1 Pet. 4:12-16 - Expect suffering

12 Dear friends, do not be astonished that a trial by fire is occurring among you, as though something strange were happening to you.
13 But rejoice in the degree that you have shared in the sufferings of Christ, so that when his glory is revealed you may also rejoice and be glad.
14 If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory, who is the Spirit of God, rests on you.
15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer or thief or criminal or as a troublemaker.
16 But if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but glorify God that you bear such a name.

vs. 12 - "do not be astonished that a trial by fire" - 'The world hates God and Jesus' (and you!) is a theme repeated throughout scripture. See: 1 John 3:1; John 15:18, 19, 23 So: don't be surprised if the whole roof caves in on us. It gives us a chance to go through some testing. See also Heb. 11:36, 38; Rev. 2:10 The suffering we receive is a product of our Christianity (or it will be if we live our faith and share it) because the world is frightened of seeing itself as it is. (John3:20)

Rejoice in it

vs. 13 - "rejoice in the degree that you have shared in the sufferings of Christ" - The more we suffer the more we are to praise the Lord. When He comes again we will share in His glory. This sounds a little like James 1:2-4 "My brothers and sisters, consider it nothing but joy when you fall into all sorts of trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect effect, so that you will be perfect and complete, not deficient in anything."

vs. 14 - "you are blessed" - God has promised to aid all those who need it. And if we are suffering for Christ, the Holy Spirit is spending His time with us, blessing and comforting.

Never suffer because of evil actions

vs. 15 - "suffer... as a troublemaker." - Never, never confuse suffering for evil deeds (or because of evil you have done) with suffering because of your faith in Christ. If the suffering is because of sin, it is deserved and there is no glory. Apparently there are things that Christians should not be doing. (That was facetious and sarcastic.) Crimes, sinful acts and evil doings are symptom of our inherited evil nature. Our legal system only punishes the crimes they can "prove beyond a reasonable doubt". God exacts justice on all creation for there is nothing that can be hidden from Him. 'All creation lies open and exposed before His eyes', and 'every act will be judged, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil'. See Heb. 4:12,13; Eccl. 12:14

vs. 16 - "If you suffer as a Christian..."Don't be ashamed at suffering for Christ, but use that Christian suffering to glorify Christ. In essence, we should be able to say, "Thank You, Oh Lord, that people know I am Your child. It is not by my power, but by Yours that I am able to live a life honoring You." It is because we are Christians that world around us is upset.
Notice that the secular world is hardly ever bothered if you sin? There are some sins - murder, rape, stealing, etc., that cause alarm. It is not enough for you to not murder, or to not rape, or to not steal. Most non-believers do the same. God has a much higher standard to which you are to aim. You will not achieve it under your own power and effort. This can only happen when you let Jesus live in and through you. Vince Lombardi (great Green Bay Packers coach) would tell his players, "We will strive for perfection. We may not achieve it, but on the way we will find excellence." Aim for perfection through Jesus Christ. In this world you will find excellence. In the next world you will be perfect as He is perfect. See: 1 John 3:1-2.

1 Pet. 4:10-11 - Use your gifts from God to glorify him

10 Just as each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of the varied grace of God.
11 Whoever speaks, let it be with God's words. Whoever serves, do so with the strength that God supplies, so that in everything God will be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.

vs. 10 - "each one has received a gift" - By God's grace we have been saved, and likewise have been given a gift to be used to serve others. God expects us to use it for that purpose. Peter gives a short list of gifts in the next verse. Paul has provided a more extensive list in his letters.
See: Rom. 12:6-8:

1. Prophecy
2. Service
3. Teaching
4. Exhortation
5. Giving
6. Leadership
7. Mercy

See also: 1 Cor. 12:7-11,

1. Wisdom
2. Knowledge
3. Faith
4. Miracles
5. Prophecy
6. Distinguishing Spirits
7. Tongues
8. INterpretation of Tounges

See also: 1 Cor. 12:28,

1. Apostles
2. Prophets
3. Teachers
4. Miracles
5. Healings
6. Helps
7. Administration
8. Tongues

And also: 1 Cor. 13:8, 14:1, It is important to remember 'Love never fails.' All these gifts may go away, whether tongues, or knowledge, or administration - these are all "temporary'. My guess is the gift of tongues will not be necessary in the new earth and new heaven. Neither will wisdom, or prophecy, or distinguishing spirits, or administration be necessary for the health of the church. Love will still be the driving force in the universe - God is Love. So, pursue Love.

