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Leader Guide Lesson 12

  1. Discuss what Peter's thoughts and feelings might have been as he looked back over his life from the time he met Christ until the time he wrote this letter, which would have been about thirty years later.

    2. He might have remembered his impulsiveness with Jesus or his own imprisonments in the early days of the church.

  2. In 1 Peter 5:1-2, Peter uses three terms to refer to the same people: elders, shepherds, and overseers. How do these three terms describe different aspects of the work of an elder?

    3. They are to have the advantage of wisdom, the caring heart of a shepherd, and the active concern of one exercising the responsibility of oversight.

  3. How have we today complicated the role of elder and perhaps even prevented them from carrying out the roles described in this passage? How might elders fail to fulfill these roles?

    4. We have made them function as a board of directors concerned largely with overseeing a physical facility and making decisions for the church. This takes away from real shepherding. Of course, real shepherding is much more demanding than making decisions about buildings.

  4. Describe how Peter had once been a hot-headed young man who had been humbled by his contact with Jesus. How does this help his words to young men in this passage carry more weight?

    5. He often spoke and acted rashly (see Mark 9:5-6 and 14:29-31and John 17:10). He knew how youthful arrogance was harmful.

  5. What are some specific ways that we can practice humility toward one another (5:5)?

    6. Allow others to speak, and listen to what they say; give of what we have to help others before our own needs are met; forgive when wronged.

  6. How easy is it to humble yourself before someone who doesn't deserve such respect in your opinion? Do you have a right not to humble yourself before this person?

    7. It's hard, but we still have to do it.

  7. What are some anxieties that you are feeling? Can you trust God to be able to handle them? Why don't you do what verse 7 says right now? Remember: if you give your anxieties to God, you shouldn't try to take them back later.

Perhaps you can have a time of prayer when people give their anxieties to God.

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