Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev20110925.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
1 Peter: Effective Christian Living In A Spiritually Hostile World
Part XII: Church Responsibilities During Persecution, 1 Peter 5:1-11
A. The Responsibilities Of Spiritual Leaders During Church Persecution
(1 Peter 5:1-4)
  1. Introduction
    1. As we before established in this series, persecution can occur overtly as physical persecution or it can occur covertly, afflicting the inner man via Satanic attack in the emotional, mental and spiritual realms.
    2. Either way, it is imperative that believers know what God expects of them in terms of responsibilities in the church, and 1 Peter 5:1-4 shows the duties of spiritual leaders during church persecution (as follows):
  2. The Responsibilities Of Spiritual Leaders During Church Persecution, 1 Peter 5:1-4.
    1. Before admonishing the spiritual leaders of local churches on their duties under church persecution, Peter prefaced his remarks by alluding to his qualification by way of example to address the subject, 1 Peter 5:1:
      1. First, Peter himself was an older man who was also an apostle of Christ, 1 Peter 5:1a; Matt. 16:18-19.
      2. Second, Peter had witnessed Christ's earthly sufferings, being thus qualified to understand what was involved as he taught about following Jesus' example under persecution in 1 Peter 2:21-23; 1 Pet. 5:1b.
      3. Third, Peter would also be a partaker of the glory to be revealed, 1 Peter 5:1c. Since he had taught in the context of the glory that arose from suffering for Christ (1 Peter 4:13), Peter implied he would partake of Christ's glory by suffering himself, an allusion to Christ's prediction in John 21:18-19 that he would be crucified as a Christian and by such a death glorify God.
      4. Peter was thus eminently qualified to address church spiritual leaders on ministering under persecution.
    2. Of great importance to us, we note Peter's main call that spiritual leaders in 1 Peter 5:2a "tend" the flock of God uses the same verb, poimaino that Jesus used in John 21:16 in the context of predicting that Peter would be crucified for his ministry of ministering himself, John 21:18-19! (Bible Know. Com., N. T., p. 855) Accordingly, what this "tending" involves is clarified further by Jesus in that John 21:15-17 context:
      1. Church spiritual leaders are to feed Christ's lambs (boske ta arnia mou, U. B. S. Greek. N. T., 1966, p. 412), to teach immature believers God's Word as Jesus did to shepherdless Israel in Mark 6:34.
      2. Church spiritual leaders are to shepherd Christ's sheep (poimaine ta probata mou, Ibid.), to guide maturing believers in applying Scripture to their lives in their teaching of God's Word.
      3. Church spiritual leaders are to feed Christ's sheep (boske ta probata mou, Ibid.), to teach maturing believers the deeper truths of Scripture in an ongoing Bible exposition ministry, cf. 1 Timothy 4:12-16.
    3. Peter provided attending directives on HOW this "tending" ministry of the Word was to be performed, supplying a string of descriptions that modify the main verb, "tend" (Ibid.) to clarify that methodology:
      1. Church spiritual leaders must take the oversight of the flock in "tending" it not because they were externally compelled to do so, but with a willing heart, 1 Peter 5:2b; Ibid., Bible Know. Com., N. T.
      2. Church spiritual leaders must take the oversight of the flock to "tend" it not with any greed for money from the congregation, but as eager to serve the needs of God's flock in ministry, 1 Peter 5:2c; Ibid.
      3. Church spiritual leaders must take the oversight of the "heritage" (klaron, Ibid., U. B. S. Greek N. T.) of God to "tend" it not in a domineering way as the strong would rule the weak in harsh brutality (katakyrieuontes, Ibid., p. 856), but influencing by example (typoi, Ibid.), 1 Peter 5:3. It is critically important to note that a strong check against lording over God's flock is realizing the people are God's inheritance, not the human leader's possession to exploit: the leader is accountable to God!
    4. If church spiritual leaders ministered this way, when the Chief Shepherd, Christ appeared (at the rapture of the Church, 1 Thess. 4:13-18), they would receive from Him an unfading crown of glory, 1 Peter 5:4.
Lesson: In facing overt or covert persecution, human Church leaders must heed the call of the highly qualified Apostle Peter to shepherd God's people, teaching immature and mature believers Scripture while applying it to life, assuming this oversight eagerly from the heart, free of financial greed and by use of a gentle example in accountability to Christ, the Chief Shepherd, in expectation of His reward.

Application: May we who lead God's people obey Peter's directive in accountability to Jesus Christ.