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God, the universe and all that: Part 3 (12 comments)
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God, the universe and all that: Part 5 by Lionel Windsor (0 comments). In this fifth and final instalment of his five-part series, Lionel Windsor reveals what the solution to … more
Experiencing God by Karen Beilharz (0 comments). If you've just joined us, in these Saturday posts we've been looking at classics from The Briefing archive … more
God, the universe and all that: Part 4 by Lionel Windsor (0 comments). In the fourth instalment of a five-part series, Lionel Windsor uncovers the answer to the riddle. (Read … more
A Vine confabulation by Ian Carmichael (3 comments). We at Matthias Media have recently made available a free and downloadable discussion guide for Col Marshall and Tony Payne's … more
God, the universe and all that: Part 3 by Lionel Windsor (12 comments). In the third instalment of a five-part series, Lionel Windsor discovers we humans are significant in the … more
Kids@church/Click: Some great material for your children’s Sunday School by Jean Williams (0 comments). I teach Sunday School for children regularly, but I don't always have the time and energy to write my … more
Experiencing confusion by Karen Beilharz (0 comments). I mentioned in my last Saturday post that for the next little while, we would be looking at … more
God, the universe and all that: Part 2 by Lionel Windsor (1 comment). In the second instalment of a five-part series, Lionel Windsor contemplates the extent of our significance in … more
Stark treatment of the Crusades by Peter Bolt (2 comments). Revisionist history is probably as common as it is unethical. There are lessons to learn from the past, but … more
God, the universe and all that: Part 1 by Lionel Windsor (7 comments). In the first instalment of a five-part series, Lionel Windsor ponders what astronomy has to teach us. … more
Tony Payne
Paul is one of the Staff Editors at Matthias Media. He is married to Cathy and has three fantastic kids. He loves student ministry, reading, writing music and playing the saxophone, and is looking forward to meeting Jesus face to face.
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Great post, Gav, thanks for bringing out the evangelistic edge to Baxter’s ministry.
Man that guy had people powers. Can every pastor match him in that?
Do other people out there do something similar to Baxter’s model?
Yet in Acts 20 Paul tells the Ephesian elders: ‘Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God which he bought with his own blood’
So also 1 Peter 5 seems to use the shepherd/flock image without evangelism being obviously in mind.
I have a few questions. Is Luke 15:3-7 meant to teach us about the Christian pastor’s role? How does the context, especially Luke 15:1-2, affect our understanding of the 99, for example? Aren’t the 99 really symbolic of the grumbling Pharisees, who are not at all analogous to a Christian congregation?
I would be interested to know how Gavin and others might answer these questions.
I always thought that Jesus’ earthly ministry was primarily to the lost sheep of Israel. There certainly was some confusion among the disciples after Pentecost as to the Gentiles being included in God’s plan. The problem is, is a post Christian (if I can call it that) society like Australia, who are the lost sheep, and who are the Gentiles?
I do not think it wise to say that a pastors role is primarily evangelism or care for the body of Christ, because both roles are stressed as important in the NT.
Just my 5 cents!
Thanks very much for the comments and questions.
I don’t mean to deny the importance of ‘pastoral’ ministry in the classically conceived sense of caring for believers.
However, I believe we are in a far greater danger of losing the evangelistic aspect of that task.
While Jesus’ own context does need to shape the way we read his statements, the point still stands that when Jesus referred to himself here using pastor language he was talking about preaching repentance and faith to unbelievers.
Also, as I mentioned in the post, if we really believe in hell then that puts the genuine needs of Christians for care and counsel in the perspective of the eternal needs of those who don’t believe.
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