Shepherding While Suffering

Let me tell you the story of two Christians going through suffering.

There was once a Christian who was not a member of a local church because they had moved a number of months ago, and never really prioritized getting involved in a local church or being known by the pastors of the church they attended somewhat regularly. Then, they went through the most difficult situation of their life. Their marriage was already hanging on by a thread, but then they received the most difficult news that their spouse also was given a very difficult medical diagnosis, which would also immediately impact their life with the kids, their childcare situation, and finances. Overwhelmed, this Christian began to think about those wonderful messages that they had heard from a Pastor that they listen to their podcast every week and on their YouTube channel and have bought several of their books. So, they thought I will call them for help, surely they will help.

So, they tried to call them on their phone, then they messaged them on social media their story, and then even tried to write a letter. With each contact the Pastor thought, who is this person? I have never been to Lafayette to Indiana? I have never met them, they should talk with a local pastor in their area, then the Pastor never gave it any more thought. The Pastor never responded. He did not take the flight from the other state to come be with them. He never marshalled support from the church to come and help them. He was unwilling to meet with them each week to help them work through things in their marriage.

Then there was another Christian. This Christian became a member of a local church. They communicated with their Pastor, their pastor knew them, got to spend time with them in the local church and proactively sought opportunities to love and serve others in the body of Christ together. Some continued struggles in their marriage began to surface when, because of an accident at work the spouse was unable to work and this put pressure on the marriage and the family in a number of ways. This Christian called their local church pastor. The Pastor responded to their email within a day and arranged to schedule a meeting with them. As he heard about the challenges, he contacted the deacons to arrange for financial assistance to immediately be provided to meet the most pressing needs for the family.

The pastor then reached out to their small group and others in the church who the Pastor knew that they had friendships with and began to assemble a plan for meals, for childcare, and within one week they were both having time to work through things in their marriage.

How different are the experiences of these Christians for their interactions with pastors? I share these stories to highlight the blessing of shepherding while suffering. It encourages Pastors about their important purpose which can be a blessing to others but also illustrates the blessings of members who are committed to a local church and submitting themselves to church leadership.

Would you take your Bibles and turn with me to 1 Peter 5? That is page 182 of the back section of the Bible located under the chair in front of you.

This year we have been studying the book of 1 Peter under the yearly theme of Hope for Everyday Life.

Pastor Aucoin reminded us in 1 Peter 4:12-19 that we all must not be surprised by tests. We must expect tests and entrust our care to God our faithful creator in doing what is right.

Pastors don’t get an automatic pass on the test. We too must share in sufferings of Christ in order to share in his glory, and Peter knows of all people about how suffering often puts pastors to the test because they are often the first to experience the blowback and consequences of suffering in a hostile culture. They often have a target on their heads and back both within the church and by those outside the church and as such it can be difficult to shepherd faithfully as such Peter begins to focus specifically…[READ 1 PETER 5:1–5]

Shepherding While Suffering.

With the time remaining let’s look for 3 Ways the Pastor Serves the Church through Suffering.

I. God has called Pastors to lead the church. (v. 1)

Leading can be challenging, but leading others when they are suffering and you are personally suffering, only makes the responsibility more daunting.

Pastors are not immune to suffering. We are tempted just like you are tempted to not respond in a godly way when treated unjustly. Pastors can be tempted to shrink back from doing what is right when it is hard.

But it’s in these fiery ordeals, the trials, and suffering, that God knows that Christlike leadership and example is most needed.

Notice that before Peter specifies his exhortation, he reminds them that he can identify with them based on his credentials. He is well acquainted with the difficulty of shepherding in the context of trials.

He is a Fellow Elder.

He is a Witness of the sufferings of Christ.

He is a Partaker of the glory that is to be revealed.

First, he is a Fellow Elder.

When Peter addresses them as elders and talks about himself as an elder. He is referring to those who serve in the office of a pastor or elder. The church office of pastor, or elder, or can be used interchangeably and refer to the same office of leadership in the church. So here at Faith Church we use the title Pastor (emphasizing) the shepherding aspect of the office. But we are bishops or elders, as some of you so affectionately call me Bishop Birk.

As an example,

When the apostle Paul addresses the elders of the church:

Acts 20:17–28 - “¹⁷ From Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called to him the elders of the church. ¹⁸ And when they had come to him, he said to them …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.

