A Servant’s Heart

The Path to Christ-Like Service

A Devotional Study of
1 Peter 4: 7 – 11

By Kara H. Duckworth

Week 10: Serving With Varied Gifts

Week 10: Serving With Varied Gifts

 {Day 1} Ministry of the Holy Spirit

Read: 1 Peter 4: 10; John 14: 15 - 26

“God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.” (NLT)

“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever.” (ESV)

As we talk about “spiritual gifts,” it’s easy to forget what is meant by that term. Spiritual gifts, along with fruits of
the Spirit, are evidence of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in a believer. If we look at what the work of the Holy
Spirit is, we may get a better idea of what He enables us, as believers, to do.

At the Last Supper, Jesus talked to His disciples about what they could expect as He prepared to leave them. He
promised that, in His absence, He would send the Holy Spirit as a Helper, also referred to as an Advocate,
Counselor, or Comforter. The connotation is that the Spirit is like a lawyer who counsels and comes alongside you.
He shows mercy, as one who walks through a trial with you. Further, Jesus called Him the Spirit of truth, suggesting
the Spirit’s work of prophecy, exhortation, and discernment. Jesus told the disciples the Spirit would be their
teacher, giving them recall and understanding of the things Jesus said and did.

After Jesus’ ascension, His promise was fulfilled as the person of the Holy Spirit descended on all who were present
in the upper room. Immediately, the Spirit manifested Himself by empowering the disciples to speak in tongues, to
work miracles, to heal the sick, to evangelize, and to establish, lead, pastor, and administrate the church. They also
prophesied, served, gave money, and taught. They exhibited faith, wisdom, mercy, knowledge, and discernment.

All of the foundational gifts used in establishing churches, the serving gifts used in managing, serving, and building
up the body, the revelatory gifts used in imparting or revealing words from God, and manifestation gifts used to
show God’s supernatural power, were present in the early church as the Spirit filled His people.

This is the work of the Holy Spirit in the Church Age, of which we’re a part. So, when God promises us a gift to go
along with the gift of our salvation, this is what He means. This is what empowers and builds the church.

Ponder: How would you describe the work of the Holy Spirit to someone that didn’t
understand it? Why is it important to understand?

Pray: Thank God for the Helper, Counselor, Advocate, and Comforter He sent to
minister to us and through us for such a time as this. Pray for the
opportunity to share about the work of the Holy Spirit with those that don’t
understand or never thought of it.

Note: If you don’t know what your spiritual gift is, check out spiritualgiftstest.com, where you can take a free test.
This site is filled with excellent explanations of the gifts and how to recognize them. I studied this site for
background information in writing this week’s devotions.

Week 10: Serving With Varied Gifts

 {Day 2} An Encouraging Word

Read: 1 Peter 4: 10; Acts 4:36; 2 Timothy 3:16

“God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.” (NLT)

“…whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means ‘son of encouragement’)” (NIV)

“Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another – showing us truth, exposing our rebellion,
correcting our mistakes, training us to live God’s way. Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the
tasks God has for us.” (MSG)

When Connie was a young girl, she began to serve in her church as a singer and musician. Reaching college age, Connie
continued in music ministry, but also began to teach Sunday School and Bible Study classes. Many years later, Connie began
writing Bible Studies to be used by her church youth group.

Connie wondered if her spiritual gift were changing over time. When she took a spiritual gifts test, she realized that her gift had
remained consistent, but had manifested in different ways. Her most dominant gift was exhortation. Connie realized that in
communicating God’s Word to the body through song, teaching, and writing, she was always exhorting. God used her
communication skills to sharpen other believers; and other members of the body used their gifts to sharpen her.

Exhortation is the gift of encouragement. In the Greek, it’s parakaleo – to beseech, exhort, call upon, to encourage, and to
strengthen. An exhorter motivates, challenges, and rebukes, always with the goal of inspiring growth and action. 1

An early church example of a believer with the gift of exhortation was Barnabas. In Acts 4: 36, he was encouraging other
believers by giving money he had earned from a real estate transaction. Later, he introduced Saul into the community of
believers in Jerusalem, exhorting the church not to fear Saul and verifying Saul’s identity as a follower of Christ.

