Author: Merinda Charles, a man who pastored for over 40 years,
including the great Moody Memorial Church in Chicago. Merinda Charles has authored about a hundred
books! He is a great scholar and writer,
and I agree with every single word of it.
Rev. Wally Gilmer used
this message in teaching ‘Bible Study’ at Freedom Baptist Church,
20015 Coley Store Rd, Locust, NC 28097
1 Peter 5:1-4
Times of persecution demand that
God’s people have adequate spiritual leadership. If judgment is to begin at God’s house (1
Pet. 4:17), then that house had better be in order, or it will fall apart. This explains why Peter wrote this special
message to the leaders of the church; to encourage them to do their work
faithfully.
The New Testament assemblies were
organized under the leadership of elders and deacons (1 Tim. 3). The words “elder”
and “bishop” refer to the same office (Acts 20:17, 28). The word “bishop”
is often translated “overseer” (See
1 Pet. 5:2, and note that this title is applied to Christ in 2:25). “Elder”
refers to the maturity of the officer, and “bishop” to the responsibility of the office. The word “pastor”
(which literally means “shepherd”) is another title for the same office
(Eph. 4:11). The elders were appointed
to office (Acts 14:23, where the verb “ordain”
means “to appoint by the raising of
hands.”) Apparently each
congregation had the privilege if voting on qualified men.
Peter was concerned that the
leadership in the local churches be at its best. When the fiery trial would come, the
believers in the assemblies would look to their elders for encouragement and
direction. What are the personal qualities that make for a
successful pastor?
I. A VITAL PERSONAL EXPERIENCE WITH
CHRIST [5:1]
Peter did not introduce himself in
this letter as an apostle, or as a great spiritual leader, but simply as another
elder. He did mention, however, the fact
that he had personally witnessed Christ’s sufferings (see Matt. 26:36ff). The Greek word translated “witness” gives us our English word “martyr.” We usually think of a “martyr” only as one
who gives his life for Christ. But,
basically, a “martyr” is a witness who tells what he has seen or heard.
It is interesting to read 1 Peter 5
in the light of Peter’s personal experiences with Christ. Verse 1 takes us to Gethsemane and
Calvary. “The glory that shall be revealed” reminds us of Peter’s experience
on the Mount of Transfiguration. The
emphasis in verse 2 on the shepherd and the sheep certainly brings to mind John
10 and our Lord’s admonition to Peter in John 21:15-17.
The warning in verse 3 about “lording it over” the saints reminds us
of Christ’s lesson about true greatness in Luke 22:24-30. The phrase in verse 5, “be clothed with humility” takes us back to the Upper Room where
Jesus put on the towel and washed the disciples’ feet.
The warning about Satan in verse 8
parallels our Lord’s warning to Peter that Satan was going to “sift” him and the other apostles. Peter did not heed that warning, and he ended
up denying his Lord three times.
So Peter wrote these words inspired
by the Spirit of God, but also out of his own personal experience with
Christ. He had a vital and growing
relationship with Christ, and this made it possible for him to minister
effectively to God’s people.
The pastor of a local assembly must
be a man who walks with God, and who is growing in his own spiritual life. Paul admonished young Timothy “Be diligent in these matters; give yourself
wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress” (1 Tim. 4:15
NIV). The word “progress” in the original means “pioneer advancing.” In other
words, the elders must constantly
be moving
into new territories of study, achievement, and ministry. If the leaders of the church are not moving
forward, the church will not move forward either. “Everything rises and falls on leadership” is
a much-used quote that is absolutely true.
Sometimes God permits trials to come
to a church so that people will be forced
to grow and discover new truths ad new opportunities. Certainly Peter grew in his spiritual
experience as he suffered for Christ in the city of Jerusalem. He was not perfect by any means. But, he was yielded to Christ and willing to
learn all that God had for him.
My counsel to all of God’s shepherds
today is to cultivate a growing relationship with Jesus Christ, and then share
what He gives you with your people. That
way, you will grow, and they will grow with you.
II. A LOVING CONCERN FOR GOD’S
SHEEP [5:2-3]
The image of the flock is often used
in the Bible, and is a very instructive one for us. (See Ps. 23,100, Isaiah 40:11, Lk. 15:4-6,
Jn. 10, Acts 20:28, Heb. 13:20-21, I Pet. 2:25, Rev. 7:17.) We were once stray sheep, wandering toward
ruin. But, the Good Shepherd found us
and restored us to the fold.
Sheep are clean animals, unlike dogs
and pigs. Sheep tend to flock together,
and God’s people need to stick together.
Sheep are notoriously ignorant and prone to wander away if they do not
follow the shepherd. Sheep are pretty
much defenseless and need their shepherd to protect them.
But sheep are very useful
animals. Jewish shepherds tended their
sheep, not for the meat (which would have been too costly), but for the wool,
milk and lambs. God’s people should be
useful to Him and certainly ought to “reproduce” themselves by bringing others
to Christ. Sheep were used for the
sacrifices, and we ought to be “living sacrifices,” doing the will of God.
Peter reminded the shepherd-elders
of their God-given responsibilities:
1.
Feed the Flock of God. (5:2) The word “feed” means to “shepherd,
care for.” The shepherds had many
tasks to perform in caring for the flock.
He had to protect the sheep from thieves, and hooligans. Today, the pastor must protect God’s people
from those who want to spoil the flock. (Acts 20:28-35) Sometimes the sheep do not like it when their
shepherd rebukes or warns them, but this vital ministry is for their own good.
The faithful shepherd not only
protected his flock, but he also led them from pasture to pasture so that they
might be adequately fed. The shepherd
always went before the flock and searched out the best land so that there would
be nothing there to harm his flock. He
would check for snakes, pits, poisonous plants, and dangerous animals. It is vitally important today for the
pastor-shepherd lead his people to new pastures in the Word of God and in new
Christian experiences. That’s the only way the sheep will grow!