Just like Paul did, Peter is going to address the elders and tell them how to be Shepherds or Pastors and how to shepherd the flock of God among them.

As Faith Church we believe that only qualified men can serve in the office of Pastor according 1 Timothy 3:

1 Timothy 3:1 – “It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do”

Or Titus 1

Titus 1:5–6 - 5 For this reason I left you in Crete, that you would set in order what remains and appoint elders in every city as I directed you, 6 namely, if any man is above reproach, the husband of one wife…”

Peter is a fellow elder, he served as one of the elders of the early church in Jerusalem where he was persecuted and imprisoned (Acts 4 and Acts 12) mentions some of the persecutions Peter faced as a fellow elder.

Peter pastored in the context of persecution since the beginning of the church, so he is speaking from experience.

Second, Peter also highlights the credential, that he is a fellow witness. One who even was an eyewitness to the sufferings of Jesus the Christ. So, Pastor Peter is leading by…

Bearing witness to the sufferings of Jesus.

Before getting into exhortation he draws attention to the reminder Christ’s sufferings. He reminds the elders of the footsteps that he and his fellow elders are following. If you remember…earlier in the book of 1 Peter we talked about the sufferings of Christ as something all believers need to be reminded of…

1 Peter 2:21-24 - “²¹For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, ²² who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; ²³ and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; ²⁴ and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.

The sufferings of Jesus has been a constant reminder to the believers throughout this letter that their Savior can identify with them in their sufferings having been the one to suffer first and they have been called to follow in the same footsteps.

The third credential, is the hope that he with the other elders are fellow partakers of glory that is to be revealed…so when suffering seems to be all that surrounds you…he is

Keeping their focus on the coming glory of Jesus.

Amid the trials these elders are encouraged to keep their attention and the attention of the church on the coming glory of Jesus and the joy that they are going to experience when Jesus returns with his second coming.

Earlier in 1 Peter, he encouraged all believers..

1 Peter 1:13, “Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

Peter’s personal appeal is reminding them of the joy of sharing in the sufferings of Jesus means sharing in the joy and kindness of Christ when he returns in glory.

So, Peter has identified with and drawn in these fellow pastors to receive his exhortation to… shepherd the flock of God among you. In other words, God has called Pastors to lead the church and

II. God has called Pastors to lead like a Shepherd (v. 2-4)

God describes leading the church through the biblical imagery of a Shepherd caring for the sheep. So, elders or pastors must do everything that is required of shepherding. This is to be modeled after the way that God cares for his people like a Shepherd care for their sheep.

We are compared to sheep because sheep are needy and dependent on the care of their shepherd. We are needy and dependent on the care of our God. As Phillip Keller mentions in his book “A Shepherd’s Look at Psalm 23”

“It is no accident that God has chosen to call us sheep. The behavior of sheep and human beings is similar in many ways…. Sheep do not just take care of themselves as some might suppose. The require more than any other class of livestock, endless attention and meticulous care.” – W. Phillip Keller

Caring for sheep often involves the activities such as:

• Watching over the safety of the sheep and protecting them from danger like wolves, or predators, or a harmful situation.

• o We see many examples of our God demonstrating shepherd like protection with his presence…whether from Egypt or from the enemies of God’s people for example when they entered the promised land…

• § Numbers 14:8–9 – If the Lord is pleased with us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us—a land which flows with milk and honey. Only do not rebel against the Lord; and do not fear the people of the land, for they will be our prey. Their protection has been removed from them, and the Lord is with us; do not fear them.

• God did for his people through the testing time of the wilderness through his Shepherd-leader Moses.

• § Psalm 78:53-54 - But He led forth His own people like sheep

And guided them in the wilderness like a flock; He led them safely, so that they did not fear; But the sea engulfed their enemies.

• Providing good pasture and clean water for them to eat/drink and grow.

• § Psalm 23:1-2 - The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters.

• § Ezekiel 34:11-12 - For thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out. 12 As a shepherd cares for his herd in the day when he is among his scattered sheep, so I will care for My sheep and will deliver them from all the places to which they were scattered on a cloudy and gloomy day.

• § Isaiah 40:11 - Like a shepherd He will tend His flock,

In His arm He will gather the lambs

And carry them in His bosom;

He will gently lead the nursing ewes.

The Pastors responsibility to shepherd the church is formed and shaped by this image of how God does this toward his people through the history of God’s relationship with his people and particularly modeled in the Lord Jesus Christ in his ministry with his disciples and the apostles in the early church.

