A shepherd of God’s people is a living testimony to the reality of God. Sunday sermons are only one aspect of the larger sermon that is the outworking of the Life of God in a pastor’s life and in the life of his family. He is “known and read by all men” as an object lesson speaking of renewal and transformation and the quality both of practical living and spiritual life in the service of a God who is real and personal.
A shepherd’s life – more than any other redeemed life – is not his own. Every choice and action in the fishbowl of his existence is filtered by others through the lens of his association with his God, as one ordained by God to care for the flock of God.
The perception of the sheep is reflected in the words of the Great Shepherd of the sheep to appointed messengers of the seven churches symbolized as stars held in his right hand: He knows them by their words and their deeds (Revelation 1:19-3:22).
Paul’s defense of his ministry in 1 Corinthians 8 and 9 speaks in detail to this issue and is essential reading for anyone aspiring to be a pastor, or for church members evaluating their pastors.