Joshua and Judges: The doctrine of leadership part 16 - Insights on leadership from Peter; 1Pe 5:1-7.

Title: Joshua and Judges: The doctrine of leadership part 16 - Insights on leadership from Peter; 1PE 5:1-7.

 

Announcements/opening prayer:  

 

 

6. Insights on leadership from Peter, 1PE 5:1-7.

 

1PE 5:1 Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed,

 

"elders" - presbu,teroj [presbuteros] = advanced in age or life, senior. Those with authority in the church with emphasis on their spiritual maturity.

 

The word we have seen before in 1Ti 3 is episkopos which is properly translated overseer. While episkopos emphasizes the position of authority, presbuteros emphasizes the maturity of those in their positions. There are a plurality of elders in any church, meaning the pastor, the deacons, and the administrators in all areas. In some cases there can be more than one pastor as the pastor is called to train up other men in the ministry, yet there is always one in authority, the pastor.

 

Notice that Peter does not approach his readers from on high, as a virtuoso apostle. Rather, he takes the position of a fellow elder, coming alongside the others, and bearing similar burdens.

 

Peter neither claimed nor assumed any higher position than that of an ordinary elder in the Church.

 

And as a witness of the sufferings of Christ he is not only referring to the fact that he has seen them but that he has been called to bear testimony of them. He failed greatly during the sufferings of Christ by denying Him, but the love of God overcame that as Christ suffered in the flesh on behalf of Peter and all mankind.

 

1PE 5:2 shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness;

 

"shepherd" - poimai,nw [poimaino] = to act as a shepherd; tending, feeding, guiding, guarding the flock of God. The noun form is translated "pastor."

 

Oversight is the verb form of overseer (episkopos). It means to look carefully over in a concerning and protecting way, just as a shepherd would over his flock. Yet this is God's flock, and therefore, how much more should the pastor, deacon, administrator, parent, husband, etc. look over them?

 

They are not to be forced to do so. They can be forced by a lust for something like prestige or money and so because they serve their idol they are doing so under compulsion from the same. Peter says here that they are to do so voluntarily, meaning, from proper motivation.

 

Sordid gain is base gain or filthy gain. God sees functioning in life for money, and especially pretending at the spiritual life for money, as filthy gain.

 

Leaders will be called upon to formulate policy, to set budgets and decide priorities, to deal with property. None of that can be done well if personal gain looms as a background motive.

 

Rather than serving the idol of wealth they are to do so with eagerness. And, they are not to do so with some kind of high handed, autocratic rule.

 

Often the desired gain is not money but fame and prestige. A leader may dress and smooth his speech in order to court the public cheers. He may bid for prominence and grateful recognition. These things make him unfit for the task of spiritual leadership. It destroys his perception of the needs and perils of the sheep.

 

1PE 5:3 nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock.

 

God ordained, properly exercised authority should be administered by leadership, but it should not be without love and therefore tyrannical.

 

He is full of love and compassion yet he does not compromise the truth or the way for the feelings or failures of others. He is strict when it comes to true policy but he is also loving and gracious and patient with those who are struggling with the truth. If he does so, leading his flock as an image of Christ then he should be honored and blessed by those whom he serves.

 

1TH 5:12-13

But we request of you, brethren, that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction, and that you esteem them very highly in love because of their work.

 

1TI 5:17-18

Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, "You shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing," and "The laborer is worthy of his wages."

 

1PE 5:3 nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock.

 

Allotted to your charge reveals that God gives an allotment or a church as He has determined. Within that church God has ordained a pastor, maybe pastors in training, deacons, and administrators in all areas (secretaries, board members, prep-school teachers, heads of building needs like cleaning, etc.). The pastor has the ultimate authority, but other authorities are delegated and to all of them, as a sub-unit of the entire organism of the church, they have been allotted a local assembly.

 

Literally - Neither as lording it over the "heritage" (allotment) - kleros, where we get the word "cleric" which evolved to "clerk".

 

The cleric, elder, (pastor, deacon, administrator, etc.) has been entrusted with a heritage or allotment.

 

All under-shepherds should be living patterns of the Chief Shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

"example" - tu,poj [tupos] = impression, seal, stamp made by a die. Elders are to be living examples of Christ.

 

Remember the one instance where Christ uses the word "example" and it was when He washed the disciples' feet. He used word that means to trace letters or to make a copy by hand. This word means a stamp. Whether the image is traced by hand or stamped by press it is the original image, which it represents, that is of importance.

 

Jesus is the Chief Shepherd and we are His assistants and associates working under His authority.

 

Christ should be seen in the leader and not just an image of himself. He should not be promoting himself, his personality, his looks, or any other human trait. He is the stamp of Christ and that is what those whom he leads needs to see.   

 

Now Peter turns to the reward.

 

1PE 5:4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.

 

The crown is the Greek stephanos which was a crown of victory in the Greek athletic games. It was made of ivy or oak leaves. It was also given for military valor and it was a festal garland worn at wedding feasts [made of flowers].

 

Each of these have great application to the believer who is an overcomer; the celebration of marriage to the Lord and victory in life.

 

It was constructed of ivy or oak leaves and in the case of weddings it was made of flowers. Each one of these faded with time, but the crown that Christ gives as reward will not fade one bit for all of eternity. Whether it is a literal crown in eternity we cannot determine.

 

It is interesting to note that Paul sees his crown as the souls that he won and the believers who grew up under his teaching.

                                

1TH 2:19-20

For who is our hope or joy or crown of exultation? Is it not even you, in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming? For you are our glory and joy.

 

Php 4:1

Therefore, my beloved brethren whom I long to see, my joy and crown, so stand firm in the Lord, my beloved.

 

Some have categorized this mention of a crown in a different category than other passages that mention crowns. They present the crown of glory, crown of righteousness, crown of life, and this, labeled the incorruptible crown, as all different, yet each one applies to one life, the life of the overcomer. It is not a point of contention. Yet what Paul indicates in 1TH 2:19-20 is that he did not do what he did in service of God for some material crown in heaven that he could show off.

 

In other words, he wasn't in it for material rewards, on earth or in heaven. His converts were his reward. His mature believers were his reward, and therefore, his service was his reward. For who is great in the kingdom of God?

 

It is not consistent to say that one serves God without thought of material gain while at the same time he has thought of material gain in heaven. In that, all a person is saying is that he is willing to wait for material gain.

 

1PE 5:5 You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.

 

Since the elders refer to those promoted by God to positions of leadership it refers to maturity and not exactly age, although often the two go hand in hand because it takes so long to grow up spiritually.

 

Therefore the younger men would refer to those not yet promoted or to groups of youths that were attending local assemblies. We know of youth organizations in Greek cities of Asia Minor and it would not be hard to imagine that the churches also had something similar. There were large families then and the churches likely had many youths. They were to show respect and obedience to their leaders.

 

I always love the opportunity to quote this passage:

 

2KI 2:23-24

young lads came out from the city [Bethel] and mocked him [Elisha] and said to him, "Go up, you baldhead; go up, you baldhead!" When he looked behind him and saw them, he cursed them in the name of the Lord. Then two female bears came out of the woods and tore up forty-two lads of their number.

 

Bethel was the chief seat of the idolatrous calf worship and these boys were heavily influenced by their parents in this trade. They knew Elisha and came out to mock him. Again we see the calamity of bad leadership, in this case in the parents, and that children who go the way of their fathers in evil will reap the sins of the fathers.

 

"All of you, clothe yourselves with humility,"