Ministering in Difficult Times

Spiritual Gifts
Ministering in Difficult Times (1 Pet. 4:7-11)


The Believer and Difficult Times

Difficult times demand a renewed commitment to the Christian fellowship and to Christian service!

The Background of 1 Peter
Its Author
Its Recipients
Its Circumstance
Its Message

The Context of 1 Peter 4:7-11

●The Believer’s Expected Suffering (4:1-19)
○The Purpose of Our Suffering (4:1-6)
○The Service in Our Suffering (4:7-11)
○The Reward for Our Suffering (4:12-19)

I.Christian Expectation (4:7a)
●endintended purpose (expected result); aftermath (consequence)
II.Christian Fellowship (4:7b-9)
A.A Praying Community (4:7b)
1.The Disposition of Prayer (4:7b1-7)
●sound judgementclear-mindedness, sensibility, seriousness
●soberunaffected by wine
2.The Practice of Prayer (4:7b8-12)
●prayerthe sacred act of prayer
B.A Loving Community (4:8)
1.The Priority of Love (4:8a1-2)
2.The Intensity of Love (4:8a3-10)
●ferventstretch out
3.The Purpose of Love (4:8b)
●coverhide, conceal
C.A Hospitable Community (4:9)
1.The Act of Hospitality (4:91-5)
●hospitable (philoxenos)friendly love towards strangers
2.The Disposition of Hospitality (4:96-7)
●complaintto speak in hushed tones, to mummer
III.Christian Ministry (4:10-11)
A.The Ubiquity of Its Provision (4:10a)
B.The Determination of Its Practice (4:10b-c)
1.Its Intent (4:10b)
●employ...servingto humble serve or help, to take care of
2.Its Responsibility (4:10c)
●goodhealthy, beautiful, attractive, good morally
C.The Design of Its Practice (4:11)
1.Done in Dependency (4:11a-b)
●utterancesspeaking
●strengthability
●suppliesprovide for
2.Done for God’s Glory (4:11c-d)