S1 · Session Three of 6

Different Gifts, Same Grace

Introduction

MINISTRY MATTERS

God has placed something in every believer that can be used to help somebody else.

We don't all serve in the same way. We don't have the same personalities, abilities or gifts—and God never intended us to.

The church needs different people, with different gifts, serving in different ways.

Your gift isn't something you earned. It is something God gave you. And He gave it to you so that His grace could reach other people through you.

That means ministry isn't simply about filling a gap.

It is about using what God has put in you to serve the people He has put around you.

Study objective

1 Peter 4:10–11 · Romans 12:3–8

Section 01

THE PASSAGE

1 Peter 4:10–11 · Romans 12:3–8 · World English Bible (public domain).

Key scriptures

1 Peter 4:10–11

As each has received a gift, employ it in serving one another, as good managers of the grace of God in its various forms. If anyone speaks, let it be as it were the very words of God. If anyone serves, let it be as of the strength which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Romans 12:3–8

For I say through the grace that was given me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think; but to think reasonably, as God has apportioned to each person a measure of faith. For even as we have many members in one body, and all the members don't have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another, having gifts differing according to the grace that was given to us: if prophecy, let's prophesy according to the proportion of our faith; or service, let's give ourselves to service; or he who teaches, to his teaching; or he who exhorts, to his exhorting; he who gives, let him do it with generosity; he who rules, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

Section 02

EVERYONE HAS SOMETHING TO GIVE

Peter begins with a simple statement:

"As each has received a gift..."

That means ministry isn't just for a few especially gifted people.

Every believer has received something from God that can benefit somebody else.

The Greek word translated gift is charisma. It comes from the word charis, meaning grace.

In simple terms, a spiritual gift is something God has graciously given you that can be used for others.

You didn't earn it.

You don't need to compare it with somebody else's.

And you shouldn't dismiss it because it doesn't seem as impressive as another person's gift.

God gave different gifts because His church needs different people.

Section 03

YOU ARE A MANAGER, NOT AN OWNER

Peter says we should be:

"Good managers of the grace of God."

The Greek word translated manager is oikonomos.

A manager was someone trusted to look after another person's household and possessions.

They had real responsibility—but what they managed didn't belong to them.

That's a helpful picture of ministry.

Your ability belongs to God.

Your opportunity belongs to God.

Your influence belongs to God.

Your gift belongs to God.

We don't own our gifts. We manage what God has entrusted to us.

That means the question isn't:

"How impressive is my gift?"

The better question is:

"Am I faithfully using what God gave me?"

Section 04

GRACE COMES IN DIFFERENT FORMS

Peter describes God's grace as being "in its various forms."

The Greek word is poikilos. It means varied, diverse or many different kinds.

Peter's point is that God's grace doesn't look exactly the same in every person.

One person teaches.

Another encourages.

Another leads.

Another gives.

Another serves practically.

Another shows mercy.

Different people reveal different expressions of God's grace.

The mistake is comparing our gift with somebody else's.

The church doesn't need everybody to be the same.

Different gifts. Same grace.

Section 05

YOUR GIFT HAS A WAY IT SHOULD BE USED

Romans 12 doesn't only tell us what people do.

It also talks about how they do it.

If you give—give generously.

If you lead—lead with diligence.

If you show mercy—do it cheerfully.

This matters because it is possible to have the right gift but use it with the wrong attitude.

You can serve—but complain while doing it.

You can lead—but become controlling.

You can give—but want everybody to know.

You can encourage—but only encourage people you like.

God is interested in both our gift and the spirit in which we use it.

The way we serve matters just as much as the place we serve.

Section 06

GOD SUPPLIES THE STRENGTH

Peter says:

"If anyone serves, let it be as of the strength which God supplies."

The Greek word translated supplies is choregeo.

The word was originally used for someone who provided what was needed for a production at their own expense.

The picture is one of generous provision.

God doesn't simply give you something to do and then say:

"Now work it all out yourself."

He supplies what we need to do what He has called us to do.

That is important because ministry can become exhausting when we try to do everything in our own strength.

We can start serving from our own energy, our own ability and our own emotional reserves.

But biblical ministry isn't:

"Look what I can do for God."

It is:

"Look what God can do through someone who depends on Him."

The gift comes from God.

And the strength to use the gift comes from God too.

Section 07

THE GLORY GOES BACK TO GOD

Peter tells us where all of this should eventually lead:

"That in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ."

God gives the gift.

God provides the opportunity.

God supplies the strength.

We faithfully serve.

And God receives the glory.

That's a healthy way to think about ministry.

We don't need to compete.

We don't need everybody to notice us.

We don't need somebody else's gift.

We simply need to faithfully use what God has placed in our hands.

Your gift may be different from mine, but both come from the same grace of God.

Section 08

TALK IT THROUGH

Five questions

Discussion questions

01Peter says, "Each has received a gift." What do you believe God has given you that can help other people?
02Think about the people in this group. What gift or strength can you see in somebody else that perhaps they don't recognise in themselves?
03Romans 12 talks about both what we do and how we do it. Which attitude do you find hardest to maintain when serving—generosity, diligence, cheerfulness or something else?
04Sometimes we serve simply because there is a gap that needs filling. Do you think the ministry you currently do makes good use of the gifts God has given you? Why or why not?
05Peter says we should serve with "the strength which God supplies." What does it look like when someone begins serving mainly in their own strength?

Section 09

BETWEEN NOW AND NEXT TIME

Five short readings

Take about five minutes each day. Read the passage and think about the question underneath it.

Key scriptures

ONE — 1 Peter 4:7–11

Peter talks about speaking and serving. What does he say should be the final result of both?

TWO — Romans 12:1–8

Read through the different gifts again. Which one sounds most like the way God has shaped you to serve?

THREE — 1 Corinthians 12:12–27

Paul says even the parts of the body that seem weaker are necessary. What does that teach us about gifts that receive less attention?

FOUR — Ephesians 4:11–16

Notice that leaders are called to equip God's people for ministry. What part do you have to play in building up the church?

FIVE — Acts 6:1–7

Different people were given different responsibilities. Why was every part of the work important?

This week's application

TAKE IT HOME

01Don't simply say:
02"I need to use my gifts more."
03Choose one practical way to use what God has given you for somebody else this week.
04Put it into this sentence:
05When __________ happens, I will __________.
06For example:
07"When I see someone struggling, I will take time to encourage them."
08Or:
09"When I arrive for ministry, I will use what I'm good at to help somebody else."
10Remember:
11Your gift wasn't given just for you.
12God gave it to you so His grace could reach somebody else through you.
13ONE THING TO WATCH FOR
14This week, notice something God has placed in somebody else.
15Maybe they encourage people well.
16Maybe they're dependable.
17Maybe they notice people others overlook.
18Maybe they lead naturally.
19Maybe they quietly get things done.
20Tell them what you see.
21Be specific.
22Don't just say:
23"You're great."
24Tell them:
25"I've noticed God has given you an ability to..."
26Sometimes one of the best ways we can serve somebody is to help them recognise the grace God has already placed in their life.

Next steps

Serving Like Christ · Series One · Session 3 of 6

Next: Session 4 — Next to Him, Next to Her · Acts 6:1–7

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