Tag: overseer

1 Peter 5:2 – Shepherd The Flock

Posted on by Will

Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not greedy for money but eagerly;

Truth to Learn

A church leader is to behave like a loving shepherd.

 

Behind the Words

The word translated “exhort” in yesterday’s verse is from the Greek parakalo, which literally means “to call alongside.” It is interpreted as meaning “to council, to give advice, and to comfort.” This is the name given to the Holy Spirit by Christ himself:

But the Comforter, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in My name …” (John 14:26)

The word “Comforter” in John 14:26 is the same word translated “exhort” in 1 Peter 5:2.

 “Shepherd” is from the Greek word poimanate and the word “flock” is from poimnion. Even without knowing Greek it is easy to see that these two words have the same root. The first one means “to take care of a group of animals, to feed them, to protect them, to care for them.” This is what a Shepherd does for his flock. The second word means “a flock or group of animals.”

The words “serving as overseers” are from the single Greek word episkopountes, which literally means “to watch over” or “to oversee.” It is the same word that is translated “bishop” in some places in the Bible. Again, notice that this is not a separate or higher ranking position within the priesthood, rather it is the responsibility of each and every pastor (elder) of every local congregation.

 

Meaning Explained

Today’s verse gets into the first part of Peter’s exhortation to the elders (or pastors) of the churches to which this letter was written. The advice that Peter is giving these elders is to feed the flock. Although it is not specifically identified here, Peter’s implication is that we who are called to be overseers of God’s flock are to provide spiritual food for the flock.

The way a pastor is to oversee the flock is not by compulsion (Greek anagkastōs, meaning “not out of necessity” or “not because you have to”), but willingly (Greek ekousiōs, meaning “voluntarily”), certainly not just for money (Greek me aischrokerdōs, meaning “not greedy for money”), but readily (Greek prothumōs, meaning “willingly” or “gladly”).

Hence, a church elder should not take on the responsibility of overseeing the local congregation because he is forced to do so. Neither should he take on this responsibility because he believes he will receive personal gain in the form of money or power. In other words, he should not be doing this for selfish reasons. He should, instead, take on this responsibility readily and willingly because he wants to serve God in this way. He should feel that he has been personally called by God to care for the flock, whether it consists of five or five thousand.

 

Application

Does that describe your pastor? Does he regularly supply you with spiritual food? Does he consider the welfare of the flock under his care as more important than his own desires? If so, you are certainly blessed!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2017 Will Krause. All rights reserved

1 Peter 2:25 – Soul Guardian

Posted on by Will

For you were like sheep going astray, but have now turned back to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

Truth to Learn

Not only is God our Shepherd, He is the guardian of our soul.

 

Behind the Words

“Going astray” is translated from a form of planaō, meaning “to wander” or “to go astray.” This verb is expressed as a participle, implying continuous action. So, we could translate the first part of this verse as, “For you were like sheep continually wandering.”

The word translated “turned back” is from the Greek, epistrephō, made up of epi, meaning “upon” and strephō, meaning “to turn.” So, literally, it means “to turn upon” or “to turn around.” This verb is expressed in the aorist tense, implying a past action which occurred at a single point in time (you returned – not, you were returning.) That point in time is when you accepted Christ as savior and became a Christian.

The word “overseer” comes from the Greek word episkopos, meaning “one who oversees or takes care of others.” It is translated in some versions of the Bible as “bishop.”

 

Meaning Explained

Continuing from the previous verse, Peter now extends his reference to Isaiah:

All of us like sheep have gone astray; each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of all of us. (Isaiah 53:6)

One of the characteristics of sheep is that without a shepherd they tend to wander aimlessly in an attempt to satisfy their most base desire (for food) with total disregard for their own present or future safety. Sometimes they will blindly follow the rest of the flock and sometimes they are oblivious even to them. What an apt description of our condition without our shepherd. We were lost and going astray, but when we got saved, we ceased straying and returned to our Shepherd.

To this metaphor of the sheep and the shepherd, Peter adds a subtle but significant descriptor. Not only is Christ our shepherd, but He is our overseer as well. In this verse, however, He is not just the overseer of the church, but of our very souls. With him now responsible for the safety of our souls, even to the prevention of our going astray, how could one possible believe that we who are now saved could ever lose that salvation and become lost. In order to believe that, we would have to believe that Christ is not a Good Shepherd nor is he overseeing our souls.

 

Application

Do you sometimes feel like you have committed such a terrible sin, or so many sins, that God could never forgive you? Do you feel like you have completely strayed from God? Peter tells us that not only has Christ paid for all our sins (past, present, and future), but he is constantly guarding our soul so that we can’t be lost ever again. Thank you, Lord, for guarding my soul!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2016 Will Krause. All rights reserved

1 Peter 5:2 – Shepherd The Flock

Posted on by admin

1 Peter 5:2

Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly;

Truth to Learn

A church leader is to behave like a loving shepherd.

Behind the Words

The word translated “exhort” in yesterday’s verse is from the Greek parakalo, which literally means “to call alongside.” It is interpreted as meaning “to council, to give advice, and to comfort.” This is the name given to the Holy Spirit by Christ himself:

But the Comforter, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in My name …” (John 14:26)

The word “Comforter” in this verse is the same word translated “exhort” in 1 Peter 5:2.

“Shepherd” is from the Greek word poimanate and the word “flock” is from poimnion. Even without knowing Greek it is easy to see that these two words have the same root. The first one means “to take care of a group of animals, to feed them, to protect them, to care for them.” This is what a Shepherd does for his flock. The second word means “a flock or group of animals.”

The words “serving as overseers” are from the single Greek word episkopountes, which literally means “to watch over” or “to oversee.” It is the same word that is translated “bishop” in some places in the Bible. Again, notice that this is not a separate or higher ranking position within the priesthood, rather it is the responsibility of each and every pastor (elder) of every local congregation.

Meaning Explained

Today’s verse gets into the first part of Peter’s exhortation to the elders (or pastors) of the churches to which this letter was written. The advice that Peter is giving these elders is to feed the flock. Although it is not specifically identified here, Peter’s implication is that we who are called to be overseers of God’s flock are to provide spiritual food for the flock.

The way a pastor is to oversee the flock is not by compulsion (Greek anagkastōs, meaning “not out of necessity” or “not because you have to”), but willingly (Greek ekousiōs, meaning “voluntarily”), certainly not for base gain (Greek me aischrokerdōs, meaning “not for the sake of dishonorable gain”), but readily (Greek prothumōs, meaning “willingly” or “gladly”).

Hence, a church elder should not take on the responsibility of overseeing the local congregation because he is forced to do so. Neither should he take on this responsibility because he believes he will receive personal gain in the form of money or power. In other words, he should not be doing this for selfish reasons. He should, instead, take on this responsibility readily and willingly because he wants to serve God in this way. He should feel that he has been personally called by God to care for the flock, whether it consists of five or five thousand.

Application

Does that describe your pastor? Does he regularly supply you with spiritual food? Does he consider the welfare of the flock under his care as more important than his own desires? If so, you are certainly blessed!

In God’s service, for His glory,

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Copyright © 2009 Will Krause. All rights reserved.

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