1 Peter 5 vs 1-4

1 Peter Chapter 5 Verse 1
•As the apostles would travel about and either start or strengthen churches, they would appoint elders. We see Paul and Barnabas doing this in Acts Chapter 14:21-23. “When they had preached the gospel to that city and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, “We must through many tribulations enter the Kingdom of God.” So, when they had appointed elders in every church, and prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they believed.”
•An elder is not necessarily one who is older. Elders are appointed, not grown. HA! An elder in the body of Christ is simply a leader, and in this chapter, (our study today), Peter will detail the qualifications of leadership in the churches. Elders or leaders are not to be the most senior in terms of “time in position,” or the most talented in terms of abilities and capabilities. It’s very much different than that in the Body of Christ. And truly, one who is very young in years can very much be quite the elder in Jesus.
•Now, Peter says a few things revealing himself here and really showing the freedom he has received in his own mind. Weird thing to say, I know…but where was the scene of Peter’s greatest failure? It was at the suffering of Jesus…and yet Peter says here that of the suffering of Jesus, he was witness….and check this out, he marks it not as a failure, but as a qualification.
•The moment he mentions that he was there, everyone would sneer…, “Oh yea, we know you were there…,” but here is the freedom we have in forgiveness and grace… Yes, Peter failed, yes everyone knows, yes he’s the only one in all of creation, history, time and space to ever fail at this level of humiliation…but he’s confessed, repented, wept and won! He has accepted his failure and in that he has accepted that it is no longer the man that he is! So, yea, that huge mistake I made, it now qualifies me to not hide from you but rather to instruct you in the Lord!
•And he calls himself a “fellow elder.” Not the elder. Not the top dog. Not the pope. Not the leader of leaders… He makes himself to be equal to his readers and rather chooses to exalt the name of Christ, not the name of Peter! And now the biblical qualifications of the elder or the leader, the mature in the Lord and the effective…good leader…
1 Peter Chapter 5 Verse 2a
•First up, elders in the Lord aren’t bosses, captains, generals or presidents…they’re shepherds. Now, while I completely agree with that and after many years of making many mistakes, I understand that (I’d like to think) pretty well, I’m stunned that this is the word the translators chose…why? Because if you look at the Greek here, the word isn’t to shepherd, it’s to feed! But in the use of the word shepherd by the translators, I think its probably the BEST definition possible of what an elder in the Body of Christ is and does…
•Elders in the Lord aren’t bosses, captains, generals or presidents…we and they are feeders! Which is exactly what Jesus commanded Peter to do in John Chapter 21! (John 21:15-17, “So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Feed My lambs.” He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Tend My sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep.””)
•Feed the lambs! Tend the sheep! Feed the sheep… if this is not what your leaders are doing, then your leaders are not leading. And if this is not what your elders are doing, then your elders aren’t elding. HA!
•Alright, ready for this…where or what’s the food? Simple… Galatians 5:22-23! The fruit of the Spirit! What is fruit but food and what nourishes the Body of Christ but the Spirit of God!?
•And so here are the marks and qualifications and callings and commands of eldership not just in the church but in Jesus, in the Lord! LOVE. Joy. Peace. Longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control! Oh, I thought we were the wisest, had the most information and knowledge or are the most accomplished in the faith. Nope. People will never care how much you know until they know how much you care. Try to shepherd a sheep that doesn’t trust or know you… Please…. Impossible. Sheep are obstinate. HA! No offense…. And so, a leader that does not walk in, produce, bring forth and distribute the fruit of the Spirit is no leader at all… Because to shepherd is to feed…
•Then there is a sobering remembrance here…the flock is not yours! The flock belongs to God, period! “Shepherd the flock of God.” And we will all be held accountable to how we handled God’s people… Here’s what that means for me. I’m not your daddy. God is. And so I have the privilege to teach and to exhort, to correct and to rebuke, to feed and to tend and to take care of the Body of Christ here at C4… but I’m not your judge, controller, inspector, investigator…and I’m not your keeper. I was thinking perhaps that is why God calls us to shepherd the flock… Only one other group of animals are called a flock…birds. And birds fly. And so, you, me, them and they belong to God… and I will be held accountable, which I am looking very much forward to, unto God, for how I sought to feed and tend the flock of God at C4!
