The Pastoral Servant

Aim: To become more effective servants of Christ.

Doctrine: God's servants must be both firm and feeling. They are given a perspective by which they can detect error, and they are given grace to resist and alleviate error.

Exegesis: The ways of the pastoral servants: he discharges his loving and leading role (v. 24); he states the truth (to erring people) (v. 25); he seeks the welfare of eternal souls (v. 26).

Further application: How the spirit of the pastoral servant is to permeate the whole church: first, by observing God's blessing on His (the Lord's) ministry; then, by fearing to oppose the doctrine of the God of heaven.

Key verse: v. 24 ''And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient...''