1 Corinthians 12:4-12, 27

God’s Creative Work in the Church

Today, local church membership has lost its appeal. Why bother? Why not drift from church to
church and see what meets my needs? Back in the beginning, though—before church buildings and
budgets and board meetings—church membership at its simplest was about belonging. In fact, did
you know that our broader society’s concept of “membership” comes from the Bible? Today
everybody uses the term. Months before I turned 50, I received a letter in the mail inviting me to
become a member of AARP. (How did they know my age?) For my VA work, I belong to a couple of
professional chaplain organizations. Membership as a concept dates back to the Bible with Paul’s
picture of the church as a human body, one body with many members. Each member belongs to the
body, and each member is essential to the body.

This is not just lip service. On Pentecost, God sent his Spirit for the first time into believers to
remain in them for the rest of their lives. And, as we heard in today’s scripture, the Holy Spirit
supernaturally manifests—or shines through—the life of each believer to build up the body of
Christ and to glorify God.

Usually in my sermons I suggest what to do, but when it comes to this spiritual giftedness, I want to
suggest what NOT to do. There are two attitudes you need to avoid, two things not to do. First,

1. Don’t put yourself down. Sometimes we feel like the very last third grader to be chosen for the
kickball team in PE. We wonder if we have any value at all: to our friends, to our family, to our
church, and to our God. Maybe we compare ourselves to others: “I can’t sing like ___ ... I can’t play
like ___ ... I don’t have the energy level of _____ ... I can’t entertain like ___ ... I don’t know the Bible as
well as ____.” All of that may be true. But so what? What does God’s word say? Does the Bible say
God only gifts certain people to do his work? Does today’s passage say, “Now to ‘some members’ the
manifestation of the Spirit is given”? No, verse 7 says, “Now to ‘each one’ the manifestation of the
Spirit is given.” You are one of the “each ones,” so God’s Spirit manifests through you. Now if we
believe that the Holy Spirit is in us, we can no longer truthfully say, “I don’t have anything to offer.”
If you are a Christian, the Holy Spirit has supernaturally gifted you to serve in some way a need of
the church body.

A story from the French Revolution illustrates a passion to use one’s giftedness. Three Christians
were sentenced to die by guillotine. One Christian had the gift of faith, the other had the gift of
prophecy, and the third the gift of helps. The Christian with the gift of faith was brought forward
first. He was asked if he had any last words, so he said, “I have faith that God will deliver me.” Well,
they pulled the rope but the blade didn’t fall. The executioners were in awe, as they took this as an
act of God, so they quickly freed the man.

The Christian with the gift of prophecy was next. They asked him, too, if he had anything to share.
He replied, “I predict that God will deliver me.” Again, the rope was pulled and nothing happened,
and the executioners were amazed and freed him immediately.

Then they brought in the third Christian, with the gift of helps. When asked if he had anything to
say, he looked up at the blade and then replied, “Yeah, I think I just found the problem with your
guillotine.” (https://www.cybersalt.org/clean-jokes/spiritual-gifts)

OK, that’s a silly example. But let me give you a real-life example of a spiritual gifting. I don’t believe
I could preach without the power of the Holy Spirit: helping me study, develop simple outlines,
write a manuscript, and deliver the message in a way that will hold attention. Did you know I used
to be afraid of preaching? If you would have told me in my 20s I would be doing this weekly and
enjoying it, I would say you were nuts. God’s Spirit enables us to do things we cannot do on our
own.

And God’s Spirit works through us, not for our glory but for the common good. If you don’t discover
what you’re good at and use it to honor God, our church family and the wider Blue Skies East
community will miss out on a blessing of God. God knows exactly what each church needs, so we
should watch the people God adds to the body to see how God may shape our mission. If you don’t
use your gift, the church is like a jigsaw puzzle with a piece missing. It’s irritating! It’s frustrating!
It’s incomplete! Everybody matters. Everybody counts!

So don’t put yourself down. If you say you have nothing to add, you say more about God than about
yourself. You put a limit to what God can do. The truth is, you are supernaturally equipped in some
way for part of God’s mission.

Maybe you’re thinking, “OK, then, how can I find out how I’m gifted?” You might start by reading
various examples in scripture, such as in our passage today, or in Romans 12 or Ephesians 4 or 1
Peter 4. The Bible lists 22 separate gifts in all, but since each list is different, they may well be just a
sampling. As you review those listed, pray and ask God to reveal to you what you might do to help
build his kingdom. Then, ask others what gifts they see in you. Ask yourself, “What do I like to do?”
Or “What do I do well?” And then “just do it,” to borrow from Nike. Try something to honor God. If
he blesses it, you’re on track. If not, maybe try a different direction.

