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1 Peter 5:3
3 Neither [mede] as [hos] being lords over [katakurieuo] God's heritage [kleros], but [alla] being [ginomai] ensamples [tupos] to the flock [poimnion]. KJV-Interlinear
3 nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock. NASB
Here we have two parallel principles being taught. The first refers to each and every human being as an individual who is no better than anyone else, and the second, being a reference to any organization that might perceive itself as having power or authority over people.
The second is a command from God, made through Peter, that there is no such authority given to any priest or preacher, or church organization, whereby that person or organization may exercise its control over society. This principle has been ignored and abused since the time the Church of Rome began around the fourth century A.D.
Though they claim their roots back to Peter, the Levitical Priesthood was still in existence in his day, not the Church of Rome. And God made His intentions clear in 70 A.D. when the Roman army thoroughly destroyed that priesthood, and no other priesthood was there to replace it.
Christ alone is the head of the body of believers we call the Church. But, the Church is not limited to our dispensation, but to all believers throughout history.
Throughout history, culture after culture has risen up with their royalty and their priests. Both seeking to usurp power and authority from the masses, and that has always ended in corruption.
The most obvious corruption of this concept in our present day is from the religion of Islam. But there are many cults, and beliefs out there in the world that use religion for the advancement of the personal lusts of its leadership. These lusts include but are certainly not limited to, having multiple wives, abuse of children, the right to murder those who oppose you, radicals and guru’s to no end, and so forth.
Anyone who takes the name of God and uses it to advance their own agenda, whether on a worldwide scale, or from the many scam and scheming tent evangelists, is in violation of this principle.
Likewise, anyone who is included in the first view of this principle, and that includes us all, need to know that God made each and everyone of us, from the smallest component of our very being.
When you see anyone who possesses a magnificent talent, it is not them who should be held in awe, but God, who took a speck of dust and formed it into someone with tremendous beauty, talent, intelligence, etc.
Each one of us was but a hair thickness away from having been made an artistic phenomenon, a mental genius, or something else far inferior. Most of us are in the mid regions of genetic sculpturing, and all of us came from the hand of God.
Before our birth, none of us had any say in our design or circumstances. And after our birth, none of us have any right to boast about our abilities or our circumstances.
We are all subject to accidents, to body odors, to the disposal of human waste, to a wide range of disgusting human characteristics. None of us are superior to anyone else, regardless of the gifts we have been given.
God gave us all, what He gave us, for the glorification of Him, not us. And having received our gifts, whatever they might be, we have an obligation to help others, not ourselves.
Many celebrities in the news are prime examples of this selfish view or attitude concerning their talents.
Your obligation is to the flock, which belongs to God. To help preserve it, to help promote it, to help advance it spiritually, while you advance your own self within your spiritual life.
God provides you with all of the resources He deems that you need, and with all of the opportunities that He deems that you should have, in order to establish your true attitude, beliefs and faith, not to mention the degree of your willingness to obey His mandates.
Now, reading this Bible, you will soon discover that there is nothing new here that you don’t already know or should have known. Everyone knows the differences between right and wrong, as well as their responsibilities in life. Most folks simply choose to ignore them, favoring the drives of their sin nature. Life is easier that way.
But then, the world celebrates over your stupidity in choosing the easy way of the sin nature, in your boasting over your worldly advantages, over your recognition of your earthly superiority over others.
Don’t wait until you die (for their aren’t any second chances) before you discover just how wrong you are to have made the choices in life that you have made.
Jesus Christ came into this world knowing full well that all of humanity was an inferior lot of sinners. He could have turned around and said, ‘Well, they made their choices and that is too bad for them.’ But He did not demonstrate that kind of an attitude. He instead gave His own life for all of us sinners, who are nothing more than specks of dust. He in effect gave Himself, as God, for dirt.
Think about that, the next time you have second thoughts regarding whatever it is that you have, and whether or not you wish to help anyone out, in whatever way is available to you. And, whether you are setting a good or bad example for others, as God defines good or bad examples, not by your definition.
