 So I did an exhaustive search of the New Testament to find out what the roles and duties and responsibilities are of a pastor So I have an exhaustive list here. I want to share it with you right now. Here it is There is a push to minimize the importance and the role and function of a pastor. The question is why? One of the biggest problems that we have in our church today is the fact that pastors are not living up to their roles and responsibilities There's a natural pushback to state that our view of pastor is incorrect Whether women should be pastors or that pastor should conduct themselves a certain way or their free use of their own Interpretation not adhering to the text of the Bible That's an issue because many pastors are just simply not biblical pastors pastors have no authority over you Why do you think they do it's not because of the Bible when we go to scripture and we look at the New Testament epistles We only see the word pastor once in Ephesians chapter 4. Do we see any list of? Qualifications no do we see any list of duties? No, do we see any authority? No, we think this because of what happened during the Reformation Martin Luther and John Calvin created a king in the church and Named them pastor now. I don't know this gentleman. His name is Matt Millen I'm not familiar with them although. I've seen a few of his videos because I can't get to his heart to determine Why he's doing so I can only say that the danger in what he's doing. So is Profound why is that well first of all? Let me just say this everything and I literally mean with all due respect to him Everything that he said about a pastor is incorrect first of all When he says that the word pastors only found once in the Bible the truth be told the term pastor Like every other English word none of those are actually found in the original text But the term pastor how we use it actually is the concept of pastor certainly is as a matter of fact It's used interchangeably with a few other words And so we're gonna go ahead and look at that But as I say just about every single English word that we would use none of those words are in the Bible Why because no one in the Bible spoke English? And so when we use the word pastor into that word is not found in the Bible only found once That is a gross error going to the pastor that he spoke of Ephesians 4 11 This is that he gave some as apostles and some as prophets and some as evangelists and some as Pastor teachers or we would look at this word pastor and by the way This office is an office that is get or that was given The question is was this office maintained and carried out and whether it was carried forward or it was just for that time Who fulfilled this role as pastor teacher or shepherd teacher and the reason why I say shepherd teachers because with the go back With the passage this word pastor is from the Greek word Poeminas this Greek word Poeminas means to shepherd a shepherd. That's what it is The noun is a shepherd now The reason why a purse would be an error if they say that this is only found one time in the scripture is because There are other passages that speak about a shepherd either as a noun or as a verb Many of you although you may not be familiar with the Greek are familiar with the first time that issues of a man to do So and that is when Jesus is speaking to Peter this is after Peter obviously was Repentant and broken because he has denied Jesus three times So when Jesus speaks to him he asked him three times Peter. Do you love me? And so let's go to John 21 Let's start in verse 16 after he asked the first time he tells him to tend to my sheep and then verse 16 Jesus said to him again a second time Simon son of John. Do you love me? He said to him Lord, you know that I love you. And so what is Jesus response? Jesus says to Shepherd my sheep and what is the word for shepherd for my name, which is a verb Meaning to shepherd and so we see the same use of this word for may not or in this case the verb to shepherd We see Jesus telling Peter to the very same thing and we see Peter Reiterating this in first Peter chapter 5 and we're going to see another word That's also synonymous with pastor and that is this word elder Peter in first Peter 5 says therefore I exhort the elders and look at the term for elders It's the Greek word for presbyteros, which is presbyter or elder He says therefore I exhort the elders among you as your fellow elder So Peter also is an elder the very same Peter that Jesus tells to Shepherd the flock and this word shepherd is also there in Ephesians so the shepherd should be a shepherd teacher We understand what a shepherd does that is a one that gathers for texts and keeps so he says shepherd the flock now here He says as your fellow elder elder Peter says and Witness of the sufferings of Christ and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed What does he tell the elders to do? Well, he tells them to do what Jesus tells him to do He tells the elders in verse 2 to shepherd the flock of God among you and notice what he also says exercising oversight not under compulsion but Voluntarily according to the will of God and he says don't do so for a sordid gain Well, he this gentleman stated also that there is no authority that has been given to these elders or to these Shepherds to these pastors will come back to that in just a little bit But remember this term elder is clearly biblical as a matter of fact We see the qualifications of an elder if we go to Titus chapter 1 verse 5 Paul is training Timothy as well as Titus who are also elders to go and plant churches and to appoint elders How do we know so because look what he says in first Titus 5. I'm starting Titus 1 Chapter 5 he says for this reason I left you in Crete that you would set in order what remains and the police says to appoint Elders, what's the word that's used there the very same word that was used by Peter? Presbyteros, which is the present or elders in every city as I directed you so we have an elder Planting churches directing and appointing other elders to oversee these churches these elders who are supposed to do What what did Peter say the elders are supposed to do to shepherd the flock? What did Paul say was given? Shepherd teachers so these shepherds are given by God Paul is directing Timothy and I'm sorry in this case Titus to appoint elders in Every city as I directed you namely if a man is above reproach the husband of one wife And so here he's giving the actual qualifications of these elders So already we see a couple things we see the word shepherd pastor Used interchangeably with the word elder now There's an also