Paul charges the Ephesian Elders to shepherd the flock of God by leading, feeding, and protecting them.
Paul Charges The Elders To Shepherd The Flock
Acts 20:28-31
“All right, let’s come to order. We’ve got a lot of business to take care of tonight. First on our agenda is what color to paint the social hall. There will be a work day at the church in two weeks, and we need to decide. It’s been green for as long as I remember, but I think we need a change. Let’s paint it off-white. Yes, Bob?” “If you paint it off-white, you’re going to have a rebellion on your hands! Some of our members have been used to a green social hall for 40 years. They might withhold their giving if you change the color!” “Okay, let’s take a vote. All in favor of off-white? Two. All in favor of green? Five. It stays green. Ernie, will you buy the paint?”
“Our second agenda item concerns the offerings. They’ve been down lately. We need to figure out some ways to get them back up to par. Any ideas?”
Now, that kind of Elder Board may be what we’re used to, but it is not what the Bible portrays. In that scenario, the Elder Board follows Robert’s Rules of Order, take care of business decisions, and vote on matters in democratic fashion, while the Pastor handles the spiritual needs of the church. But the Bible reveals a completely different kind of Eldership. That’s what we want to focus on this morning.
As we come to Acts 20:28-31, we are breaking into the middle of Paul’s Farewell Address to the Ephesian Elders. Paul is about to leave Ephesus, never to return again. He has seen God use him in a powerful revival, with thousands of converts. Paul has tirelessly labored among them, sparing no pains to present them perfect in Christ. But now that he’s leaving, he needs to know that a group of men will take up the task of shepherding these precious souls.
Paul has already reminded these Elders of his ministry among them. His ministry to God was that of serving with all humility, trials and tears. His ministry to the Church was that of teaching all that was profitable, both in public and from house to house. His ministry to the Lost was that of evangelism, calling for repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul then taught these Elders about Faithfulness to God’s Call. Paul used his own present commitment as a teaching tool to show them that a godly leader must be willing to Embrace God’s Sufferings, Esteem God’s Ministry, and Express God’s Truth. This comes across so clearly in vs.24, “But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God.”
In our text this morning, Paul finally gets around to telling these Elders what they must do. Everything up to this point has simply been Paul rehearsing his own life, ministry, and heart to these men in hopes that they will imitate him in their holy zeal for the saints at Ephesus. Now finally, there is a command – “Be on guard!” This also comes across in vs. 31, “Be on the alert!” In other words, Paul had done everything he could for their salvation. He had lived a life of humility, tears, trials, and utter dedication. He has not shrunk from any danger or doctrine but has declared to them the whole purpose of God. But Paul also knows that if a person is going to be saved, they must persevere to the end. Paul doesn’t just say, “Well I’ve taught you everything you need to know. Once saved – always saved. I’ll see you all in heaven!” No, instead he appoints shepherds to do the very same thing he had been doing for 3 years. He appoints men who will Lead, Feed, and Protect these sheep, to help them persevere to the end and experience everlasting joy in glory.
Now, before we get to our text this morning I need to answer some questions about Elders.
1. Are Elders and Pastors different people? No! Compare Acts 20:17 and 20:28. An Elder is a Pastor. A Pastor is an Overseer. And an Elder is an Overseer. These are all interchangeable titles. The term we use the most is “Pastor”, yet the NT uses that term only 1 time! In contrast, the term “Elders” is used 17x. The term “Overseers” is used 5x. This is the highest position in the local church. The 3 different titles express 3 different truths concerning his ministry. As an Elder, he is a spiritually mature man. As an Overseer, he must exercise authority and rule in the church. As a Pastor, he must feed and care for all of God’s people. In many churches there is 1 Pastor, and then many Elders who assist him in taking care of the church. That is not Biblical. The Elders are the Pastors. The Elders together shepherd the church.
2. Should there be 1 Pastor of Each Church? No! Compare Acts 20:17; 14:23; 1Tim.5:17. In fact, whenever you find the terms Elder, Overseer, and Pastor they are always in the plural. You always see them working together as a team to shepherd the church. I believe God established the church with a plurality of Elders in order to protect the church. There is to be no single person who is the Head of the Church – Jesus is. There is to be no single person who is the Senior Pastor – Jesus is (1Pet.5:4).
