Warnings to Shepherds The Way of The Shepherd

1
Warnings to ShepherdsThe Way of The Shepherd 6

• Practical ministry cards, flowers and letters
• Even though shepherding people is the hardest job
  on earth, God still warns Shepherds
• Acts 2025-38
• Proclaiming the whole will of God
• Understand they are His flock - bought with His
  own blood
• Keep watch over yourself
• Our first responsibility as shepherds is not
  ministry, but our own walk with the Shepherd (cf.
  1 Tim 416, SOS 16)
• Realize your limitations
• Not coveting money and possessions
• The deep love between Shepherd and sheep

2
Woe to the Shepherds

• Jeremiah 231-4
• Woe to the Shepherds!
• Why?
• Good shepherding empowers the flock to be
  fruitful
• Remember a good shepherd will separate the sheep
  from the goats
• Jeremiah 314-15 - how do we care for the flock?
• Ezekiel 341ff
• What does it mean to take care of yourself?
  Especially in light of Acts 2028
• Using the flock, the spirit of control and abuse
  (lording it over)
• Give your flock space to graze, give them
  freedom to graze within good boundaries
• Let Jesus Shepherd through you

3
The Purpose of Authority

• Authority is the legal and/or moral right to
  exercise power, or power that is rightly
  possessed (TNIDB)
• The Bible lists five principal types of authority
  (1) Civil/government (government, police,
  judges, etc.) (2) Family authorities (husband,
  father. Mother) (3) Social authority (employers,
  teachers, bosses masters) (4) Clergy, those
  holding religious offices (5) Spiritual (those
  who have authority from the Spirit and character
• All authority comes from God (Rom 131-7 1 Peter
  213-17) therefore we must submit to authorities
  even if they are not righteous. However, there
  are boundaries.
• Scripture runs in conflict with the
  anti-authority, anti-institution,
  ant-establishment and anti-organizational
  mentality (2 Pet. 210, Jude 8, Matt 231-4,
  etc.)
• What is the purpose of authority? It is not to
  control and lord it over people it is to(2
  Cor. 108, 1310, Matt. 2020-28)

4
What are the Boundaries?

• First, be careful who your spiritual authorities
  are. It is not good to be under oppressive
  spiritual leadership (1 Cor. 721-24). However,
  dont cry, Abuse! Abuse! Control! Control! if a
  leader rebukes or disciplines you
• Gods ordained leaders have no authority to do
  anything contrary to Scripture
• They do not have authority over your family
• They are not to usurp your authority over your
  wife or children
• They should not control who you marry (though
  they may warn)
• They do not have authority over your finances.
• They are your finances not the churches
• They do not have authority over your decisions or
  free-will
• They cannot force you or threaten you to do
  something. They should not use guilt or
  manipulation (only the Godly conviction of the
  Word)
• They do not have authority over your employment
• They do not have authority over where you desire
  to live
• They do not have authority to make you do
  something that will violate your conscience
• They do have authority to lead and direct the
  affairs over the church to preach, teach correct
  and counsel from the Word to command obedience
  to the Word (within reason) to ordain other
  leaders and ministers to care for your soul
• When a leader crosses Gods boundaries you have
  every right to obey God to obey God rather than
  man (Acts 418-20)