Acts 2:13-35 No matter who you are, what you believe about pastoring matters. 6 Truths About Pastoring: Remember, the NT consistently uses the metaphor of shepherding to capture what a pastor is called to do Shepherds the sheep 17-18 * 1 Peter 5:1-2a—“So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you . . .” Richard Baxter—“It is necessary, that we should know every person that belong[s] to our charge; for how can we take heed to them, if we do not know them? We must labor to be acquainted, not only with their persons, but with the state of all our people, with their inclinations and conversations; what are the sins of which they are most in danger, and what duties they are most apt to neglect, and what temptations they are most liable to; for if we know not their temperament or disease, we are not likely to prove successful physicians.” 2. Shepherds the sheep One way to measure how much you love someone or something is to see how much you’re willing to suffer for it. 3. Shepherds the sheep By feeding, we mean teaching God’s Word * Remember Jesus’ words to the serpent in the wilderness... “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4) Read vv. 20-21 4. Shepherds the sheep Paul was a shepherd who led from the front . . . by example * Read vv. 22-24 5. Shepherds the sheep * Read vv. 28-31 Paul’s exhortation for elders to guard themselves (28a) * Robert Murray Mc’Cheyne—“The greatest need of my people is my personal holiness.” * Do I really believe that the greatest threat to our church is me? * Elders—we are the greatest threat to the people of PBC Paul’s exhortation for elders to guard the flock (28b) * Hebrews 13:17—“Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.” 6. Shepherds the sheep How do we tell a wolf from a shepherd? A wolf is near the sheep so he can get. A shepherd is near the sheep so he can give. * Read vv. 33-35 Two brothers were playing on the sandbanks by the river. One ran after another up a large mound of sand. Unfortunately, the mound was not solid, and their weight caused them to sink in quickly. When the boys did not return home for dinner, the family and neighbors organized a search. They found the younger brother unconscious, with his head and shoulders sticking out above the sand. When they cleared the sand to his waist, he awakened. The searchers asked, “Where is your brother?” The child replied, “I’m standing on his shoulders.” No pastor, no elder, no aspiring elder, no dad, no mom, no person shepherds as they should. But praise God we’re standing on the shoulders of the One who gave His life to rescue us.