So, don’t put yourself down, but on the other hand ...
2. Don’t puff yourself up. Don’t get all stuck up about your spiritual gift. It’s not about you! Your gift
is not designed to bring you attention. Nor is your contribution God’s last and final hope for
civilization. Sometimes we get tunnel vision, and we only focus on what God is doing in our little
area; we forget he is at work all over this globe. I hate to burst your bubble, but God could do his
mission without us if needed. God loves to involve us in his work, and we’re deeply honored to be
invited to join him, but he doesn’t need us; he doesn’t have to have us to accomplish his work. It’s
not all up to me, and it’s not all up to you. Give up the Messiah role. It’s already filled!

We know it’s not about us because we don’t get to choose our gift. Our gift chooses us. Listen to the
intro of our scripture again, beginning with verse 4: “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same
Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different
kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.” Same Spirit, same
Lord, same God: the Trinity at work. Five times in this chapter Paul reminds us that our gifts come
from God and God alone. Even the word “gift” tells us it’s not about us. The Greek is “charis,” which
means “grace,” something freely given.

Now in our church family we have a lot of awesome people who pitch in in a variety of ways. Some
people do a lot of work. You know who you are. Some don’t know where to help. You know who you
are. Those who do more should ask for help, if for no other reason than to train up and involve
others. Those who don’t know where to help should keep asking where they might jump in.
Everyone has a place, and it lines up with the giftedness God has given you.

Your place may be something behind the scenes, like checking up on people who are hurting, maybe
delivering some chicken noodle soup to a resident battling a cold, or having a cup of coffee or a
glass of wine with someone who is lonely. Or quietly funding a mission effort. Maybe you have a
heart for intercession, for lifting up others in prayer. I love people like that. I can just tell them my
greatest need, and I know they won’t gossip about it; they’ll just talk to God about it. These kinds of
gifts are largely invisible, but God is at work through each of them just as he is in the more visible
gifts.

Maybe you are equipped for a more visible role, possibly serving on our Board and making
decisions that will help the rest of the body. Or maybe you would like to read scripture for Sunday
services every now and then. Let me know and I’ll get you scheduled to do that. Maybe you can help
as an usher. Let one of us know. Maybe God has put a new ministry on your heart. Find your place
and fill it, so the church will be built up in God’s design.

Rabbi Haim of Poland shared a story about long spoons to contrast heaven with hell. He said,
imagine that both heaven and hell have really long spoons for use at meal time. In hell, everyone is
angry all the time because no one can lift food to their mouth with such unwieldy cutlery and
people are starving to death. Heaven has the same identical utensils, yet everyone eats to their
heart’s content. What’s the difference? In heaven, the diners feed one another across the table.

Our spiritual gifts are like that. They are not for us. They are God’s way of using each of us to build
up the body of Christ, other believers around us. Pastor Alistair Begg says, “It is impossible to serve
God without serving one another.” The Apostle Peter wrote, in 1 Peter 4:10-11, “Each of you should
use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its
various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If
anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be
praised through Jesus Christ.”

Let us pray: Lord, thank you for this amazing church family, the local body of Christ right here at
Blue Skies East. Jesus, we want to be your spiritual body, continuing the work here that you began
some 2,000 years before. Please help every member of your body yield their lives to you, the head
of the body, and discover how the Holy Spirit wants to use them to bring glory to our Heavenly
Father. Help us encourage one another as we seek our place of service, so that each one may help
fulfill your kingdom purposes. And guide someone today to say yes to God for the very first time, to
renounce their sin and accept Jesus as their Savior, that your Holy Spirit may come in and gift them
for service as well. Amen.

LOVE BY SERVING

Bill Wilson pastors an inner city church in New York City. His mission field is a very violent place.
He himself has been stabbed twice as he ministered to the people of the community surrounding
the church. Once a Puerto Rican woman became involved in the church and was led to Christ. After
her conversion she came to Pastor Wilson and said, "I want to do something to help with the
church’s ministry." He asked her what her talents were and she could think of nothing -- she
couldn’t even speak English -- but she did love children. So he put her on one of the church’s buses
that went into neighborhoods and transported kids to church. Every week she performed her
duties. She would find the worst-looking kid on the bus, put him on her lap and whisper over and
over the only words she had learned in English: "I love you. Jesus loves you."

After several months, she became attached to one little boy in particular. The boy didn’t speak. He
came to Sunday School every week with his sister and sat on the woman’s lap, but he never made a
sound. Each week she would tell him all the way to Sunday School and all the way home, "I love you
and Jesus loves you."
One day, to her amazement, the little boy turned around and stammered, “I---I---I love you too.”
Then he put his arms around her and gave her a big hug and whispered in her ear “and I love Jesus
too!". That was 2:30 on a Sunday afternoon. Four hours later he was found dead. His own mother in
a drug induced rage had beaten him to death and thrown his body in the trash. "I love you and Jesus
loves you." Those were some of the last words this little boy heard in his short life -- from the lips of
a Puerto Rican woman who could barely speak English. This woman gave her one talent to God and
because of that a little boy who perhaps had never really heard the word "love" in his own home,
experienced and responded to the love of Christ.

We are continuing our series I Love My Church. Today I want to talk about the fact that one of the
ways we demonstrate love for one another is by serving one another.

