Shepherds in Biblical Style

The priorities of Paul, he would say, as the elder goes, so goes the church. As the church goes, so goes the home. As the home goes, so goes the nation. And yet the evangelical church seems to be mesmerized with the prayer for revival to occur in Washington.

We need a revival and it needs to begin in the pulpit. And then that will affect people. Who will affect their homes?

Who will affect their nation? The nation is a reflection of our homes. Our homes are a reflection of our churches. And our churches are a reflection of our elders.

The book of Acts is a critical turning point in the storyline of scripture because it's where we see the beginning of the church age. God's desire for his people now is that we would unite and assemble in local churches all over the world. But those churches have some defining characteristics.

The titles and qualifications for the leaders are spelled out for us. What the church leaders do is spelled out. And we're going to learn more about that today as Stephen Davey opens God's Word to Acts 20. His message today is called Shepherds in Biblical Style.

Here's Stephen. Huckleberry Finn is having a conversation with redheaded Mary Jane. Huck was telling her that in the church of her Reverend Harvey Wilkes, her uncle, I should say, there were, quote, no less than 17 clergy.

But, he added, they don't all of them preach the same day. Only one of them. Well, then, asked Mary Jane, what do the rest of them do? Oh, nothing much, said Huck. They loll around.

They pass the plate one thing or another. But, mainly, they don't do nothing. Well, then, asked Mary Jane in astonishment, what are they for? Huckleberry Finn replied with a sense of confidence, why, Mary Jane, they are for style.

Don't you know nothing? They are for style. Just what are pastors for? Are they social workers? Are they the resident psychologists or psychiatrists? Are they corporate administrators? Are they the resident self-help experts? Are they the in-house therapists who make everybody feel good? Are they the weekly motivational speakers to get everybody moving?

Now, everything that I just rattled off were not made up. They are actual job descriptions of thousands of pastors today. Never before in my estimation has the role of the pastor, elder, or church leader been mired in so much confusion and unbiblical jargon. So, this morning, I want us to begin swimming upstream with this issue. We're going to swim against the current of popular opinion, maybe even an opinion or two of your own, as we go to the Word to discover the role and responsibility of the pastor. I invite you back to Acts 20, if you're not already there, where we left off in our last discussion.

The first point that I want to give to you by way of introduction is this. The church leaders are identified in the New Testament Scriptures by three primary terms or titles. All three terms are interchangeable and refer to the same office. Whether as we'll see, they're called pastor or elder or bishop, those all emanate from the New Testament text, but they all three refer to the same men as leaders in the church. The first term is presbuteroi, and it appears in verse 17 of chapter 20. We read there, in fact, it's translated elders typically in the New Testament. Paul sent to Ephesus and called to him the presbuteroi, the elders of the church. This is the word that gives us our transliterated word presbyterian, and they typically call their church leaders elders.

It's a term that more than likely was borrowed from the Jewish synagogue, and it's a word that refers to the elderly men who led the synagogue, which I feel much more qualified today than ever before. Now, if you look down at verse 28, you'll notice the second term, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Your translation may read bishops. It's the Greek word episkopos translated bishop many times or overseer. That word episkopos gives us the word episcopal.

So that denomination typically calls their church leaders bishops. Now, we've taken the last part of episkopos and we have added it to many of our English words like microscope, telescope, and they accurately convey the meaning of that Greek word to look carefully over, to watch intently. You have the responsibility of the presbuteroi, and now you have the rule of the episkopos.

We'll look later at that in a moment, a little closer. Now, the third term is found in verb form in the very next words of verse 28. To shepherd, you could underline that word shepherd because that's the third term, poimenos, to shepherd the church of God. The noun form is found in Ephesians 4-11 where God tells the church that he is gifting the body with several different offices. And one of them is the poimenos, the pastor often translated pastor slash teacher, or literally the feeder. The word summarizes the role of the office or the passion of the office of church leader appointed by God to lead the flock.

In fact, the same Greek word has been transliterated to give us our English word pasture. And that is the passion of the pastorate to lead the sheep into rich pastures and to feed as feeders the flock. When Jesus Christ as the resurrected Lord met with Peter who denied him three times, you may remember that he asked Peter, Peter, do you love me? And Peter responded, and we won't debate the uses of word differences in that text. We don't have time, but Peter responds with, yes, Lord, you know, I love you. Peter then feed my sheep. Peter, do you love me? Well, yes, Lord, you know that I love you. Then shepherd poimeno, there's the word, shepherd my sheep. Peter, do you really love me?

