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Tuesday, November 14, 2017

Shepherding God's Flock {1 Peter 5}

November 14, 2017

I have always felt I resembled Peter.  I love listening to the Lord.  I love following the Lord.  I love when I am so focused I can walk on water.  But I sometimes fail, and sink when I lose my focus.  I’ve also been known to deny the One who gives me life.

Today, we come to the conclusion of Peter’s first epistle.  And I’d like to focus on our Great Shepard and being the Church.

Oh, give ear, Shepherd of Israel, You who lead Joseph like a flock; You who are enthroned above the cherubim, shine forth!  Psalm 80:1

Know that the LORD Himself is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.  Psalm 100:3

"Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.” I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; Acts 20:28-29

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. John 10:11-15

 For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. 1 Peter 2:25

Peter was one of the 12 disciples, and one of three who witnessed Christ’s glory at the transfiguration and he witnessed the death and resurrection of Christ.  It’s no wonder he became a pillar of the church.  In this final chapter, Peter is writing to the elders of the church, but he’s identifying as a fellow elder, not a superior, when he asks them to “Be shepherds of God’s flock.”   This was exactly what Jesus had told him to do in John 21:15-17.

As the Church, we are the greatest hope for the world.  We have the ability, resources and gifting from God to bring hope to the world.  But what’s happening to the Church around us?  Are you noticing the impact we are losing?  How many churches are closing and becoming museums or concert halls?  We are so focused on outside influences and so distracted that we are amusing ourselves to death.  It seems we tend to focus on the electronics, gadgets and social media, that we are losing our commitment to Jesus.  Just look at the self-ism and consumerism in and around our churches.

Go back and read Acts 20:28, Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.

These last couple of weeks, I have focused on becoming, or being Christ.  No, we can never take His place.  But as we study and pray and meditate on His word, we become more like Him. 

We are a Building – when Solomon’s workers were building the church, these stones were quarried and polished away from the site of the temple and no hammer could be heard when they were placed together - they fit perfectly (1 Kings 6:7).  God is bringing all of us together as living stones (1 Peter 2:5).

We are the Body – Paul explained that we are the hands, feet, eyes and ears of the Church body.  We are all working together.  We are unified in Christ.  I have always heard that believers attract one another which is why we are a transnational community.

We are a Family – The Church is a household of God.  It is a caring place for people to bring their brokenness and needs.  We should be looking for opportunities to help others.  Shepherds are committed to one another.

We are the Temple – we are being built together for the habitation of God.

We are the Members – we are not the head of the Church.  We were sought out.  We are a worshipping community giving God all the glory and praise.  And we need to remember that we were chosen, just as the women at the well who had 5 husbands, and was not married at the time Jesus met her.  Jesus told her that the Father was seeking her. (John 4:16-26).

We are a Lamp – we are a witnessing community, open and available to God to introduce others to Christ.

Be the Church – we represent the invisible God to a skeptical world.

As shepherds, we have a lot to look after.  We are always at work.  We have to “Be alert and of sober mind.  Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.  Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kinds of sufferings.” (v. 8-9).

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