People, like sheep, need a good shepherd. Jesus recognized this when he declared, “Seeing the people, he felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd.” (Matthew 9:36) If you aspire to be a shepherd like Jesus, you must study the Biblical model of what it means to be a good shepherd of God’s flock. One of the best passages for understanding what a good shepherd does is found in the 23rd Psalm. In this beloved Psalm, which points us to the Good Shepherd Himself, we find the seven responsibilities of good shepherds. Study them carefully so that your ministry might lead men and woman to the feet of Jesus:
1. Teach others how to rely totally on Jesus. “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.” (v.1) As we minister to people, they may become tempted to depend on us, and we can find ourselves slipping into the role of problem solver. For some pastors, having people depend on them gives them a sense of importance, and they thrive on it. But the goal of shepherding God’s flock is to teach others about the sufficiency of All Mighty God and how to fully depend on His Son Jesus.
2. Teach others how to find contentment in Jesus. “He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me besides quiet waters.” (v.2) Here the psalmist speaks of how a good shepherd leads his sheep to find true contentment in the food and rest he provides. There is a great restlessness in the human heart which causes people to always be searching for, but never finding, the peace they are looking for. The reason being that trusting anything other then Christ can only leave one’s heart still searching. Through your teaching, lead your flock to the rich truths of the Word of God, and be an example of one who has learned to be content in whatever state you find yourself.
3. Teach others how to feed themselves from the Word of God. (v.2) Too often a pastor feels that to feed his flock is to bring the green pastures to his sheep. Pastors may feel they are providing their flock with great spiritual food on Sundays through their sermons and Bible studies. But shepherding the flock means teaching them how to feed themselves. You must show them how to read the Bible and how to let the Holy Spirit teach them. In fact, teaching others how to read the Bible allows for their spiritual growth to truly take off.
4. Teach others how they can grow in spiritual maturity. “He guides me in paths of righteousness.” (v.3) The purpose of our ministry is not to produce good students of the Word but to produce mature disciples who honor and obey Jesus Christ. Truth is transferred from life to life; that means you need to spend time with your sheep. They need to observe how you are living your life as a disciple and learn from you, both the Biblical doctrines of the faith as well as how to put them into practice. Actual shepherds spent long hours alone with their sheep and so must a good spiritual shepherd.
5. Teach others how to walk through a crisis and to recognize how Jesus is with them. “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.” (v.4) In Mark 4:35, we read how Jesus let his disciples get into a boat and sail right into a storm. He wanted to teach them how to go through a storm. He showed them He was with them in the storm; and not only that, but He proved that He had full control of the storm, for when they cried out for help, He commanded the storm to stop. In shepherding God’s flock, your sheep will face many storms of life, and it is critical that you be with them during those times and teach them to recognize how Jesus is with them and how he has complete control of all events.
6. Teach them to recognize when it is that God is disciplining them. “Your rod and your staff they comfort me.” (v.4) We must teach our flock to know God, and when they know that He is a Holy God who loves them beyond measure, they will come to understand that He is not waiting for them to commit a sin so He can punish them. No! He does not punish, but He does discipline them when they fall into sin so as to bring them back into His arms. We should take comfort in His discipline, for by it He proves we are sheep of His flock. Other times He may prune His sheep through the use of trials so that they may bring forth more fruit.
7. Teach them to believe that God will never leave them or forsake them. “You prepare a table before me in the presences of my enemies. (v.5-6) Even in the darkest times in our lives, we have these promises: that God’s goodness will follow us, and that in the end we will be in the house of the Lord forever. Our faith is tested in such times, and a good pastor is there with his sheep to show the way to find the outstretched arms of the Good Shepherd. In the darkest hours of life, a good shepherd can bring the hope of God’s promises to fearful and distressed believers in assuring them that He will always be by their side and will redeem for good that which was intended for evil.
On May 15, 2013, at 1:38 PM, Ashton Stewart wrote: