The Heart Of A Shepherd || State Road Church Of The Nazarene

Amen. Well we've been spending some time in Ephesians

chapter four so I invite you to turn there with

me again this morning Ephesians chapter four.

And we've been talking about the fivefold apostles

prophets evangelists shepherds teachers. Today

we're going to kind of focus in a little bit

on shepherds. But before we do that you know

we're talking this week and I question that we

were kind of thrown around and we were talking

about together is how do we honor people who

aren't like us. because it's easy for us to recognize

the good traits about the way that the Lord's

wired us. And we acknowledge that in other people.

It's easier for us to recognize that. But how

do we do a good job of honoring people who aren't

like us? And the reality is the kingdom needs

people who aren't like us. Right? So for all

shepherds, then... we're not very good and we're

not very useful in the kingdom. But the thing

that makes us useful is that I'm good at things

you're not and you're good at things that I'm

not. So how do we honor and celebrate people

who aren't necessarily like us. So I want to

take a moment just to do that a little bit. So

as we've been going through this maybe you already

knew that but maybe it's just something that

you've discovered as we've been working through

Ephesians chapter four. How many of you think

like maybe not that you're ready to say I'm 100

percent this but I feel like maybe the Lord has

been teaching me or showing me that I might be

an apostle. Who are the apostles among us? Adele.

Anybody else? Esther? No? You're getting blessed.

So Adele. So I think we can all say that not

just for Adele, but in our context this morning,

specifically for Adele, but then all the people

like Adele, we give thanks to God for apostles,

right? Thank you both of you. We give thanks

to God for Apostles, right? That we're better

because we have people that God's wired that

way and gifted that way and it's a gift to us

So Adele, we honor you. You're a gem and not

just because of that, but in many ways You're

a gem and and we honor you and we honor Apostles,

right? So how many of you would say maybe you

already knew it or maybe you've discovered it

along the way that maybe the Lord's calling you

or has gifted you as a prophet. How many of you

think that that might be one of you. Like I know

there should be some other hands up because yeah

anyways so prophets we we honor prophets right.

We give thanks to God for the gift that he's

given to the church of prophets. Amen. Thank

you both of you. So the prophets among us we

honor you today and we're thankful for you You're

a gift to us and we want you to know that we

we acknowledge that and we value that How many

of you would say that you maybe you're just discovering

it or you've known it for a long time But you

feel like God's kind of gifted you and called

you to be an evangelist Like you're really passionate

about reaching lost people And you want the church

to do a good job at that. And how many of you

would say that maybe that's kind of the way the

Lord's wired you, evangelist? Hopefully somebody,

because we need evangelists, amen. So maybe the

evangelists are all watching us on YouTube or

Facebook. So we honor evangelists, right, because

we need them, right? So today we're going to

talk a little bit about shepherds. and one of

the dangers for me, and I hope that you, I hope

that you feel like we've given equal treatment

to all of them. So like the natural thing for

me to do would be kind of take the two that I'm

the best at and kind of push those a little bit

harder because you know, I actually do know something

about these. So there are some of them that I'm

not quite as gifted at and that's okay because

you are. But like when we come to shepherds,

one of the things that, It's just it's who I

am is a shepherd and because of that I don't

want you to feel like I give special treatment

to that one and to the exclusion of the rest.

But how many of you would feel like maybe that's

and I know that we'll talk about it today but

you feel like maybe the Lord's gifted you as

a shepherd and we'll talk more about that so

maybe you'll want to be added to that list but

we give thanks the Lord for shepherds right.

The church needs shepherds right. and we honor

them. They're a gift to us, and we acknowledge

that. So how many of you would say that you're

teachers? We won't talk about that till next

week, but how many of you would say, I think

that the Lord might be gifted me or using me

as a teacher? If that's you, then we give thanks

to the Lord for you, right? Thank you both of

you. That's amazing But we need teachers, right?

We need people to help us to understand the Word

of God and apply it to our life And we give thanks

Lord for teachers today. We're specifically going

to spend some time talking about shepherds. It's

one of the things that The Lord has gifted me

at so we talked a little bit about this when

we were talking about the the prophets so I'm

kind of growing in some of the others. There

are some that it's just not me, and I really

do rely on other people to do that. But when

it comes to profits, I have some gifting there,

I have some anointing there, and I certainly

do as a shepherd. And like as I was, I reworked

most of the stuff about three or four times,

and I'm like, this explains so much to me. I

think sometimes, I was a psychology minor in

school. So what that means, I was doing my undergrad

stuff. I had a psychology minor. And you know

what that means? I know enough psychology to

be dangerous. That's what that means. Now, I've

gone on. I've learned some more. But I know just

enough to be dangerous. So shepherds. There's

this, John Maxwell used to say this. He was talking

about leadership. But he said, if you think that

you're a leader, and you realize that no one's

following you, you're just going on a walk. So

with shepherds, I think that a similar kind of

thing could be said. A shepherd without sheep

isn't a shepherd. It's just a guy with a stick.

