Reflecting an Eternal Perspective by Serving Others through the Use of our Spiritual Gifts...

This week we have been looking at a section of a letter that has been preserved and recorded for us in the Bible called the book of 1 Peter. In 1 Peter 4:7-11, we discovered that living as part of God’s kingdom community should lead to a lifestyle that has an eternal perspective. In 1 Peter 4:7-11, we are going to see Peter provide four commands to followers of Jesus throughout history that, when followed, will lead to a lifestyle that reflects an eternal perspective.

First, in verse 7, we saw Peter reveal for us the reality that a lifestyle that has an eternal perspective will reflect that perspective by rightly thinking about the future. Then, in verse 8, we saw Peter reveal for us the reality that a lifestyle that has an eternal perspective will reflect that perspective by loving others in a way that removes selfishness from sight. Third, in verse 9, we saw Peter reveal for us the reality that a lifestyle that has an eternal perspective will reflect that perspective by inviting others into open-handed community.

Today, we will see Peter conclude this section of his letter by providing a fourth command to followers of Jesus throughout history that, when followed, will lead to a lifestyle that reflects an eternal perspective, in 1 Peter 4:10-11:

 As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. ¹¹ Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Now to fully understand what Peter is commanding followers of Jesus throughout history to do here, we first need to understand a few things. The first thing that we need to understand is what Peter is referring to when he uses the phrase “As each one has received a special gift”. With this phrase, Peter is referring to spiritual gifts.

A spiritual gift is a God-given inner motivation that enables us to meet the needs of others in a way that builds up others spiritually. Spiritual gifts are not talents; they are not natural abilities; they are not ministries or positions. Spiritual gifts work through natural talents and positions to work in ministries with the result of spiritual growth in the lives of others.

Now a question that almost immediately arises when the subject of spiritual gifts is brought up in church is “Well what about tongues? What about gifts of healing?” While the Bible lists for us 18 different spiritual gifts, several of these gifts are not currently active, however, as they were in the church of the first century. To understand why they are not currently active, we first need to understand the purpose of these gifts.

During the days of the early church, followers of Jesus did not have a New Testament to read. So during a church service, after a time of singing and prayer, people in the church would stand up and speak, sharing either their testimonies or messages that they heard from other Christians. And some early followers of Jesus received from God what are called foundation or sign gifts, which are spiritual gifts that were used to deliver or confirm the new verbal revelation that was what we now have as the New Testament. Since we are no longer receiving new verbal revelation from God in the form of new books in our Bibles these spiritual gifts no longer are active as they were in the first century.

Now that leads us to the second thing that we need to understand, which is what Peter means when he uses the phrase “employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” If Peter was communicating this phrase in the language that we use in our culture today, this phrase would sound something like this: Each of you have been given at least one spiritual gift. Make sure that you are using that spiritual gift to serve others in a way that promotes the spiritual good and growth of others so as to demonstrate that you are an excellent manager of the multifaceted generosity of God who gave you this spiritual gift. 

Now there are a couple of things to take note of here. First, did you notice that Peter expected every follower of Jesus to know what their spiritual gift was? Peter gives a command based on the assumption that everyone knows that they have a spiritual gift and what that spiritual gift is? Now an immediate thought that might go through your mind at this point is “I don’t know what my spiritual gift is? I wasn’t even thinking in those terms? So how do I find out what the spiritual gifts are and which one or ones that I have?

As Peter points out in verse 11, there are two types, or classifications, of spiritual gifts. The first type, or classification, of spiritual gifts are referred to as speaking gifts. The speaking gifts that are active today as they were in the first century are the spiritual gifts of Teaching, Shepherding (Pastor), Evangelism, and Exhortation (Encouragement). The second, type, or classification, of spiritual gifts are referred to as serving gifts. The serving gifts are giving, Administration, Mercy, faith, helps (serving).

Peter’s point here is that if you are a follower of Jesus you have at least one of those nine different gifts. And if you are a follower of Jesus, you have been commanded to leverage those spiritual gifts in selfless way that helps people to grow spiritually. As Peter points out in verse 11, we are to leverage to spiritual gifts that we have been given by God, in the power and strength that comes from the Holy Spirit, so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever.

You see, spiritual gifts are not to be used to bring us glory. Spiritual gifts are not to be used to enhance our reputation in the eyes of others. Instead, spiritual gifts are to be used to bring glory, to enhance that reputation of God in the eyes of others. And it is here that we see Peter reveal for us the reality that a lifestyle that has an eternal perspective will reflect that perspective by serving others through the use of our spiritual gifts.

As followers of Jesus, we have an eternal perspective when we serve others through the use of our spiritual gifts in a way that recognizes that we have received a spiritual gift. As followers of Jesus, we have an eternal perspective when we serve others through the use of our spiritual gifts in a way that is at a high level. And as followers of Jesus, we have an eternal perspective when we serve others through the use of our spiritual gifts in a way that makes much of Jesus.

You see, Jesus deserves to receive honor as a result of His status and activity in our lives and in the world around us. And Jesus deserves to receive rule and authority as a result of His status and activity in our lives and in the world around us. And we enhance the reputation of Jesus in the eyes of the world around us when we leverage the spiritual gifts that we have been given by Jesus in a selfless way that results in the spiritual good and growth of others.

Because, as we have discovered this week, living as part of God’s kingdom community should lead to a lifestyle that has an eternal perspective. A lifestyle that has an eternal perspective will reflect that perspective by rightly thinking about the future. A lifestyle that has an eternal perspective will reflect that perspective by loving others in a way that removes selfishness from sight. A lifestyle that has an eternal perspective will reflect that perspective by inviting others into open-handed community. And a lifestyle that has an eternal perspective will reflect that perspective by serving others through the use of our spiritual gifts.

So with that in mind, here is a question for us to consider: What does how you live your day to day life reveal about where your perspective is? What does how you think about the future reveal about where your perspective is? What does how you respond when wronged by others reveal about where your perspective is? What does how you serve others through the use of your spiritual gifts reveal about where your perspective is?

Because, living as part of God’s kingdom community should lead to a life that has an eternal perspective….