As I was riding back from Disciple Orale’s Memorial Run yesterday, I was asking the Lord to continue to guide me in his light and to make Him proud of what I give back. This morning as I went to the Word for my morning devotion time, the bible fell open to 1 Peter 5.
1 Peter 5: 1-4; 1 Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, 2 shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; 3 nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock. 4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.
Men, through James, the Holy Spirit have chosen us to be Presidents (shepherds) of charters. In the above passage, Paul is fulfilling his charge from Jesus in the early days of His walk. I asked myself what exactly are we suppose to be doing as shepherd of our flock? First I reread DCMC by-laws looking for some kind of “job description”, and then I remembered back to what I was told when appointed this position. That’s when I began to realize that we have all been given different guidance.
This drove me to continue to research some and came up with these thoughts. As a flock leader, it is a three-fold duty. 1. To feed the flock, by leading them in direction and discipline according to God’s written Word. 2. Shepherds must take oversight as leader of the charter, by personnel care and vigilance over the flock committed to their charge. 3. We must be examples to the charter, and practice the holiness, self-denial, humility, and all other duties directed. These duties must be performed with constraint; not because we must do them, not from compulsion of power, or the constraint of fear or shame, but from a willing mind that takes pleasure in the work, with a sincerely and cheerfully endeavoring soul to serve God’s people.
Paul also wrote in Acts 20:28-30; 28 Be on guard for yourselves and for 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. 29 I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; 30 and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them.
Each shepherd has a spiritual gift, either be it prophetically as a translator of the Word, or an individual with strong leadership skills that can motivate the masses. As flock leaders, we ought to be feeding and shepherding the flock given under our charge as role model examples.
As stated in 1 Timothy 4:1-2; there will be individuals who fall away from the flock. We need to pay particular attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons that are hypocrisy liars from within our own flocks. These will need to be seared with a hot branding iron.
As shepherds I believe we need each other. We need to be a unified front to continue to build from within, but also to the masses from outside. I would be lying if I didn’t tell you that numerous other Christian MC/MM/RCs are looking at DCMC as an example to follow. I heard it this weekend from a MC President, that he wishes his MC was a “real” as DCMC is, and he is praying for guidance to see if stays with his MC or ours.
I love each of you. GOD IS GREAT
Gary Hippy Glover
Florida Boss
Disciple Christian Motorcycle Club