Well, yes, Lord, you know that I do love you. Then Peter feed my sheep. It's as if Jesus Christ is saying to him in advance, Peter, the New Testament church is about to be born in the flock collected together. And I never want you to forget that the greatest revelation of your love for me as a church leader is that you feed the sheep. And I emphasize that men and women, because that is most often the neglected role of the pastorate. The body at large, I think today is hungry. And they are trying to feed at rather thin pools of water.

So let me give you the second thought. Church leadership is identified as a plurality of men. In other words, the office of elders in a singular church is an office occupied by more than one man. In fact, we had looked earlier in Acts chapter 14, verse 23, where they saw that they established, we saw that they established elders, presbuteroi, plural, for every ecclesia, singular, for every church. So there were men leading a single church. Now, while the New Testament, especially the Book of Acts, gives the example in their church polity organization of a leader among the leaders, a leading elder among the elders, such as James was in the Jerusalem church, where he, not even being an apostle, stood and summarized the debate and then rendered the verdict. Seen also in Timothy, who was the pastor teacher in the church in Ephesus and Titus, who was the pastor teacher in Crete. I think the common mistake is to assume on two fronts that, number one, the leading elder or the pastor teacher should attempt to dabble in everything. Or worse yet, that he alone is to decide everything. We have another word for that.

It's called dictatorship, right? Not eldership. That's the introduction. Now, let's move to our text in chapter 20. Let's refresh our memories by beginning at verse 17, where we were last time. And from Miletus, Paul sent to Ephesus and called to him the presbuteroi, the elders of the church. And when they had come to him, he said to them, you yourselves know from the first day that I set foot in Asia, how I was with you the whole time, serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials, which came upon me.

You remember how he summarized his ministry of three years, a ministry of tears and trials and humility. How I did not, verse 20, shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable and teaching you not only publicly, but also in your homes, solemnly testifying to both Jews and Greeks of repentance toward God and faith and our Lord Jesus Christ. Now, behold, bound in spirit, I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit solemnly testifies to me in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions await me.

Now notice this perspective. But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself in order 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. And now, behold, I know that all of you among whom I went about preaching the kingdom will see my face no more.

Therefore, I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose will bully the counsel of God. Now, at this point, having said all of this in regards to his own ministry, he now directly addresses the Ephesian elders. And in so doing, by the way, he inadvertently under inspiration provides for us the biblical job description, the responsibility, the rule and the role of the pastor elder bishop. He warns them, first of all, you notice in verse 28 to be on guard for yourselves. It's interesting to me that Paul would begin by warning the leaders about their own spiritual vulnerability before he addresses the vulnerability of the church. You could paraphrase this word to take heed to yourselves, to pay close attention to yourselves as Paul saying, hey, you elders, watch out. Why begin with the elders? Because if the elders fail in their spiritual walk, the church will suffer, will it not? If the elders are involved in sinful practices, the church will suffer, will it not? And he begins here expressing his grave concern over the future of the church in Ephesus by beginning first to warn the leaders of their own spiritual walk. The warning, by the way, can be applied to every Sunday school teacher who stood a moment ago, every Awana worker, every Christian servant in ministry here, everyone who occupies the role of teacher or leader. The truth is it is sometimes easiest to walk away from fellowship with God when you're right in the middle of serving God.

Why? Because you're involved in the lives of others. You are concerned with the cares of others. You are burdened with the sins of others and you sort of take your relationship and it's easy to shelve and put in the back room. So he begins here by telling them to take a hard look at their own lives. And if the leaders, ladies and gentlemen, are weak in their faith, they will not lead the church to take steps of faith, will they not? If the leaders of the church are immature in their behavior, the church will be given to strife and discord. If the leaders of the church do not have a tendency toward study of the word and a desire to do that, they'll never lead the church in a study of the word. If the leadership do not have sensitive consciences to sin, the church will be given to sin without warning toward holiness and purity. Lenski wrote it very well when he said, be taught yourself before you teach others. Be light yourselves, be in the light yourselves before you ever seek to draw people into the light.

