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PAUL ENCOURAGES PASTORS

Act 20:28 Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit
has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own
blood.

Take heed (beware) therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy
Ghost (not men) hath made (tithemi: appointed) you overseers (episkopos: bishops), to feed
(poimaino: pastor or feed the flock; pastor the older sheep) the church of God, which he hath
purchased with his own blood.

Paul tells pastors to first take heed to themselves before they take heed to the flock. If a
minister does not take care of himself and his own personal life, he will not be in any condition
to take care of the flock of God. He must spend time with his family, take days off and holidays.
Without these things, he will not live long enough to take the congregation to the level they
need to go. Moses also faces this issue, and his father-in-law tells him to delegate the
responsibilities so he will live long (Exodus 18: 17-23).

Paul then tells these men they have been placed into their positions by the Holy Spirit. The
office of pastor is God-given and not man-appointed (Galatians 1:1; Ephesians 1:1). The Holy
Spirit put these men into the positions of bishops (overseers). Peter reminds the pastors to
“take the oversight (bishopric)” (1 Peter 5:2). Once the position has been given by God, it is up
to the minister to fully accept the responsibility and boldly exercise the authority given.

Paul then confirms that the main responsibility of a pastor is to “feed the flock.” Peter tells the
pastors under his authority to do the same thing (1 Peter 5:2). The word for “feed” in this
passage (poimaino) means to pastor the flock. Peter knew these words well because of the
Lord Jesus Christ spoke them to him (John 21:15-17). It is the pastor’s responsibility to hand
feed (basko) the newborn sheep and feed (poimaino) the older sheep. The mature sheep need
only to be Led to the grass, and they will eat what is before them. The pastor is to prepare
sermons and lead the sheep to the finest food available. The sermons should be prepared days
or weeks in advance.

Finally, Paul reminds them the sheep (the congregation) belong to the Lord Jesus. He
purchased them with His own blood; therefore He owns them. Whoever purchases is the
owner. This sheep actually belong to God. The pastor does not own the sheep. He is tending
another man’s flock. Moses watchednover Jethro’s sheep and David watched over Jesse’s
sheep. This shepherd is hired by the owner to watch over the sheep. The responsibility for
food and finances is not the shepherd’s, but the owner’s. The pastor does not provide for the
sheep, God does.

The pastor is not to force the sheep to do anything. He can only teach them. Where they go to
church and how often they attend is between them and God, not the pastor. The pastor can
instruct, but not force. Peter tells the pastors not to be “lords” (dictators), but “examples to