And I do want to make one, I just want to make,

because I'm a guy, so you know, like that statement,

it's just a guy with a stick. We're part of the

church of the Nazarene. We acknowledge that the

Lord has gifted and called women as shepherds.

Amen. That was actually a really good response.

That men and women are called as shepherds. So

the statement is just as true that if you're

a shepherd and you don't have any sheep, then

you're not a shepherd. You're just a woman with

a stick. Because God calls women to shepherd

just as much as he calls men. So I have several

things I want to talk about. I'm going to move

very quickly because I don't want to get bogged

down and spend too much time on one thing and

lose you. I want to be done before you are. So

the first thing I want to talk about is understanding

the shepherding gift. And really the objective

here is to define the role of a shepherd within

the fivefold ministry and lay a biblical foundation

for that. So a shepherd's calling, there's a

Greek word that's used there in Ephesians chapter

four. It's also used throughout the New Testament.

but I think it's up here on the screen. The word

is poimene. Everyone say poimene. Poimene. So

poimene is, you'll never believe what it means.

If you have your Greek Bible there, you already

know this, but it's translated here as shepherd,

and it's not a bad translation, but if you looked

it up in the original language, you'll never

believe what it literally means. It means shepherd.

Yeah, I know, that's hard to believe. And it's

kind of used as a metaphor throughout Scripture,

Old Testament and New Testament, for spiritual

leadership. So when the Bible's talking about

what spiritual leadership looks like, the word

that it often uses and the word picture that

it uses is often this idea of shepherds. So think

about this. A shepherd is not a CEO. So there's

a place for that and God's gifted people as CEOs.

This is not to put CEOs down. But a shepherd

is not a CEO. A shepherd is not a motivational

speaker. A shepherd is not a program director.

A shepherd has one obsession. The sheep. And

shepherds don't climb ladders, they carry crosses.

Shepherds aren't the kind of people who usually

get promoted because they're not usually flashy.

They usually don't care what anybody thinks about

it because their only obsession is just taking

care of the sheep. They're not willing to play

the political games because the political games

just don't matter. They're just going to take

care of sheep. There's an Irish proverb that

I heard this when I was just starting out in

ministry and I can't tell you the number of times

that this proverb runs through my head. And here's

the proverb, a shepherd feeds the sheep daily,

shears the sheep once a year and skins them once

in a lifetime. And sometimes the problem that

we have is people who are in shepherding roles,

they're in pastoral roles, they forget the importance

of the first two -thirds of that. So for a shepherd

to take care of sheep, they have to be fed daily.

And you only can shear them once a year. So like

you would get very tired of a shepherd who just

constantly was shearing you, just you know like...

Just cutting you down every time they got the

opportunity and you would especially get tired

of it if every time you are around this individual

You just felt like you're getting skinned You

wouldn't be able to put up with that very much

so the shepherd feeds the flock Daily nourishment

from the Word of God. He protects them from wolves.

He stands guard against lies and false teaching

He leads with safety and growth in mind always

toward green pastures never toward danger and

cares for the wounded and the weak. The broken

aren't a burden to a shepherd, they're the priority.

Why? Because the only thing that matters is the

sheep. So a couple biblical models of shepherding,

one that comes to mind. If we're thinking about

shepherding in the Old Testament, you guys, group

participation time, give me an example that just

comes to your mind immediately about shepherds

in the Old Testament. David's a great example,

and there's a passage in the Old Testament David

might have something to do with it that talks

a lot about shepherds. Psalm 23 says, the Lord

is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me

lie down in green pastures. The entire thing,

the entire passage, if you want to check this

out you can, but here's the stuff that I want

you to notice in that passage. It speaks of intimacy,

provision, and guidance. It's talking about what

God does for us. It says that God is the Good

Shepherd That he's our shepherd that he he intimately

knows us. He he provides for us He provides guidance

for us great example in the Old Testament New

Testament Jesus comes along and it's John chapter

John 10 · chapter mention

10 and Jesus says I am the Good Shepherd I lay

down my life for the sheep. So everything that

you knew from the Old Testament, Psalm 23, Jesus

comes on the scene and he says, I am that. So

we talk about intimacy and provision and guidance.