1 Pet 4:10 Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully
administering God's grace in its various forms.

This single verse reminds us of some important truths. First, it reminds us that all of us are gifted.
You may think you have nothing to offer, but the truth is that if you are a believer in Jesus Christ
then God has supernaturally gifted you to serve. Secondly, it reminds us that our gifts are not given
to us for our own benefit. God gave you gifts and talents and abilities and experiences for the
benefit of other people, to be used to serve others. Jesus has called us to serve one another.

Matt 20:25 Jesus called them together and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it
over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 26 Not so with you. Instead,
whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first
must be your slave-- 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give
his life as a ransom for many."

To be a follower of Jesus means that we seek to serve like He did. All of us should have a heart of
service. Your ability determines your area of service, but your attitude determines the maturity and
effectiveness of that ministry. Today I want us to look at 3 essential characteristics of a servant
attitude:

1. Serving Means Being AVAILABLE -

Serving like Jesus means that you make yourself available for service. One day Jesus was walking
down the road to Jericho and some blind men start yelling at him.

Matt 20:30 Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going
by, they shouted, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!" 31 The crowd rebuked them and told
them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!" 32 Jesus
stopped and called them. "What do you want me to do for you?" he asked.

It says here that Jesus STOPPED. If you want to be used by God you must be willing to be available.
In life there are many opportunities that will yell out at us while we are passing by. You must be
willing to be interrupted. Most of Jesus’ ministry and most of Jesus’ miracles were interruptions. All
the people he healed – the blind man, the lame man, the paralyzed man, the dead child – all were
interruptions. His first miracle was an interruption at a wedding. It says here that ‘Jesus stopped’
and allowed Himself to be interrupted.

Prov 3: 27 Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act. 28 Do
not say to your neighbor, "Come back later; I'll give it tomorrow"-- when you now have it with you.

The Bible says we are not to wait until tomorrow if you can serve someone now. Servant-hearted
people don’t procrastinate. They’re spontaneous and they’re sensitive to the needs around them.

John Wesley’s motto was - Do all the good you can by all the means you can by all the ways you can
in all the places you can and at all the times you can to all the people you can as long as you can.

You must be available. You must be willing to step out of your comfort zone and ask “God what do
You want me to do?” Hurting people are all around us. So what keeps us from being available? Many
people say they want to be used by God but the truth is they are just not available. And what is it
that keeps us from being available? The biggest problem is busyness. We are so busy doing other
things that we do not have time to serve.

You have to make time in your schedule to serve. At fancy hotels they have these people called the
CONCIERGE. They are paid to do whatever you ask them to do. They’re paid to be servants. If you
need something done then they do it for you.

I remember hearing Rick Warren tell the time he was in Washington D.C. and had a page of the
Bible he needed to get framed. He didn’t know where there was a framing store in Washington D.C.
so he went to the concierge and the guy got it all fixed up. He instantly knew what to do with it.

Imagine going to someone like that saying “I’m really sorry to bother you but …” They are paid to
serve. That is what they do. Real servants do not mind being interrupted. If we are going to be like
Jesus we must be in the business of serving. It needs to be a priority in our lives. For that to happen
we need to make room for it.

Another thing that keeps us from serving is perfectionism.

That means people don’t serve because they are afraid they don’t have what it takes or are afraid to
make mistakes. Like the video we started with and my initial story, we need to give God what we
have. Many people do not serve because of perfectionism. If you are waiting for everything to be
perfect or in place before you serve than you will never serve.

Eccl 11:4 Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.

In the message it reads “If you wait for perfect conditions, you’ll never get anything done.” Real
servants do the best they can with what they have for Jesus Christ today. They don’t wait. I believe
in excellence which means offering God the very best that you have but that doesn’t mean
perfection. None of us are perfect. We all have strengths and weaknesses.

In ministry I believe in the “GOOD ENOUGH” principle. That means it doesn’t have to be perfect for
God to bless it. This is why attitude is so important. Ability can be developed but attitude is hard to
come by. I would much rather have 1 person who is willing but not yet able over 10 people who are
able but not willing. Don’t wait for conditions to be perfect before you serve. Offer what you have
and God will bless it. Serving means being available, but also;

2. Serving Means Being GRATEFUL -

Psalm 100:2 Serve the Lord with gladness.

Do you serve the Lord with gladness or out of a spirit of compulsion and dread. Serving like Jesus
means being grateful for every opportunity to serve. Jesus had an attitude of gratefulness in
everything that He did. Likewise we need to have an attitude of gratefulness when we serve.

Colossians 3:15-17 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you
were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and
admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with
gratitude in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the
name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

This attitude of gratitude was evident in the life of Paul. He often wrote in his letters that he was
thankful to God for the fruit of his ministry. His ministry flowed out of what God had done in his life.

Service to God should be a delight and not a duty. We serve not out of obligation but with a sense of
the great opportunity that has been given us. We serve Him with gratefulness because everything
we have and are has been given us through Jesus Christ. He saved us! It is out of that deep sense of
gratefulness and love that we serve Him.

