“The apostle’s view of the gifts was stated with perfect clarity in 1 Corinthians 12:7, where he said, ‘Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.’ The gifts have a purpose. They are given for the edification of the church, not for private pleasure or for a demonstration of the supposed highest level of spirituality. They are not a tool to manipulate your inner states or a device to make you feel better. They facilitate the edification of the church. This is the key point. Everything that is given to the church is given for its edification. If it doesn’t edify, no matter how exciting it seems, no matter how spiritual it feels - it is not fulfilling the requirements for a spiritual gift.”
That is a significant description of the reason for spiritual gifts.
ReplyDeleteHaving said that, I always claim my spiritual gift to be those of sarcasm and cynicism. I cite II Hezekiah 4:12 as my source.
Well put!
ReplyDelete-carolyn
I'm trying find II Hezekiah but I don't know where to look! I'll just bet you're twisting the passage though! :oD
ReplyDeleteMore need to hear this message.
ReplyDeleteMy Sunday School Director came into my office and during our conversation I made one of my unknown famous new old sayings and quoted II Hezekiah as my source. He scanned his Bible and said, "I don't spend as much time in Hezekiah as I should." When it dawned on him that I was pulling his leg, he slammed his Bible down, stormed out of the room and resigned as SS Director.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't all that sad.
That's just tooooo funny!
ReplyDelete