You may ask why is a shepherd’s care needed in our lives as followers of Christ?

Well, because when we experience suffering in our lives and do not have the care of pastors and the local church, or we choose to not respond well to a pastor’s care, we all end up becoming a bit like Chris.

Meet Chris the sheep:

(Chris the Sheep – BEFORE)

Chris’s mobility was impaired as a result of the weight of his fleece he had grown over more than five years. He was in great risk of infection/injury.

When they trimmed Chris the Sheep, he ended up losing 89 pounds of wool!

(Chris the sheep – AFTER)

And as a Church member, to the degree that we follow the command to obey and submit to the leaders in the church, we will profit much and be blessed.

Hebrews 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.

God gave us as pastors as gifts and blessings to the church, not burdens to your life. We care for you, and want the best for you, to help you mature and in your love and service of God and others and become more like Christ.

I want to thank you as a Church family. All of us pastors would say that it is a delight and privilege to serve such a wonderful church family, who is supportive of church leadership, seizes the opportunities that we often are seeking to lead our church family to consider, and communicate biblically and respond well when there are concerns or issues.

As one of the pastors each of these aspects of the command to shepherd we take seriously and we are always seeking to grow to be more like our Chief-Shepherd, Jesus.

But I want to mention some of the examples for how we are seeking to put these aspects into practice as pastors specifically…

• Feeding the sheep

• Sunday morning

• Wednesday FCI

• Small Groups

• Personal Counseling

• Men and Women focused issues

• Intro to Faith

• Refuting false teaching

• Church discipline (Leaders protecting the flock in love)

• SB 350

• Security team

• Annual theme of Hope for Everyday Life (Sermon preparation)

• Strategic Ministry Planning Process

• VBS/Community Picnic

• Visitations/Prayer for the sick

• Hospitality

• Deacons Care

• Personal Soul Care

There is another key part of the command…Pastors are to shepherd the flock of God among them.

Meaning as a Pastor I have specific pastoral oversight for the members of Faith Church, this local fold of believers I am to focus my primary attention and care for shepherding your souls, not primarily the believers in China, or Japan, or Indianapolis, or Southern California. God has raised up pastors in those local churches for the same purpose.

This is a significant implication. Our shepherding is to be tailored made and reflected to the needs and spiritual condition of our local church and as shepherds we live life with you so we see and learn things about our church that no other pastor or leader in the world knows or sees.

Are you thankful for the gift that this is to your life and personal growth in the Lord? We notice things about you and your life that your favorite YouTube Pastor or Podcaster Preacher never notices or sees about your life and will never give you the time of day when you are going through suffering.

• Example of COVID

• Example of SB350

• Example of FW/FN/Vision of Hope/FBS

Our pastors have a rightly ordered special love and affinity for you all in ways I do not have for other local churches…and as a member of this local church, you also have a rightly ordered special love and affinity and closeness with your fellow church members.

The temptation can be to compare leadership/pastors of local churches and see differences in shepherding through the lens that there is a one-size right way to shepherd, forgetting that shepherding has general principles, which we are going to see that are tailored and applied to the specific needs and care for each sheep.

So how does the Shepherd care for the flock?

Not begrudgingly, but with a willing heart. (v. 2b)

“not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God”

Sometimes divine compulsion is mentioned in a positive sense such as 1 Cor 9:16

1 Cor 9:16 - “…for I am under compulsion; for woe is me if I do not preach the gospel.”

In this case it is used in a negative sense implying there is not a God-given desire or proper motivation, but instead it is begrudging service.

Just like Christians are not to give finances under compulsion, but willingly and cheerfully out of love for God’s generosity.

Similarly Pastors love to shepherd voluntarily out of a willing desire because the love the Lord and the people the Lord purchased with his own blood.

Just like Jesus the Good Shepherd, reminded Peter when he restored him…

John 10:15–17 - So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Tend My lambs.” He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He *said to him, “Shepherd My sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Tend My sheep.

The second phrase used to describe the ways pastors should shepherd is…

Not for dishonest profit, but with eager passion. (v. 2c)

“not for sordid gain, but with eagerness;”

This means that a true shepherd should not be in the ministry for the purpose of benefiting personally through dishonest gain by using people for their own personal profit.