I have never known a man who received Christ and ever regretted it – Billy Graham
One of the things that gets in the way of gratitude is pride. Pride is an enemy of gratitude. Jesus said:

Matt 6:1 Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do
you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

Self-promotion and servanthood don’t mix, but it’s easy to get them mixed up. Often service to God
can become self-serving. Maybe we do it so that others will be impressed with us. Maybe we do it so
we feel God will be impressed with us. Sometimes there is false humility – we try to act humble, but
all the time we are humble we are thinking to ourselves how humble we are! That’s the struggle of
service.

3. Serving Means Being FAITHFUL -

To serve like Jesus you must be available and grateful but you also must be faithful. That means you
don’t give up. You don’t quit in the middle of your assignment.

John 17:4 I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.

I want to be able to say that when I get to heaven, don’t you? I completed the work that God gave
me to do. Jesus was faithful in fulfilling His service. He didn’t give up. He was persistent. If you’re
going to be like Jesus it means you’re going to serve for as long as it takes as long as you’re alive.
You may retire from your job someday, but you never retire from serving.

So what motivates us to keep on going? How do we stay faithful? Remember that what you are
doing is making an eternal difference in the world.

1 Cor 15:58 Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves
fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

Staying faithful means learning the difference between significance and prominence. They are not
the same thing. On my body, my nose is quite prominent. But I could lose my nose and still live the
rest of my life, because while it’s prominent, it’s not significant. On the other hand, if I lost my liver
or my heart I’m dead. Though it’s not prominent (you don’t see it) it is very significant. Many feel
that the most important ministries are those with a lot of visibility. That is not true. Often the stuff
that happens behind the scenes is more important.

1 Cor 12:21 The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet,
"I don't need you!"22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are
indispensable, 23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And
the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24 while our presentable parts
need no special treatment.
Paul says the parts of your body that you don’t see are more important than the parts you do see!
The same is true in the Body of Christ. The fact is that, with our limited perspective, we can’t see
how our small acts have big consequences, but they do!

Years ago two teenage boys tried to come into a church service one night but it was packed out and
they couldn’t find seats. They turned around and decided to leave. One usher said, “Come on, guys,
I’ll find you a seat.” He personally escorted them and found them two seats. That night both of those
boys accepted Christ and became Christians. One of them was Billy Graham who has now led
millions and tens of millions of people to Christ.

Real servants do every task with equal dedication because they know it all matters. Whether seen
by all or no one it is important. Don’t mistake anonymous with insignificant. Just because it’s not
known doesn’t mean it’s unnecessary. Real servants do every task as if it matters.

Maybe you are thinking “A church this size, doesn’t need my help.” Are you kidding? There are
always more needs to be met than people willing to say, “I was shaped to serve Christ.” You have
something very valuable to offer here. Maybe that is a spiritual gift or talent or interest or hobby.
God has brought you here for a reason. So how will God use you? You can do two things with your
life. You can waste it, or you can invest it. The best use of life is to invest it in that which is going to
outlast it. It’s going to pay dividends over the long haul. I don’t know if you’ve realized this or not,
but not every investment here on earth pays off.

Back in the 90s I bought some shares of JDS Uniphase – worth about $1000 worth. Today it is worth
about $10.00. If you had bought $1,000 worth of Worldcom, it’s now worth $5. If you had bought
$1,000 worth of stock in Nortel in 2000, it’s now worthless. However, if you bought $1,000 worth of
Coke - not the stock – the cans of pop and then you drank it, you turned in all the cans for the value
of the aluminum, you’d have $214.

Make the investment to serve. One day you’re going to stand before God and He’s going to say to
you, “What did you do with what I gave you, the talents, the abilities, the background, the
experiences, the freedom, the education, the family experiences? How will you respond?

If you are looking for a place to serve I have a couple of suggestions for you. First, if you want to
serve but do not know what your gifts and abilities are, then I encourage you to get into the 301
course. The purpose of that course is to help you to understand your SHAPE – your spiritual gifts,
heart, abilities, personalities and experience. We have over 100 people currently going through our
Discipleship Training Track. If you are not one of them then you are missing out!

Second, if you already know your gifts but are not currently serving, go onto our website and
download the BBC Volunteer Directory. You can find it under the Ministries section at the bottom
entitled WE NEED YOUR HELP. In that directory there are lots of different areas of ministry that you
can involved with, as well as directions for how to get involved.

Is God going to be able to say “well done” to you? Have you spent your life serving Him. One day
Napoleon pointed at a map of China and he said, “There lies a sleeping giant. If it ever wakes up it
will shake the world.” As I look out on this congregation I think of the church around the world. The
church is a sleeping giant. If everybody would wake up and serve the world would be shaken.

You were put here on earth to practice serving. God has given you everything you need. It is up to
you to use it. You CAN make a difference!

