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| Volume 25 Number 1 January 2023 |
Page 11 |
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| Volume 25 Number 1 January 2023 |
Page 11 |
Raymond Elliott
The brother and his wife were about to leave our house when I said these words to my Christian friend, “You smell like sheep.” You see, he and his wife have been helping to buy some of our groceries since the spring of 2020 when the pandemic began in our nation. My brother in Christ is one of our six shepherds who serve and lead our congregation. I could safely say that all of our shepherds smell like sheep. The reason I make that statement is that I have observed them visiting the sick, staying with families in the hospitals when a loved one is in surgery and visiting the sick – whether in their homes, in nursing homes or in hospitals. I know they have carried in their cars the sick to doctors locally or in another city. They also encourage weak members to be more faithful to the Lord. They will also visit those who have fallen away from Christ and His church to encourage them to repent and to come back to the Lord. To smell like sheep, you have to be among the sheep to lead, protect, feed, keep watch over them and endeavor to know them.
There are other terms in the New Testament regarding the work of those who are chosen to care for the flock that is under their oversight. They are elders (presbyters) and overseers (bishops), in addition to shepherds (pastors). Here are a couple of passages of Scripture in which we find these terms.
In Acts 20:17-28, we find the apostle Paul at Miletus on his way to Jerusalem. It was while he was there that he sent for the elders in Ephesus to meet him in Miletus. In verse 28, we read what he said to the elders. “Therefore take heed to yourselves and to 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” (NKJV). In 1 Peter 5:1-2, we read, “The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed: Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, being examples to the flock.” The only time the term “pastor” is used is in Ephesians 4:11, and that is to be understood for one to “shepherd the flock of God which is among you” (1 Peter 5:3).
Of course, God’s design is for men of age and wisdom to oversee the work of a congregation, and I know personally there are times when business meetings are needful, having served as an elder for eight years. However, I appreciate so much the term “shepherd,” which involves moving among the sheep in a personal way as a shepherd would be involved in caring for the flock in his care. The apostle Peter gives faithful shepherds this assurance: “And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away” (1 Peter 5:4).
New Year Prayer
Cliff Holmes
Dear Lord, we want to thank you
For helping us through this year,
Guiding us through the many trials,
The struggles, and the fear.
Thank you for your blessings
For our families and every friend
Just one more short message
To you we want to send.
You have blessed each one of us
As each day slipped slowly by,
Giving us times of laughter, and
Being with us when we cry.
Thank you Heavenly father
For your love and tender care
May the New Year bring blessings
That everyone of us can share.
Happy New Year to all!
Wishing you and your loved ones
peace, good health, happiness and
prosperity in the coming New Year!