1 Peter 4:7-11, End Times Behavior for Christians

Everything for the Christian is to be lived with your eyes on the hope of “the grace that is coming to you when Jesus Christ is revealed” (1:13). With the coming of Jesus Messiah, the first time, the world history clock has struck 11:00 p.m. We are in the last hour before the end time. There is no telling when Jesus will return. It could happen at any moment. How should we live with this expectation?

^4:7 The end of all things has come near. Be of sound and sober mind for prayer. ⁸ Above all things, love one another earnestly, because love covers a multitude of sins. ⁹ Show hospitality to one another without complaining. ¹⁰ As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of the multifaceted grace of God. ¹¹ If anyone speaks, let him speak as an oracle of God; if anyone serves, let him serve as with the strength God supplies, so that in all things God might be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and the power for ever and ever, amen.

Peter reminds his readers that now is the last days, now is the nearness of the “end of all things.” In light of that Peter has some critical recommendations about how believers should behave:

Sober Prayer – Though there will often be on the lips of Jesus’ followers, emergency prayers and crisis requests, being in the last days means we must be praying strategically. We must be praying for opportunities to proclaim Jesus, praying for key leaders whose decisions might affect our peace, praying for our community, our friends, our family that they might all come to faith.

Earnest Love – We are all still sinners who hurt one another with our sinful selfishness, so we must be diligent in loving one another and forgiving one another for the hurts that occur.

Ungrudging Hospitality – We need each other and must care for each other, hosting each other as needs be to show we are family.

Faithful Gift Usage – Every believer has received a spiritual gift, and ability and role with which to serve the body. God’s multifaceted grace-gifts may conveniently be divided into two categories, speaking gifts (teaching, prophecy, tongues, encouragement, etc.) and serving gifts (service, administration, healings, miracles, etc.). Speak as speaking from God, serve as ministering in His strength, all to God’s glory, Father and Son and Spirit, because it is all about —Him and not us.