Digging Deeper Days
Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!
Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out It Takes A Body!
The Questions
1) What is Peter’s message to his recipients?
2) What is the purpose of gifts within the body of Christ according to Peter?
3) Why are we given gifts?
1 Peter 4:10-11
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.
Original Intent
1) What is Peter’s message to his recipients?
In the greater context of this chapter, Peter is giving the recipients of this letter a message of truth. This portion of the letter is to encourage the dispersed believers (who had fled Jerusalem because of severe persecution) that they are intentionally different from the world around them because of the hope of Christ that dwells inside of them. His desire is for them to live out the gospel in everyday life and use the gifts God has given to each of them in order to bring glory to Him. Peter encourages them to stop looking at those around them and comparing themselves against the world and other believers, and instead focus on living in a way that pleases God.
2) What is the purpose of gifts within the body of Christ according to Peter?
Peter answers this in verse 11, “in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ.” Peter is redirecting their attention to the sole purpose of their lives, which is to pursue God and make Him high and lifted up, regardless of circumstance or situation. Peter is using this letter to call discouraged and dispersed believers that are aliens in a foreign land back to their first love, and calling them to model Christ-like behavior in everything they do.
3) Why are we given gifts?
The purpose of gifts within the body is to emulate Christ on earth. We are His ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20) pointing people to Him for the purpose of salvation. Everything that is done should be done with His purpose in mind and with His desire in our hearts. Peter is reiterating this message of service, love, and good stewardship of what God has given.
Everyday Application
1) What is Peter’s message to his recipients?
The letter of 1 Peter was written to people who were far from home and dispersed across lands that were unfamiliar. He writes this letter to remind of them of what they already knew to be true and to encourage them in their daily walk. As we read this today, nothing has changed for us as believers. We are aliens in a foreign place that is not our home (Hebrews 13:14), yet we are called to a higher purpose, which is to bring God glory both inside and outside of the Church. Each one of us has gifts that fit intricately within a big-picture gospel purpose and God desires we stop looking at those around us and keep Him as the focus for everything we do.
2) What is the purpose of gifts within the body of Christ according to Peter?
One of the themes of both Peter and Paul’s writings in the New Testament is gifts and the use of those gifts within the Body, that is, the Church. Both authors are very clear in their Spirit inspired writing that God is the giver and purpose of the gifts we have been given. It is easy to sit on the sidelines, compare your gifts with another’s, and think yourself un-worthy. The truth is God has uniquely woven us together (Psalm 139:13) and each one of us, as a believer and partaker in Christ, has a part to play, just as with the building of the Tabernacle. Big and small, every gift is necessary and when used, brings God much glory!
3) Why are we given gifts?
I think Paul’s use of the human body to describe how gifts work within the Church is the perfect illustration. (1 Corinthians 12) When we think of our gifts as a larger part of the body of Christ, it becomes less about us, and more about Him. Our human body has many parts that work together and need each other in order to function properly or our body’s intended purpose. The Church Body is the same. Each gift fits within a greater context and the display of that in action is a beautiful picture of community and fellowship, pointing people to Christ and putting His glory on display for the world to see!
What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with It Takes A Body!
Digging Deeper is for Everyone!
1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!
Digging Deeper Community
Share What You’ve Learned!
Pray Together!
Join us in the GT Facebook Community!
Our Current Study Theme!
This is Tabernacle Week Two!
Don’t miss out on the discussion!
Sign up to receive every GT Journey Study!
Why Dig Deeper?
Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.
In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!
Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.
Study Tools
We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.
Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!
Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))
Memorize It!
Download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!
Tap and hold on your mobile device to save.
So very good! What would your advice be to people who are told their gifts are lesser than that of others and therefore they are not best qualified to serve in the areas they feel called to? I have seen people very unfortuately marginalized because of the good but sometimes misplaced desire of churches to aim for excellence. I have been so blessed by the immense talents of others (in singing, for example), but know that there is not the same standard for worship and serving in God’s eyes. As long as hearts are in the right place, it is… Read more »
I’m sorry you have experienced that- Great question! Not knowing your specific situation, I would hope and pray there is always room for conversations with leadership about ways that the body can use their gifts in areas they feel called. Maybe there is opportunity to start in a role within a ministry that allows you to be mentored and grow into larger roles. As a former Children’s Director, I would pair “new” teachers who felt called to teach with teachers who had been serving at least a full year (sometimes more) with the expressed purpose of mentoring and disciplining those… Read more »