Lesson 73
Study of
First Peter Chapter 5
Intro:
Peter begins this chapter with an inferential conjunction
(ou=n) which links what follows with
what preceded in 4:12-19, that is the importance of orienting to suffering in
your life as we noted the mechanics for that is to continue "doing what
is right."
Peter links in the first 4 verses the function of the P/T
in the L/C to the believer being prepared to orient to suffering and testing in
life.
I exhort
the elders among you, durative present of (parakale,w) which means to comfort, encourage, to exhort; here it’s
the force just short of an imperative; exhort or urge to take a course of
action.
- Here the focus is on the one with the Spiritual gift of P/T who is
prepared, ready to assume the responsibility of communication of the Word of
God.
- When he says that these elders are among you (loc pl evn u`mi/n)
implies the principle of face to face communication. Any thing else is a cheap substitute.
And he does so from the standpoint of being your fellow
elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, (sumpresbu,teroj) the prefix sum indicates
what Peter had in common with the local P/T's, the gift of communication of
truth.
witness of the
sufferings of Christ (ma,rtuj) speaks of firsthand knowledge, eyewitness
Some of the implications so far!
1. Christ was a communicator - He suffered UNDSF!
2. Peter was also a communicator, a fellow elder
and he endured suffering.
3. You elders out there in the provinces of
4. By application the P/T's in the C/A are also
no different and will undergo suffering in their ministries.
5. This section then is exhortation to keep your
objective in view, that is feeding the flock.
and a
partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, (koinwno,j) refers
to a partaker, a sharer, a partner, to have in common with
Peter identifies himself in this verse with 3 important
aspects of his ministry.
#1 a fellow elder; #2 as a witness of the sufferings of Christ and 3rd also a partaker of the
glory that is to be revealed.
Suffering and glory were never far apart in Peter's mind.
"Of the about to be revealed glory" (Greek order) points to a glory whose
unveiling is eagerly anticipated by him.
The World will see the glory of Christ, the Messiah, when
He returns at the 2nd advent to establish His Millennial rule.
Summary
1. As we should have picked up from the study so far suffering whether
physical or mental stress is a part of life that we must deal with.
2. We have also noted that God's plan and provision will turn this
suffering into blessing when we choose to do what is right.
3. The suffering we might experience now in time is not to be compared
with the glory to come. Rom
4. The short time we have in f2
is the time we have to accumulate the glory of eternal rewards we will receive
at the JSC.
5. Not only does the P/T experience the same CHP's as any other
believer but he also experiences specialized areas of suffering related to
communication of truth.
6. For the communicator, the P/T, must
fulfill the imperatives that Peter details in the next 2 verses which pertain
to the message and his relationship with the flock that God the Holy Spirit has
given. Acts
5:2 The duty to shepherd the flock
shepherd the
flock of God among you With this command Peter portrays the work of
the P/T by using the familiar shepherd - sheep imagery.
Really
sums up the functional aspect of the ministry, that is
in leading, guiding, feeding and protecting the flock. The means of fulfilling
this role is through the Word consistently taught.
Paul's
warning in Acts 20:28-29 is very appropriate to establish the importance of the
shepherding/pastoring function.
So the first phrase
is shepherd the flock of God among you
Observations
at this point!
1.
Christ is the Chief or great Shepherd - 1 Pet 5:4; Heb
2. The P/T of the
local church is next in the spiritual chain of command, its delegated
authority. [undershepherds]
3. What we must
remember is that all P/T's are answerable directly to the Lord for their
efficiency reports.
4. Under the proper
functioning of the spiritual gift of P/T it is his responsibility to oversee
the spiritual diet of the L/C as well as the activities of the L/C.
5. The P/T must remember that it ultimately is the Holy Spirit that placed
him in the position of P/T of his congregation.
6. Peter was exhorted by Christ to shepherd believers in John 21:15-17
where Christ said to him "if you love me feed my sheep." [feed, shepherd, feed]
7. The test of love for the P/T is how he performs in the pulpit year
in and year out over the long haul.
Next
section of vs:2 deals with what is the P/T's
motivation
First the
how not then trhe positive: exercising
oversight not under compulsion, but
voluntarily, according to the will of God;
- not under compulsion (mh, avnagkastw/j) adverb; in a
forced manner, unwillingly, out of obligation i.e
the wrong motivation
- the proper motivation is next
stated but voluntarily, according to the will of God; another adverb (e`kousi,wj kata.
qeo,n()
willingly, voluntarily,
That
this response is to the Word and God's grace provision is reinforced by the
next part of the phrase according to the will of God.
Next its not for sordid gain, but
with eagerness;
- This is a compound word aivscroj which means dishonorable, shameful plus kerdoj which means gain or advantage.
What his motivation should be but with eagerness this adverb is a very strong word (proqu,mwj) that expresses a zeal, eagerness even a tenaciousness
to stay the course of his objective to teach the whole counsel of truth to the
flock provided for him whatever number for whatever finances.
5:2 Shepherd the flock of God among you, not under
compulsion but willingly according to the standard of God (expressed in the
Word) and not for dishonorable gain but with eagerness.