Apostle Peter to Pastors http://whybaptist.com/thechurch.aspx

 

I, Forest R. Steenfott just recently did a study on First Peter five about the responsibilities of the pastor. I believe that the eleven verses are one piece speaking to the elder (pastor). I wrote the summations from my experiences.

 

First Peter 5: 1 “Peter begins this chapter speaking directly to pastors, “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.”

 

I want to list these verses one through eleven in order as they appear in context and say a few words about each. These requirements give the pastor an awesome responsibility to God not the church. Why do I say that? It comes out of Hebrews 13: 7 “Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation,” and 17 “Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.” Remember Ephesians four that states the pastor is a gift from Christ, the Son of God.

 

FEED THE FLOCK OF GOD WHICH IS AMONG YOU,

Pastor teacher, opening the Word of God for the preaching of doctrine, reproof, correction and instruction in righteousness. I believe that most sermons should be expository. For out of this will come a Christian World View that will affect our work place, our neighborhood and our society.

 

TAKING THE OVERSIGHT THEREOF, NOT BY CONSTRAINT, BUT WILLINGLY; NOT FOR FILTHY LUCRE, BUT OF A READY MIND;

Where there is a community of believers, to give vision and direction there must be a leader involved. There had to be a Moses to lead Israel out of captivity, a Joshua to take the land, a David as king of Israel. These were God picked leaders. The pastorate is a vocational position not a professional position, “not for filthy lucre,” (not to make money).

 

NEITHER AS BEING LORDS OVER GOD’S HERITAGE,

There is an example of this very thing in Third John 1: 9-10 “I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not. Wherefore, if I come, I will remember his deeds which he doeth, prating against us with malicious words: and not content therewith, neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and forbiddeth them that would, and casteth them out of the church.” Sometimes our separation within the walls of our denominations is a serious threat to our love for the brethren.

 

BUT BEING ENSAMPLES TO THE FLOCK.

I believe that this would be a reference to the time that the Lord washed the disciple’s feet. Whatever the pastor asks the church to do, he should do the same. If his desire for his people to be witnesses or soul winners, he should be a witness and soul winner not just during his preaching service.

 

AND WHEN THE CHIEF SHEPHERD SHALL APPEAR, YE SHALL RECEIVE A CROWN OF GLORY THAT FADETH NOT AWAY.

Apostle Paul spoke about this in the first three chapters of First Corinthians. He made a conclusion about the minister’s work, in chapter 3: 10-15 “According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.”

 

LIKEWISE, YE YOUNGER, SUBMIT YOURSELVES UNTO THE ELDER. YEA, ALL OF YOU BE SUBJECT ONE TO ANOTHER, AND BE CLOTHED WITH HUMILITY: FOR GOD RESISTETH THE PROUD, AND GIVETH GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.

I believe that this comes down to the fact that the preacher is to reproduce himself in the lives of others. Once again this is seen in Paul’s instruction to Second Timothy 2:1-4 “Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also. Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.” Pride in one’s position makes for insecurity. We send missionaries out into the world fields to reproduce themselves in the natives, but not at home, “I may lose my job if I teach someone to preach better than I do.” I believe that all of the deacons should be taught to preach and teach the Word of God along with pastoral techniques.

 

HUMBLE YOURSELVES THEREFORE UNDER THE MIGHTY HAND OF GOD, THAT HE MAY EXALT YOU IN DUE TIME:

You may have your own definition of worship, simply stated means to be prostrate before our sovereign God in submission. He alone is our resource for our life. This is hard for pastors in the position they hold. All eyes are upon him. He is the front and center stage. “To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal? Says the Holy One” (Isaiah 40:25, NIV). This question rebukes wrong thoughts about God. “Your thoughts of God are too human,” said Luther to Erasmus. This is where most of us go astray. Our thoughts of God are not great enough, we fail to reckon with reality of His limitless wisdom and power. Because we ourselves are limited and weak, we imagine that at some points God is too, and find it hard to believe that He is not.”

 

CASTING ALL YOUR CARE UPON HIM; FOR HE CARETH FOR YOU.

The man standing in the pulpit must have a humble heart. First Corinthians 10: 12 “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.”

The pastor with a humble heart depends solely on His God. The pastor must have an intimacy with God, which comes from his prayer life in the closet.

The pastor must be a man of a private prayer life. I have read the biographies of Jonathan Edwards and A. W. Tozer. These men spent hours before God. Sometime on their faces.

