The Kerusso – May/June | 2026 Kerusso (Greek): “To publish, proclaim openly: something which has been done.”
Serving Others with the ‘Strength God Provides’ By: Max Edwards
“The end of all things is near. Therefore, be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.” (I Peter 4:7-11 niv)
I imagine that the Apostle Peter was bearing down hard on the parchment as he wrote this part of his letter to the saints that had been scattered out across the ancient Near East. We don’t know the timing of the end of the age any more than Peter did, but we do know that we are closer than anyone has ever been. AND we know that our time on this earth is drawing to a close – more and more with every passing day. Given the urgency of the hour, we must be ‘alert and sober-minded.’ The commands of the aged Apostle are clear: 1. We must be serious. The time for half-hearted effort is past. We must engage!! 2. We must be prayerful. Prayer is vital, not as a tool to change others, but to change ourselves. Read on if you doubt it. 3. We must love each other deeply. This is how we build holiness, through forgiveness and accountability. 4. We must be hospitable. Simple kindness is a virtue in shorter supply these days, it seems. 5. We must stop grumbling. Ouch. The Lord sees our hearts and not just our hands. A grumbling heart is poisoned. 6. We must use our gifts to serve others ‘as faithful stewards’. Failure to serve is failure to live as Christ lived. But there is an additional clause that the Apostle attaches to the admonition to serve that makes it all possible. We DO NOT serve in our own strength. He writes, “If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ.” (vs 11) Serving in our own strength would not be what God intended anyway, because then it would be us who deserved the glory. We must lean into the power of the Holy Spirit so that when we serve, it is Christ who is seen in our good works, not us. So, SERVE! Serve with abandon! Serve with the energy provided by the Holy Spirit! Don’t think of your service as an obligation. Think of it as an opportunity. If you are serving the body of Christ internally through discipleship, charity, or administration, do it with JOY. When you serve others outside the body through evangelism, material support, physical acts of kindness, or helping them feel seen, trust the Holy Spirit to give you the energy and attitude required. Jesus wants to shine through you. Please let Him.
In this Issue of the Kerusso Serving Others......................................1 General Conference Info .................. 2-3 Youth Camps this Summer ...................4 Retreat Reports – Men’s & Women’s...5 Refreshing the EMC Vision ............... 6-7 Pastor’s Reports: Tad Stinson – Washington .................8 Clayton Gentry – Indiana...................8 Debbie Mumme – Arizona ................9 James Torrence – N. Carolina ............9 Carl Kemp – New York .......................9 Church in Focus, Prairie City, OR ........10 Proposed Discipline Revisions ............11 Global Missions: GRIAC (Friends of Christ) .................12 South Africa .....................................13