3. Can Women Be Pastors? Sorry ladies – the answer from the Bible is no. 1Tim.2:11-12; 1Tim.3:1-7 (notice all of the references to “he”, “him”, and “man”.
So, putting all of this together we can form something of a definition of church leaders. “A church is to be taught, overseen, and protected by a team of co-equal male Elders/Pastors/Overseers.” OK, now we are ready to really get into our text. This morning we are going to be looking carefully at the Duties of the Pastor. The main duty of a pastor is spelled out in the words of vs.28 “to shepherd.” In fact, the noun form of the verb “to shepherd” is the word “Pastor.” So, how does a Pastor shepherd a flock? By doing 4 things: 1. He guards his own life; 2) He leads the Flock; 3) He Feeds the Flock; 4) He Protects the Flock.
1. Pastors Must Guard Their Own Lives: Notice that this comes first. A Pastor can’t shepherd the flock if he doesn’t shepherd his own soul. He can’t lead the flock anywhere he has not gone himself. If the Pastors want their congregation to be sacrificial givers, or passionate about evangelism, or pouring their lives out for others, they must model these things themselves. As goes the Leaders, so goes the church.
A. So That His Relationship With Jesus Is Close and Intimate: A man’s role as an Elder can slowly erode his own personal relationship with Christ. The stresses and strains of being an Elder can be so great, and the commitment so demanding, that many an Elder loses his first love. He slowly changes from just loving Jesus, to becoming a professional minister. He still reads the Bible, but no longer so that God will speak to his own soul, but just to get a sermon. He stops singing praises, and praying for the mere enjoyment of God. He doesn’t have enough time for everything, so he starts cutting corners. A man will never be useful for God unless he is first filled with God. A Pastor must take the necessary time to be alone with God, if he is going to have anything to give to others. 1Cor.11:23 – we must first receive from the Lord Jesus if we are going to be able to deliver anything to you! A Pastor must have a secret, personal devotional life with Jesus.
B. So That He Doesn’t Live in the Sins He Preaches Against in Others: Heb.12:14 says “without holiness no man will see the Lord.” That includes Pastors. We don’t live a holy life in order to get saved, but rather because we truly are saved. It is possible for a Pastor to preach to others and then find himself disqualified. That is why an Elder should never counsel a woman alone. That’s why an Elder needs to have other men in their life that they can be brutally honest with and confess their sins to. If an Elder doesn’t guard himself, the devil can knock him off and 10 other sheep go with him. A Pastor is different from every other public speaker. Others can get away with speaking truth. He must not only speak it, but he must live it. 1Tim.3:2 says “he must be above reproach.” This doesn’t mean he’s perfect, for if it did, no one would ever qualify to be a pastor. It means there is nothing the enemy can lay hold of. When he sins, he repents, and asks the forgiveness of those he has sinned against. He’s a man of integrity. He doesn’t lead a double life. He’s the real deal.
Have you ever noticed that the qualifications for a Pastor are almost entirely moral; they are character qualities. Oftentimes when we want a Leader for the Church, we look for a man who is popular with the people, or who is successful in business. These are NOT the things God requires. A Pastor must live a holy life, know God’s Word, and be able to teach His Word to others, and love the people. Period. Doesn’t matter if he’s rich or poor, popular or obscure, successful or unsuccessful in business. He must live a life that is worthy of emulation. As we look for men to join us as Elders, this is what we are looking for: a holy life, a knowledge of Scripture and an ability to teach it to others, and a love for the people of God.
2. Pastors Must Lead The Flock:
A. All The Flock: Notice that he must guard all the flock, not just the ones he feels especially close to. There is to be no favoritism, or partiality here. He doesn’t just guard the likeable, agreeable, wealthy, smart, funny or encouraging sheep. He also guards the stubborn, wayword, disgruntled, and ornery sheep.
