March 1 – Shepherds of the Body of Christ

        1 Peter 5:1, 2 – "To the elders among you....be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, serving as overseers, not because you must, but because you are willing...."

        I have always been an idealist, someone who looks for that slice of utopia in certains aspects of life. I want to see the picture of a perfect world, or at least a piece of perfection in our skewed perception. One of those aspects has to do with the worldwide church's tradition of "the pastor". I use the word "tradition" because the "real-world" pastor and his role, do not necessarily meet the instructions thereof, found in the New Testament. On the flip side, God is so patient with his children, that he allows many things that are not in his perfect will. I am not referring to sinful ways, as they never receive his blessing. Reference 2 Thessalonians 1:11, where Paul prays for blessings on good intentions and purposes, whether they be from God's perfect will or from not knowing his perfect will in a situation. God will work through anyone whose heart is desirous to please him.

        Nonetheless, let us look at a few scriptures that describe a scenario where the broader church might not get things right. In English translations of the Bible, the word "pastor" usually shows up only once in the New Testament. This started in part with the Geneva Bible translation and carried over to the long-overused King James Version. Eph. 4:11 states, "It was [Christ] who gave gifts to people in order to be apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service...." The word "pastor" in this verse simply means shepherd in Greek. Therefore, let's look at a few pertinent verses about shepherds. Three pieces of this puzzle will suffice to get a clearer picture. Refer to the main verse above where Peter ties together the words "shepherd, overseer, and elder". In Titus 1:5, Paul tells Titus, "The reason I left you in Crete was that you might organize what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you." In Acts 20:28, Paul tells the Ephesian elders, "Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock, of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God...." In the early church, there was no structure where one man was the leader of a local body of believers. There was a plurality of elders, who humbly led the flock into God's truth. They were the overseers who taught the people God's ways and directed the affairs of the local body.

        In 1 Timothy 5:17, Paul does state that the elders who direct well are worthy of double honor. However, I see leaders all the time who call themselves pastors in a possibly elevated manner. Jesus gives us a warning for such arrogant attitudes. In Matthew 23, especially in verse 7, he describes the wrongful actions of the scribes and Pharisees in this regard.

        For further study, 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 give the qualifications for elders/overseers. May God bless our efforts to serve him, even if those efforts are not in line with his ideal plan, or our perceptions thereof. That wish, however, does not mean that we should not strive to know God's perfect ways. We are all guilty of sometimes settling for God's 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th best, instead of desiring his 1^st best. Let us strive for God's best in everything.