"varied grace of God." - Looking at the lists of gifts above, it is easy to see that God is 'multi-dimensional' (or so to speak) God has given the church the tools (gifts) to be able to meet the needs of the body of believers. In the same way that God does not leave you and I to fend for ourselves, God provides the gifts needed to nurture the body. God's grace is not one-dimensional any more than He is.

vs. 11 - Peter's list of gifts: speaking (teaching, preaching, etc.) and serving. He explains how the gifts are to be used.
"let it be with God's words" - If I am going to speak out for Jesus, I need to be sure that I am indeed speaking what Jesus wants me to say. This means I need to spend time with Him, to be in the power and control of the Holy Spirit. This is why we must always check what our teachers and preachers say. We must compare their words to the Bible. The apostle John tells us to test the spirit, do not believe every spirit. See if they are from God. (1 John 4:1). The spirit of every person is either led by God's spirit or by another spirit, (which is NOT from God).
The people who speak 'for God', whether the prophets of the Old Testament, or the teachers and preachers of His church must speak what God wants them to speak. The OT prophets ALWAYS announced, "Thus says the Lord..." False prophets were put to death. They were those who speak a vision from their own heart, or follow their own spirit. See: Jer. 23:19; Ezek. 13:3. Part of their job was to point out the sins of the people of Israel. (See: Isa. 58:1; Ezek. 22:2, 43:10; Mic. 3:8). Now, NT teachers and preachers have a different mission than the OT prophets. They are to use God's words "for teaching, for reproof, correction, and training for righteousness" (2 Tim. 3:16), and for spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ, making disciples in all nations. Paul was adamant that the correct gospel would be preached. See Gal. 1:8,9.

"with the strength that God supplies" - Whatever we say or do, let us let God use our lives and supply the strength for the job. Talk and walk by faith - in this way Christ will be living in us to give glory to God. All glory and power belongs to God. It's His personally.

"God will be glorified through Jesus Christ" - This is the purpose of he church and the believer. If someone asks you, "What is your purpose in life?", that should be your response - to bring glory to God through Christ.

A friend and a mentor writes a column "Wisdom of the Week by Pastor Dave". This week is an article that starts with honey bees, particularly the forager bees. The foragers communicate the location of the nectar for other foragers to retrieve. The message must be clear. This applies to you and me as we share the gospel - giving directions to people so they can find Christ. I include the article for your reading pleasure.

“LESSONS FROM A HONEYBEE”
(Part IV: “Giving a Reliable Message”)

When a forager honeybee discovers a good source of nectar and returns to the hive with her load, she lets the other forager bees know about her discovery and she even gives them a sample of the nectar to taste. She also conveys the distance to and location of the treasure she discovered. This must be a very accurate message, not only for the efficiency and productivity of the hive, but also for the very lives of the other forager bees that head to that nectar source. As the forager bee returns to the hive with its treasure, it relates the distance and direction to the nectar source by using the sun as a reference point. If the bee points its body vertically on the comb of the hive, it signals that the flowers are located away from the hive in the same direction as the sun. A downward direction indicates conversely that the flowers are in the opposite direction. Or a message given at, say, a 30-degree angle on the comb directs the watching foragers to leave the hive at a 30-degree angle from the sun.
But, the departing foragers also need to know the distance to the nectar because they will tank up on fuel (honey from the hive) to make it to the source of nectar . The forager bee that returned to the hive with nectar indicates the distance by its body motion. A circular motion tells foragers that the food is within 100 yards. A figure eight ceremony indicates that the nectar is more than 100 yards away. The rate of the tail-wagging motion is in direct proportion to the distance of the nectar. The closer the source, the more intense the body movement.
(NOTE: So, just where do these bees learn all these things? Do they attend a honeybee school before they can assume their role as forager bees? Who teaches them? What amazing little creatures, designed by an awesome, all-wise, all-powerful, Creator God!) Directional information must be precise since the foragers take only enough honey with them—as fuel—to reach their destination and return. If they carry too much, they will not have room for more nectar. If they carry too little, they will fall to the ground and die before reaching their destination unless they can locate another source of glucose. So, it is crucial that the forager bees give reliable messages. The life of the other forager bees and of the hive depends on it.
I’m guessing you already are thinking of the obvious spiritual application. As believers who have discovered the source of eternal life in Jesus Christ (I Jn. 5:10,11), we need to be sure to give a reliable message to others so that they too can find new life in Jesus Christ. If we give an inaccurate, unreliable message, others could end up eternally separated from God, for there is only One Way. Jesus Himself said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through me” (Jn. 14:6). The Apostle Peter, in a message recorded in Acts 4, said: “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved” (4:12).
We must tell others of the Jesus of the Bible, God incarnate (Jn. 1:14), fully God and fully man, not some man-made concept of a Jesus who was Lucifer’s brother, an angel who became the Messiah, or a man who became God, but a Jesus who is a member of the God-head, co-equal, and co-eternal with the Father and the Holy Spirit. In John 8:24, Jesus said, “Unless you believe that I Am (He), you shall die in your sins.” By that statement, Jesus was claiming to be Jehovah God, for He was using the name God gave to Moses at the scene of the burning bush in Ex. 3:13-15. The Jesus of the Bible is the only Jesus that can save.
We must also preach the gospel of the Bible, which according to Paul has power to save (Ro. 1:16). Just what is that gospel? Paul defined it in I Cor. 15:1-4 as the Good News of the death of Christ for sin, of His burial and of His resurrection. Paul also emphasized that salvation is a gift, not something we earn through works of any kind. He said, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast” (Eph. 2:8,9). If we add anything to the requirements of salvation by faith in the work of the Jesus of the Bible, we no longer have the true gospel. As Paul addressed the churches in Galatia, he said, “I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you, and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to that which we have preached to you, let him be accursed” (Gal. 1:6-8). Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone in Christ alone.
We need to be reliable messengers of the true gospel and of the real Jesus of the Bible.
Others’ lives depend on it. Beware of those who are preaching a “different Jesus” and a “different gospel.” Satan attacks the truth of the Bible every way he can. He is the “Father of lies” (Jn. 8:44) and the “great deceiver,” doing all he can to keep people from discovering the truth which alone can set them free (Jn. 8:32,36).
Forever His,
Pastor Dave
(MY Thaks to Pastor Dave Nelson - long time friend and mentor)

