From Suffering to Glory

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No one is immune to suffering, but Christians have the hope of glory to look forward to in and through their suffering. If you are experiencing extended periods of hardship, you might struggle to hope in that future glory, but the promises of God’s Word do not fail. The apostle Peter knew that the early church was going to experience trials of persecution, and he wanted them to be prepared. As he ended his letter, Peter gave the church family three important instructions to obey so that they could glorify God in the difficulties to come

Be Humble (1 Peter 5:5-7)

Submitting to Elders

Peter exhorted the young people to submit to their elders in humility. A healthy church honors the voice of all generations. Submission requires humility (see v. 6). As we submit to God, we are to humbly submit to and prefer one another in love.

Clothing in Humility

Peter exhorts all of us to clothe ourselves in humility, the same humility that Jesus displayed as he walked the earth (see Philippians 2:6-8).

Pride is the root of all sin; therefore, humility is the most powerful weapon in our arsenal. Humility is not thinking poorly of ourselves; it is simply thinking of ourselves less and preferring others first.

Treating Our Pride

Verse 6 begins with the following phrase, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God…”   When God begins to do a powerful work in our lives that brings Him glory, sometimes we feel God’s mighty hand as a heavy weight. God allows us to feel the heavy weight of suffering, which is naturally humbling. Suffering can serve as a remedy for pride. 

Learning Patience

The glorious hope we have is the promise of the rest of that verse, “…so that at the proper time he may exalt you” (see v. 6b). The key, of course, is the phrase “at the proper time.”

The hardest part of suffering is learning patience. Our impatience is a remnant of pride that God is working out through suffering.

Giving Over Our Worries

God doesn’t simply put us under His heavy hand like a cruel master; He gives a promise in verse 7, “casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”

Giving God our anxieties must come from the realization that we cannot handle them ourselves. God does not forcefully take our worries and our anxieties; He invites us to hand them over to Him in humility.

Holding on to our anxieties is prideful, and the heavy hand of God lovingly gets heavier until we release our burdens to Him.

When we are suffering, we struggle to believe what Peter says in verse 7—that He cares for us. We don’t trust that He is good. These are lies from Satan.

As we give Him our concerns, God promises to minister to us in four ways: 

(a) He gives us the courage to face our cares honestly and not run          away (Isaiah. 41:10).

(b) He gives us the wisdom to understand the situation (James 1:5).

(c) He gives us the strength to do what He has called us to do (Philippians. 4:13).

(d) He gives us the faith to trust Him to do the rest (Psalm. 37:5)

Be Watchful (1 Peter 5:8-9)

We have an enemy who comes to steal, kill, and destroy (see John 10:10). Peter writes, “be sober minded”. In other words, he wants us to think rightly about the situation we face. This is hard when we are suffering, but it is crucial. To have right thinking is to have God’s perspective, keeping His promises and the scope of eternity in view.

We give the enemy a foothold when we are not watchful. Satan devours by bad thinking: discouragement, hopelessness, pridefulness, and arrogance. These are just some of the tools that Satan uses when we don’t adopt sober mindedness.

Whatever God designs for good, Satan produces a counterfeit, and the fruit of the counterfeit is death. Be watchful.

One of Satan’s most effective tools is twisting the Scriptures. He knows the Bible, and he is a master at twisting the Word to deceive. This is why we need to be people who know the Word (see Psalm 119:105).

We are to be watchful, and, at the same time, resist the enemy,standing firm on the promises of the Word of God (1 Peter 5:9). We see this in the letter that Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus (see Ephesians 6:10-11). When we stand on the Word of God, we can stand firm.

Peter reminds his readers at the end of the verse, “you are not alone in this”; many believers around the world are wrestling with the same struggles.

Be Hopeful (1 Peter 5:10-11)

Peter ends the letter with the powerful and glorious conclusion about suffering: no matter how difficult the trial, we always have hope of a certain victory. Verse 10 reads, “When you have suffered a little while…” For some people, the suffering feels like it has lasted their whole lives.  But when seen in the light of eternity, it is just for a “little while” (see 2 Corinthians 4:17).

The reality for many is that the burden doesn’t feel light, and it certainly doesn’t seem to be momentary. So, does God lie in His Word? Not at all; God sees all of eternity. Someday we will see it from His perspective(see Romans 8:18).

 The Christian’s Hope in Trial

Our Heavenly Father is incredibly invested in developing our character in this life. He is intent on preparing the church as a bride for Christ by constantly refining and equipping us. His methods of building Christian character in us often involve suffering.