I will never forget a story Tony Campolo once told. He was a councilor at a camp for Junior High
boys. At that camp there was a boy named Billy who had Cerebral Palsy. Because of that he had
slurred speech and walked with great difficulty in a jerking motion. The other kids (being Junior
High boys) soon began to make fun of Billy. They teased him day and night. When Billy walked by
they would follow behind him imitating and over exaggerating his movements. They would imitate
his voice “How you doing B-B-B-B-B-Billy”. But the worst part was that one morning they all
volunteered him to speak at chapel. It took Billy several minutes to get down to the front. The sound
of children laughing was heard all around. Finally Billy was able to get out the words, “Jesus l-l-l-l-l-
loves me, and I love Jesus.” The room grew completely silent and then the sound of boys crying
could be heard as one by one hearts were convicted. Revival broke out at that camp. Tony Campolo
says that to this day whenever he travels he comes across pastors and church leaders who say
“remember that Junior High camp. I was there the morning that Billy spoke.” God can use anyone
who is faithful.

Serving in Love, Always

1 Peter Sermon Series, Part 11

1 Peter 4:7-11

Introduction

- Peter now ties these two chapters (sufferings of Christ and living for Him)

-- There is a huge implication here about adopting the same attitude as He did

-- He suffered, was broken, and died because of the things we had done

-- APP: Implication is: Are we living to serve others in a like-manner?

- How do we do this?

• Have the same perspective on suffering that Jesus did

• We’ve spent enough time living in sin – abandon it

• God will judge sin and we should live for Him

Peter’s writing/command here is simple … will we apply it to our lives?

- Read 1 Peter 4:7-11

- Let’s examine how Peter commands the church to act

-- Focus: Living for the will of God in the church

-- Deeper: How we should be living for Christ, together in community

∆ Point 1 – Live focused

- Peter comes right to the point of something all Christians should know (v7)

-- Matthew 24:36, “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the
Son, but only the Father.”

-- Everything God has planned to take place has already occurred

-- Mankind has been redeemed – the OT prophecies are completed

-- Therefore, we are now simply waiting for His return to rule as King

- 7 words give us a finality to stand upon and look forward to in our lives:

-- “The end of all things is near.”

-- Therefore … BE ALERT AND OF A SOBER MIND

-- If we are living with the expectation that Christ could return, should act like it

- Peter tells the church to live with a focus of purposeful prayer, but how?

- (alert); nēpsate; be purposeful in our living; means clear minded

-- That we would pray intelligently and be deliberate in how we live today

-- Our senses would be alert and we would purposefully come to God

- (sober); sōphronēsate; be of sound mind; means self-controlled

-- We are called to live with a calm mind as we contemplate praying

-- As well as how we act on coming before God to pray

-- Note: There are obviously times of panic when we pray frantically

--- This would be the exception, not the rule – live purposeful; intentional

- APP: Don’t take prayer casually; it’s communication with the Creator

-- IMP: Prayer was NEVER “our thing”; it is God’s gift to us

-- Through the shed blood of His Son we now have access to Him

-- We ought to come before Him remembering this; with reverence

- TRANS: Once we have the right frame of mind; we are ready for more …

∆ Point 2 – Show unconditional love

- Peter reminds us of the “how to” of living corporately (or together) - LOVE!

-- Most times, we see this word as “Philadelphia”; means brotherly love

-- If so, we would be seeing this incorrectly in this passage (v8)

- The love Peter uses here is actually the word “agape”; unconditional love

-- Why? Because it’s a decision of the mind that Peter calls us to uphold

-- It’s not a feeling we have because our feelings can ALWAYS change

- EX: I love the fact that a swimming pool is so refreshing in the summer

- EX: I really don’t love a pool after the rain because it feels so cold

-- This describes the changing feelings of love, in a matter of 2 sentences

-- Peter says that we are too live above feelings by using “agape” in this line

- IMP: The goal of agape love is ALWAYS to seek the good of another
-- The extent of agape love is ALWAYS self-sacrifice for another

-- True agape love is being stretched to the limit; to go past “just enough”

-- It is not exhausted when situations become difficult of tough to handle

- Two weeks ago I asked you to think of a time you’ve been hurt in church

-- To remember how it felt; ad asked you to think how you handled it

- Peter’s suggestion here is that we move past the hurt; live fully for God

-- Yet, we carry hurt around with us as a burden that just won’t let go

- Peter’s command is really right to the heart of that matter: to love DEEPLY

-- To let it go, to forgive, to move past choosing to be upset/angry

-- Why? BECAUSE love covers a multitude of sins!

- Now, let’s be clear about something … love doesn’t excuse/condone sin

-- We don’t just look the other way if there is correction needing to happen

- For example, in matter where church discipline is required

- Turn to Matthew 18, read v15-17

“If your brother or sister sins go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen
to you, you have won them over. But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that
every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. If they still refuse to
listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a
pagan or a tax collector.”

