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Shepherding
Brian Mashburn
September 18, 2005
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What Is An Elder?
A committed, disciplined man who longed to be an Elder among the people of God asked the wise teacher, "What must I do to be a Shepherd in God's church?"
"You must be like God," he replied.
But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked the teacher, "And what does it mean to be like God?"
In reply, the teacher said: "A powerless man with nothing of value in the world to offer anyone was going from the worship service to Bible class. He clearly was hurting and looking for someone to connect with. The crowds scurried about him, all with somewhere to go and someone to go with. A minister of that church, who was exceptionally adept at administering church programs, making sure the budget was met, and getting things done happened to be going by him, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, an Elder of that church, who was the husband of one wife, had believing children, held firmly to sound doctrine, was not given to drunkenness, had not been converted recently, was able to teach, and who's wife did not talk maliciously, came to the place and saw him, and then passed by on the other side. But a teenager, as he walked by, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. The teenager went to him, sat and listened to him, and prayed for him in his suffering. Then he asked his family if they could take the man to lunch with them, which they did, and took care of him. The next day he came home from school and called the man to ask him how he was doing. 'Look after him, ' he prayed to God after he hung up the phone, 'and as You do, I would be honored to be used by You to love him. '"
The wise teacher asked the aspiring Elder, "Which of these three do you think was like God to the man who had nothing to offer in return?"
The man replied, "The one who shepherded him."
The wise teacher told him, "Go and do likewise. An Elder, above all else, is a Shepherd."