We have all of that in Jesus. Amen. So he knows

his sheep. That's what John chapter 10 tells

John 10 · chapter mention

us, that he knows his sheep and the sheep know

him, by the way. It also says that Jesus, the

good shepherd, lays down his life. for the sheep

that he leads and he guides. He never abandons

them. That's not just a metaphor. It's the standard

for shepherds. So in John chapter 10, there's

John 10 · chapter mention

a comparison we'll put up here on the screen

for you. So here's the comparison. So in John

John 10 · chapter mention

chapter 10, where Jesus says, I am the good shepherd.

Here's the deal that's going on in John chapter

John 10 · chapter mention

10. So there were some people in Jesus' day,

I understand that we can't get our brain around

this, but there were some quote unquote shepherds

in Jesus' day that were pretty lousy at it. And

they didn't care at all about the sheep that

were entrusted to their care. They were just

in it for a buck. And as a result, They were

suffering the injustice and the violence because

there were these shepherds who were in positions

But they didn't have the heart of a shepherd.

So the people were paying the freight and Jesus

kind of compares himself to that He says hey

I am the good shepherd and this is what a good

shepherd looks like This is what a good shepherd

does so he's comparing and contrasting himself

with the sham And he's saying I'm the real deal.

That's what's going on in John chapter 10 So

John 10 · chapter mention

in John chapter 10, he uses this phrase of a

John 10 · chapter mention

hireling, and he talks about what the hirelings

will do. And hirelings are just people who are

in it for a paycheck. That's what they're all

about. They're the ones climbing the ladder.

They're in it for the political gain, but they're

not in it for the sheep. So Jesus is saying,

I'm not like them. And that's kind of the backdrop

that he's talking about. And another passage

is in First Peter chapter five, where it talks

about that true shepherds are under shepherds

of the good shepherd, that we should imitate

him, that we should follow his example. So this

just takes that and kind of gives you a comparison

of what we're talking about. So in relationship

to the sheep, the hireling sees them as not his

own, he's detached from them. So like a hireling

would say, you know what, if you're having a

problem, It doesn't matter. You pick the problem.

See, I always have to be careful here because

as soon as I pick a problem as an example, somebody's

going to say, he's talking about me. And I'm

not. So I'm just going to try to pick one that

I think no one is. Anyways, I'm not talking about

anybody in particular right now. But we'll just

say that in one of your homes, your family is

just a dumpster fire. I know nobody can relate

to that. But I mean, your family, your home life

is a dumpster fire. And a hireling would look

at that and say, not my circus, not my monkeys.

I mean, I'll show up. I'll do what I'm supposed

to do. I'll put on a good face. I'll act like

I care. But you're gonna see through that in

a moment's notice. Because there's just something

that's not genuine about it. Because the hirelings

detach, they're removed, and they say the right

things, they shake the right hands. But like

when your family's a dumpster fire, a hireling's

like, hey listen, that's not my problem. I'm

sorry you're there. But don't expect me to do

much beyond that. So the opposite of that is

an under shepherd sees them as God's flock entrusted

to his care. So here's the difference or her

care I Don't mean anything specific by that,

right? But here's the difference So somebody

who is a under shepherd of the Good Shepherd

if your family's a dumpster fire it matters to

him or her and They're in it with you And you

can sense the difference So the second thing

is in response to motivation, they work for pay,

position, or personal gain. It just sounds gross,

right? I just want to wash my mouth out with

soap just for saying it. But you know, there

are people like that. That's what a hireling

does. They're in it for the paycheck. They're

in it because they want to climb a ladder. They

want to increase their position. They'll use

ministry opportunities as a stepping stone. You

know, hey, it's not where I want to be, but I'll

do this. And if I do this long enough, then And

I scratch the right backs that I can eventually

climb the ladder and I get to where I want to

be. That's what a hireling would do. The motivation

for somebody who is an under shepherd is they

serve willingly, eagerly, and out of love. How

do they respond to danger? A hireling flees from

the wolf whenever the danger comes. He'll flee

from it and he'll abandon the sheep. So the fastest

way is to figure out if they're a hireling. If

you want to know if somebody's an under shepherd

or if they're a higher link, it's real easy.

Let things get difficult, and a higher link will

run. And an under shepherd will be there no matter

what. That's how you can tell. So an under shepherd,

they'll stand firm, they'll protect the flock,

they always will stay present. Ownership mindset.

The higher link is self -serving. What can I

get? A under shepherd, it's stewardship, these

belong to Christ. Leadership style, a hireling

is neglectful, self -focused, absent in crisis.