BE SOBER, BE VIGILAN; BECAUSE YOUR ADVERSARY THE DEVIL, AS A ROARING LION, WALKETH ABOUT, SEEKING WHOM HE MAY DEVOUR:

Satan will attack those counting the most for Jesus Christ. This is why it is so critical for the pastor to have a prayer life with his God. I have seen so much more of sexual immorality and steeling on the part of pastors in the last twenty years than I have ever seen before. Even the church should keep the pastor in prayer. I have a very dear friend of a man whose wife had sex with a pastor of a large church in my area. This was devastating to the church.

 

WHOM RESIST STEADFAST IN THE FAITH, KNOWLEDGE THAT THE SAME AFFLICTIONS ARE ACCOMPLISHED IN YOUR BRETHREN THAT ARE IN THE WORLD.

This will give the pastor an assurance that he will “know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren” (Romans 8: 28-29).

 

BUT THE GOD OF ALL GRACE, WHO HATH CALLED US UNTO HIS ETERNAL GLORY BY CHRIST JESUS, AFTER THAT YE HAVE SUFFERED A WHILE, MAKE YOU PERFECT, STABLISH, STRENGTHEN, SETTLE YOU. TO HIM BE GLORY AND DOMINION FOR EVER AND EVER. AMEN.

 

I believe that the best expression of the awesome responsibility of the pastor’s work in the Body of Christ is found in Scofield’s note on Titus 1: 5.

 

“It is not at all a question of the presence in the assembly of persons having the qualifications of elders, made overseers by the Holy Spirit (Acts 20:28); that such persons were in the churches of Crete is assumed. The question is altogether one of the appointment of such persons. These churches were not destitute of elders, but were at fault in having failed to duly appoint them. There is a progress of doctrine in respect to the appointing of elders.” Scofield’s Note on Titus 1:5

 

“Elder (Gk. <presbuteros>) and overseer (Gk. <episkopos>) designate the same office (cp. v. 7; Acts 20:17; cp. v. 28), the former referring to the man, the latter to a function of the office. The eldership in the apostolic churches was usually plural; there is no instance of only one elder in a local church. The functions of the elders are: to rule (1 Tim 3:4 - 5; 5:17); to teach (1 Tim 5:17); to guard the body of revealed truth from perversion and error (Titus 1:9); and to oversee the church as a shepherd his flock (John 21:16; Acts 20:28; Heb 13:17; 1 Pet 5:2). Elders are made or set in the churches by the Holy Spirit (Acts 20:28), but great stress is laid in the N.T. upon their due appointment (Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5). In Titus and 1 Timothy the qualifications of an elder become part of the Scriptures for the guidance of the churches themselves in such appointments (1 Tim 3:1 - 7).”

 

“Titus 2: 11-14 are notable for their perfect balance of doctrine with living. Beginning with the incarnation (“the grace of God hath appeared,” v. 11), they relate this doctrine to life that denies evil and practices good here and now (v, 12);

That sees in the return of Christ the incentive for godly conduct (“looking for that blessed hope . . .” v. 13); and that realizes, in personal holiness and good works, the purpose of the atonement (v. 14). The passage is one of the most concise summations in the entire N.T. of the relation of the Gospel truth to life. See also 3:4-7; Eph.2:8-10.” Scofield’s Note on Titus 2:11-14

 

The following, “The function of the elders (pastors) are,” I am sure came from Scofield off of a CD QuickVerse 4.0 Deluxe, Parsons Technology that I have, but the CD closed down on me. I cannot get it to operate for me. I know the above came out of my Scofield Bible. I would like to save and use this section below. Forest.

 

The function of the elders (pastors) are

 

There are two verses in Hebrews that reflects this matter of leadership. Consider Hebrews 13: 7 “Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.” And 17 “Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you.”

 

 

This matter of teaching goes back to Ephesians 4: 11 – 12 “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.” The knowledge of the Scriptures along with its Theology is a must so that the saints know how to be saints. Also remember that the saints have the gifts from the Holy Spirit. Pastor, they are to be utilized for the growth of the church.

 

 

This is a must to be accomplished in today’s church. Error breeds like a cancer. It can effect the whole body. Paul was exhorting his elders and churches many times over the issue of heresy in the Body of Christ. Almost the entire chapter of First Timothy speaks to this problem. I do want to bring forth two verses that cover the issue of doctrine and these are Second Timothy 3: 16 – 17 “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” The Word of God is for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.

 

 

 

 

David accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior in his teen years. Some time after that he makes Jesus Christ the Lord of his life. He senses a call by God to get a Christian education. He goes to a fine evangelical Bible College and Seminary, realizing that most churches require a pastor to have a Seminary education. He has a desire to be a good preacher, and to be a very knowledgeable Bible teacher. He takes a class in Hermeneutics, which is Bible interpretation and another class in Homiletics, which is the delivery of sermons. The rest of the classes are in Bible doctrine, Hebrew and Greek. He had classes in physiology and sociology. This will round out his education. He is dreaming of the day when he may have a Doctorate, too.

