, the man of God must prepare his mind to seek the law of God. Without that law, we are ineffective and may be easily convinced to compromise that which has already been ordained by the Lord. Second, the feeder of God’s sheep must practice that which he is taught by God’s law. The hypocrite will desert his charge in the face of danger. A bribe can cause him to turn the sheep over to a false shepherd. How many sheep have been deceived by such men? Third, the pastor (shepherd) must teach God’s law in accordance with every statute, every judgment, and every doctrine. As the apostle Paul told the Ephesian elders, he had taught the whole counsel of God. Anything more or less is feeding God’s sheep with tainted food. Tainted food, if desired and devoured, weakens and eventually destroys those who partake of it.
Every sheep needs a shepherd who is a believer and follower of the Chief Shepherd. Many of the problems afflicting God’s church in this present day have surely occurred because the shepherds did not care, did not know God’s word (the proper food), or have willfully rejected the practice and proclamation of the inerrant word of the Good Shepherd.
Can this problem be corrected? Yes! Several things need to be considered carefully and reverently. Young boys and girls must be shown the need of good shepherds. Young men must aspire to be elders. The aspirations, as stated by the apostle Peter (1 Peter 5:2,3), are not for personal gain – but, rather, for setting the proper example for the flock. Young women need to learn and live the righteous life, which will enable them to be proper wives to their husbands. How many young Christians are being guided in this direction (1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-11)?
Though I do not contend for a moment that the church should be slovenly or apathetic in monetary concerns, I am gravely concerned that in many hearts and many congregations money and business matters have become the primary concern. All these massive buildings made from wood, brick, and stone will one day disintegrate. We must build congregations of well-taught and spiritually protected sheep. We must be extremely concerned about all the possible sheep, which can be added to the flock of the Master Shepherd. We must also make every effort to restore the lost sheep (Matthew 18:10-20; Galatians 6:1,2)
God’s way can always be restored. It is my fervent prayer that every church which belongs to Christ will have an eldership that meets the qualifications given by the Holy Spirit. I pray also that these overseers will lead, by example and by the word, their individual and autonomous bodies as the Good Shepherd teaches. These prayers can be answered only by our total devotion and our absolute dedication to the pattern delivered to us by divine revelation. -161 Patriot Cove Brighton, TN 38011. (901) 476-5049.