The Purposes of a Shepherd

Galatians 2:2:  "I went in response to a revelation and set before them the gospel . . ."
Galatians 2:4:  "Some false brothers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves . . ."
Galatians 3:3:  "Are you so foolish?  After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?"

Recently, I have had the wonderful privilege of re-reading Dr. Tim Laniak's book, While Shepherds Watch Their Flocks, which is a profound resource on Biblical leadership.  Dr. Laniak spent an extended period amount of time living with a bedouin tribe of shepherds in the Middle East, and he journaled his reflections of their shepherding techniques and how these skills are paramount to the shepherding that takes place in the Church.  The three central categories that Dr. Laniak identifies within the shepherding motif are:  shepherd as provider, shepherd as protector, and shepherd as competent guide.

Having these concepts in my mind, I found it interesting that these themes showed up in the life of the Apostle Paul in the book of Galatians.  In Galatians 2:2, we find that Paul was given a revelation by God to go and share the gospel . . . the spiritual nourishment that the soul needs from the Word of God.   The people needed to hear God's message, and Paul was given a revelation by God to fulfill that need.  A pastor/shepherd's first responsibility is to feed the sheep.  If the flock are not being fed God's Word, they will not endure.  Woe be unto any pastor who does not proclaim the entirety of Bible (with the Gospel as it's central theme) truthfully and consistently!

So too, Paul wrote the letter to the Galatians because he was concerned about the wolves in the church's midst that were trying to steer the believers back into the entrapment of performance-based religion (i.e. that one must satisfy certain requirements in order to obtain the favor of God).   Wolves are insatiable opportunists who stealthily work in packs to destroy and consume the flock.  This is why it is of utmost importance for a shepherd to be alert constantly of their presence and deal with their threats so that the sheep are kept safe.  A shepherd who is oblivious or indifferent to the protection and safety of the flock does not need to shepherd.

Lastly, one can find Paul admonishing the church, even reproving Peter, for falling to the Judaizer's propaganda.  Paul saw that the sheep needed steering away from a dangerous precipice.  He desired to guide them back to the right path that would lead them to obedience to the LORD.  Competent guiding by a shepherd is of utmost importance; for without such guidance, the sheep are prone to wander from the "still waters and green pastures" of blessing from the Lord.  This guidance is not always easy, and the sheep sometimes may need to be prodded in the direction that they should go; still, a shepherd initiates leadership in the way that is best for the sheep, for he loves his flock and wants the very best for them.

This is a good word for anyone who serves in a shepherding role within the Church.  Are we intentional at providing the spiritual nourishment of the Word to the sheep?  Are we striving to protect the flock from the ravenous wolves that seek to devour them?  And are we intentional at guiding the flock in the direction that we know is best for them, for it is the path that the Good and Chief Shepherd, Jesus Christ, desires for us to traverse?   If we do not make these callings the bedrock of our ministries, we will miss our main commissioning as undershepherds to the Lord Almighty.