Public and Personal Display of Spiritual Gifts

Peter says it is exciting to look up, for the end of all things is near (1 Peter 4:7)! Christians in crisis spend more time in prayer. When we are in a difficult time, 1 Peter 4:7-11 says we must find our way by God’s grace to do these things:

• Keep our eyes looking up, for Jesus is imminent in His arrival.
• Spend more time in prayer personally and with someone else in the flock.
• Be forgiving, for we do not want anything between ourselves and the Lord or between ourselves and another believer in the church. Have those conversations which are necessary to make sure our hearts are right with God and man (Luke 2:52). Expectancy and devotion in prayer should give way to forgiving lifestyles.
• Be hospitable, inviting those people into our lives who we do not know well. It is essential that Christians in crisis find their way to ministering personally to one another with the abilities God has given them.
• Practice your spiritual ability to bring peace to the church for the good of the whole and to the glory of God.

Spiritual Abilities Gifted by the Holy Spirit

The moment we are saved, we receive a spiritual ability from God (1 Peter 4:10-11). His Spirit graced each of us with at least one spiritual gift to help bring comfort, peace, safety, and direction to the local body in a time of crisis. 1 Corinthians 12:7 says each of us is given the manifestation of the Spirit of God. This manifestation is to be put on public display, not something to be kept to ourselves. Regardless of spiritual or biological age, this personal gifting is for public use. Spiritual growth is involved in the process of making aware to the flock what God did in us when we were born again.

Looking at 1 Peter 4:10, the grammar of the word "received" goes back to the point of salvation, to being born again. The focus of this word is on the transfer of the gift from the original owner. The emphasis is on the giver, not the receiver. This gift is ours but is sourced in God, who often aligns the gift with how He has already created us. He has designed us to serve the flock by His grace according to how He has made us. Implementing our spiritual abilities which have been graced to us by the Holy Spirit will influence others to get involved too.

Public and Personal Nature of Spiritual Talents

How does God the Spirit prompt our hearts to help the body in times of crisis? God’s grace prompts us to make His gifting of us public. That is His beauty put on display, all by the Spirit of God.

This gifting is both personal and divine in nature (1 Peter 4:10). All of God’s gifts are graced to us and come with divine help and direction within the church. These gifts are primarily sourced in the indwelling Spirit of God, the instruction of the Word of God, the assistance of the people of God, and all sourced in God’s grace. These gifts are implemented with spiritual discipline, and we are to employ them in serving one another as good stewards (1 Peter 4:10).

This is the constant refrain of the Christian life: that the expression of the public manifestation of this divine ability graced to us according to how God created us is to always be available to the flock. It is the reality of every believer’s life. We are to serve the flock in a public way. The practicing of what Peter is saying is both within and outside of formal Christian worship.

Perseverance in Serving as Good Stewards

1 Peter 4:10 reminds us to serve as good stewards. It is not our gift; it is God’s gift given to us for management. We all want to hear "Well done, good and faithful servant" (Matt. 25:23). The New Testament does not separate servant from service, and we cannot separate service from our spiritual gift. Our faithful service to the Lord must include managing this gift by God’s grace for the public and private benefit of His flock. In times of crisis, it is easy to forget these fundamental truths. But it is never too late to pick up and continue on where we have left off.

Galatians 6:9 instructs us not to be weary in well-doing, for there will be a harvest if we do not faint. The ability to persevere is also sourced in the same God who gave us the gift. If we are growing weary in well-doing, we must wrestle ourselves back to expectancy, prayerfulness, forgiveness, hospitality, and service by God’s grace, by God’s Word, and with the help of each other.

We see in 1 Peter 4:11 that our worship through service with our spiritual gifts is personal. The glory goes to God. It is positional; God is to have dominion. This worship is to be perpetual, and it will one day also be final. The practice of our spiritual gifts is to sharpen our perception about the Word of God, the work of God, and the worship of God.

Application Points

• Do you know what your spiritual gift(s) is?
• Do you need to have a conversation with someone to understand what your gifting may be?
• Do you know how to implement your spiritual gift within the church body?
• Are you faithfully serving the Lord but feeling weary in well-doing?

Tools for Further Study

Cross References to Explore

• 1 Corinthians 12, Romans 12:3-8 – Spiritual Gifts
• John 3, 2 Corinthians 3 – Work of the Holy Spirit
• Acts 7:38, Romans 3:2, Hebrews 4:12 – Word of God

Quotes to Ponder

John Phillips in his commentary on 1 Peter 4 says, "Suffering for Christ’s sake should sharpen our perception about three things found in verse 11: the Word of God, the work of God, and the worship of God."