- IMP: Peter is NOT recommending that we excuse sin because we are to love

-- Rather, he is writing to us that we see past our feelings, and look to the person

-- It is directly in line with what Jesus said in Matt 18; to go to them and restore

-- We correct sin, but do so in love, with the intent ALWAYS being on restoration

--- Note: If someone will not repent, then you can love - but treat accordingly
- Love however, is the primary ingredient to moving past sin; to letting go

-- We are not to cover it up; but to love one another through sin; even our hurts

-- Love in that manner restores; it brings church members closer together

- Once we do that, we are then prepared to live as servants together (v9)

- We should be willing to be hospitable without arguing or do it begrudgingly

-- So, what’s this look like: When it’s your turn to serve, it is a joy to do so

-- Peter is pointing out things like: murmuring, gossip, or silent complaints

-- Even if spoken internally to yourself – he is writing that we avoid those things

- IMP: This is how a church draws closer together; how we strengthen one another

-- HUGE: It’s also how a body of believers draws non-Christians to them

- The world always encourages us: get all we can, can all we get, sit on the lid

-- When we handle ourselves better than the world, we show Who we serve

-- We show that we live with a different (non-worldly) purpose

- TRANS: It’s what allows us to use the gifts we’ve been given FREELY

∆ Point 3 – Use your gifts

- On Sunday nights Mike has been leading us on understanding spiritual gifts

-- If you have not been attending, I encourage you: restarts next Sunday eve, 5:30

- There is a priority we need to see here in living for Christ until He returns

-- Every believer has gifts from God that we can use to serve one another

-- Serving is ALWAYS better than getting, and Peter confirms this (v10-11)

-- v10 is not a “if you feel like it then go ahead and do it” kind of verse (none are)

- It is a command, to live above feelings and respond with agape love

-- There is no way to serve others if you are just thinking about your needs
-- Peter commands that we be faithful in how we serve; demonstrate God’s grace

- What is God’s grace? That you’ve been saved and called to serve Him first

-- From that, we then show one another what God has done in our lives

-- We do this by serving willingly … by opening our hearts, homes, and lives

- What we’ve been given through God’s grace is for the entire church’s use

-- We do not have gifts from God to exalt ourselves or promote our needs/desire

-- Those who do this are in direct contradiction to what Scripture teaches

-- APP: “It’s still not about you.”

- Peter dives even deeper in v11 by splitting up gifts in two broad categories:

-- Speaking: This is not just teaching and preaching, but all forms of speaking

-- Evangelism, speaking in tongues, prophecy, encouragement, and leadership

- Serving: it’s more than pouring someone a cup of coffee

-- Helping one another, healing, showing grace, showing mercy, encouragement

- IMP TRANS: When we serve like this, God gets the praise, and not us! (v11b)

∆ Big Ideas

- So what do we take away?

-- These just leapt of the page at me when I read this section:

- Since the end is near, live intentional towards others

- Use your spiritual gifts to serve, rather to gain

- As you serve others, God gets the glory

- The Christian Life is “Still not about you” – are we making it about us?

- Pray
Using your gifts to serve others

One of the most influential Christians who lived in 1700 and early 1800’s is John Newton, the writer
of “Amazing Grace.” His own evaluation of himself was, “a wretch who was once lost but then was
found, saved by amazing grace.” God’s grace began in Newton’s life through his mother, who died
when John was a child, but not before she had given him some Christian training. Like most young
people he gave up his mother’s Christian teaching and surrendered to a life of bondage that led him
to be abused, become a servant on a slave ship and eventually the captain of his own ship that also
carried slaves. While living a life that had given up Christian convictions, God allowed him to
experience His grace once more, no doubt because of the prayers of his mother. While steering his
ship through a violent storm, John Newton experienced what he called his “great deliverance.” He
recorded in his journal that when all seemed lost and the ship would surely sink, “I prayed, ‘Lord,
have mercy upon us.’” God answered that prayer and as he sat in his cabin John became convinced
it was God’s grace that got them through. For the rest of his life he observed May 10, 1748 as the
day of his conversion, a day of humiliation in which he subjected his will to God’s directions. During
his days as a sailor he had begun to educate himself, teaching himself Latin, among other subjects.
After serious health problems he quit sailing and finally ended up where he could become a disciple
of Christ through teachings of George Whitefield, evangelistic preacher and leader of the Calvinistic
Methodist Church. He also became influenced by the Biblical teachings of John Wesley. The “Grace
Living” of these two great men of God inspired John Newton to learn Greek and Hebrew. After
persistence, John became an ordained preacher of the Word of God. Many were influenced by his
teaching and writings about the Word of God, by his speaking in the local church and holding
meetings in other places. He started weekly prayer meetings and became the author of over 280
Hymns. Hymns that speak for the Word of God through songs like, “How Sweet the Name of Jesus
Sounds,” “Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken” and one of his favourites, “Amazing Grace.” John
preached until the last year of his life even though by this time in his life he was blind. John Newton
knew the grace of God upon his life and he extended “Gracious Living” by exercising his Spiritual
gifts diligently.

He is an inspiration for us to use our Spiritual Gifts for the kingdom of God.

Ironically even our current Prime Minister Kevin Rudd urges us to use our spiritual gifts wherever
God has given them. The Leader of the opposition calls us to examine the bible to understand our
place in Australia.