Yes, they should be paid and taken care of by the church they are shepherding but they cannot seek to be in the ministry for the purpose of profiting dishonestly.

Instead, the shepherd is to lead with a passion for the Word of God, a love for the people of God, and heart that eagerly serves the Lord.

Men should not desire to be shepherds merely to make a living like it just some job to make money and a living from because you could not get a job someplace else.

Jesus uses the term “hireling” or “hired hand” to describe such a man compared to his shepherding.

John 10:11-13 - “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep.

I am thankful for the fellow pastors that I have the privilege to serve with and see most these men could pursue careers in other areas where they could make far more money, but they became pastors because they loved the Lord, they loved the church, and wanted to care for God’s people.

Godly pastors don’t desert the people in the time of testing and trial, they sacrifice and serve the church through the various trials and sufferings the church experiences.

They serve with eagerness, readily, with devotion and zeal. This should be characterized by things such as creativeness, initiative, and giving their best.

Third, the example of the

Not to control others, but to demonstrate proper living (v. 3)

“nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge but proving to be examples to the flock.”

The office of pastor requires leadership and authority because you teach, admonish, lead, and oversee. Peter is reminding them leadership and authority in God’s church is Christlike and different than leadership in the world. It can be a temptation for leaders to lust to be in control of others and have dominion over others. Such leaders are motivated by selfishness and pride. The church’s leaders are different, and this is a characteristic that applies to all Christians. Remember Jesus told his disciples…

Mark 10:42–45 - “Calling them to Himself, Jesus said to them, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them; and their great men exercise authority over them. But it is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

So, pastors do not lead with pride and by lording it over others, instead he leads by being an example to the flock.

• Cheerfully giving

• Proactively serving

• Demonstrating hospitality

• Leading his family to follow Christ

• Suffering a way that glorifies God

• Finding his ultimate joys in the things of Lord

Now, while the passage primarily is focused on leaders, don’t miss how many of these things pastors are commanded to do and demonstrate as part of their qualifications, are also commands given to all believers.

Finally,

III. God has called Pastors to lead with eternity in focus (v. 4-5)

A. Knowing the Chief Shepherd will return.

“And when the Chief Shepherd appears”

There is hope for the pastors who demonstrate godly leadership in the church that they are not doing it alone, there is a shepherd over them and they are just under-shepherds.

This encourages and gives me hope as a pastor that my Savior reminds me, he is a Shepherd. He is well acquainted with the suffering and shepherding challenges of this life.

There is hope that ultimately my focus is following his authority as I shepherd and I do not have to rely on my own wisdom, power, or resources for the task.

Praise the Lord the Chief-Shepherd knows the difficulty of the task and so he knows how to reward his shepherds well with an unfading crown of glory…godly shepherds are…

B. Living to obtain an eternal crown (v. 4)

you will receive the unfading crown of glory.

Pastors must keep their focus on the eternal reward, if you do, you will not be as discouraged nor fearful in shepherding. Riches or power will not sustain a pastor who is shepherding. You need the eternal hope of Christ and the eternal reward that awaits you with his return: the unfading crown of glory.

Then Peter switches the exhortation from Pastors to younger men encouraging them to be subject to your elders. Peter is focused on…

C. Pointing others to live in humility (v. 5)

You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.

God does not want his pastors lording it over the flock but to be humble servants in how they care for the church, but at the same time he exhorts the younger to be submissive an be humble toward their leadership because there is a temptation for those younger to look down, not honor, and be discontent with the elders that God places over them for their good even when they are leading by a good example.

Numbers 12:3 mentions how the shepherd-leader Moses - was very humble, more than any man who was on the face of the earth.

Yet even the men of that generation viewed Moses as Lording his authority over them in Numbers 16:3.

Peter encourages the younger men in particular to choose to willingly put themselves under their leadership for the unity and growth of the church.

If the whole church is characterized by humility toward one another they will experience the grace and kindness of God that he gives, whereas the proud will experience opposition from God. As one commentator says…

“Smooth relations in the church can be preserved if the entire congregation adorns itself with humility. When believers recognize that they are creatures and sinners, they are less apt to be offended by others. Humility is the oil that allows relationships in the church to run smoothly and lovingly. Pride gets upset when another does not follow our own suggestions.” – (Thomas R. Schreiner, 1, 2 Peter, Jude, vol. 37, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2003), 238.

• Examples of youth and younger men in the local church doing this.