Peter used four words to underline the promise of God to all believers in verse 10:

He will restore, confirm, strengthen and establish His children.

This is the Christian’s glorious hope in times of Suffering!

Healthy Leadership – Healthy Church

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By God’s design, the local church is to be led by elders. Other names for that role are pastor, shepherd, or overseer (see Acts 20:28). In 1 Peter 5:1-5, Peter provides instructions and exhortation to the elders of the church; we can all learn from these leadership lessons.

The Role of the Elder

Jesus bought the church with his own blood. Although we like to identify our community as “my church”, in truth, it is “his church”.

The primary role of the elder is to tend to the sheep, feeding, leading, and protecting them. The challenge is that elders are also sheep, and as such they need accountability and shepherding themselves.

The Bible teaches that healthy church leadership should have more than one elder. This strengthens the church and guards against strong personalities that might slowly introduce false teaching.

A healthy church will only grow from healthy leaders. A church will never grow in an area of ministry if the leaders are not leading the way by example.

The Proximity of the Elder.

Peter writes in verse 1, “So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed.”

Peter is exhorting the elders who are among the people, implying that these elders were directly engaged with the community. Pastors who are not in the trenches are not shepherding. YouTube “pastors” are not shepherding.

In times of persecution, the leadership of the church is crucial (see 1 Peter 4:17). Humble local shepherds play a critical role in helping the church withstand the temptation to swim along with the stream of the world’s culture, especially during times of trial. Sadly, leaders who run away during persecution are hirelings and not true shepherds as Jesus said in John 10. John Maxwell said, “A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way and shows the way.” Peter identifies himself as a co-elder, but he had some extra credibility: he witnessed the crucifixion as Jesus died in our place on the cross. He also saw the empty tomb as Jesus victoriously conquered sin and death. Peter knew that even though there is suffering now, there is glory coming later. Glory always follows suffering, and this coming glory should motivate the elders in their shepherding. Peter had a healthy eternal perspective, and we should too. How often do you think about Jesus coming again, and how does it affect your leadership of others?

The Leadership of the Elder

Peter goes on to encourage the elders in verses 2 and 3, “shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; 3 not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.”

To exercise oversight is to care for others, not dominate or dictate. Oversight is providing care for the church family; it is a high calling and a serious responsibility.

Peter then compares three styles of leadership.

Compulsion v. Willingness

People ask the difference between a leader and a boss. The leader leads, and the boss drives.” —Theodore Roosevelt.

 The Lord wants elders to lead willingly, not from compulsion or some type of guilt and shame. When the Lord asks us to lead, we must respond willingly with a ready “yes” in our hearts.

Shameful Gain v. Eagerness

Then Peter compares, “shameful gain vs eagerness”

This contrast is the difference between a true shepherd and a hireling; a hireling works because he is paid, but a shepherd works because he loves and is devoted to caring for the sheep (see also John 10:12-13; Titus 1:7).

Domineering v. Servanthood

Different positions require different leadership styles. For example, in the military, the leadership is domineering. When a battle decision has been made and lives are at stake, you cannot have a subordinate wanting to discuss the decision. Obedience needs to be unquestioned. However, in the kingdom of heaven, Jesus models servant leadership for us, and he wants us to lead like he led (see John 13).

The Reward of the Elder.

In verse 4 Peter writes, “And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.”

This is our hope: Jesus is coming again, and we will all be judged and receive rewards for our faithfulness.

Faithful shepherds will receive an eternal crown of glory.  The “crown” here is the Greek victory garland, given as a prize during the ancient Grecian games. It was woven from ivy or something similar. But those victor crowns faded and eventually were thrown away. The crown Peter describes is incorruptible and does not fade. Many people go into ministry looking for rewards, seeking fame, an audience of thousands, perhaps a best seller book, or rising rank within their denomination. Such rewards are fading greenery; they will never satisfy.

The only reward we should be striving for is to hear the words of the master in Matthew 25: “Well done, good and faithful servant.” When we see Jesus, we won’t desire anything else. We will forget any personal goals or glory; we will simply take our crowns and place them at his feet – that will be the ultimate prize.

The Example of the Elder

Finally, verse 5 reads, “Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

Peter is referring to younger people in the church, but this also applies to all church members who submit to the leadership of the elders. It is possible that Peter was remembering how Jesus clothed himself in humility as he washed his disciples’ feet. Pride is the root of all sin, but God favors and gives grace to the humble.

Even though these verses are primarily directed towards the church elders, the principles apply to all church leadership roles. The way of leadership is humble servant leadership.

Is God calling you to leadership?