A Christian perspective, informed by a social gospel or Christian socialist tradition, should not be
rejected contemptuously by secular politicians as if these views are an unwelcome intrusion into
the political sphere. If the churches are barred from participating in the great debates about the
values that ultimately underpin our society, our economy and our polity, then we have reached a
very strange place indeed. (Kevin, Rudd Prime Minister of Australia 2006)

"Everyone should have some familiarity with the great texts that are at the core of our civilisation
That includes, most importantly, the Bible." (Tony Abbot, Leader of the Opposition 2009)

It is fair to day that life is not about you.

The purpose of your life is far greater than your own personal fulfilment, your peace of mind, or
even your happiness. It’s far greater than your family, your career, or even your wildest dreams and
ambitions. If you want to know why you were placed on this planet, you must begin with God. You
were born by his purpose and for his purpose.

The search for the purpose of life has puzzled people for thousands of years. That’s because we
typically begin at the wrong starting point—ourselves. We ask self-centered questions like ‘What do
I want to be?’ ‘What should I do with my life?’ ‘What are my goals, my ambitions, my dreams for my
future?’ But focusing on ourselves will never reveal our

life’s purpose. (from Rick Warren, Purpose Driven Life, 2002)

Read 1 Peter 4:7-11

16For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether
thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. Colossians
1:16

“Unless you assume a God, the question of life’s purpose is meaningless.”

Bertrand Russell, British atheist (1872 – 1970)

Contrary to what many popular books, movies, and seminars tell you, you won’t discover your life’s
meaning by looking within yourself. You’ve probably tried that already. You didn’t create yourself,
so there is no way you can tell yourself what you were created for! If I handed you an invention you
had never seen before, you wouldn’t know its purpose. A year ago I bought a new phone. It does not
look like a phone and has no buttons like a traditional phone. I was only able to figure out it was a
phone because I was told by the manufacturer it was a phone.

At conversion - God fits us into the Body of believers.

He puts us in a community with all believers, and we share a common life in Christ.
This is what the LORD says— …: "I am the LORD your God, who teaches you what is best for you,
who directs you in the way you should go. Isaiah 48:17

We are not meant to be passive participants - e.g. "Silent partners"

God intends all Christians to be active participants and has assigned each one of us a function in the
Christian community. No exceptions

4Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same
function, 5so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.
6We have different gifts, according to the grace given us.

Romans 12:4-6a

Just as each of us has one body with many parts, and these parts do not all have the same function,
so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have
different gifts, according to the grace given us.

Gifts are to be used to serve others and for the common good of the entire Body.

1Corinthians 12:7 - Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.

Our church exists to inspire people to wholeheartedly follow Jesus Christ.

- this is where the fellowship of our spiritual gifts come into play

We are accustomed to thinking of fellowship as Christian social activity or the sharing of spiritual
truths. But the fellowship of our spiritual gifts is the using of them for the benefit of the rest of the

Body and the furtherance of God’s Kingdom.

Seven Principles of Spiritual Gifts

1) Purpose is to serve others and glorify God.

2) Every Christian has a gift and every gift is important.

3) Gifts are given by God

4) Every gift is given by God’s grace

5) All gifts must be developed and exercised

6) The effective use of every gift is dependent on faith in Christ

7) Only love will give true value to our gifts

1) Purpose is to serve others and glorify God.

10Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s
grace in its various forms. 11If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of
God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may
be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

1 Peter 4:10-11

Christmas gift suggestions: To your enemy, forgiveness. To an opponent, tolerance. To a friend,

your heart. To a customer, service. To all, charity. To every child, a good example. To yourself,
respect.

Oren Arnold (American author 1900 – 1980)

Our gifts are given to us, by God, to bless other people.

There is no place for wanting to be in the lime light. Always wanting recognition. If you are always
wanting recognition you simply show yourself as someone who is always needing affirmation.
Those people who constantly need their egos propped up are tiring, and bad Christian example.

It is those people that thank you, without needing anything in return, they are the likeable people.
They are the ones that you know God is working through. They are also the ones that are attractive
and you want to be around. Those people that help you, but always need thanks are draining and
tiring.

Some gifts are more public by nature. e.g. worship leading. But those who go out the back to lead
children’s church are truly examples of what Christ is like.

The key is to remember the purpose of all gifts: serve others & glorify God.

2) Every Christian has a gift and every gift is important.

A. God has given a spiritual gift to every member of the Body.

Many have the attitude that they have no gifts. To say, "I don’t think I have a gift" is to say, "I don’t
think I have a function in the Body of Christ." NT teaches different God has a job for every believer!!!

It is tempting to look at other people and compare ourselves. To blow things out of proportion.

Is the cinema more important than life?

Francois Truffaut

(French Director, Actor and Screen Writer 1932 – 1984)

15If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that
reason cease to be part of the body. 16And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not
belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 17If the whole body
were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the
sense of smell be? 18But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as
he wanted them to be.

