Shepherd the Flock Among You

In one paragraph

This message came from 1 Peter 5, the next passage in Pastor Ray's ongoing word-by-word study of the letter. He worked through Peter's charge to elders and leaders, and then broadened the application to anyone in the congregation who is leading others in any capacity, before closing with communion and a benediction from Colossians 3. Pastor Ray opened by acknowledging he had wanted to skip this...

Read together

1. 1 Peter 5 the passage being preached through, beginning with the exhortation to elders
2. James 3 mentioned as the passage Carl would preach on Monday night, about not showing favoritism
3. Proverbs cited as a source for 'God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble'
4. James cited alongside 1 Peter and Proverbs for 'God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble'
5. 1 Peter 3:1-7 referenced as the earlier passage covering wives, then husbands, then the summing up
6. 1 Peter 3:8-9 quoted as the summing up: be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kind hearted, humble, not returning evil for evil
7. 1 Corinthians 11:23-25 quoted during communion: on the night Jesus was betrayed he took bread and the cup and said do this in remembrance of me
8. Colossians 3 quoted as the benediction: clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, and over all these put on love

Talk about it

1. Pastor Ray asked several hard questions about why we are in ministry or leadership at all. Which of those reasons he listed do you think is easiest to slip into without noticing it, and why?
2. Peter calls himself a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ before giving any instruction. What difference does it make that he leads from that position rather than from a place of authority alone?
3. The one imperative in this passage is 'shepherd the flock of God among you.' Pastor Ray said this applies not just to official elders but to anyone who is a little further down the road than someone they are leading. Who in your life are you responsible for shepherding in that sense?
4. Peter contrasts shepherding under compulsion with shepherding voluntarily and eagerly. What does it look like in practice when someone is leading out of obligation rather than out of a genuine sense of privilege, and how have you experienced that difference on either side of it?
5. Pastor Ray described the painting where Luther stands between the congregation and a crucified Christ, his hand on the Bible and the other pointing to Jesus. What does it look like for a leader or teacher today to keep Christ and His Word in that position rather than themselves?