One of the most common occupations used to describe pastors in the Bible is the shepherd.
“Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as overseers, to shepherd the church of God, which he purchased with his own blood. I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Men will rise up even from your own number and distort the truth to lure the disciples into following them. Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for three years I never stopped warning each on of you with tears.” – Acts 20:28-31
In his farewell address to the elders in Ephesus, the apostle Paul exhorted the elders to vigilant, shepherd-like protection of the church. Elders/Pastors are shepherds who must watch out for the wolves who try and steal away the sheep. One of the main duties of a shepherd is to protect the sheep. They do this in two ways: proactively and reactively. Shepherds proactively protect their sheep by constantly keeping an eye out for danger. They keep their staff and sling in hand, prepared for an enemy attack. They also create sheep pens, structures of safety designed to keep wolves out when the shepherd is not able to be with the sheep. Shepherds are forced into a reactive protection of the sheep when a wolf or a bear or a lion manages to nab a wandering sheep. When that happens, the shepherd chases the beast down and pummels it in order to rescue the sheep.
To protect means to be aware of dangers that could harm those under your care, and to both proactively and reactively guard against those dangers. Like shepherds, pastors proactively and reactively protect their sheep through teaching sound doctrine. The apostle Paul knew that one major way the Devil attacks the Church is through false doctrine that leads God’s people away from Christ. Like a lion seeking to devour the wandering sheep, the Devil seeks to devour the faith of those wandering from the sound and pure doctrine of Christ. Pastors also protect the sheep by practicing sound doctrine in their own lives as an example to the flock. They also do this as they seek to see Christ formed in the lives of the saints as they aim to see sound doctrine lived out in the lives of the Church. That is to say, Pastors proactively protect the sheep by prayerfully proclaiming and practicing sound doctrine. Each week, as the pastor preaches from God’s Word, he is proactively protecting the sheep from the wiles of the Devil by arming the saints with the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.
In terms of reactive protection, this is often done through counseling and practicing Biblical church disciple. Another form of reactive protection comes through defining statements of faith. In fact, most creeds and confessions were written as a result of a reaction to false doctrines that had infiltrated the church. Present day creeds and manifestos, like the Danvers statement on masculinity and femininity were written in reaction to false practices in the church.
In the High Priestly prayer (John 17), Jesus prayed the Father would protect the sheep. “I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by your name that you have given me, so that they may be one as we are one,” (v. 11). The prayer for the sheep’s protection had a two-fold purpose: unity and joy. Jesus prayed for the protection of His sheep “so that they may be one as we are one” (v. 11), and “so that they may have my joy completed in them” (v. 13). Unity and joy are the desired outcomes of God’s protection. And what means, outside of his prayers for the saints (Hebrews 7:25), has Jesus left the Church in these days of His heavenly reign? “I have given them your word,” He says, and “sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth” (John 17:14, 17. ) As pastors seek seek to secure the unity and joy of the saints, they do so through proclamation of the Word.
Sound Teaching, Sound Living 