1Cor. 12:21 - The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don’t need you!" And the head cannot say to the
feet, "I don’t need you!"

In our family, work or church life it is inappropriate to look down upon people. It is inappropriate
to portray ourselves as the victim. When we look down upon other people’s faults, when we quietly
judge them, we simply show how small, weak and petty we are.

Alternatively when we see people as big, gifted and powerful and portray ourselves as small, it says
less about them than it does about us. Instead we should acknowledge that everyone in this room is
gifted. We should not put ourselves down and we should not lord it over others.

In March of 1981, President Ronald Reagan was shot by John Hincklev, Jr., and was hospitalized for
several weeks. Government continued on.

On the other hand in 2008 garbage workers in Naples went on a two week strike. The situation got
so bad that Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi deployed several units of the Italian Army to clear
away rubbish.

Who is more important the President or a garbage collector?

Who is more important in our church? The preacher, worship and multimedia guys, or about those
people who practice hospitality and teach other people one on one the bible? It is those people who
practice hospitality and teach others one on one the bible. It is the heart of our community.

In the body of Christ, insignificant people teaching others the bible is the heart of what we believe.

Remember, each gift is necessary and important to God

3) Gifts are given by God

Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. And today? Today is a gift that’s why they call it the
present.

(Author Unknown)

1 Corinthians 12:11

11All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he
determines.

1 Corinthians 12:18

18But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to
be.

Read (Matthew 25: 14 - 29)

Once you recognise that every gift you have is from God you can work hard but not overestimate
yourself.

4) Every gift is given by God’s grace

None of us deserves the abilities we have. They are given by God’s undeserved favour on us through
Christ.

I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his
power. Although I am less than the least of all God’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to
the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ (Ephesians.3:7-8)

God appoints our graces to be nurses to other men’s weaknesses.

Henry Ward Beecher

1813-1887, American Preacher, Orator, Writer

Our gifts can be destructive if we look down on people, or if we look down on ourselves. But they
can be such a blessing if we serve God with passion and show forgiveness and grace to the faults of
others around us.

5) All gifts must be developed and exercised

Even though given by God’s grace--we are responsible to develop and exercise them.
5I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your
mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. 6For this reason I remind you to fan into
flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7For God did not give us a
spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. 2 Timothy 1:5-7

To be in good moral condition requires at least as much training as to be in good physical condition.

Jawaharlal Nehru

Indian

So what is your gift and how do you plan to refine it? For some it is children’s church, some
hospitality, some discipleship, what training in the coming year are you going to receive?

Even timothy was accountable to a sovereign God for his development.

6) The effective use of every gift is dependent on faith in Christ

We should so work as if we were to be saved by our works; and so rely on Jesus Christ, as if we did
no works.

Francis Asbury

English, Clergyman (1945 – 1816)

Through him (Jesus) all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.
(John 1: 3)

Our church’s vision is to ‘Inspire people to wholeheartedly follow Jesus.’

To find your gift we need to pray.

Truly, without Christ, we can do nothing. This introduces humility and graciousness in working
with others. When we work for Jesus we just do our best and we trust that others are doing their
best. We forgive them when they fail and let us down, because it is not about us, it is about Jesus. In
giving glory to Jesus I desire to do my best for him, but I also acknowledge I need to forgive and love
others.

7) Only love will give true value to our gifts

1If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a
clanging cymbal. 2If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and
if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3If I give all I possess to
the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. 1 Corinthians 13

It’s not that love is exalted over these gifts and Christian but love gives them value and worth.

We are all a little weird and life’s a little weird, and when we find someone whose weirdness is
compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love.

Anonymous

Illust-- draw a line of zeroes--value=0: then add a 1 to the front--changes value completely

Love must permeate and govern every aspect of our lives. Love is not to be exercised only in the use
of our gifts and in the performance of our various Christian duties. Love is to be exercised in the
home, or at the office, or in the classroom. Without love your ability to use the computer for
multimedia, to play an instrument or teach someone means nothing.

Love is to be exercised all the time in the most mundane duties of life, not just when we are engaged
in Christian work. On the other hand, the absence of love in the ordinary duties and relationships of
life can undermine and destroy the effective use of our gifts.

Love must reign supreme in our hearts, or our gifts will be nothing more than a clanging gong or
resounding cymbal as Paul put it.

Conclusion:

And so it is with all of us. 2010 has come upon us. In the coming year we must seek to diligently
exercise the gifts that God has graciously given to us. We must do so with faith in Christ in order to
make them fruitful. But in both the use of our spiritual gifts and the exercise of our Christian
ministries, we must seek to grow in love toward one another. Otherwise, when the final chapter of
our lives has been penned, we will have to write a final line: "I have gained nothing."

1) Purpose is to serve others and glorify God.

2) Every Christian has a gift and every gift is important.

3) Gifts are given by God

4) Every gift is given by God’s grace

5) All gifts must be developed and exercised

6) The effective use of every gift is dependent on faith in Christ

7) Only love will give true value to our gifts