1 Pet. 4:7-9 - Love one another

Have a sound mind

7 For the culmination of all things is near. So be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of prayer.
8 Above all keep your love for one another fervent, because love covers a multitude of sins.
9 Show hospitality to one another without complaining.

vs. 7 - "The end of all things is at hand..." (KJV) - We think this seems to be a curious thing to say, since almost 2000 years have passed since it was written by Peter. However,

1. Christ taught that we are to live each day prepared for Christ to return. For he can return at any second - are we ready? We should be; (See: Matt. 24:27, 36-39, 44; 25:13; Mark 13:33-37; Luke 12:40; Rev. 16:15)
2. When we accept Christ, Satan loses his power over us; (See: 1 John3:8)
3. Satan's end was sealed, e.g., a trial, found guilty, sentenced, but the final, complete punishment has not been meted out yet. (See: Rev. 20:12)

See also: Matt. 24:32, 33, 42; Rom. 13:11; 1 Cor. 10:11; Heb. 9:26; 1 John 2:18.

"Self-controlled and sober-minded..." - How do we approach God when we pray? We come timidly, fearfully - expecting to be chastised for bothering God Amightly? We see a little of this attitude in the Old Testament. See: Eccl. 5:2;, Esther, one of the 'queens' of king Ahasuerus, could not come to the king without permission. Compare that to our access to the throne of grace - Heb. 4:16 . We can come 'boldy' to the throne - and yet, I think we do not want to frivilous in our requests, for example: that the University of Oregon would win no football games, or the Beavers would go undefeated (although the latter may be more worthy than the first - it's a joke, people!). We are to make our requests to God. If we are talking to Him in the control of the Holy Sprit, our request will be made seriously with intent to have them fulfilled, and with the intent to stay pure. See: Mark 14:37,38 - "keep watch and praying so you do not fall into temptation..."; Luke 21:36, 22:46 - "keep on the alert at all times; Rom. 12:12 - "devoted to prayer"; Eph. 6:18 - "With all prayer and petition... be on the alert,"; Col. 4:2 - "Devote yourselves to prayer; 1 Thess. 5:6 - "let us be alert and sober"
Jesus said if we ask anything according to His will, it will be granted. So, ponder what God wants and expects of us: be controlled and empowered by the Holy Spirit, and make your request to God. And we also have this amazing promise: "This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him." 1 John 5:14, 15.

vs. 8 - "keep your love for one another fervent" - This is more than simply get along with others, letting Christ love through faith... a forgetting, forgiving love. See: Rom. 12:9-15; 2 Pet. 1:7; Psa. 133:1; John 13:34, 35, 17:21; Acts 4:32; Eph. 4:2-3.
"love forgives a multitude of sins." - Love among believers is a commitment above and beyond knowing them as friend s and neighbors. See: James 5:19-20; Prov. 10:12; Psa. 32:1,2.

vs. 9 - "Show hospitality to one another" - Get along with one another, help each other. We were watching a streaming TV series, "Ann with an E" (based on the Anne of Green Gables books) and in one episode a home catches on fire. After it was extinguished, the people on the island banded together to rebuild the house. This kind of hospitality, neighbor helping and caring for neighbor is diminished in our frantic culture. This is what is meant in this verse - help each other, support each other - in love. The letter to the Galatians says "Bear one another's burdens..." See also: 1 Tim. 3:2; Heb. 13:2; .
"Love covers a multitude of sins" - See: Prov. 10:12, 17:9. Always remember: Love covered your sin. Christ died for you, not because you were worthy, but because He Loves You. The only thing you can brag about is Christ and His love.