A under shepherd is humble, faithful, leading

by example. A hireling, the ultimate allegiance

is to their self or to their employer. Doesn't

it just sound gross? the under shepherd is to

the chief shepherd to Jesus Christ, the outcome.

So this is what happens. And this is ultimately

why this conversation matters. Because the hireling,

if you have somebody who's a hireling, and John

John 10 · chapter mention

chapter 10 talks about this specifically, the

sheep get scattered, they're harmed, and they're

vulnerable. If you have somebody who's an under

shepherd, the sheep are fed, they're guarded,

and they're guided towards Christ. And that doesn't

mean that the difficulty still doesn't come.

It just means that even in the difficulty that

there's still guidance, there's still leadership

moving us toward green pastures again. So I hope

that that at least gives you a kind of a visual

that you can grab onto and maybe take a couple

notes from, but that's what I'm talking about.

Here's the truth that messes with some of our

assumptions. First of all, shepherding is not

just pastoring a church. I think I've already

talked about this a little bit when we were setting

up the entire five -fold thing. I already touched

on it briefly, but let me just add insult to

injury and just go ahead and say it. So there

are some of the translations that have it, apostle,

prophet, evangelist, pastor, teacher. It's a

terrible translation. Nowhere is that word translated

as pastor. The word pastor does appear in the

Bible. Don't get me wrong. But it's not that

word. The word that we talked about is only translated

as shepherd. Well, there's a huge difference

between those two. And you can't begin to understand

how much it impacted me when I realized the distinction

between those two. So we're not talking about

pastoring a church. So sometimes when we come

to this subject, we're like, okay, well, Pastor

Phil, he's just on some kind of crazy rant because

he's only talking to a select few people. who

might ever be in the role to pastor a church

and provide pastoral ministry. I'm not talking

about that. Because the role of shepherding is

much broader than pastoring a church. And we

talked about this too for a little bit, but not

all shepherds are pastors. And not all pastors

are shepherds. And man, it helped me when I realized

that. Because if I don't realize that, then I

look to people to provide pastoral support to

me, shepherding support to me, and it's not ever

going to happen. Are you following me? Not all

pastors are shepherds, not all shepherds are

pastors. The title doesn't make the shepherd

the heart does. So if you're called as a shepherd,

your job isn't to build an empire, to grow a

platform, or to keep people comfortable. Your

job's actually very simple and sacred. Feed them,

protect them, lead them, and heal them. That's

the weight of shepherding. So that helps us understand

the shepherd gift, but let's talk about the heart

of a shepherd. So this is really about developing

character and internal posture of the shepherd.

So the heart of a shepherd... It's not defined

by skill but by the spirit. It's not by what

they can do, it's by who they are. So here are

the qualities of a under shepherd. Number one,

they must be compassionate. I think I have this

one on a slide. Because this one's so good, I

want you to actually be able to see it with me.

It's the one from Matthew 9, Joel. This one,

Matthew 9. So when we talk about compassionate,

this is what I'm talking about. I want you just

to read this with me. Okay Speaking of Jesus,

he saw the crowds He had compassion on them because

they were confused and helpless like sheep without

a shepherd So Jesus is the great shepherd he's

the good shepherd if we're gonna get this right

we have to be like Jesus That's the only model

that is worth following after so as a shepherd

if you want to know what does it look like we

look like Jesus We love like Jesus, we take care

of people like Jesus, we serve like Jesus. And

Jesus sees people, he has compassion on them.

Why does he have compassion on them? Because

they're often like sheep without a shepherd.

I got this wrong for years. And in fact, I probably

owe you an apology too. So look, I've gone back

to some of the places I was in ministry early

and I've apologized to them because I'm like,

I have no idea how you put up with me. And this

is probably one of the things I need to add to

the list. I think you've probably heard me say

something like this. that the problem with sheep

is that they're stupid. How many of you have

heard me say something along those lines? So

I want to publicly repent of that this morning

because I think the Lord's changing my mind on

this. And I don't think that sheep are stupid.

I don't think sheep are dumb. I think they're

just dependent. So like God talks about us as

we're the sheep that he cares for and by that

God is not saying he'd listen Phil you are dumb

I mean, I'm just telling you right now boy. You

are dumb He's not saying that at all. But what

he is saying to me today is this Phil listen

to me. You are the sheep of my pasture and listen

You are far more dependent on me than you realize

and You think you're a self -made man I'm telling

you that you are completely dependent upon me.

When Jesus looks at the crowd he doesn't have

compassion on them because they're stupid. He

has compassion on them because they're dependent

and there's no one to provide the care. So I

apologize. I've told you that sheep are stupid

and I think they're just dependent. I think it's

a better word. You can tell me later if you think

I'm right, but I think it's a better word that

sheep are dependent. Shepherds are patient. Second

Timothy 2, 24 through 26, they don't force growth.

