Series Nine: Exercising Spiritual Gifts for the Edification of the Body

The purpose of this study is to develop a solid understanding of the fundamental motives that drive the believer toward service in the local church and how the Spirit of God works with each one of us, empowering us for service.

God is faithful in His work to renew minds for the purpose of growing His people to be more mature and Christlike. It is critical that we are encouraged by the work that He does in us and in other believers. He produces “fruit that remains” (John 15:16).

Psalm 96 reminds us that we should tell of the works of the Lord constantly. We should tell them to one another, speak them back to the Lord in thankfulness, and remind ourselves by speaking to our own souls about the way the Lord has worked. This gratitude carries you into the more difficult seasons when the Lord ordains that you serve in ways you haven’t yet served.

Even if you are not called to one of the more formal ministries in the church, there is a personal ministry that the Lord calls each one of us to. There are no spectators in the body of Christ.

Fundamental Motive #1—“The End of All Things Is Near” (1 Pet 4:7a)

In 1 Peter 4, Peter is writing at the end of the apostolic era. He knows that the apostles will go off the scene soon. The church will be in the hands of those on whom the Spirit of God has put the mantle.

He saved them, put them into local bodies of believers, and told them to take the gospel to the remotest parts of the earth. To do so, believers would have to be equipped to serve. And Peter tells us the highest motives for Christian service.

Some of the motives could have been:

• to have great fellowship;
• to have a strong church;
• to have gospel witness;
• to be useful to the Lord;
• to bear fruit in your personal ministry.

But none of these are the highest motive. The highest and most powerful motive is that “the end of all things is near” (1 Pet 4:7a).

1. Jesus Christ is returning quickly. We are closer now to His return than any other time in history. Everything is moving toward Christ’s kingdom, the eternal state, and God’s glory.
   1. This motive should drive everything in your life: your family, your work, and all your ministry.
      1. This is where we derive our passion.
      2. This is where we source our energy.
      3. This is the reference point that doesn’t move.
   2. Why are we goofing around with frivolity when Christ’s return is near?
2. The end of all things means that Christ is establishing His kingdom. It is the télos word group related to the ultimate completion.
   1. It implies that something ends, but not merely chronologically; something reaches its planned culmination.
   2. Peter is saying this because he wants us to live for that time. He is giving us the sense of nearness all through the letter. For example:
      • “a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Pet 1:5)
      • “praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Christ (1 Pet 1:7)
      • “grace to be brought to you” (1 Pet 1:13)
      • “Him who is ready to judge” (1 Pet 4:5)
      • “at the revelation of His glory” (1 Pet 4:13)
      • “glory that is to be revealed” (1 Pet 5:1)
      • “when the Chief Shepherd appears (1 Pet 5:4)
3. God knew how long He would take from man’s perspective.
   1. To the Lord, 1,000 years is as a day, and a day is as 1,000 years (2 Pet 3:8).
   2. Man’s earthly life is fleeting (Ps 90).
   3. Peter is giving us spiritual altitude. We must redeem the time.
   4. The Lord knew we would be small-minded and small-hearted, forgetting that the Lord is coming back. Without this motivation, we would waste time and not produce fruit as we wait for Jesus to return.
4. The nearness of the end means that we should live with an expectancy that judgment is coming.
   1. The sense of expectation is all over the apostolic writings:
      1. The Father has fixed the time (Matt 24:36; Acts 1:7).
      2. “It is the last hour” (1 John 2:18).
      3. Christ put away sin “at the consummation of the ages”—that was the beginning of the end (Heb 9:26).
      4. The day/coming of the Lord is at hand (Rom 13:12; Jas 5:8).
      5. “The time is near” (Rev 1:3).
      6. The Lord is coming quickly (Rev 22:20).
      7. “The day [is] drawing near” (Heb 10:25).
   2. Practically, this means we should:
      1. Have open spiritual eyes, so when the Spirit of God puts someone in our path, we are ready to share the truth.
      2. Live holy, circumspect lives.
      3. Have a broader vision to see what God wants us to do to further His kingdom purposes.
   3. In the very next breath, Peter tightens up the way we think about this: “Therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer” (1 Pet 4:7b). We could put this in three categories:
      1. Clarity (“sound judgment”)—You should be clear-headed about the right things.
         1. This means you think critically about spiritual realities, and pass this wisdom to the younger generation.
         2. This means you are clear in your articulation of truth, and you don’t let error slip by unexamined.
      2. Discipline (“sober spirit”)—You should be self-controlled and watchful, alert and ready (cf. 1 Tim 4:7b).
      3. Humility/Dependence (“for the purpose of prayer”)—We pray more effectively and appropriately when we are alert. You will be much more dependent if you are thinking about spiritual matters rightly.

Fundamental Motive #2—Fervent Love for One Another (1 Pet 4:8a)

1. The most important outworking of love is to reduce the ripple effect of sin (1 Pet 4:8b).
   1. Love covers all kinds of messiness. (Fervent love puts a cloak over sin.)
   2. This kind of love
      1. is without hypocrisy (1 Pet 1:22).
      2. is rooted in truth (1 Pet 1:22–23).
      3. makes you useful in the church.
      4. may not be reciprocated.
         1. But we are not driven by receiving love.
         2. Love at its zenith happens when you do not get a reciprocal response (cf. Rom 5:8).
2. Love for one another is sacrificial, even extending to brethren we don’t know (1 Pet 4:9).
   1. This hospitality word group (philózenos) is directed at the brethren, primarily.
   2. It is an affectionate concern for people, especially strangers.
   3. The hospitality commands are directed at the body.
   4. The depth of our love accelerates without any complaint.
      1. Differences are set aside.
      2. Preferences are set aside.
      3. You may find yourself in unfamiliar surroundings with believers, but they will be your close comrades because of your common faith.
      4. The body becomes more useful to the Lord.