Someone once said of serving in the local church – “Service is not an option.”
This isn’t a legalistic thing, but it is a communal thing. We are all part of the body and we all do our part. We all have been given gifts and abilities, and the church has needs.
But let’s look at 3 aspects of serving in the church from 1 Peter 4:10-11 – who we serve, how we serve, and why we serve.
“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” (1 Peter 4:10–11 ESV)
Who We Serve: Peter is very clear, we serve “one another.” Knowing too that Peter was writing to the ‘elect exiles of the dispersion’ [see 1:1] it’s fancy talk for “the church.” We serve each other in the church. The church is special, it’s an outpost of the Kingdom of God here on Earth. It’s God’s “Plan A” for the redemption of the world through the gospel and therefore we should take lots of joy in serving each other in this unique, God established entity.
Also, inherently in that “one another” is the reflexive – meaning that we all should be serving and being served. There shouldn’t be a lot of “consumers” in that equation. We all should be all serving each other…and in turn being served.
How We Serve: Also inherently in this is the nature of a servant. Servants are not proud, arrogant, self-seeking – they serve in humility someone else. Think about the difference between dogs and cats. When you come home a dog jumps around, barks, wags its tail and is outwardly happy you are home. What about the cat? Not so much. Cats are more aloof. More of the “what you can do for me attitude.” In service…let’s be like dogs. Let’s have humble [and excited] service towards others.
But verse 11 also tells us something very important – ‘whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies.’ This is critical. When we serve in any teaching or encouragement capacity, first and foremost must be the Word of God, not our own opinions. But more practically, when we serve in general, we do not serve out of our own strength, but out of the strength that God supplies.
How can we tell when we are NOT serving in God’s strength? Well, how does it feel to serve? Are you joyful? Are you fruitful and effective? Are people excited to serve with you? Do you find regular conflict as you seek to protect your own little kingdoms? You might be serving in your own strength.
How do we serve in God’s strength? There can be several ways, but I’ll give you two to think about. Prayer and partnership. First, we pray. Prayer is the language of dependence on God. If we aren’t praying as we serve, then we are basically saying to God “I got it covered.” We also can have a sense of partnership. As we serve in the local church, we partner with each other, and take the encouragement that brings, to serve each other. A prayer-less, Lone Ranger Servant will be a burned out servant in no time with that approach. Yet many of us have been there before…and may be there again. So its always good to remember the ‘big why.’
Why We Serve: v11 tells us directly “in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ.” We serve not for the glory of us, or even our church – but for God himself through the gospel of Jesus. It’s important in the midst of the grind of serving that we keep our eyes on the big why – God’s glory. If God is being glorified, then there is so much more freedom in the incidentals. It might not look how we thought it would, or obsessed over…but if the end result is God’s glory then it’s a win.
We also see this glory is through Jesus, and verse 10 reminded us that this is “God’s varied grace.” Focusing on the gospel – what God has done for us sinners in Jesus to forgive, renew, restore makes it possible for us to serve with each other and love each other well in the process. I’m free to love someone who isn’t serving exactly the way I want them to, if they are focused on God’s glory and because Jesus lavishes His grace on me.
Don’t blow past that last line of verse 11 – “To Him be the glory and dominion forever” anyway! God will be glorified, with or without us. He isn’t dependent on us, but He choses to use us in service of Him to share in the glory of God in Jesus.
Let’s remain thankful supremely for Jesus, but also that we have the privilege of serving each other in His church, and for His glory.