They walk with people at the spirit's pace. Man

that there's so much more I wish I could say

but I don't have time They're servant -hearted

John 13 12 through 15. They wash feet. They don't

seek thrones Again, Jesus is the good shepherd

John 13. What does Jesus do? He washes the disciples

feet. He's not looking for thrones He's not trying

to climb a ladder. He's not looking for positions.

He just serves people in practical ways That's

what a shepherd does. There's spiritually mature

and emotionally stable. They're anchored. We're

going to talk about that throughout September

that we have this hope as an anchor of the soul.

I don't know about you, but that should make

you happy. You should be ridiculously happy.

You have this hope as an anchor for the soul.

It doesn't matter what the storm is. It doesn't

matter what's happening. You have this hope as

an anchor for the soul. Woo! September is going

to be good. So they need to be anchored not tossed

around by moods or storms Both of those are important

Sometimes we're tossed around by the storms of

life. We have no control over that right no control

whatsoever You don't get to decide what a storm

is coming But sometimes we get tossed around

by our own moods Right. I mean I get in a funk

I'm not patient at all with Danita, and I say

crazy things to Danita, and if I'm going to be

the kind of shepherd that God wants me to be,

I have to be so anchored in Him that I'm not

tossed around because I'm having a bad day. Not

driven by power or control, 1 Peter 5, 2 through

4, they lead by example, not by domination. Have

you ever been Have you ever been subjected to

somebody's leadership and they lead by domination?

Isn't it fun? Don't you love it? Don't you just

want to get up and go to work every day? No.

What we're talking about is when they lead by

example. I've had great leaders. I've had terrible

leaders. I've had everything in between. But

I tell you one thing that I know to be true when

I've had great leaders and they lead by example

and When I know that what they're asking of me

is consistent with their lifestyle It's pretty

easy for me to tow the line And be like this

person's living it out It's pretty easy for me

to say you know what yeah, I'll do that And that's

the kind of leadership that we're talking about

bottom line shepherds. Don't just preach sermons.

They embody this the shepherd's heart. Some common

misunderstandings. Shepherds are not people pleasers.

Say that with me. Shepherds are not people pleasers.

They take care of people, but they answer to

God. And don't ever forget that. I don't mean

this to be like I'm not trying to posture at

all. I'm not. That's not my point here. After

all these years together, I think that you know

my heart well enough. I'm not trying to posture

here at all. But at the end of the day, I don't

work for you. I work for God. And do I want to

take care of you? I do. It's the way that God's

wired me. It brings me great pleasure when I

get it right. But at the end of the day, it doesn't

matter one hill of beans if you're happy with

what I did. But everything matters about what

he thinks. So shepherds aren't people pleasers.

They understand that they work with people, they

care for people, but they answer to God. Misconception

number two, being pastoral doesn't mean tolerating

sin. Sometimes we think that... in our effort

to protect the sheep that will avoid confrontation

at any cost. I've worked for some leaders like

that, that they were fantastic people, that they

wanted to provide care, but they would smell

confrontation three days away and run the opposite

direction. Well, you just can't be a good leader

and do that. There are times that in the process

of taking care of people and doing what you need

to do to take care of them and protecting the

sheep, there are times that you have to confront.

Sometimes the most loving thing that you can

do is to confront. The last one is shepherding

is not codependency, it's healthy care leading

people to Jesus, not tying them to yourself.

Have you ever been around people that they're

just trying to get people to like them and to

be connected to them and have you known people

like that? That's not what we're talking about

at all. So let's talk about core functions of

a shepherd This is the main responsibility of

a shepherd so it really can be boiled down to

five things I'm just I'm gonna tell you right

up front. They're not it's not glitzy. It's not

glamorous. In fact, it's gritty. It's daily It's

costly, but there are really five non -negotiables

for shepherds. Number one is feeding everyone

say feeding So shepherds feed they they feed

they teach the word sound doctrine not empty

fluff Truth that roots people in Christ. They

promote growth and maturity I don't have time

to read it but Hebrews chapter 5 12 through 14

Hebrews 5 · chapter mention

is a great verse about this and the goal for

shepherds is to move people from milk to meat

There's nothing wrong with milk, but you can't

stay there forever So there's a time and a place

where what they need is milk and by all means

let's give them milk If that's what they need

and that is a reasonable thing for where they

are in that season Then let's give that to them.

