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WHAT CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP IS ALL ABOUT
1 PETER 5:1-14
{Part 1}
SCRIPTURE OUTLINE:
 Priorities for Christian Leadership [5:1-4]
 Clothing Yourselves With Humility [5:5-7]
 Standing Firm In The Faith [5:8-11]
 A Final Word [5:12-14]
INTRODUCTION:
God has given leadership gifts to those whom He has chosen to lead His
church. For example, in the fourth chapter of Ephesians we read that God has
gifted some to be apostles – some prophets – some evangelists – and others
pastors and teachers [Ephesians 4:11].
But these gifts were not given as an end in themselves. They were given
for the specific purpose of being used for the mutual and corporate benefit of the
members of the body of Christ – the church. In short, God has given leadership
gifts so that those leaders may serve the saints of God by equipping them for
ministry – so that all of the members of the body might be built up – so that
there may be a unity of the faith and of the knowledge of Jesus Christ – so that
all of us may grow to become more and more like Jesus Christ, measured by
nothing less than the full stature of Christ [Ephesians 4:12,13].
That is one of the most important leadership models shared in all the
Scriptures. Peter shares another vital leadership model in this final chapter of his
first letter. It is a model all of us need to understand and then put into practice
within our church and within our families. Christian leadership is a privilege given
only by God. True Christian leaders are chosen by God – not by a mere
human political system nor by the casting of votes. The Lord calls and the Lord
anoints those who should give leadership to His church.
PRIORITIES FOR CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP: 1 Peter 5:1-4
Peter was the leader of the church of Jerusalem and was one of the most
influential leaders of the first century church.
 He was the apostle who was a member of Christ’s inner circle of three.
 He was a witness of the Transfiguration.
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 He was the human instrument upon whom Jesus used to begin to build His
church.
 He stood on the Day of Pentecost and preached with the power of the Holy
Spirit so that 3,000 persons were added to the church in one day.
 Now he writes to the elders of the church and identifies himself not as their
superior but as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ.
This Peter – who had failed so miserably when he attempted to serve
Him in the flesh
 By falling asleep when Christ needed him most [Matthew 26:40]
 By denying Him at His hour of trial [Matthew 26:69-75]
 Now teaches us how to give leadership, not in the flesh, but in the power
and dynamic of the Holy Spirit.
He shares with us four major priorities that we should follow in giving
leadership to the church.
1. Shepherd the flock of God that is among you (v.2): God has entrusted
many of us with the marvelous privilege of shepherding His flock in the form
of a local church. Notice that the emphasis is upon that fact that it is the
flock of God. It is never “my” flock or “my” church. Christ is the Chief
Shepherd (v.4), and “I,” Peter, am merely an under-shepherd.
In order to be effective as an under-shepherd, we need to be in close
contact with the Chief Shepherd who is the Lord of the church. We
must live under His Lordship and guide the members of the flock to
follow Him as Lord. If we ever view the flock as “ours” or the ministry as
“ours,” we are in serious trouble, and so is the church.
The church
follow Paul
refuted this
but Christ.
at Corinth faced this difficulty. Some of the people decided to
as their shepherd while others chose to follow Apollos. Paul
error and demanded that they follow neither Paul nor Apollos –
[1 Corinthians 3:5-7] = “Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos,
but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? I
planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither he
who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the
increase.”
Paul continues his teaching by asking his readers to put the human
leadership of the church in proper perspective in the following manner: “Let
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a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of
God” [1 Corinthians 4:1]. That is a requirement of God if one is to be an
effective under-shepherd – to recognize that we are stewards of the flock of
God that He has entrusted to our care. It is His flock, and we are His
shepherds.
Now Peter shares those same words of commissioning with us. To be the
pastor of a church is more than merely a vocational choice. It is much more
than merely fulfilling a job description prepared for us by a pastoral search
committee. It is a holy calling and a sacred trust given to us by no one less
than the Chief Shepherd of the flock of God. No one should be called to
pastor a church who has not first been called and anointed by God.
As we consider that sacred and exciting task of shepherding – tending – and
feeding the flock of God, the legitimate question becomes, “How do I carry
on that shepherding in the way in which God desires?”