1 Peter Chapter 5 Verses 2a – 3
•Here are the elements, qualifications, marks, signs, character traits of elders in the church (and let me also say, it is entirely the will and work of the Holy Spirit to make each member of the Body of Christ, an elder). First, you are to oversee which is a word that means to look after and care for. This is the mark of a good leader in any setting. One that leads from the front with care, compassion and consideration.
•So don’t shot call, don’t be the boss, but rather serve as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly. The moment you slip into poor leadership is the moment you begin to think that you are doing it for someone else other than God and by your own free will. Ministry here at this church in particular is sweet. It’s designed that way fiscally, because I don’t get paid by this church. It’s not a job, I am not compelled to be here by anything other than I choose to serve the Lord and to serve you, and that makes things sweet…
•Peter continues, not for dishonest gain but eagerly. If there is not an eagerness in your leadership then you really have no business leading in the Body of Christ. Honestly, if you’re hearts not in it, a little inspiration in your perspiration, I don’t want you leading in any capacity…work, home, school, passing lane on the highway! HA!
•Nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock! Leaders aren’t leaders because they can lead. Leaders are leaders because people will want to follow them. If you have to tell someone you’re a leader or their lead to have them follow you then something is wrong. Leaders just lead. It just happens. Whether you come along or not, I’m going…because it’s the right thing to do…and that example inspires and calls folks to come alongside and get with the program, help the cause…join in doing what is good and what is right.
•And so, Peter lays it out for us. Qualifications, marks, signs of maturity in the Body of Christ… Feeders of the flock. Those that bear the fruit of the Spirit. Those that serve. Caring for and watching over others. Those that have a genuine desire and energy to do so consistently. And that exemplify in a pure and authentic way really how Christ would have each of us to be…
1 Peter Chapter 5 Verse 4
•There is coming a day of reckoning. A day of judgement. When I will give an account of my pastoral performance unto God. We will walk together, discuss together, and my ledger will be examined. And I want to hear well done. I want to have something to show for all of this…to put on my heavenly mantle? Absolutely not…so that for all of eternity, I have something perfect, imperishable and incredible to offer to the One who gave His life for me. That’s what crowns in heaven are for…did you know that?
•And I want to work for the Lord for eternity. I don’t want to be a ditch digger in heaven. I want to be a general for the Lord. Sorry if you don’t like that…but it’s true and I wonder have you considered that at all for yourself? What we are, who we are, what we do, who we will be for all of eternity is decided by our faithfulness in this life. Did you know that?
•We see this clearly in Jesus’ parable of the minas in Luke Chapter 19. We read in Luke 19:15-19, “And so it was that when he returned, having received the kingdom, he then commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading. Then came the first, saying, ‘Master, your mina has earned ten minas.’ And he said to him, ‘Well done, good servant; because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities.’ And the second came, saying, ‘Master, your mina has earned five minas.’ Likewise, he said to him, ‘You also be over five cities.’”
•Here’s the thing…have you ever been stuck in a job that you felt over-qualified for…or didn’t challenge you…or you could do better than your supervisor’s supervisor? I’ve been there too. And God has been so good to me that now I’m at a very senior level in my place of employment and it’s great. It’s where I believe I belong. And I don’t want to go back to entry level…I want to lead. I want to help a lot of people all day. I want to strategize and encourage and support and make important, impactful decisions and I want to see and achieve major positive results at an enterprise level. There is no way I’m going to want to do less in the company of Jesus!
•And so, that crown of glory…that’s my promotion to general and I’m after it so that I would be counted worthy to sit perhaps on the leadership team of Jesus! Could you IMAGINE! Lord come quickly! All of eternity…who will YOU be, what will be your role in the company of God? Will you be there at all…?
•That’s the thing about this verse set…judgement. Hebrews 9:27 says, “It is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.” If you are in Jesus this morning, when you die, you will indeed still be judged. You will be judged unto rewards and responsibilities… And if you this morning are not in Jesus, you will be judged in accordance with your sin. So, this Christian life doesn’t end with salvation, it yet begins! And I am very much looking forward to the appearing of the Chief Shepherd. My boss. My Savior. My King. My supervisor, I so hope, for all of eternity!