But at some point we have to say okay as part

of shepherding you We need to move you from that

and get you to me Right. You can't stay like

that forever. I love you enough to not leave

you the way that you are We're gonna keep moving

forward If you're not feeding the flock, they'll

starve or they'll just eat junk food someplace

else. Number two leading, vision and direction,

pointing the church toward Christ's mission,

not personal agendas. Guiding through life, specifically

what I mean by that is in the middle of the crisis,

in the middle of the calling, in the middle of

transitions, you don't disappear when it gets

hard. Sheep without directions scatter shepherds

set the course number three caring Specifically,

I'm talking about soul care So visiting counseling

praying showing up if you could just only get

one of them when we're talking about caring for

souls If you don't get anything else get this

just show up One of my professors in school I

don't remember much of what he said. We served

on a credentials board together, and I would

tell him, hey, you need to tell this person this

particular thing that he said. I thought it was

a great piece of advice. So like staff pastors,

he would say this. He said, there's three things

that staff pastors need to know. The first one

is loyalty. And he would talk for three or four

minutes about loyalty. And then he said the second

one is, loyalty. And he would talk about three

or four minutes about loyalty. He said the third

one is loyalty. And he would talk, you know,

for three or four minutes about loyalty. So then

he'd wrap it all up and say, here's the bottom

line. If you want to be successful as a staff

pastor, be loyal. And this isn't that, but in

class he would say this one thing over and over

again. I probably couldn't tell you anything

else that he said other than the loyalty thing,

because I thought it was funny. I wanted everyone

to hear it. I don't mean funny in that it wasn't

true. It is true. But I just thought the way

that he delivered it and presented it was important.

But here's the thing that he said over and over

in class. It's probably the only thing I remember

that he did say. If in doubt, go. If you're in

doubt, go. If you know that a friend is going

through a tough week, and there's any doubt in

your mind, like, what should I do here? Then

pick up the phone. Today, at least send them

a text message. It'd probably be better if you

got in the car and just went and saw them. That'd

probably be better. But if you have any doubt

in your mind whatsoever, then just go ahead and

do what you need to do. Do something. Show up.

That's the heart of a shepherd, the heart of

a servant. The other part of that is in healing

wounds. Isaiah chapter 61 is a great, great example.

Isaiah 61 · chapter mention

So the shepherd binds up the brokenhearted. They

carry the weak. A shepherd smells like the sheep

because they're close enough to touch them. Number

four, protecting. Guarding against false teachers.

Wolves don't wear name tags. I taught this material,

I was asked to teach it out in Jefferson several

months back, and one of the examples that I gave

out there, kind of, I don't know why, but like

off the cuff I gave this example. When I was

a staff pastor in Elyria, I, when I was there,

I really did, I did all of the things that the

lead pastor didn't want to do. Whatever that

was, that's what I did, that was my role. And

I'm kind of wired as a pastor. I'm wired as a

shepherd. It's not just what I do, it's who I

am. So we had a group that came in, and we don't

need to get into that. In fact, I'm not trying

to make anybody look bad. But they were a group

that we hired to come in to do an evangelistic

deal. And hey, that's great. It's fine. We had

people who came to know Jesus. So the outcome

of it was very good. If somebody comes to know

Jesus, that's a win, right? So that did happen.

And so, hey, that's all fine and good. But this

group came in and their expectations were really,

really high and they were using our people kind

of in this drama thing to present the gospel

and then call people to a decision and I'm all

for that. But their expectations were extremely

high and like they were so high that the people

that, they're just people like you and me. They

don't have, they're not stage trained. They haven't

been to theater camps. They're just people like

you and me. And the expectation was that they

were professional actors and actresses. So this

group came in and I'm kind of standing in the

back of the church watching all this stuff get

set up and they're trying to rehearse and do

their stuff and he tore into one of my ladies.

He said some very hurtful things and was way

too direct and he was setting a standard that

there was no way she was ever going to meet.

And she immediately, in front of everybody who's

there, starts sobbing. So I'm like, hey, you

and I need to talk. And he's like, it'll have

to wait. And I'm like, no, it won't wait. It'll

happen right now. You're going to stop what you're

doing, and you and I are going to go outside,

and we're going to have a conversation. He's

like, oh, OK, you really do mean this. I do.

Find a good break point. We're going to go have

a conversation. So he's like, yeah, what can

I do for you? You're interrupting my rehearsal.

And I said, I know I'm interrupting your rehearsal.

But I want you to understand something. That

woman that you just tore into, she's my sheep.

And I love her. And I'll protect her against

people like you. If anyone is going to talk to

her the way that you just did, it'll be me. And

I don't talk to my people that way. So you and

I have a problem. And he said, I see your point.

