In Ephesians 4:11ff Paul places the ministry of the pastor among four other prominent ministries: the apostle, the prophet, the evangelist, and the teacher. In this lecture we explore the distinctness of the ministry of the pastor and how that ministry relates to the other four.
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Here are some key takeaways:
In the first lecture, we spoke of the concept of the shepherd in the OT as the precursor for the ministry of Jesus, the Good Shepherd; the subject of the second lecture. In this lecture we will speak of the ministry of the shepherd within the church.
We ended the last lecture with Peter embracing his call to be a pastor . . . feed my sheep. But is he an disciple, an apostle, or a pastor? How can we discern the difference? And how does this apply to our lives?
Ephesians 4:11ff
He himself gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, some to be pastors and teachers.
- All of these ministries are the result of the grace of God . . . free, undeserved, unmerited. Grace (charis) is the root of the term gift (charisma).
- Two results to Christ’s death, burial, resurrection, and ascension. The first is that he led captives in his train. The second is that he gave gifts to men. These gifts are instruments of his dominion; he demonstrates his dominion by leading captives in his train, then gives gifts to men as signs and instruments of his dominion in the earth. These gifts manifest his dominion over all of these things.
- The gifts are not given to individuals; the individuals are themselves the gifts to the body of Christ. In fact, all of the gifts of the Spirit should be seen as things given, rather than things possessed. The spiritual gifts are not things that you have, but things that you give.
All ministries of the church are shepherding ministries.
Apostles shepherd according to their particular kind of grace, bringing breakthrough, establishment, and covering.
Prophets shepherd according to their particular kind of grace, bringing edification, exhortation, and comfort.
Evangelists shepherd according to their particular kind of grace, bringing salvation and the experience of justification and regeneration.
Pastors shepherd according to their particular kind of grace, bringing care
Teachers shepherd according to their particular kind of grace, bringing teaching that provides clarity and understanding for God’s people.
When you mention the term pastor the first thing that comes to mind for most people is a dynamic preacher, a visionary leader with administrative acumen and an explosive personality. But those are not pastoral images . . . those images are more properly apostolic, prophetic or evangelist. The true pastor is a shepherd, a care-giver, one who’s heart burns for the people of God, to tend them and to care for them, to come alongside them and walk with them. While all ministries are shepherding ministries, the ministry of the pure shepherd is unique. The pure shepherd quietly and gently leads his sheep beside still waters, restores their souls, and leads them in paths of righteousness.
You can hear a prophet or an apostle from a mile away. But a true shepherd is rarely heard; he is too busy listening to the sound of the heartbeat of his sheep. True shepherds are the best listeners. For this reason, true shepherds are often overlooked. They typically don’t think highly of themselves, and they are rarely possessed by visions of greatness. They are often sensitive to rejection and abandonment, and they may feel emotionally flawed. But all of these things are gifts from God. Because they are sensitive, they are able to see those sheep that are in need of care, and are able to discern precisely what type of care they need.
Jesus is given many titles in Scripture that refer to his many functions. But the Jesus who will come to take us home is Jesus our Shepherd. The lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will lead them to streams of living water (Revelation 7:17).
In the next lecture, we will pursue the thesis that the pastoral task is a lifestyle before it is a function. The most powerful form of pastoral leadership is leadership by example. The next lecture will explore the components of the pastoral lifestyle that are essential for fruitful pastoral ministry.
Lecture Four: The Paradigmatic Role of the Shepherd