Now, who would comprise the flock? Is that every person who ever attends a meeting at The Bridge? I don’t think so. To be part of the flock, you first have to be a sheep? Jesus said on Judgment Day all mankind would be divided into sheep and goats. Sheep will inherit eternal life, while goats will receive eternal punishment. So, to be part of the flock that these Pastors are to guard, you must be a real Christian. You must be born again by the Spirit of God. We’re not talking about a nominal Christian, or someone who just talks the talk, but someone who possesses Christ. He has been transformed by the Gospel and the Spirit. He is a New Creation. But how do we know which believers are part of the flock that these Pastors are accountable to God for? Notice that Paul says in vs.28 “be on guard for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers.” The Contemporary English Version puts it like this, “Look after yourselves and everyone the Holy Spirit has placed in your care.” Am I accountable to God for every believer in Sacramento? Of course not! Am I accountable to God for every believer in Rancho Cordova? Of course not! What about every believer who has ever attended a meeting at The Bridge? No, because many will visit, but be members of a different local church. Their own pastors are accountable for them. A Pastor can only shepherd a sheep that is under his care. The way a person comes under the care of a Pastor is by making a commitment to the Church and its Leaders. Most churches refer to that as Membership. We refer to it as becoming a Bridge Partner. If you want to be part of the flock that we shepherd here at The Bridge, you need to express that by becoming a Bridge Partner. This is your way of making a personal commitment to this local church. Apart from that commitment, we don’t know if you are just a casual attender, or if you mean business by living out your Christian life in this place by serving, giving, and being on mission with us. When a person becomes a Bridge Partner, they’re saying “I’m in. You can count on me. I’m going from being a taker to a giver, from being a consumer to a producer.” These people would form the Core of the Church. Now if a person is a born again Christian, He is part of God’s Flock, but until he or she commits themselves to a local church, they are not part of that flock. We invite you to commit to The Bridge and its Leaders, so that together we can partner together to bring the gospel to the people of Rancho Cordova.
B. Overseers: This word tells us that part of the responsibility of a Pastor is to lead. An Overseer is the one responsible for the overall supervision, management and rule of the church. It is very similar to our terms “supervisor, manager, or guardian.” The word “Overseer” carries with it the idea of possessing authority to accomplish a task. Now, in our individualistic, democratic America there is an anti-authority spirit. We don’t like authority, we’re suspicious of authority, and we rebel at the idea of submitting to authority. However, a Pastor is an Overseer. It is his job to direct the affairs of the church. What does this mean? It means the Pastors choose the direction of the church. The sheep don’t decide which field they will graze in – the Shepherd does. The Shepherd’s job is to lead those sheep. The sheep’s job is to follow his leadership. Now, this doesn’t mean a dictatorship, or someone lording it over others, because Peter tells us that we exercise oversight by being examples to the flock (1Pet.5:2-3). Some churches function by congregational rule. In these churches, the entire congregation makes the decisions by voting. Folks, that is just not Biblical. In Scripture, the congregation doesn’t rule, they are subject to the authority of the Pastors. If the entire church exercised authority in all decisions, it would be totally ineffective to get anything done, and would be like putting the children over the parents. It’s not God’s way.
Let me show you this in some other passages of Scripture: 1 Timothy 5:17, “The elders who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching.” 1 Thess.5:12 “But we request of you, brethren, that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction.” Heb.13:17 “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.” Now, of course this doesn’t mean you must do anything a Pastor tells you to do, whether or not it is Biblical. If a Pastor tells you it’s OK to lie, steal, cheat, have an abortion or an affair, you do NOT listen to him! If a Pastor you don’t need to love your wife, submit to your husband, or share your faith, don’t listen to him! But if a Pastor directs you in a way that is not against the will of God, follow his leadership.
C. The Holy Spirit Has Made You Overseers: Who makes a man an Overseer? Do the other Pastors make a man an Overseer? Does the church make a man an Overseer, by voting him into office? No! That is the Holy Spirit’s job. At The Bridge, we will never take a vote for new Pastors. We will recognize whom the Holy Spirit has already made a Pastor. When the Holy Spirit makes a man a Pastor, there is a confirmation from the Individual (1Tim.3:1), from the Church, and from the Leaders, all agreeing that this man is beyond reproach, can teach the Word, and loves the people. Here at The Bridge we are looking for men whom God has called, not just someone who wants to be a big shot and boss people around. You know what is the very first and most important thing we look for in a leader? A servant’s heart. A person who is willing to do anything that needs to be done, not matter how menial. He’s willing to scrub toilets, take out the trash, get here early and set up chairs, and stay afterward and make sure everything’s cleaned up. Prideful, arrogant men who want to boss other people around make horrible leaders in the church. But humble, meek, men who want to serve others and lay down their lives for the flock make great leaders!