He said, I'll go apologize to her. And I said,

see that you do. Because you will not talk to

my people that way ever again. He's like, I got

it. So he walked back in. And he said, I need

to apologize to you. And he got it straight.

What's my point in telling you all of that? My

point in telling you all of that is that's the

heart of a shepherd. We have to be willing to

take care of people, confront things. When people

are brokenhearted and hurting, we have to show

up and we have to care and provide the kind of

care and support that they need. Does that make

sense? So last one, equipping. So shepherds need

to train other people so that it's not all about

them, but we can multiply the effort, right?

So we need to mobilize the body so that the church

is a family on a mission. And we're not just

spectators, but we're all involved in it. So

shepherds don't create dependents, they raise

disciples. So if we put it all together, true

shepherds feed, they lead, they care, protect,

equip. And if we miss one, the flock suffers.

If we do all of them, the church thrives. Shepherding

and the church structure. So I just want to take

a moment and talk about how this fits within

the fivefold, specifically. So apostles and prophets

kind of push forward with vision and conviction.

Shepherds are the ones that bring relational

depth so that people don't get left bleeding

along the way, if that makes sense. They build

community, they help people to feel like they're

a part of it. So the shepherd isn't the star,

they're the glue that kind of holds it all together.

So in the local context, shepherds don't just...

Shepherding doesn't just happen from the pulpit,

it happens in everyday structures of the church,

cell groups, small groups, care pastors, lay

pastors, shepherds who aren't ever going to preach

a sermon, but they're the ones who are going

behind the scenes caring for the people of the

church. And we need that, right? We need that

desperately. So healthy systems a shepherd's

care isn't random it thrives in healthy structures

So one of the things that I think is true of

good shepherds is I think that they're one of

our greatest discipleship pipelines because People

want to be around that they want to be a play

in a place where they know that they're cared

for so We also One of the things that we want

to talk about with shepherding is there comes

a point where we can't provide the kind of care

that somebody needs, right? So part of the responsibility

of a shepherd is to know when it's time to refer

and bring in other people to help them in that

way. So there are some challenges in shepherding.

So let's talk about those just for a second.

Shepherding is beautiful, but it can be brutal,

especially if we're not careful. There are things

like burnout and compassion fatigue. And we need

to make sure that we're setting good boundaries,

loving people without slipping into codependency,

carrying emotional burdens, balancing care with

correction. That last one's the one that is the

toughest for me, balancing care with correction.

Some other time maybe I'll give you more examples

of that. The weight of souls is real and it can

be crushing to a shepherd who doesn't guard their

own heart. So here are some keys to longevity.

personal Sabbath and rhythms of rest, healthy

delegation and team building, emotional intelligence

and mentoring, being shepherded themselves. Does

anybody recognize the name Billy Graham? Maybe

you heard of it maybe once or twice. So Billy

Graham obviously was the evangelist who was preached

to millions in multiple nations and led multiple

thousands to the Lord. But did you know that

Billy Graham needed a shepherd? And in the height

of his ministry, Billy Graham was facing all

kinds of pressures, endless travel, spiritual

attack, the weight of influence, and behind him

was a guy by the name of Grady Wilson. Has anyone

ever heard of Grady Wilson? So Grady Wilson was

the shepherd to Billy Graham. And here's the

thing I want you to think about for a second

with me. If somebody like Billy Graham needed

a shepherd, then we probably all need a shepherd.

So behind Billy Graham was this guy by the name

of Grady Wilson. Grady Wilson was not only a

colleague to Billy Graham, but was a friend to

Billy Graham. And when Billy Graham would get

tired, Grady Wilson would be the guy who would

show up and had an audience. that was good enough

with Billy Graham. He would go to Billy Graham

and say, hey, Billy, you need to rest. The pace

that you're going at is not good and you won't

be able to maintain this. And he would go and

say, you need to take a couple of days and you

would rest. When Billy Graham felt crushed with

the burdens of decisions that he needed to make,

it was Grady who would show up and pray with

him and pray over him and speak truth into his

life. When At one point in Billy Graham's life,

he even admitted it himself. This is what he

said about people like Grady Wilson and Cliff

Burroughs. He said that if it wasn't for people

like Grady Wilson and Cliff Burroughs walking

beside him, he would not have been able to endure

the long road of ministry. That's what Billy

Graham said about Grady Wilson. What's the point?

We probably all need that. Even if you're a shepherd.

