Feed The Flock

There is a peculiar ache that only a pastor knows.

It’s the ache that comes from carrying both the Word of God and the weight of His people.

It’s the midnight burden that wakes you when everyone else sleeps.

It’s the sound of the phone ringing when your own heart is still raw from yesterday’s funeral.

And yet, into that ache, God still whispers, “Feed My sheep.”

Every pastor in this room knows something of that voice. It’s what called you out of comfort and into calling. It’s what kept you preaching when you wanted to resign. And it’s what keeps you loving people who sometimes don’t love you back.

Peter knew that ache too. The man who denied Christ three times was the same man to whom Jesus said three times, “Do you love Me? Feed My sheep.” That moment shaped his soul.

Years later, writing to scattered, persecuted believers, Peter addresses those who bear that same sacred responsibility:

> “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.”

This passage is not a corporate memo. It’s a soul-to-soul message from one scarred shepherd to another.

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1. Peter’s Pastoral Perspective

Notice how Peter begins: “The elders which are among you I exhort…”

He doesn’t pull rank. He doesn’t say, “I’m an apostle and you’re not.” He calls himself a fellow elder. In other words: I know what it costs. I know what it feels like to bear this load.

He introduces himself in three phrases—each worth a sermon:

1. Fellow elder – He’s one of us. Leadership doesn’t exempt us from struggle; it immerses us in it.

2. Witness of the sufferings of Christ – He saw Jesus bleed. The memory of Calvary steadies every pastor who feels the pull to quit.

3. Partaker of the glory that shall be revealed – He’s living between the Cross and the Crown. So are we.

That’s the pastoral life: we walk with Christ in His sufferings while we wait for His glory.

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2. Feed the Flock of God

The first imperative: Feed the flock of God which is among you.

Notice whose flock it is. Not yours. Not your board’s. Not your denomination’s. It’s God’s flock. You may be the under-shepherd, but the sheep belong to Him.

Feeding implies two things: provision and protection.

Provision – You give them Word, not fluff; bread, not crumbs. Sermons born in the prayer closet, not copied from a website. You serve meals that nourish weary saints.

Protection – Shepherds guard the flock from wolves. That means teaching sound doctrine, confronting gossip, and standing firm when error sneaks in dressed as compassion.

The temptation in our day is to become entertainers instead of shepherds. But hungry sheep don’t need smoke machines—they need manna.

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3. Take the Oversight

Peter adds: “Taking the oversight thereof.”

Oversight doesn’t mean overbearing. It means watchfulness. The Greek word episkopeo gives us “bishop”—to look upon with care.

A pastor’s eyes must stay open in three directions:

1. Upward – fixed on the Chief Shepherd.

2. Outward – attentive to the condition of the flock.

3. Inward – honest about the motives of the heart.

Leadership is not about power; it’s about presence. The shepherd smells like sheep because he’s among them.

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4. Not by Constraint, but Willingly

Peter addresses motives: “Not by constraint, but willingly.”

Some lead because they have to; others because they get to. The difference is heart posture.

A calling carried grudgingly becomes drudgery.

Every once in a while you have to let the Spirit renew the “want-to.” Ministry will drain you dry if you only operate on duty. Passion has to be rekindled, not just scheduled.

Remember, the same God who called you still loves you. You are not a machine for sermons—you are a man or woman of the Spirit.

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5. Not for Money, but Readiness

Peter continues: “Not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind.”

He’s not condemning support for ministry; he’s confronting selfish ambition. When ministry becomes a marketplace, anointing evaporates.

A ready mind means eager, available, obedient. The greatest currency in heaven’s economy is not money—it’s faithfulness.

The pastor’s paycheck is not in the envelope; it’s in the eternal investment.

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6. Not Lords, but Examples

Then comes the power check: “Neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being examples to the flock.”