Be near to God before you ever dare draw people to a nearness with God. In other words, the elders are to be the standard in the flock for purity and faith and sound doctrine. The writer of Hebrews declared to the body, remember those who lead you or led you who spoke the word of God to you considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith. Ladies and gentlemen, we have separated conduct from leadership.

But according to the New Testament, conduct is the foundation for leadership. By the way, before ever, long before we had an admitted adulterer ever occupying the White House, admitted adulterers and fornicators occupied the pulpits of our churches. Why cannot an immoral man lead the nation when immoral men can lead the church? The priorities of Paul, he would say, as the elder goes, so goes the church. As the church goes, so goes the home. As the home goes, so goes the nation. And yet the evangelical church seems to be mesmerized with the prayer for revival to occur in Washington. We need a revival and it needs to begin in the pulpit.

And then that will affect people who will affect their homes, who will affect their nation. The nation is a reflection of our homes. Our homes are a reflection of our churches. And our churches are a reflection of our elders. Okay, that was all to the side.

Now let's go back to the text here. He tells Paul or Paul tells them to carefully watch over the flock. Secondly, stand guard over yourselves and for all the flock.

This is a wonderful expression. This is a term used for the local assembly. Did you know that we are considered by God to be a flock?

It's a wonderful term. A local ekklesia, the Greek word for church, a local assembly of called out ones. First, I want you to notice the ordination of the elder. The text says, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers.

Now stop. Who is it that made them overseers? Is it a history of fathers and grandfathers who've been elders? No.

Is it the recommendation of a friend to the office of elder? No. Is it a congregational vote?

No. Those may be wonderful parts of this process that ultimately identifies a man and sets him aside as a leader in the church. But ladies and gentlemen, the one who called, the one who equipped, the one who impassioned him is the Holy Spirit. Only the Holy Spirit can equip a man for this work. Only the Holy Spirit can give these men gifts needed for the task.

Only the Holy Spirit can energize them for this all-consuming role. A man doesn't force his way into the eldership. A man doesn't manipulate his way in. You don't get in because you're wealthy. You don't get in because you're the president of a company.

You don't get in because you have business experience. You get in because the Holy Spirit has already identified you as a leader in the church, and it just takes a little while for the church to catch on. Secondly, Paul not only clarifies the ordination, but he reveals their oversight. Notice verse 28 again, the Holy Spirit has made you overseers.

That's the term episkopos. It relates to the ruling nature of the office of pastor, elder, bishop. Now we've also observed in Acts the affirmation of the congregation in relation to the decisions of the elders, and that's a wonderful thing that we experience here. There are several things that we bring to the body, and we get on the same page, and we sing the same music, and we're in the same key.

It's a wonderful thing to move forward in unity. Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians chapter 5, but we request of you flock, brethren, body, that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction. The elder oversight also includes, as Paul wrote to Titus, the overseer, there's the word episkopos again, the bishop must hold fast the faithful word, which is in accordance with the teaching, that is the body of truth, the doctrines we hold to, that he may be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict, for there are many rebellious men, empty talkers and deceivers who must be silenced. Pretty powerful words, 1 Peter 5 to the elders have the oversight of the flock.

Thirdly, here's their objective. Notice the phrase in verse 28 to shepherd the Church of God. What an incredible objective to shepherd that is to nurture and to feed and to guard and to protect the Church of God. How important is the Church to God? Well, would you notice that next phrase, the Church of God, which he purchased with his own blood?

That's how priceless you are. He shed his blood to buy you out of darkness. He died for you, for the flock and the under shepherds. He gave his life, that's how precious you are to God. There's nobody else in the world that would die for you like he did when you were enemies of him.

But I want you to notice here, look carefully. It not only tells us about the preciousness of the Church, but it declares for us the deity of Christ. If you have people that you work with or study with, you deny or doubt the deity of Jesus Christ, we just read one of the strongest phrases in the New Testament that declare the deity of Jesus Christ that there is in the entire New Testament.

Would you look at it again? The Church of God, which he purchased with his own blood, the antecedent, the blood is who? God.