Graham's strength wasn't just his preaching,

it was the fact that as a shepherd to the world,

he allowed himself to be shepherded. So the survival

isn't the goal, flourishing is. Bottom line is

this, that shepherds burn out when they forget

that they too are sheep. So you can't carry the

rod and the staff for others if you never let

the Lord's rod and staff comfort you. So we're

going to wrap it up. It's kind of an activation

and release time. So if you feel like you might

be gifted or called as a shepherd, here are some

things I want you to do specifically for you.

This won't be for everybody. This is just for

those that think there might be a shepherding

call. I just want you to ask some questions.

The first one is this, where do you naturally

feel compassion? Number two. Who are the people

you can't walk past? You know what I mean by

that, right? Who are the people, I was on my

way to a district meeting and I was running late,

I'd run late lots of times for whatever reason,

I was gonna be there like with a minute to spare

and I'm driving 71 North, I'm 77 North and there's

I'm in for whatever reason this isn't the lane

that I'm normally in but for whatever reason

I was in the slow lane I think it's because I

was getting ready to get on 480 maybe but on

the hammer lane berm there was a broken down

vehicle and there are a couple things I look

for in situations like that number one is it

a dude and is it a dude who's probably should

be able to take care of himself and if it's a

lady then I have like a I mean, traffic's terrible.

It's super heavy, and it's dangerous. It's probably

the peak travel time, and they're right in a

bad spot, and you can't really see them. And

I'm like, oh, no. So I'm looking, and I'm like,

oh, no. It's a lady who's broken down. I'm like,

oh. So I tried to drive by. And the Lord almost

audibly said to me, he's like, you're gonna call

the DS, you're gonna tell them that you're gonna

be late, you're gonna turn around at the next

exit, and you're gonna go take care of that.

Okay. So I called the DS and said, I'm gonna

be late. I tried to drive by a broken down vehicle.

The Lord's not gonna let me do that. So I'm gonna

be late to the meeting. Turned around at the

next exit. Takes me about 10 minutes to get all

the way back there. The car's still there. And

I'm like, Hey, I need to help you. Who are the

people that you can't walk past? The reason I

want you to think about those questions is that

probably gives you a good indication of where

the Lord is calling you, where the Lord wants

to use you. That burden that you feel is often

a clue to calling. So I have a very different

kind of call to action this morning. I don't

think we've ever done anything quite like it.

And then the benediction's almost just as unique.

But here's my call to action for a second, all

right? Now, I'm not gonna do anything weird with

you, so you're not gonna like open your eyes,

and I'm not gonna be standing in your face or

screaming at you. Nothing like that's gonna happen.

But here's what I do want you to do with me,

all right? I want you to close your eyes. I just

want you to think about some things with me,

and I'll walk you through the entire thing. But

here's what I want you to think about. 1 Peter

5 2 says this, be shepherds of God's flock that's

under your care, watching over them, not because

you must, but because you're willing. I think

that is a great verse for all shepherds. Be shepherds

of God's flock. that's under your care watching

over them, not because you must, but because

you're willing. Imagine a church where no one

slips through the cracks. Imagine a city where

shepherds walked the streets. Not with titles.

Not with robes. But with eyes that see and hearts

that bleed. Addicts listened to. Teenagers fathered

and mothered in the faith. Marriages pulled back

from the edge. that actually believes Jesus in

minute when he said I'm the Good Shepherd. A

generation of under -shepherds who smell like

sheep because they've chosen proximity over platform.

Presence over performance. When shepherds rise

up, wolves scatter. doesn't just hear sermons

about Jesus, they actually see Jesus. The good

shepherd walking among his people. So here's

the call. Don't just learn about shepherding.

Live it. Let your heart break for the ones that

nobody sees. in the staff with courage and compassion

never forget you shepherd under the chief shepherd

and his flock is worth your life so have one

more screen that Joel's gonna throw up for us

throw up I just said throw up did you hear that

it should be a commissioning declaration. We

have one that looks like that. It's going to

be hard to see. Can you read that? All right.

So it is hard to see. So here's what I'm going

to ask for you to do. We're almost done. In fact,

we're just going to do this together. And this

is our benediction. So it's going to be a little

bit different. But because it's hard to see,

I need you to move up close enough that you can

see it, because we're going to read it together.

OK? So however close you need to be to read it,

move that close that you can read it. Are you

with me? Now, it doesn't have to be loud. We

don't have to like shake the rafters or anything.

But I want you to hear your own voice say this.

Okay, here it is. Here we go. Lord Jesus, say

it with me. We're gonna read it together. Okay,

together. Lord Jesus, you are the good shepherd.

You have called us and trusted us. and empowered

us. We will feed your sheep. We will protect

your sheep. We will love your sheep. We'll always

walk as under shepherds until the day you appear

and we receive the crown of glory that never

fades.