When word of conversion of Greeks in Antioch by believers from Cyprus (Barnabas’ home) and Cyrene reached Jerusalem, the
church leaders chose Barnabas to go investigate. Barnabas found a vibrant group of new believers there, so he exhorted them
to stay true to their faith. Then, he went and retrieved Saul from Tarsus and the two of them ministered and built up the church
at Antioch for about a year. From this church, Saul and Barnabas were commissioned for their first mission trip.

The scriptures reveal that, although Barnabas exhibited the spiritual gifts of apostleship, teaching, preaching, evangelism, faith,
and prophecy, his gift of exhortation was a common thread throughout the journey. At each stop along the way, we read that
Saul and Barnabas encouraged new believers in their faith.

Notice that Barnabas wasn’t just an optimistic, encouraging person – you could meet someone like that in many contexts.
Barnabas encouraged other Christians to grow in their faith and to take action to spread the gospel. In this way, he was gifted
by God to build up the body.

God uses words of exhortation spoken by fellow believers to sharpen our thinking, our development of spiritual gifts, our focus,
and our service.

Ponder: Have you seen the gift of exhortation exercised in a body of believers? What did
it look like? Do you have the gift of exhortation?

Pray: Thank God for the encouragers He has placed in your life for such a time as this.
Pray that you may be used to sharpen another believer and she, you, by exercising this
gift.
Note1: Jeff Carver, “Definitions and Descriptions: Exhortation,” spiritualgiftstest.com ,2018. Retrieved 5 March 2018.

Week 10: Serving With Varied Gifts

 {Day 3} Moving Mountains

Read: 1 Peter 4: 10; Hebrews 11:1; Matthew 17:20

“God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.” (NLT)

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things unseen.” (KJV)

“You don't have enough faith," Jesus told them. "I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this
mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it would move. Nothing would be impossible." (NLT)

This is a story of great faith. Faith in a God that can answer prayer and perform miracles. Confidence in a God that can be entrusted with our
lives. Hope that God can transform an entire country.

In 2005, California pastor Don Brewster and his wife, Bridget, visited Cambodia to train native pastors. They observed extreme poverty in this
country that had been war-torn and repressed by a communist government for decades. They had no inkling that an insidious hidden operation
had taken root and choked out any hope for families to live intact or for society to grow out of the cycle of poverty and victimization that
characterized it. Not until they returned home and saw a Dateline NBC special on child sex trafficking did they come to the realization that the
perverse sex trade had been right under their noses as they walked the streets of the cities of Cambodia.

Don and Bridget couldn’t unsee what they’d seen. They sold their home, quit their jobs, and gathered a team, then moved to Cambodia. It was
a giant leap of faith. Joining with a native pastor who had started Agape International Missions (AIM) in 1988, the Brewsters began an all-out
assault on the sex trafficking industry by rescuing victims, giving them a home in which to recover and train for future careers, educating the
public, and providing safe and wholesome alternative activities for the community.
“We’re built on the philosophy that God, through His Church, can defeat the problem of trafficking,” says Emily Butler, AIM staff member.
Emily’s husband, Clayton, adds:

We wanted to change lives, but we wanted to change the

communities where these girls were coming from. And so
we decided that we were going to see transformation in
this city. So we moved into Svay Pak, Cambodia, one of the
worst towns in the world for sex trafficking; and we’ve
seen God take over.

The problem of sex trafficking hasn’t been eradicated, but AIM is transforming the cities of Svay Pak, Phnom Penh, and Siem Reap. Children
now have access to education, health care, and community activities. Teens and adults have community centers, a gym, and an employment
center. AIM has purchased buildings that formerly served as brothels and renovated them to be used as shelters and schools for rescued
victims. A network of Cambodian and American churches support the work of AIM, as AIM partners with them to defeat the evil of sex
trafficking. An article on the Christianity Today website touts, “Cambodia’s Child Sex Industry is Dwindling – and They Have Christians to
Thank.”1

Both the Brewsters and the Butlers exhibit extraordinary faith that inspires other believers to trust in a sovereign God.

Ponder: There are thousands of examples of Christians who have the gift of faith. What’s an example
you’ve encountered? Do you have the gift of faith?

