Biblical Ministry: Oversight

First Peter 5:2 reads, "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..."

Over the past few months, I've been studying the letters by Peter. Here's a wonderful passage that I would like to take the next few weeks and walk through the passage and explore each word and/or phrase. 

Here's the outline that will be used as we explore:
1. Word
2. Dig Deeper
​3. Application

Word

• New Living Translation - Watch over it willingly
• English Standard Version - Exercising Oversight
• New International Version - Watching over them

Dig Deeper

• exercising oversight, episkopeō, verb. 
• Episkopeō is a combination of two words (Epi and Skopeo). Skopeo which means to look at actively and to observe; Epi means simply 'upon'. So, the word means to actively look upon and observe.
• As Peter continues to speak to the elders,  ​the goal is for the elders to be watching over the flock of God. 
• Reference Hebrews 12:15

Application

• The elders are to watch over God's flock. Not necessarily a physical observation, rather to look over their souls. 
• A few questions to ask would be, "Where is the flock at spiritually?", "Where do I want the flock to go spiritually?"
  
• The Biblical Shepherd must know the big picture of the spiritual condition of the flock. 
• Exercising oversight isn't an easy task. For the Biblical Shepherd will at times be tired, hungry, distracted and may lose focus himself. So the Biblical Shepherd must always be seeking the strength of the Great Shepherd and seeking to oversee with the strength He alone can provide. 

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