In response to that kind of question Peter continues his letter on the four
priorities of ministry by presenting three specific ways in which we
should be involved in shepherding the flock of God.
2. Suffering…..not by compulsion but willingly (v.2): We should not serve by
“compulsion,” or because we have to. Unfortunately, there is that kind of
mentality among many who serve in the present day church. The tendency
is not to do it willingly or joyfully, but out of a sense of religious duty.
Many pastors are trapped – imprisoned by their calling to ministry. They
would prefer to be somewhere else – they aren’t enjoying their ministry –
they are in a difficult position from which they would like to escape. To
them ministry has become mere drudgery.
It doesn’t need to be that way. Peter reminds us that we should serve the
Lord and tend His flock willingly. To serve “willingly” means “voluntarily” or
“willfully.” That is the only way in which we can serve the Lord and serve
His church effectively. The Lord doesn’t force us or coerce us to be involved
in ministry. He calls us and invites us to ministry – but we have the
freedom to say “yes” or “no”!
To serve the Lord under constraint or because we feel compelled to do so
against our will, is to not serve Him. If that is our motivation for ministry –
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it is much better that not be involved in ministry – for not only do we suffer
for that disobedience, but the flock of God that we are tending also suffers.
3. Serving…..not for dishonest gain but eagerly (v.2): We should not serve
for monetary or personal gain. The word here means “sordid gain” or “filthy
lucre.” It denotes a spirit of greediness.
Obviously, that shouldn’t be our motive for ministry. If we are involved in
caring for the flock of God merely for our personal gain or for what personal
gain we can derive from it, we are ministering for the wrong reason. THE
BLESSING OF GOD CANNOT BE UPON US!
Within our society, most of us don’t face the temptations for entering the
ministry for purely monetary gain. But that isn’t true in many societies. In
America most ministers could earn more money in a secular vocation.
However, in many countries of the world the pastor is a vocation that many
enter for recognition – position – and money.
All of us who are tending the flock of God need to maintain open and
sensitive hearts to the Lord and to our brothers and sisters in Christ. We
need to be careful that we don’t slip into ministry for recognition or other
personal gain.
Instead, we should minister eagerly – not merely for what we can get out of
it, but rather for what we can put into it. Investing in the lives of others
is one of the highest callings and greatest privileges which God
entrusts to any person. To serve “eagerly” means to serve with a
forward spirit – to serve readily and willingly.
3. [Serve not] as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples
to the flock (v.3): God hasn’t called us to be dictators to the flock of God,
not even benevolent dictators. Unfortunately, that is the model being
provided for us by many pastors and many local churches in this present
day. Such a form of government may seem very efficient – but it can be
very devastating.
In these kinds of churches when the pastor leaves the church crumbles. It
becomes a state of absolute chaos. And when a new pastor comes in to
lead often the leadership tries to dominate him and does everything to
oppose his leadership.
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Jesus practiced a “servant style” of leadership, and it is that “servant
leadership style” that He has entrusted to us. An effective shepherd gives
his life for his sheep, and an effective pastor gives his life for the flock of
God.
Such a pastor doesn’t merely tell his people where to go or what to
do – HE LEADS THEM! He is their example!!!! In this passage the word
“example” comes from the root word meaning a “stamp.” Also, it means
“model” or “pattern” or “print.” That is one of the holy roles of a pastor – to
be a model for his people. He isn’t a model of one who has reached
perfection – but:
o a model of one who has denied himself
o a model of one who is taking up his cross daily
o a model of one who is following Jesus as the Lord of his life.
That is our 4-step model:
1) to shepherd the flock of God that is among you [or entrusted to
your care]
2) to serve not by constraint but willingly
3) to serve not for monetary gain but eagerly
4) to serve not by being lord over those entrusted to you, but by
being examples to the flock.
As we are faithful to the Lord and to His flock, a marvelous promise is given to us:
“When the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does
not fade away (v.4). In other words, we are accountable to the Chief Shepherd
for the stewardship of how we care for His flock. He will reward those undershepherds who have been faithful in their ministry.
International Mentoring Institute/session one of four sessions/February 2010
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