What You Should Expect From Your Pastor

What you should expect from your Pastor?

1 Peter 5:1-4

1.Peter the Apostle (v.1)

Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ,

and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed,

A. He was an Elder (v.1a)

„à Writing to the elders, Peter identified himself as a fellow elder, not a superior. The word ¡§elder¡¨ presbuteros meaning a man called by God to be a minister to the flock of God. He asked them to ¡§be shepherds of God¡¦s flock,¡¨ exactly what Jesus had told him to do. This was the time where Peter was restored from disobeying and denying Christ.

John 21:15-17 After breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?""Yes, Master, you know I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my lambs." [16] He then asked a second time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" "Yes, Master, you know I love you." Jesus said, "Shepherd my sheep." [17] Then he said it a third time: "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Peter was upset that he asked for the third time, "Do you love me?" so he answered, "Master, you know everything there is to know. You’ve got to know that I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my sheep¡¨

This passage tells us that an elder first priority is to love the Lord with total commitment. Unswerving devotion to the Lord¡¦s service as an undershepherd who cares for the Body of Christ the Church.

„à Peter was taking his own advice as he worked along with the other elders in caring for God¡¦s faithful people. His identification with the elders is a powerful example of Christian leadership, where authority is based on service, not power (Mark 10:42-45).

Mark 10:42-45 Jesus got them together to settle things down. "You’ve observed how godless rulers throw their weight around," he said, "and when people get a little power how quickly it goes to their heads. [43] It’s not going to be that way with you. Whoever wants to be great must become a servant. [44] Whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave. [45] That is what the Son of Man has done: He came to serve, not to be served¡Xand then to give away his life in exchange for

many who are held hostage."

„Ã There is no room for domineering leaders in the church, they call this the Diotrephes in the Church who loves to have the preeminence (selfish, self-centered, self-promoting and self-seeking). He wants to be served, not served.

3 John 1:9-10 I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will have nothing to do with us. [10] So if I come, I will call attention to what he is doing, gossiping maliciously about us. Not satisfied with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers. He also stops those who want to do so and puts them out of the church.

Gaius on the other hand showed the opposite (1-6). Verse 3 tells us that fellow Christians continually praised God for His lifestyle ¡§walked in truth.¡¨ Verse 5 John tells us that Gaius was faithful meaning he loved the Christians and non-Christians. His reputation for hospitality and kindness was well known throughout the churches.

B.He was a witness of Jesus¡¦ death (v.1b)

„Ã Peter was an eye-witness to the sufferings of Christ. He actually saw,

The ridicule, mockery, and cursing of Christ.

The questioning and doubting of Christ.

The unbelief and rejection of Christ.

The denial and rebellion against the claims of Christ.

The accusation and charges against Christ.

The sufferings of Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane.

The beatings and abuse Christ bore in His trials.

The mockery and death of Christ upon the cross.

2. The Duty: Feed the flock of God (v.2-3)shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; [3]nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock.

„à Peter¡¦s command that the elders care for the flock of God echoed Jesus¡¦ words to Peter himself, ¡§Take care of my sheep¡¨ (John 21:16). The same Greek word is used in both places, meaning ¡§to shepherd,¡¨ ¡§to tend,¡¨ or ¡§to take care of,¡¨. The ¡§flock¡¨ is the believers; elders had charge over individual churches and thus over a certain part of God¡¦s ¡§flock.¡¨ Elders were to be like shepherds who feeds the sheep that is teaching. Every elder msut be able to teach.

„Ã Furthermore, shepherd also needs to protect the sheep.

Acts 20:28-30 Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. [29] I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. [30] Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them.