David becomes a pastor, or I mean a preacher of a church. That is what He studied to be. He has become a very eloquent speaker. He spends hours and days on his sermons. There is a problem with David’s emphasis on preaching and not on being a pastor. First Corinthians 13: 1-2 speaks to this problem “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy (preaching), and understand all mysteries and all knowledge (doctor), and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.”

The people in our churches are made up from people in our society. I have read and been involved with many social problems. I will point them out from this young pastor’s congregation while he is preaching very eloquently.

Here we have a young teenage boy and girl sitting holding hands. There is a worrisome look on the boy’s face while the young lady is beaming. Let us listen to their thoughts while the preacher is giving his sermon. The young man is worried that his girlfriend may be pregnant. He figured that they were only having a good time when they got into bed together while her parents had gone out to dinner. She is thinking how wonderful loving is. Mother and dad don’t love me.

Here is a gentleman sitting on the aisle that has a very gloomy face. He looks like he doesn’t have the joy of the Lord. Let us listen to what he is thinking. I hate that man Fred. He said that the investment would be a sure thing, and I would make money on it. Yea, I sure did, by losing my ten thousand dollars. He calls himself a Christian and he is a deacon, too. He sits there on the front pew looking so smug. I hate that man and will till I die.

Let us go across the isle from him. Here are two lovely ladies. They seem to be good friends. They seem like just normal folks. They are single and have their separate homes, but they love one another. More than you think. You see they are closet lesbians. Let us go a row or two back of them. Here we have smiling faces of a husband and wife. Underneath those smiles is anger. They had a verbal fight last night over finances. It has not been settled. In fact, he slept on the couch in the living room. There is a husband and wife sitting in the back of the room. She seems perfectly happy, but he has a frown on his face. You see he has a girlfriend. He wants to leave his wife of twenty years and take up with this younger lady.

This is all going on while the preacher is sermonizing. There are other problems in the lives of his people. He is totally unaware of these problems, because he is not involved with individuals in his congregation. This young preacher is only interested in his accomplishments and his eloquence as a preacher. He has no conception of the people sitting before him.

There are three more personal problems I want to bring out, too. There is an elderly gentleman sitting there with eyes that seem to be red as if he had been crying. His beloved wife of almost fifty-year is slowly dying in a state of dementia in a nursing home. There is also a very elderly lady. I see that her husband of sixty-years died a few weeks ago. She feels so abandoned and lonely without him even with all of the folks sitting around her.

Abandoned and loneliness is felt by a recently divorced lady in this congregation. Many of her friends seem to have rejected her. It was her husband that left her for another woman.

The cause of loneliness with singles in the church comes about because the whole push is for the family. That is good, but we must minister to those who have become single after the lost of a spouse. This should involve all the seniors, too.

The gross problems in the congregation come out of the attitude of the pastor toward the people. He is to be shepherd over his people. Called and anointed by God to be pastor of a community of believers is more than preaching. It is a people to people vocation.

 

Note to Tom: Audrey and I were in a writers class of folks trying to get their writing published. We would bring our writings to be examined by the other folks in our group. I brought and read this one. It was shot down like a bird. I was asked one question by our leader, “This is only your opinion, not actual in fact?” Can you believe that? Even a well known evangelist here in California. He heads up Hume Lake Conference Grounds. I have always highly respected him. I talked to him about my writing “Where Have All the Pastors gone?” He took me apart piece by piece. He told me out right that I have sin in my life that I need to confess to God, and seek His forgiveness. I did bury my work on a diskette. A few years later I began to hear Bible scholars saying the same things I had been writing on. My work had a resurrection.

I hope you will like my story of the young preacher. It is fiction, but is based in reality. Congregations are being preached at, but not being ministered to.

 

Forest, I thought this article was very insightful. A pastor may have a gift as a good bible teacher and speaker, but have a serious problem with his personal walk. If a pastor has a close walk to Christ, then the Lord Jesus will direct him to those in his congregation that need a shepherd. I have seen countless preachers very talented speakers, but have the personal skills of a dead person. In a Christians life those personal skills of being caring are had through a personal relationship with Christ. No where is this more needed or important then in the pastorate. David had a great skill with teaching and preaching, but apparently no shepherding skills, because he had no real close walk with Christ. I enjoyed the article very much.