Green Bananas and the Gifts God Gives

In one paragraph

Pastor Raymond opened in 1 Peter 4:7 and onward, a passage he had personal history with from his first weeks in Jackson. The sermon centered on the gifts God gives every believer and what it looks like to either use them or let them rot. A long story about green bananas carried the whole thing. The text opens with urgency. Peter writes that the end of all things is near, and because of that,...

Read together

1. 1 Peter 1:3-9 the opening doxology, born again to a living hope, inheritance reserved in heaven, trials testing faith like gold
2. Psalm 8:3-4,9 sung and quoted before prayer, heavens the work of God's fingers, what is mankind that you are mindful of them
3. Ephesians 1:19-20 read before worship, the incredible greatness of God's power for believers, same power that raised Christ from the dead
4. James 5:14 referenced in the story of Santiago, if any among you is sick let him call the elders to anoint with oil and pray
5. 1 Peter 4:7 the end of all things is near, therefore be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer
6. 1 Peter 4:8 above all keep fervent in your love for one another because love covers a multitude of sins
7. 1 Peter 4:9 be hospitable to one another without complaint, loving strangers
8. 1 Peter 4:10 as each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God
9. 1 Peter 4:11 whoever speaks do so as one speaking the utterances of God, whoever serves by the strength God supplies, so that God may be glorified through Jesus Christ

Talk about it

1. Pastor Raymond talked about being 'scared to death' to preach, and described stepping into that role anyway because the situation called for it. Has there been a time when you stepped into something you felt completely unprepared for? What happened?
2. Santiago anointed the chief with oil and prayed for him even though it went against his own Presbyterian tradition, simply because the Bible said to. How do you respond when Scripture calls you to do something outside your comfort zone or your church background?
3. Peter writes that love covers a multitude of sins, and Pastor Raymond said that when someone calls him and leads with a list of the other person's sins, the level of love in that relationship is very low. Where do you find it hardest to let love cover an offense rather than bringing it up?
4. Pastor Raymond described receiving 70 pounds of bananas as a gift and letting them rot on his back porch because he ignored them. In what ways have you seen a spiritual gift go unused, either in your own life or in the church?
5. Peter breaks spiritual gifts down into just two categories: speaking and serving. Thinking about your own life right now, which of those two does God seem to be calling you toward, and what is one practical way you could start using that gift to serve the body?