Working in the Kingdom (Part 2)

We have been spending some time looking into Peter's message for Christians in 1 Peter 4:7-11:

But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore of sound mind, and be sober unto prayer: above all things being fervent in your love among yourselves; for love covereth a multitude of sins: using hospitality one to another without murmuring: according as each hath received a gift, ministering it among yourselves, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God; if any man speaketh, speaking as it were oracles of God; if any man ministereth, ministering as of the strength which God supplieth: that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, whose is the glory and the dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

We have seen how we are to be self-controlled and sober-minded, and that we must share love among one another. Furthermore, we have looked into the need for hospitality among the saints. Let us continue now by examining verses 10 and 11.

"According as each hath received a gift, ministering it among yourselves," (verse 10a). Have we all received some form of a gift? Absolutely! Paul establishes as much in Romans 12:6-8 and 1 Corinthians 12:7-1. Even though some of the gifts are no longer dispensed to Christians, we certainly all may find in those passages some gifts that God has given us. What are we to do with these gifts? Use them!

We have been commanded to use them for the benefit of the whole body, so that all may receive the edification and the encouragement they need to fight off evil and remain righteous. It is a terrible thing to allow the gifts of God to waste away!

"As good stewards of the manifold grace of God," (verse 10b). Jesus relates to us a parable in Matthew 24:45-51 about the good servant and the wicked servant and their respective rewards. We must work diligently to be found as one of the servants who treated his master's property well, having received so great a salvation at so great a cost. We must not be found lacking in our stewardship of the works of God!

"if any man speaketh, speaking as it were oracles of God," (verse 11a). We read in the Old Testament concerning the men of God who spoke to Israel and the importance of the transmission of the message of which they were given. False prophets speaking falsely were sharply condemned for leading people astray. Although the office of prophet is no longer filled in these times, the importance of the transmission of the message of God-- the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ-- is great indeed. Those of the body who speak must be diligent to confirm that what they say is truly the will of God, knowing that he is speaking as the oracles of God. It would be a most fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God if you had claimed to be speaking His truth but had actually led many astray. Let us give heed to ourselves and our teachings!

"If any man ministereth, ministering as of the strength which God supplieth," (verse 11b). Jesus commissioned His disciples to serve others, as was His example in life (John 13:12-16). His life is an example of servitude; perhaps no Scripture emphasizes this as well as Philippians 2:5-9. If Christ completely emptied Himself and suffered humiliation on our behalf and thus served us, should we not ourselves serve others? We live in a world where everyone not only desires but even expects to be served, and there seems to be little room for the servant. We must decry this trend by emptying ourselves and becoming lowly servants of God, doing whatever whenever we can to serve our God and to assist all men in discovering the truth about Jesus Christ. Service is the only way to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

"That in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, whose is the glory and the dominion for ever and ever. Amen," (verse 11c). Our ultimate aim in all that we do is to glorify God and the Lord Jesus Christ, for the power and the glory lie only with them. We have no power to save, nor do we have the power to sacrifice ourselves for the sins of others. We have all sinned, and we have all required the sacrifice performed on our behalf.

As the end nears, let us be diligent in applying ourselves to the message of the Gospel, to love, be hospitable, to exercise our abilities and to minister to others. Let us do all of these things to glorify our God who has saved us from all unrighteousness. Let us strive for these things while there is still time to do so in order to be found as the profitable servant who has guarded the house of the Master well!

Ethan R. Longhenry
evangelist@norwalkchurch.org

The church of Christ in Norwalk, Ohio

Thank you for reading the electronic version of our bulletin, Good News for Norwalk. If you live in Norwalk or happen to be traveling in the Norwalk area, we would certainly love to have you visit one of our assemblies!

Our location:

386 North Edgewood Drive (just off US 250 just north of Norwalk's city limits)
Norwalk, Ohio 44857

Our assemblies:

Sunday morning assembly: 10:30am
Sunday evening assembly: 6:00pm

Our Bible studies:

Sunday morning Bible study: 9:30am
Wednesday evening Bible study: 7:00pm

For More Information

If you have any questions or comments about anything you have read here, or desire more information, please contact our evangelist, Ethan Longhenry, at evangelist@norwalkchurch.org.

Please click here to return to the 2006 archive of Good News for Norwalk, or click here to return to the main page of Good News for Norwalk. Thanks!