Shepherd the Flock of God Part 2
1 Peter 5:2-3 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 ensamples to the flock. KJV Note: NKJV=New King James Version
What was the Apostle Peter exhorting and beseeching these men to do? The answer comes from his first word in this very next verse, as it is written, "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 ensamples to the flock." (1 Peter 5:2-3) (KJV). A Shepherd of sheep 🐑 leads his flock out to the pasture to graze on the lush green grass so they will be nourished and grow up strong and their wool will be of great quality. So must the Shepherd of the flock of God feed them a constant diet of the Word of God that they too will grow up strong and spiritually nourished. This is not to be forced upon someone because their earthly father or grandfather or uncle was an elder, but it is to be done voluntaringly with joy of heart ❤️ and willingness of the mind desiring to impart to fellow brothers and sisters 'in Christ' the illuminating of the Word of God that the Spirit of God has given to us, knowing that we are answerable to our Lord Jesus Christ for whether we are endeavoring to impart the truth of the Word of God to the best of our ability or someone is using the Word of God and twisting it to give any people the lies their flesh want to hear (2 Timothy 4:3-4), so the purveyor of such lies himself will be highly compensated for vain glory now in time, but with no desire that God would be glorified in lives changed and spiritual maturity reached. The Apostle Paul declared to us why our Lord Jesus Christ gave some to be elders in His Church with these words, "And He Himself gave some to be Apostles, some Prophets, some Evangelist, and some Pastors and Teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the Body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind 🍃 of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking 🗣️ the truth in love 💕, may grow up in all things into Him who is the Head (Christ) from whom the whole Body, joined and knit 🧶 together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the Body for the edifying of itself in love 💕." (Ephesians 4:11-16) (NKJV). This is the will of God and this is why He gave some men these gifts and appointed them to use these gifts 🎁 🎁 for the building 🏢 up of His Body the Church. Not so they would make a name for themselves or build an empire on the earth 🌍 for themselves, but to glorify God and to be examples to those under their care in how to follow Christ taking up our Cross and living the set apart holy life Christ called us into when He brought us out of darkness (Colossians 1:13-14). Here is what Matthew Henry had to say of 1 Peter 5:2-3, "The Pastor's duty described, and the manner in which that duty ought to be performed. The Pastoral duty is three-fold: (1) To feed the flock, by preaching to them the sincere Word of God, and ruling them according to such directions and discipline as the Word of God prescribes, both which are implied in this expression, Feed the flock. (2) The Pastors of the Church must take the oversight thereof. The elders are exhorted to do the office of Bishops (as the Word signifies), by personal care and vigilance over all the flock committed to their charge. (3) They must be examples to the flock, and practice the holiness, self-denial, mortification, and all other Christian duties, which they preach and recommend to their people. These duties must be performed, not by constraint, not because you must do them, not from compulsion of the civil power, or the constraint of fear or shame, but from a willing mind that takes pleasure in the work: not for filthy lucre, or any emoluments and profits attending the place where you reside, or any perquisite (fringe benefit) belonging to the office, but of a ready mind, regarding the flock more than the fleece, sincerely and cheerfully endeavoring to serve the Church of God; neither as being lords over God's heritage, tyrannizing over them by compulsion and coercive force, or imposing unscriptural and human inventions upon them instead of necessary duty.
If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray 🙏 this from your heart ❤️ to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking 🗣️ directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn 🛞 from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart ❤️ and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen!!!