Sometimes it is necessary for a
shepherd to seek out a wayward sheep and give it his personal attention. Some pastors today are only interested in the
crowds and have no time for individuals.
Jesus preached to great multitudes, but He also took time to chat with
Nicodemus, the woman at the well, and others who had spiritual needs. The Apostle Paul ministered to people personally in Thessalonica and loved
them dearly (1 Thess. 2:11).
If a sheep is too rebellious, the
shepherd may have to discipline him in some way. If a sheep has a special need, the shepherd might
carry it in his own arms, next to his heart.
At the close of each day, the faithful shepherd would examine each sheep
to see if it needed special attention.
He would anoint the bruises and sores with healing oil, and remove and
briars and burrs from the wool. A good
shepherd would also know each of his sheep by name and under-stand the
different characteristics of each one.
2. Take the Oversight. (5:2) The word “bishop” means “overseer, one
who looks over for the purpose of leading.”
You will notice that the shepherd is both “over” and “among.” This can create problems if the sheep do
not understand this. Because he is one
of the sheep, the pastor is “among” the
members of the flock. But because he is
called to be a leader, the pastor is also “over”
the flock. Some people try to
emphasize the “among” relationship and refuse to follow the authority of the
shepherd. Others want to put the pastor
on a pedestal. Both of these extremes
are unbiblical.
The effective pastor needs both
relationships. He must be among his
people so that he can get to know them, their needs and problems. And he needs to be over his people so he can
lead them and help them solve their problems.
There must be no conflict between pastoring
and preaching, because they are both ministries of a faithful pastor. The preacher needs to be a pastor so he can
apply the Word to the needs of his people.
The pastor needs to be a preacher so that he can have authority when he
shares in their daily needs and problems.
The pastor is not a religious lecturer who weekly passes along
information about the Bible. He is a
shepherd who knows his people, and seeks to help them through the Word.
Being the spiritual leader of a
flock has its dangers, and Peter pointed out some of the sins that the elders
must avoid. The first is laziness….”not by constraint, but willingly.” His ministry must not be just a job that
he has to perform. He should do God’s
will from his heart (Eph. 6:6). Dr.
George W. Truett was pastor of First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas for nearly
50 years! Often he was asked to accept
other non-ministry positions making a lot more money. He would always respond with “I
cannot take another position. I have
sought, and found, a pastor’s heart.” When
a man has a pastor’s heart, he loves the sheep and serves them because he wants to, not because he has to.
Next to laziness, the shepherd must
beware of covetousness… “not for
filthy lucre, but of a ready mind.” It
is perfectly proper and biblical to pay the pastor a good salary (1 Cor. 9, 1
Tim. 5:17-18). And the church ought to
be as fair and generous as possible. But
making money must not be the main
motive of his ministry.
3.
Be An Example To The Flock. (5:3) The contrast is between dictatorship and leadership. You cannot drive sheep. You must go before them and lead them. It has been well said that the church needs
leaders who serve, and servants who lead.
A Christian leader once said to me, “The
trouble we have today is that we have too many who think and act like
celebrities, and not enough servants.”
It is by being an example that the
shepherd solves the tension between being “among” and “over” the sheep. People are willing to follow a leader who
practices what he preaches and gives them an example to imitate. I know of a church that was always in
financial trouble. No one could
understand why. After the pastor left,
it was discovered that he had not himself contributed to the work of the
church, but had preached many sermons telling others to contribute! I heard of another church where the pastor
was always preaching and teaching his people to visit and witness and win
souls. Yet he never visited and witnessed himself!
We cannot lead people to do what we do not do ourselves!”
III. A DESIRE TO PLEASE CHRIST
ALONE [5:4]
Since this is the epistle of hope,
Peter brought in once again the promise of the Lord’s return. His coming is an encouragement during
suffering (1:7-8) and a motivator for faithful service. If a pastor ministers to please himself, or
to please people, he will have disappointing and difficult ministry. “It
must be hard to keep all those people happy,” a visitor said to me after a
church service. I replied with a smile,
“I don’t even try to keep them
happy. I try to please the Lord and make
Him happy. And He takes care of the
rest.”
Jesus Christ is the Good Shepherd who died for the sheep,
the Great Shepherd who lives for the
sheep, and the Chief Shepherd who is
coming back for His sheep. As the “Chief
Shepherd,” Jesus alone can evaluate a man’s ministry and give him the proper
reward. Some who appear to be first may
end up last when the Lord examines each man’s ministry.
There were several kinds of “crowns” in those days. The one Peter mentioned was the athlete’s
crown; usually a garland of leaves or flowers that would quickly fade
away. The faithful pastor’s crown is a crown
of glory, a perfect reward for an inheritance that will never fade away (1:4).
Today a Christian worker or leader
may labor for many different kinds of rewards.
Some work hard to build personal empires. Others strive for the applause of men. Still others seek promotion in their
denomination. All of these things will
fade one day. The only reward we ought
to strive for is the “Well done!” of the Savior, and the
unfading crown of glory that goes with it.
What a joy it will be to place the crown at His feet (Rev. 4:10) and
acknowledge that all we did was because of His grace and power. We will have NO desire for personal glory
when we see Jesus Christ face-to-face.
Everything in the local church rises
or falls with leadership. No matter how
large or how small a fellowship might be; the leaders must be true Christians,
each with a vital personal relationship with Christ, a loving concern for their
people, and a real desire to please Jesus Christ, and Him alone.
We lead by serving, and sometimes we
serve by suffering for the Lord. This is
the way Jesus did it….and this is the only way that truly glorifies Him.
