Greetings to you my brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus, and peace be to you and your household! We thank God continuously for everything He's given us; our daily food, our friends, our family, and the little things we don't notice on a daily basis, like the breath of life and His Love that flows endlessly. Thus, above all we worship Him, above all we exalt Him, and above all we Love Him back, if only with an ounce of what He's given to us. Let us obey You then, O Lord, and let us not be blinded by the passions of this world. Let us not fear how men may perceive us on the outside, but rather fear the One Who knows all things and will judge all things and will rule all things. Let us not be afraid to bring You up in a conversation O Lord, but knowing You are the Truth and will come again, give us the strength to share You and Your Love to others. For who, when hearing of a miracle, would not make it known? Or who, if a true believer, would not make Christ known lest their belief is in vain? But we are not idol worshipers, we are not cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, or liars, but being reborn, we have a new life, one that is with Christ in the Holy Spirit forever. For a child of light is not to act like a child of darkness, nor a child of God to dwell in lawlessness. But being a child of faithfulness to God, whom we do not see, though know through what has already been revealed, we have a grounded faith in Christ, which the world will not be able to take away from us. 

Now, to me and surely to many of my other brothers and sisters, the shepherd's role in the Church is crucial for Church growth. It is the shepherd, after all, to guide the Church and to keep the Bible's commandments so he can teach accordingly, and it is the shepherd whom God anointed to point other people to Heaven, if just one. So it is no doubt of the huge responsibility that lays on the shepherd's shoulders, though some of us may wonder what that responsibility is or even look like. The Bible passage above is the key verse to understanding how a shepherd of God's people should be, and later, how this affects us.

The first thing to take note of is verse 1 of 1 Peter 5, where the Apostle Peter reveals himself to be a " '...fellow elder...' " (v1), meaning he, too, is a shepherd, yet does not hold a title above his head, but identifies with his flock and the other shepherds. Already, Peter showcases humility, which is essential to being a good shepherd, and goes on to write, " 'Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers,' " (v2). Peter uses the word "shepherd", in order so leaders in high positions in the Church may understand to be a leader, we are to be like lowly shepherds who help guide the flock of sheep they've been given, as meek people, rather than having high supremacy. Peter wants his fellow shepherds to serve as overseers, not rule as overseers, but serve. Now overseers are people who do hold authority, but not ," 'as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock;' " (v3). Here, we are given two sides of the same coin, where one, Peter is calling these fellow shepherds of his into authority, and the shepherds of God's people are given power from God to exercise and use, but ONLY to be examples to the flock, and not as lords. This means the shepherd, though being given power, is not to take the place of God and cannot "lord" over the people like slaves or "lower class citizens". Rather, being shepherds, they are to spiritually guide the people to growth and the Truth, " ' ...not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly;' " (v2). Instead of corruption due to compulsion or dishonest gain, shepherds following God are not do not do things out of habit just for the sake of it being something they have to do, but rather doing it willingly, being cheerful about serving and being a shepherd on all accounts. Rather than being a shepherd for financial gain or influence, true shepherds for the Kingdom of God do it eagerly, not being forced to do it but out of Love for God's people. So that " '...when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.' " (v4) 

So to sum it up, to be a good shepherd, one must be willing to be humble. There is no pride in being the leader of the Church because one must first be meek enough to take on the identity like that of a shepherds'. Lowly and caring, with humility, putting himself aside for the well being of the sheep God has given to him. And the responsibilities of a shepherd is to do just that. Shepherd God's people in the way of righteousness, in doctrine, in practice, and in each one's life. Being able to preach Truth before the Church, and not for personal gains which are lies, but having pure motives with the intention to serve God. Therefore, shepherds of the Church and of God are to be teachers, upholding our Lord Jesus Christ and His teachings, with the ultimate goal to serve those who thirst for the Truth. 

So where does that leave us, the laity (which is to say, the people)? If the shepherd is the one God calls on to lead and guide the Church, what are we to do? Thankfully, the Word gives us a clear explanation:" 'Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders.' " (v5). Yep. We are to submit ourselves to the spiritual shepherd whom God gave to help us. Not schism away from, not worship, and certainly not fight against, but knowingly God has put him in that position and Him to be the Chief Shepherd, we are to submit. However, that is not the end, for Peter in the Holy Spirit tells us " 'Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility,' ". Thus, we are to submit to the shepherd the Lord has given to us, yet Peter adds we are not the only ones submitting, but also the shepherd to us and us to the shepherds, for all are sinners (Romans 3:23) and all are under the Chief Shepherd Himself.  But if a shepherd of a certain Church is proud, know that “ 'God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.' ” So even if a shepherd of God is no longer a shepherd of God but of himself, truly Jesus Christ the good Shepherd and the Chief Shepherd will give judgement once he comes again.

Therefore, my brothers and sisters, we are to obey God, but also obey the shepherd God has given to us in the Church, following his lead, for if he is a true shepherd working for the Kingdom of God, he will indeed help the Church grow. However, we are to also surrender to each other, tending to each other's needs, with the shepherd the Lord has given to us submitting to the Church as well. Being a leader in the Church, he is also a bondservant to the Lord, and being great, he is made least, though if he makes himself least, he is made great in the Kingdom of God. Though truly, all of us, under the eyes of God, are sheep. Whether we are chosen to be a shepherd for the Church or whether we are not, all of us submit most crucially to God. For no role God sees but the role of our hearts (1 Sam 16:7). 

" 'Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.' " (v6-7)

So in the end, in a sense, we are all shepherds. Maybe not in the way like having the role visible and guiding a whole congregation, but if only to our friends and preaching to those close to us. After all, we " 'are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.' " (1 Peter 2:9)

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May the peace of God be with you all. In the Name of the Father, and the Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost, Amen!