Title I Encourage the Elders/1 Peter 5
The epistle of Peter is a letter of exhortation on the practical life of the church and the saints, and the contents are like a gem of counsel that is a blessing to the saints. In chapter 2, he exhorts those who long for milk and drink it like a newborn baby, in chapter 3, those who are obedient, compassionate, and do good, and in chapter 4, those who enjoy suffering and love one another fervently are blessed believers.
1 “I urge the elders among you to be examples to the flock” (1-4)
The origin of elders goes back to the 70 elders who were established to help Moses in the Old Testament (Numbers 11:16-17), and in the New Testament, it goes back to the elders who were established to serve the church whenever the Apostle Paul established it (Acts 14:23). Peter, an apostle among the apostles, identified himself with the elders and exhorted him about what kind of person an elder was (with regards to qualifications, attitude, mission, etc.). The first elder is a witness of the sufferings of Christ. Those who will be partakers of the second glory. Thirdly, he is the one who shepherds the flock with joy and voluntarily according to the will of God. Fourth, he is a person who sets an example for the flock with his attitude of serving, not of insisting. Fifth, when the Chief Shepherd appears, he will receive the crown of glory. As Paul said, an elder is a very important person whom the Holy Spirit made the overseer (elder) of the church and made the church the one God bought with His own blood (Acts 20:28).
However, when an elder does not properly equip himself with the qualifications, attitude, and mission of an elder, he may face unhappiness. Recently, at a meeting of the elders of the integration side, he uttered a painful voice of self-reflection, “Elders, let’s go back to the beginning” (“Church and Faith,” April 23rd). It is a voice of self-reflection that came from analyzing the reasons for the declining status and status of elders in the church. “There is a growing tendency that only inertia, which has become accustomed to church life, has cooled down in all aspects of the religious life, such as prayer, worship, and offering, to dominate the faith of the elders. The Korean church can survive only when the elders wake up from their deep sleep and return to their original intentions.” I'd say it's a very sincere and correct voice of self-esteem. It is not an attitude that insists on an elder, but an attitude of serving that sets an example for the flock, and a pure attitude of serving with joy.
2 “Girl your loins with humility, young men” (5-6)
3 “Cast your worries on the Lord, awake, resist the devil, suffer” (7-14)
After the saints bowed their heads in humility, 1) a life of peace and leisure in which all worries are cast on the Lord, 2) a life of vigilance and sobriety, 3) a life of struggle against the devil, 4) a mature person who accepts hardships positively encouraged to live. When we receive hardships positively, we become whole, firm, strong, and grounded. The letter ended with greetings and congratulations. “Greetings to each other.”