In this five-part series, Alex Strauch expounds on Peter’s charge to the elders of the church in 1 Peter 5.
Lecture Outline Detailed Outline Remember ItBecause in a real sense, he was an elder in the church at Jerusalem with the other eleven apostles. Furthermore, he draws the Asian elders to himself by calling himself a fellow elder. He informs them that he knows the job well and has experienced all that they have experienced. This gives him a right to speak to them and exhort them.
Do everything that shepherding requires. Don’t be passive. Be active. Don’t neglect the flock. Don’t fail the people. Be effective. Do what a shepherd is called to do. This charge must be understood in the light of churches facing persecution.
Positive: Be effective, diligent, skilled. Negative: Fail to be alert, not pushing themselves to grow and change, pre-occupied with self-interest, passive, being minimalists, not connecting with people, not hands-on.
- What is the danger of allowing the apostle Paul’s teachings to overshadow that of Peter’s to the point of neglecting Peter’s instructions to the Asian elders?
- Why are elders most needed when a church faces hostile persecution? Identify as many reasons as you can.
- Peter exhorts the Asian elders to shepherd the flock of God. He is an example of his own advice. Read through the book of 1 Peter and list ways that Peter is shepherding God’s flock through writing this letter. What kinds of advice is Peter giving to the churches that would protect them, encourage them and build them up?
- Be sure you have a high-quality, in-depth commentary on the letter of 1 Peter. For a suggestion, I would recommend 1, 2 Peter, Jude in The New American Commentary, by Thomas R. Schreiner.