another term that's also used synonymously with the term elder just as shepherds As we continue verse 6 namely if any man is above reproach the husband of one wife Having children who believe not accused of dispensation or rebellion and look what he says for the Overseer must be above reproach. Well, he just stated that the elder must be above reproach So too must the overseer why is that because those two terms are used interchangeably? And I want you to notice what the term for overseer is in the Greek the term for overseer in the Greek is the Greek word Episcopal where have we seen this word before well when Paul gives Timothy the qualifications of An overseer or an elder we're gonna find out in first Timothy chapter 3 first one He says that it is a trustworthy statement if any purse or any man aspires to the office of an overseer What's this word for overseer the very same Greek word? Episcopal in this case Episcopacee and look what he says an overseer Episcopal then must be above reproach the husband of one wife the exact same qualifications that were given of a Of an elder so what do we know so far that a shepherd is An elder an elder is an overseer all three of these terms are used interchangeable the English version of this Shepherd is a pastor So to come back and say that a pastor is only used once and there is no Qualifications or as the man in the intro said there is no if you were to do an exhaustive study of a New Testament pastor You wouldn't find any well. That's just not making any sense It doesn't make sense that there be any qualifications for this office if the office was literally given whether the office was carried forward Or the office ended you could not say that God gave an office without there being any sort of duties or qualifications Or any sort of authority now We do know one that the office of Episcopal the office of an elder Overseer pastor that that was carried forward, which is why we see that after Ephesians We see the qualifications given and how Paul instructs Timothy and Titus both to choose What he say faithful men he says the things which you have heard from me in the presence of many Witnesses and trust these two faithful men who will be able to teach others What is the quad one of the qualifications of an elder of an overseer of a pastor of a shepherd teacher to teach being able to teach? Which is why those two it's not a fifth office a teacher is part of the fourth office that God has given At that time an office of pastor teacher or shepherd teacher You must be able to teach and so what Paul is telling Timothy pick faithful men Men who are faithful to the text who are able to teach in Acts 20 Paul is giving a farewell letter that he's writing to give instructions to elders in verse 17 of chapter 20 He says from Melita's he sent to Ephesus and called to him the elders of the church and when they had come to him He said to them and so he's gonna tell them what he says and I want I want to focus on all of this But I want to go down to verse 28 so that you can see the importance of what we're stating here He says verse 26 Let's start there therefore I testify to you on this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men For I did not shrink from declaring you to you the whole purpose of God So he says be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock and This word for flock is the word point a pointeo, which is the same as the sheep So the so this this flock of these followers among which the Holy Spirit has made you Overseers what word is this this use of overseers? Episcopos and so the Episcopos is the one that is to shepherd. How do we know so? He says the Holy Spirit has made you overseers to Shepherd that same word again from the from the Greek noun point may not in this case It's the verb point on point of name which is to shepherd the church Incidentally the word church is not even the word that's used in the Bible It's the English version of the Greek word that means to assembly or congregation And so because we don't see this word the English term Pastor used a lot it doesn't matter because the actual word is a shepherd And so what is a shepherd? We're seeing a shepherd is an overseer a shepherd is a Elder and what are they to do to shepherd the flock now another thing that he mentioned is about the the authority That is given to them what we already saw what the authority is originally or earlier We also want to see where he says this again in 1st Timothy 5 17 notice what he says the elder Who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honor Especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching what do the elders do they rule well? Especially those that rule well you honor them and this word for rule means to lead to stand before them And so what is the charge of the elder of the pastor the authority given to him is he is supposed to lead now Can he force you to do anything? No Obviously he can't beat you yet He didn't have the authority to hurt you or to punish you But his job is to give you the word and to help to over to give oversight to the body as the body might offer Some sort of church discipline that they can't doc your pay or fine or anything like that or whatever But in terms of offering church discipline, they can do that and their standard is high Even so much so that the Bible even tells us how we ought to Entertain an accusation against him not just on the basis of one person's word Know the standards a little bit higher and if an accusation is to be levied against him It should be with two or three witnesses And then the punishment for that elder for that pastor is even more stern than it is for an actual individual Why as Paul says that people will know to fear God Because of if they too are being disciplined within what would happen to the actual Sheep or the flock that's being shepherded. Why is it important that there be sound? Biblical pastors, why does the Bible call for them so that there will be men who would lead according to the will of God according to his scriptures people to go closer to God and If they don't do their job according to the qualifications that person that pastors be removed or you simply go and find a place Where the shepherd is shepherding the flock of God Biblically so when someone tells you that pastors only found once in the Bible That's incorrect if someone tells you that the pastor has no authority That's incorrect if the pastor tells you that the office of it is open to anyone Irrespective of the qualifications. That's clearly erroneous that person might need to be either rejected or at least correct it. Amen You