Pray: Thank God for the family of faith he has called together for such a time as this. Pray that
those with the gift of faith will cast a vision for trusting the sovereignty of God, for
expectancy of His goodness in answering prayer, keeping His word, transforming lives, and working
miracles in our midst.

Note1: Kate Shellnutt, “Cambodia’s Child Sex Industry is Dwindling – And They Have Christians to Thank,” 19 May 2017. christianitytoday.com. Retrieved 14 March 2018.

Note2: If you would like to learn more about AIM, visit agapewebsite.org.

Week 10: Serving With Varied Gifts

 {Day 4} Have Mercy

Read: 1 Peter 4: 10; Jude 22 -23; 2 Corinthians 1: 3 - 5

“God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.” (NLT)

“Then with fear in your own hearts, have mercy on everyone who needs it.” (CEV)

“…the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to
comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God." (ESV)

The litter of English Pointers pushed aside the runt. The mother refused to feed her. My Dad rescued her and
brought her inside to Ginger, my older sister. Ginger named her Penny and held and fed her through the night.
Miraculously, Penny made it. My sister took care of Penny until she thrived. Penny became my Dad’s favorite bird-
hunting dog.

On another occasion, Ginger nursed an abandoned bunny back to health. Over the years, she had hamsters, fish,
and various dogs, too.

Besides animals, my sister also had a heart for people that were outsiders or were going through difficulties.
Ginger prayed for and walked with people who were suicidal, who suffered from mental illness, who were
rejected, or who had been abused. My Mom said, “I don’t know how, but these people just seem to find her.”

It's true. People are drawn to those that show mercy. Mercy is a combination of compassion, patience, sensitivity,
discernment, and a great listener’s ear. It shows concern for physical as well as spiritual needs. A merciful person
will joyfully come alongside someone that is going through illness or recovering from an injury. In the spiritual
realm, the merciful Christian will patiently listen and extend grace to one who is caught up in sin or is doubting
their faith.

Those with the gift of mercy have likely suffered affliction in body or in spirit. God comforts them through it and
instills a desire to, in turn, walk with others to comfort them as they were comforted.

Ponder: Do you know someone with the gift of mercy? How has she used mercy in ministering to the
body? Do you have the gift of mercy?

Pray: Thank God for the women of mercy he has called together for such a time as this. Pray that
women of mercy will connect with others who need them.

Week 10: Serving With Varied Gifts

 {Day 5} Blessed are the Organizers

Read: 1 Peter 4: 10; Titus 1: 5

“God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.” (NLT)

“… so that you might put what remained into order ...” (ESV)
2

This is why I left you in charge!

Paul wrote a letter to Titus, his son in the faith, whom he had left behind to organize the churches he’d planted on
the island of Crete. Paul apparently had high expectations of Titus and discerned that he was gifted in
administration. Since Paul closed his letter with instructions for Titus to join him in Nicopolis by winter, he also felt
certain Titus could make quick work of it. Besides doing some preaching, teaching, and arbitration, Titus also
needed to set up church leadership structure at multiple sites and provide opportunities for the church to serve
the community. Titus must have been good at it, or Paul wouldn’t have left him in charge.

Christians with the gift of administration are more goal- or task-oriented, rather than people-oriented. That’s not
to say that administrators don’t like people; it’s just not the main focus of their gift. Administrators can see the big
picture and can direct people toward the destination. The Greek word for this gift is interesting – kubernesis, which
means “to steer” or “to govern,” used in reference to a ship’s captain. The captain can see where he is and where
he needs to go, but he can also organize and delegate the intermediary steps and details, so everyone arrives
there.

We serve a God who started with nothing, then methodically created and ordered the universe in perfect
synchronization, detail, and harmony. He instructed the first man and woman to maintain order as they became
administrators of the earth and all that lived in it. Through His Holy Spirit, He specially gifts some Christians with
the supernatural ability to bring chaos into order; and those of us that are not so gifted say, “Blessed are the
organizers!”

Ponder: Do you know someone that has the gift of administration? How have you
seen him use this gift in serving the body? Do you have the gift of
administration?

Pray: Thank God for the administrators he has appointed for such a time as this.
Pray that administrators in your ministry context will have clear vision for
all the tasks that need to be done, help in getting them done, and that the
whole ship will run smoothly.