Gifts for Ministry
1 Peter 4:10
As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
The idea today, as with the days of the past, is that everybody is a minister. And the passage that we just read verifies that idea, that it is a biblical idea. “Every man has some gift; no man has all. So, every man must minister.” Before we continue, I want you to know that I like the bible use the word man to mean mankind, which includes women. You too must minister.
Peter reminds us that it is a gift, something that we are to receive. We do not earn it, but we receive it. Much like a package that gets delivered to your home, you must sign for it. And is delivered by Christ Jesus and you sign for it when you accept Him as your Lord and Savior.
The gift that you have may have been with you before your conversion, but you will find that it is energized the moment you accept Christ. Or it could be something that you receive the moment of conversion. But in either case you will find that you need to continue to develop it, continue to feed it, continue to nurture it, and continue to use it. Don’t fear the gift that God has bestowed upon you, because in giving you a gift God has given it to you in a way that is manageable for you. For Romans 12:3-8 tells us:
For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.
So, use your God given gift to minister to those you meet, use it knowing that the Holy Spirit will be there for you to support your work in God’s kingdom. Don’t take your gift and hide it under a bucket, let it shine brightly. And as Paul tells us, use your gifts with simplicity, not trying to overdo or outshine others around you.
Use your gifts as directed by the Holy Spirit, be led by the Spirit, because as you are being led so are others who may be led to use their gifts to effect one purpose. And in this we understand that the Holy Spirit is in control and is central to the quality of the gift in use, as written in 1 Corinthians 12:4-6
There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all.
Some may be asking, what is my gift? It is anything that you have that another Christian brother or sister lacks. It is anything that you have that can be a benefit to another. It is all your gifts and graces by which one can help another.
Remember that your gift was given to minister to others, and that means that you are to serve one another. So wherever there is a need, there is an opportunity for you to serve. The story of the Good Samaritan can be found in Luke 10:30-36, which it is a parable Jesus uses to teach us what a neighbor is, so that we can understand what loving our neighbor really means. In this story we can also see the gifts of ministry in giving and healing: The good Samaritan understood their gifts and how to use them. Additionally, it teaches us that there are no racial or ethnic limits that prevent use from serving our neighbors. We as Christians should act in the same manner as the Samaritan in the parable presented in the book of Luke.
Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this,” Says the Lord of hosts, “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it.
Malachi 3:10
Test Him and see that He will do what He says, for the bible tells us in Numbers 23:19:
God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?
So, give a little of yourself to His house and see how much He will give to your house.
Now before we sit back and start calculating the blessing you ought to be receiving for your efforts in His kingdom; I need to explain something about God’s blessings:
• Firstly, His blessing’s come to us through our obedience to His Word.
• Secondly, His blessings come in two forms: spiritual and temporal, meaning material blessing.
• Thirdly, His blessings will be needful things and not just any old strange thing you may have your heart set on.
So, let us now look at each point that I have just laid out for God’s blessing:
• Blessing’s come through obedience:
o Job 36:11 gives us some understanding to this principle
If they obey and serve Him, They shall spend their days in prosperity, And their years in pleasures.
o Does God give blessings to the wicked?
? Yes, I believe He does because Matthew 5:45 tells us that He allows the sun to rise on the evil and the good. And that it rains on the just and the unjust.
? (Explain some of the ways) (Good things happen to bad people, and bad things happen to good people.)
? Psalms 37 and 73 tells us to not worry that wicked people are also blessed with spiritual and material things, because if they do not change their ways they will be cut down and their gain will be delivered to the righteous.
• These numbers of Psalm are interesting ones as they kind of mirror image each other 37 – 73. One is written by David and the other by Asaph.
o David tells us in the 37 number of Psalm the many blessings that God has for us if we remain obedient.
? We shall dwell in the land and be fed if we trust the Lord.
? We shall inherit the earth if we wait on the Lord.
? That it is better to have a little and be righteous than to have a lot and be wicked.
? God knows the days of the upright and their days shall be forever.
? In days of famine the upright will be satisfied.
? If the righteous should fall the Lord will hold he up with His hand.
? The Lord is our strength in the time of trouble.
o Asaph tells us in the 73 number of Psalm the many good things that happen to the wicked, but that we should remain trustful in the Lord otherwise we will cut down.
? Asaph almost slipped into the ways of the wicked because he saw how they seem to have it so good. He even starts to believe that all of his acts of righteousness were all in vain because the wicked were prospering.
? But all those thoughts changed when he went into the sanctuary of God; there everything became clear to him that the wicked would meet their end soon.
o So we see that although the wicked may also receive blessings, theirs will be short and will bring about their own end if they do not see it as a gift from God, letting them know that He wants them to change their ways and be saved. While the blessings of the righteous will be infinite and will come at the time that we need it most. As Job says, “He may not come when you want Him, but He will be there right on time.”
• Blessings come in two forms: spiritual and temporal, which is material blessings
o Isaiah 40:31 gives us a form of God’s spiritual blessing, and it reads
But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.
o God’s spiritual blessings are those things uses to strengthen us, to guide us, to motivate us, and to comfort us. Prayer is one of God’s greatest blessings in my opinion. In it we find the greatest comfort. God has blessed us with a way to communicate with Him.
o 1 Chronicles 4:10 shows us a form of God’s material blessing, and it reads
And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, “Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!” So God granted him what he requested."
o God wants to bless each of us and enlarge our territories. He wants to clothe us and feed us. He wants to provide for all our needs and cares. But we must be obedient to His Word and committed to His ways, and joyful in serving Him. For it gives God pleasure to bless us. God has untold blessing waiting for us, and all we must do is wait on Him, trust in Him, and seek His guidance for our lives. For this is what 2 Corinthians 2:9 tells us about those who truly love the Lord
For to this end I also wrote, that I might put you to the test, whether you are obedient in all things.
So, wait on the Lord and trust in Him to give you those things which you need. Although the wicked may seem to prosper their end will be soon while you will live on eternally, in the glory of the Father. Regardless if the wicked prosper, don’t be selfish with the gifts God has blessed you with.
The saying goes that you should count your blessings. Well I say to not count your blessing but count on the Lord. Don’t be the one who is looking for a return investment on every righteous act you do. Do your work for the Lord cheerfully, joyfully, and rejoice that He has given you a place in His kingdom. Don’t look back on your righteous acts, let God do the counting. I tell you that men can count the seeds in an apple, but only God can count the apples in a seed.
God has blessed each of us with many things. For God there is no big or small blessing, all blessings work for the good of those who love the Lord, and your gift that you are blessed with will do wonders for others.
