Lección 24: Administración de los Dones Espirituales
Administration/Stewardship of the Spiritual Gifts
1 Pedro 4:10
Cada uno según el don que ha recibido, minístrelo a los otros,
como buenos administradores de la multiforme gracia de
Dios.
Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to
serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various
forms.
Introduction:
This letter was written in a time of crisis for the Church. In
the midst of persecution. It is directed to “…exiles scattered
throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia,
Asia and Bithynia, who have been chosen…” (1:1-2a).
So, this letter is about how to live for Christ in the midst of
trying times in preparation for our expected death or His
imminent return.
Although it speaks about our suffering for Christ it calls the
church to live as a living hope (1:3-12), to live a life of
holiness, godly lives in a pagan world (1:13-2:3; 2:11-3:7), to
live grounded in the Living rock as God´s people (2:4-10), to
live willing to suffer for doing good (3:8-22), to live for God
(4:1-11), to live rejoicing for being able to suffer for the cause
of Christ (4:12-19), and it includes some words to the elders
to shepherd God´s flock (5:1-10).
This verse 4:10 is within the section Living for God. Chapter
4 begins taking us back to Christ´s suffering and our old way
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of living (vv. 1-6). Vv. 7-9 set the stage for the exhortation on
the gifts in v.10. They are presented in the context of…
Of urgency and prayer: “The end of all things is near.
Therefore, be alert and of sober mind so that you may
pray” (v.7)
“Mas el fin de todas las cosas se acerca; sed, pues,
sobrios, y velad en oración”.
Of love: “Above all, love each other deeply, because
love covers over a multitude of sins” (v.8).
“Y ante todo, tened entre vosotros ferviente amor;
porque el amor cubrirá multitud de pecados.”
Of hospitality: “Offer hospitality to one another without
grumbling” (v.9).
“Hospedaos los unos a los otros sin murmuraciones.”
Here the apostle Peter mentions four statements of how we
should carry out the work of God in relation to our gifting…
“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received…”
(v. 10a). Cada uno según el don que ha recibido,
As part of our salvation packet, we have all received by grace
gifts special abilities and skills for service and for the building
up of Christ´s Body, the Church. These need to be discovered
and developed.
Let us respond to the following three questions to begin to
discover our gifts…
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1. How consecrated is your life to the Lord? Our
consecration (dedication and devotion) of our life to
Jesus is the first step to receive the passion not only to
follow Jesus but to serve Him and thus fulfill our mission
as a Church.
2. How obedient are you to the call to serve? The gifts are
supernatural enablings that need to be used to serve
others through ministry in the Body of Christ. One of the
ways to discover your gifts is engaging in different
ministry opportunities and evaluating personally and
through others our effectiveness and fulfilment in what
we do.
3. With how much passion are you serving? Your gift serve
with the Body that needs to be matched with a personal,
specific calling that considers you personality, abilities,
preparation, and passions.
“…to serve others,…” (v. 10b). “…minístrelo a los otros,”
The gifts of the Spirit are not for your benefit. Paul reminds us in
1 Corinthians 12:7 that the gifts are for the wellbeing of others:
“…for the common good”, “…that build up the church” (1 Cor.
14.12).
What is the purpose of ministering the gifts through other. Paul
gives two reasons in Ephesians 4:12-16…
To perfect [equip] “the saints for the work of ministry
[service]” (v. 12a).
To “edify [build up] the body of Christ” (v. 12b)
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“…as faithful stewards…” (v. 10c). “…como buenos
administradores…”
We are stewards, administrators, of the gifts that God has given
us. They do not belong to us nor are they for our personal use.
In the New Testament a steward (Oikonomia--Economy) was
a household figure, in occasions a slave. “A steward in the
ancient world was a person who was given the responsibility
and authority to rule over the affairs of the household…In
that role, he was responsible to manage the household well;
he was not to waste the resources of the family but to make
wise decisions.”1
As stewards we need to…
have an intimate and constant relationship with the true
owner, God, so we can know what he wants us to do
with His resources.
be faithful and be accountable to God and others (Luke
12:42-48, I Corinthians 4:2).
not just safe keep what the Master has entrusted us but
to multiply it (Parable of the Talents—Mt. 25:14-30).
“…of God’s grace in its various forms” (v. 10d). “…de la
multiforme gracia de Dios”
It is interesting that the living out of our gifts is an expression of
God´s grace and from verse 8 prior to this passage are framed as
a manifestation of love.
Paul also mentions that “This, then, is how you ought to regard
us: as servants of Christ and as those entrusted [stewards] with
the mysteries God has revealed” (NIV: 1 Corinthians 4:1).
1
R.C. Sproul, What Is Biblical Stewardship? Jun 28, 2019 Article in
https://www.ligonier.org/blog/what-biblical-stewardship/
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Así, pues, téngannos los hombres por servidores de Cristo, y
administradores de los misterios de Dios.
These verses helps us understand that, above all, as leaders
and members of the Body of Christ, we are stewards of the
many forms of the mysteries of God´s grace.
Conclusion: How can we apply these truths to our lives?
We are stewards of God´s grace as administrators of our
spiritual gifts.
All this “…so that in all things God may be praised through
Jesus Christ…” (4:11b)
“…para que en todo sea Dios glorificado por Jesucristo,…”
