(Deuteronomy 4:2 [KJV]) Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I
command you.
(Proverbs 30:5, 6 [KJV]) Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.
(Isaiah 28:10 [KJV])
For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:
(Isaiah 28:13 [KJV])
But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.
(2 Peter 1:20 [KJV])
Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
All of the studies, book or topical, found here, are done with research with mainly two things: The KING JAMES BIBLE and a plain old, 1828 Webster's Dictionary. Why? Outside of actually studying secular and Jewish history, archaeology, one needs nothing more. You do not need foreign, dead languages that no one speaks, lexicons, concordances or commentaries, because they differ not only with one another and with the KING JAMES BIBLE, but they create division, confusion, debate, and unbelief. We do not need them. That Word of God written and preserved for us in our own language is supposed to be enough, like the Old Testament was for the Jews, and the New Testament for the early Christians in Greek, Latin, Italian, Spanish, German, etc. There are studies within as tangents on words, subjects found within the two testaments, as to broaden the scope of the study, to learn more, deeper truths. This is not an intellectual site with PhDs, theologians, and no worldly wisdom.. Check everything out, everything. Not just here, but with everything you read and see and hear. Be Bereans:
(Acts 17:11 [KJV])
These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
Always research for yourself, use all of the context, and never privately interpret!
1 Peter CHAPTER 5: HUMILITY IN THE LEADERSHIP
(1 Peter 5:1 [AKJV/PCE])
The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed:
Peter is humble enough to call himself "also an elder"
Peter's qualification is that he was an eyewitness of the Risen Christ
However, here he is speakign about seeing the suffering Christ on the Cross, as many others did that day, not all later apostles
(1 Peter 5:2 [AKJV/PCE])
Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;
One needs to teach THE word, not preach THEIR, and teach it willingly, letting people believe the Word of God by faith, voluntarily
This is what a ready mind is, prepared, fitted, carefully studied, ready to teach
They need to live off of the giving of the saints, not fopr person wealth to build an empire with a mega-church of thousands of members
Shepherds shepherd sheep, as gently as possible, because sheep need that gentle coaxing, not to be beaten like a dangerous, wild animals that needs to be tamed or broken
This means not screaming every Sunday at them like they are all Pharisees and Saduccees, but sheep
When confused about how to do it, read the Word and see how those IN the Scriptures do it and follow them, starting with Jesus
(1 Peter 5:3 [AKJV/PCE])
Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.
Jesus was our example of how to be humble enough to teach
Did anyone in a position of pastoring a church step out of heaven to become man? Did you? Since you did not, you do not even come close to the humility Christ displayed for all to see and learn from
(1 Peter 5:4 [AKJV/PCE])
And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.
He is YOUR overseer, He alone is the Chief Shepherd, no matter how high you think you went
We will get a reward IF we do what He wants, not what our denomination says we should do, what "Bible College" tells us we should do
(1 Peter 5:5 [AKJV/PCE])
Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.
This is also a two way street, young and old, new believers and leaders respecting each other mutually
The reason is that they wear humility on themselves; it surrounds them
One reason things to do not happen the way a group wants through prayer, etc. it because they are not humble, but proud, and God resists them because of it
God gives grace to whom He wills, but He also does not violate His Holiness, when we resist Him with our pride which is sin of the worst kind; it is rebellion
(Psalms 84:11 [AKJV/PCE])
For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.
(Exodus 33:19 [AKJV/PCE])
And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.
(1 Peter 5:6 [AKJV/PCE])
Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
God's Hand is mighty, undefeatable, undefeated, always will be
Our reward, our redemption, our exaltation is future, in due time, in God's time, not ours
While on earth, we are to endure our suffering patiently, often as discipline as children, or a lesson
VOLUNTARY HUMILITY
(Job 22:29 [AKJV/PCE])
When men are cast down, then thou shalt say, There is lifting up; and he shall save the humble person.
(Proverbs 29:23 [AKJV/PCE])
A man's pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit.
(Matthew 23:12 [AKJV/PCE])
And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.
(Luke 14:11 [AKJV/PCE])
For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
(James 4:10 [AKJV/PCE])
Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
(Matthew 18:4 [AKJV/PCE])
Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
(1 Peter 5:7 [AKJV/PCE])
Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
We have to give it to God, in humility, knowing we cannot fight all our battles; He alone can
(1 Peter 5:8 [AKJV/PCE])
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
Vigilant: ever watchful, scanning in every direction, watching what we do and say
If we are not paying attention, we will not notice that we are being stalked, deceived, consumed.
I once watched an African game hunt where the entire group was dropped off and stalked an animal-and walked right into the center of a complete circle of a group of lionesses hunting
Lions roar about territory, and this world currently was given by Adam and Eve at the fall to that roaring lion, the serpent, our enemy, our foe, our adversary
Often lions will roar after sneaking up on prey so as to get an advantage, shocking them, stunning them temporarily, just for a moment, enough time for them to pounce, and hunters have
had this experience when they freeze because that lion is so close, they never knew it, until that lion roared right next to them
Pride males must roar in order to ward off, warn off rogue males who wish to take over and dethrone them
Rogue males are nomadic ("walketh about")
Spiritually, our adversary can only roam and roar if we are in Christ and depending on Him to take care of it, as the previous verse tells us to do
Therefore, spiritual eyes open, ears open, we sally forth in the LORD Jesus Christ, so as to not be devoured-it is the only way, by sticking close to The Lion of The Tribe of Judah
(Revelation 5:5 [AKJV/PCE])
And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.
(1 Peter 5:9 [AKJV/PCE])
Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.
The same sufferings, persecutions are commonly do in and to ("accomplished") Christians, our brethren, around the world, then as now, with many being slaughtered through persecution
That is not their fault, by nothing they did to bring it on, it is the will of man and the work of the enemy since the fall
(James 4:7 [AKJV/PCE])
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
(1 Peter 5:10 [AKJV/PCE])
But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.
Jesus is the Prince of Peace, the God of all grace, the God of mercy, peace
Because we are saved, He will establish us (set our feet firm on solid ground), make us holy as we submit ourselves to Him, empower us to be steadfast, bold in the faith, and give us peace, settle our hearts
We cannot do this on our own
(Isaiah 9:6 [AKJV/PCE])
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
(1 Peter 5:11 [AKJV/PCE])
To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
A benediction to which we can add nothing
(1 Peter 5:12 [AKJV/PCE])
By Silvanus, a faithful brother unto you, as I suppose, I have written briefly, exhorting, and testifying that this is the true grace of God wherein ye stand.
The actual writer/composer and/or deliverer as a messenger of the epistle,on behalf of Peter, prehaps with Peter dictating
Good marks for Silvanus
SILVANUS
(2 Corinthians 1:19 [AKJV/PCE])
For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us, even by me and Silvanus and Timotheus, was not yea and nay, but in him was yea.
(1 Thessalonians 1:1 [AKJV/PCE])
Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians which is in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
(2 Thessalonians 1:1 [AKJV/PCE])
Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
(1 Peter 5:13 [AKJV/PCE])
The church that is at Babylon, elected together with you, saluteth you; and so doth Marcus my son.
Imagine that, God had a church in Babylon, after all of the paganism that went on there over the millennia
(1 Peter 5:14 [AKJV/PCE])
Greet ye one another with a kiss of charity. Peace be with you all that are in Christ Jesus. Amen.
