Eagerly Shepherd

Minister Joaquin

1 Peter 5:1-5

So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: 2 shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; 3 not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. 5 Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 

Peter exhorts his fellow shepherds to tend to the flock that God has appointed to them. What he has in mind is almost certainly the role that individual leaders played in a given house church—to tend to that house church as a group assigned to them by God.

Matthew 9:35-38

35 And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

We are all shepherds in training. Shepherding is the family business, and God brings us all into His work of shepherding his sheep.

Not to be

  To be

Not because you must

But because you are willing

Not greedy for money

But eager to serve

Not lording it over those

Entrusted to you

But being examples to the flock

The effort to be a good shepherd spills into every part of your life. Now every relationship is blessed because your heart is more like Jesus’. Lead by example and not using your authority helps shape you to become more like Jesus. There is no greater example of that than how Jesus led.

Family ministry

One night a week pray for parents’ coworkers, friends, classmates, teammates 

Once a month serve together, cook food for those that are hungry, make some desserts for those you were praying for. Give them out together and ask if there is anything they can pray for them

Shepherding at work

Finding fellow Christians at your workplace

Meet once a week to pray for non-believing

Pray for each other’s families & ministries

Support each other when possible

Tend your flocks

Schedule time to check up on them

Pray for them often

Support them as needed

Love them like Christ

Share about Christ 

What gift could you give Jesus?

“When the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.” If Peter is a “fellow elder” (5:1), he is nonetheless an “undershepherd,” under Jesus himself (cf. 2:25).