An incredible statement. Colossians 1 tells us that the fullness of deity dwelt in this Lord Jesus Christ. And so you can in fact say that when Jesus shed his blood. How interesting to compare this to Hebrews, which we don't have time to do, but where the high priest would go in on the Day of Atonement and offer the blood of the goat for himself and the bull for the people. And the text in Hebrew says he offered blood that was not his own. And here Paul wants us to know that he offered his blood for the Church that was indeed his own blood, the blood of God.

Well, we got to quit, but let's make three statements here quickly. What are the marks of a healthy biblical local church? First of all, a faithful leadership by godly men. Second of all, a flock of well-fed submissive believers. By the way, as a member of the flock, the greatest test of your character may not be in your willingness to lead, but in your willingness to what?

Follow. Third, a firm faith in the living Lord of the Church. The one who was called, by the way, the episcopas, the bishop of our soul. The one who was referred to in Hebrews as the chief shepherd of the flock. This one who dies to the Church could be bought out of slavery and brought out of darkness. The one referred to as our wonderful Savior.

The man who was fully God. At the University of Chicago Divinity School, which is, by the way, sort of a hotbed of liberalism, they have what is called Baptist Day. I'm not sure exactly what that means. I wondered if they had a potluck or something and invited all the Baptists. Well, it is a day when all the Baptists are invited to the school because the school basically needs Baptist money. So they have this supposed day where they invite the Baptists from the area to come and they invite a speaker.

On this particular day, this article I was reading, each one was to bring a lunch to be eaten outdoors in a grassy picnic area. And after lunch, they were to convene in the Theological Education Center. The University of Chicago invited, it said, the greatest minds.

Recently, they invited Dr. Paul Tillich. I had to read some of his stuff so I'd know what the other side of the fence believed in seminary. He spoke for two and a half hours basically attempting to prove that the resurrection of Jesus Christ was false. He quoted scholar after pseudo-scholar, book after book. He concluded that since there was no such thing as the historical, literal bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ, then the religion of the church was groundless, emotional mumbo-jumbo because it's based on a relationship with a risen Christ who in fact never rose from the dead. By the way, he is right on that, although his presupposition of course is wrong, but if Jesus Christ did not rise from the dead, our faith, Paul said, would be what?

Worthless. He then asked if there were any questions. After about 30 seconds of stunned silence, an old pastor with a head of woolly white hair stood up near the back of the auditorium and said, Dr. Tillich, I have just one question. All eyes turned to look at him. He reached into his crumpled sack and he pulled out an apple and he took a bite. Dr. Tillich, crunch, crunch. My question is a simple question.

I haven't read the books you quoted and I can't recite the scriptures as you have in the Greek language. He took another bite of his apple. I don't know anything about Niebuhr or Heidegger. Munch, munch. He finished his apple and put it back in his sack and said, Dr. Tillich, all I want to know is this. Was the apple I just ate bitter or sweet? Dr. Tillich paused for a moment and answered in scholarly fashion, I cannot possibly answer that question for I haven't tasted your apple.

The white haired pastor dropped the core of his apple into his paper bag, looked up at Dr. Tillich and calmly said, neither have you tasted my Jesus. David wrote, oh, taste and see that the Lord is good. The desire ladies and gentlemen of this church and this leadership is to lead and to feed and to guard and to equip so that ultimately we all together honor and glorify our resurrected sweet savior, the living Lord. I'm glad you took the time to join us today for this broadcast of Wisdom for the Heart.

Steven Davey is working through the closing chapters of Acts in this series from our Vintage Wisdom archives. Today's message is called Shepherds in Biblical Style. For those of you who are part of our Wisdom partner family, you'll be encouraged to hear from a pastor who wrote to us recently to say this. I wanted to send a brief note to thank Steven and the ministry team for making all of your Bible lessons available both online and on the radio. As a bivocational pastor, I'm in constant struggle to balance my study time alongside my work duties and I've been greatly blessed by the teaching resources you've provided.

While driving a school bus, I'm able to listen to your daily radio broadcast after I've delivered the students to their school. Thank you for the enormous investment of your time and energy in the cause of spreading the precious gospel message and preaching the whole counsel of God. May the Lord, by his enabling grace, continue to strengthen you for this vital ministry. That came from Dan, who pastors in South Carolina. Thanks for writing, Dan. Friends, Steven's messages are available to you free of charge at wisdomonline.org. Thanks again for joining us today. Tune in next time for more wisdom for the hearts.