3. Pastors Must Feed The Flock:
A. To Shepherd the Church of God: John Stott has written on this verse, “To shepherd means to ‘tend’ a flock and in particular, ‘to lead a flock to pasture, and so to feed it.” That is probably why many translations of the Bible like the KJV and the ASV say, “to feed the church of God.” Just as a Shepherd is responsible to make sure his sheep are properly fed, so a Pastor must feed the flock. How does he do that? By preaching and teaching the Word of God. The Word is the food for our souls. Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” Peter says, “like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the Word, that by it you may grow in respect to your salvation.” The Pastors must feed the church God’s pure, unadulterated Word. There is no other way to grow a strong healthy church or Christian than this! You can spend all your time telling stories, giving testimonies, having dramatic presentations, having wonderful music, but none of those things can feed our souls like God’s Word clearly and forcefully taught.
I want to show you the Priority on the Pastor as a Bible Teacher. Let’s look at the so-called Pastoral Epistles, and let’s see what Paul has to say to 2 young men about the ministry of the Word.
1Tim.1:3,5. 1Tim.3:2. 1Tim.4:6,11,13,15,16. 1Tim.5:17. 1Tim.6:17-19.
2Tim.1:13-14. 2Tim.2:2,14-15, 24-26. 2Tim.3:14-17. 2Tim.4:1-5.
Titus1:9. 2:2,15. 3:1-2, 8
Folks, this is how a Pastor shepherds the flock. He painstakingly teaches them God’s Word. That is why at The Bridge, we take you to the Word every week. Only the Word will cause you to grow spiritually. That is why we are so big on expositional teaching, which simply means every point we make in a sermon is something that is drawn from a specific text of Scripture. My opinion doesn’t mean anything! But God’s Word can change your life. That’s why if we have an hour and 45 minutes to spend together on a Sunday, the majority of that time will be spent in God’s Word. I’ll say it again, the primary way a pastor provides spiritual care for his people is to teach them line upon line, verse by verse, paragraph by paragraph, chapter by chapter the Word of God. A Pastor must spend hours pouring over the Scriptures, making sure he understands the text correctly. Of course the teaching ministry of your pastors shouldn’t be your only source of spiritual food. You need to be learning how to feed yourself by reading, meditating, memorizing and studying the Bible for yourself. In a few weeks, we want to teach the folks coming to our Bridge Group at Angela’s apartment how to do just that.
B. Which He purchased with His own blood: Wow! What a statement! God purchased His own church with His own blood. But wait. God doesn’t have blood. God doesn’t have flesh, bone or blood. God is spirit. So how could God purchase His church with His blood? Although God the Father doesn’t have blood, God the Son does. This is one of the strongest verses in Scripture on the Deity of Jesus Christ. This verse makes absolutely no sense unless Jesus Christ is God. Notice also that the church has been purchased with this blood. That’s really what the word redeemed means. Paul says in 1 Cor. 6:20 “you have been bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body.” Now, why does Paul say that to these Pastors? I believe it is because he wants to give them the ultimate motivation for a faithful ministry. These sheep were bought at the infinite cost of the death of the Son of God. They are precious to God. Therefore, no pains, effort, and toil are too great to make sure these souls arrive safely in His heavenly kingdom. The Puritan Richard Baxter asks, “Can you not hear Christ saying, “Did I die for these people, and will you then refuse to look after them? Were they worth My blood, and are they not worth your labor? Did I come down from heaven to seek and save that which was lost, and will you refuse to go next door, or to the next street or village to seek them? How small is your labor or condescension compared to Mine! I debased Myself to do this, bit it is your honor to be so employed. Have I done and suffered so much for their salvation, and will you refuse that little that lies upon your hands? Every time we look out upon our congregations let us believinglyk remember that they are purchased by Christ’s blood, and that therefore they should be highly regarded by us.”
