1 Peter 4:1-19 Stewards of God's Grace = October 13

Stewards of God's Grace
1 Peter 4:1-19

Intro Questions

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• God is ... What do we learn about God in this passage?
• We are ... What do we learn about people in this passage?
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• I will ... What has the Holy Spirit revealed to us in this passage? How can I apply it to my life this week?
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• You can ... Who do you know who needs to hear this? Feel free to share with others by social media links at the bottom of this.

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What Do Young People Want Today From “Church”?

― Darrick Shepherd

Many times as a Family minister or when I get together with other Family ministers. The same question continually comes up in our conversations or many times I have often sat and thought to myself, “What do young people want today from religion?” Usually people are quick to say, “All they want is to be entertained.” But the more I talk with young people today about church and about their relationship with God. I am finding out that this concept of young people is no more than a misconception. About a year ago, I began to do some research on this very topic of what the young people want today in religion. The outcome of my research was really worth the time and effort to answer this question for myself and hopefully for others as well. I want to take time to share with you all what I found in this research.

The first thing that young people want to today is the right doctrine. I found this very interesting. In the surveys that were given back to me on this topic, almost every young person said they wanted the truth, the right doctrine. I am reminded of what Paul said in II Timothy 4: 2, “Preach the truth…..” Also in I Peter 4: 11, Peter said, “Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God;” This is exactly what young people are wanting. They are wanting to have discussions that build their faith. They want to be taught the truth and nothing else.

The second thing that young people want today is the opportunity to serve. I think this is an attitude that we all need to take on, is the heart for service. I love what Paul proclaimed in Philippians 2: 7, that Jesus “emptied himself, taking the form of a servant…” That is exactly what our young people want today, is to be able to serve in any way that they can.

The third thing that I found in my research of what young people want, is to worship the correct way. I found it interested that a lot of people say, “Well, all the younger generation wants is to be entertained in worship.” After, taking survey of young people and looking at good quality research on this subject I found that really they want the opposite of entertainment in worship. They want to worship God the way He wants to be worship. I am reminded of what Jesus said in John 4:24, “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

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For His Glory...by Susan Paradise   To Him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.  1 Peter 4:11b   At first glance, this sounds so sweet and benign. Far from it. This passage is crammed full of juicy meat. So, what is glory, how does God receive glory, and how can we give Him the glory?   What is glory?  The Hebrew word for glory is "doxa" and can mean honor, praise, and worship. Glory embodies the ultimate of these. Adding "zo" to "doxa" gives us the Hebrew word for glorify. It means to render glorious...to ascribe honor to Him, acknowledging Him as to His being, attributes and acts.   How does God receive glory?  All creation shouts of His glory. (see Romans 1:20) Though God created the world long ago, His glory continues to be seen!   Ever gaze at the ocean's rhythmic waves or stars in a cloudless sky? Mountains rising along the horizon or a field of wild flowers nearby? A deer running free alone through the wood or a sleeping baby's sigh? All creation that has been and ever will be, "To Him be the glory!" they cry.1   God also receives glory from His written word, the Bible. The fact that the Bible was written by so many different authors over so many years---without contradiction---absolutely screams His glory even today despite countless attempts to destroy it both physically and spiritually.   How do we give Him the glory?  We give God the glory in our love for one another. As we use our Spiritual Gifts for the Body of Christ (described in 1 Peter 4:8-11), we give Him the glory by acknowledging the source of those gifts. When someone compliments us for our hospitality, service, or whatever, we point the glory not to ourselves, but to God for giving us His gift to use for His Kingdom.   And we give God the glory by sharing with others our personal experiences with Him. Sure David, the disciples, and Paul proclaimed all He had done in their lives. But we are also His disciples and He wants us to continue telling of His greatness. Each of us has had at least one experience with God and the longer we walk with Him, the more experiences we will have.   What type of experiences? All of them. How we came to know Him. Our struggles and failures. Surviving trials or a terrible past. Following God and building a future. They all bring Him glory. Our walk with God has taught us all kinds of lessons which have strengthened us and given us hope. What a shame if we hide those experiences under a basket instead of letting them shine forth His glory!   Peter was imploring his readers to do all this when he wrote, "To Him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen!" Changes the way we look at it, huh?

All for the glory of God,   Susan

 

 

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