4. Pastors Must Protect The Flock:
A. Be on guard…Be on the alert: vs.28 and 31 are like bookends to this text. They show us Paul’s primary immediate concern. The flock is in danger! What is that danger? Savage wolves will come in from the outside and false teachers will arise from within. Almost all animals have some way to defend themselves: deer are fleet of foot, moles can dash underground, porcupines can attack with their quills, skunks with their stink bombs, rhinos with their horns. But think about it, how does a sheep protect itself? It has nothing! It can’t run fast, has no horns, claws or fangs, can’t shoot quills or stink bombs. It is absolutely defenseless…except for those fortunate sheep that have a Shepherd. The Shepherd is the sheep’s one and only defense. God has called Pastors to defend and protect the true sheep from false teaching.
B. Savage Wolves: Jesus talked about wolves in sheep’s clothing. They look like sheep, smell like sheep, and may even bleat like sheep. The only difference is their diet. You can always identify a wolf because there will be carcasses in his wake. What are wolves interested in? Eating sheep! What are shepherds interested in? The welfare of the sheep. The wolf uses the sheep; the shepherds serve the sheep. How does a shepherd deal with a savage wolf? Is he concerned about being nice to the wolf? No! He’ll beat him off with a club or shoot him if he has to. If someone comes to The Bridge and tries to persuade some of you with false doctrine, our first concern is not going to be Mr. Nice Guy. Our first concern is going to be to drive that guy off.
C. From Your Own Selves Men will Arise: from the midst of the elders, men will arise speaking perverse things to draw away the disciples after them. Did you notice their motivation? To draw away the disciples after them. Their motivation is not to serve these sheep. It is to use them to increase their own little kingdom. What will they speak? Perverse things. That right there is the definition of heresy. It is teaching a perverse thing. They have twisted the truth, until it sounds good, but it’s not true any longer. It only takes 1 drop of poison to pollute a glass of water. It only takes a little bit of error to twist the truth until it becomes error. There are a lot of religious groups speaking perverse things. JW’s teach that God created Jesus. Mormons teach that Jesus is the spirit-brother of Lucifer, the Devil. Oneness Pentecostal teach you must speak in tongues and be water baptized to be saved. 7th Day Adventists teach that Sunday worship is the mark of the beast. The Pastors here at The Bridge will not allow wolves or heretical teachers to hang out with the sheep. If someone comes in and brings you false teaching, we’re going to beat them off with a stick!
D. How Did Paul Deal With False Teachers? Vs.31. “Night and day for a period of 3 years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears.” Paul was constantly admonishing these people. The word admonish means “to warn.” Paul was warning them that these teachings would lead them down the wrong road. He warned them constantly, night and day, with tears! Don’t be surprised if the Pastors here pull you aside some day and warn you about a teaching that you have been entertaining. If we do that, we’ll show you from the Word why that doctrine is false and needs to be shunned.
Life Application:
1. Pray for Me: At the present time I am the only Pastor here. I desperately need your prayers. Pray that God will enable me to withstand the Enemy’s attacks and temptations, that He will give me the strength and zeal to be diligent in the work of the ministry, that I’ll have the wisdom I need to give solid Biblical counsel to those that need it, that I’ll love Jesus supremely, and all of you as well, and that I’ll be willing to spare no pains to see all of His flock make it safely to heaven.
2. Pray for More Pastors: Right now Kelly Salas is being considered as a potential future Pastor. Pray for Kelly, that if God is making him an Overseer, it will become very apparent to everyone. Pray for Kelly, that he will increase in godly wisdom, and Biblical understanding, and the ability to teach and preach God’s Word.
3. Support and Submit to Your Pastors: What that basically entails is showing them respect, giving their teaching weight in your minds, heeding their counsel. When they provide vision and direction for The Bridge, follow their leadership willingly. If you’ve never done so, make a real commitment to supporting this church and its Leaders in the work of gospel mission.
4. Become a Christian! What an inestimable privilege to be a sheep in Christ’s flock! Jesus Himself laid down His life, and shed His precious blood to purchase a people for Himself. Will you be one of those people? Will you repent of your old ways, and trust what He did on the cross to save you from your sin? What’s holding you back from becoming a follower of Jesus Christ? Whatever it is, it’s not a good enough reason to turn your back on the God who loves you, and then spend eternity in hell. Come to Jesus this morning!
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