Spiritual Gifts

I love 'em, hopefully you do too. Some of you are probably sick of hearing me discuss this, but I had a conversation with Luke Dent tonight in which God revealed something to me while I was speaking.

Let me begin by saying that I believe in all the Spiritual gifts for today, in all places and all throughout the entire church age. I believe in apostleship, prophecy, miracles, healing, tongues, interpretation, knowledge, wisdom, pastor, teacher, evangelist, exhortation, discernment, mercy, giving, faith, service, and administration. All 18 Spiritual gifts at all times in church history. (See 1 Corinthians 12:4-11; Romans 12:6-8; 1 Peter 4:10-11)

There is more controversy surrounding Spiritual gifts in North America than anywhere else. Many of us are quick to accept the healing of a blind man in Mexico, but just as quickly argue that this type of thing doesn't happen here. Why?

I think there are two reasons for this:

1. We are proud rich North Americans who don't have faith in God to perform miracles
2. Our teaching on Spiritual gifts is biased and skewed because of this.

Let's look at number one. Though we hate to admit it usually, we are quite rich compared to other places in the world. In our first world country we are blessed with food, shelter, money, medicine, and lots of distracting entertainment. We are self-sufficient, self-reliant, and proud. Frankly, we don't know how to have faith in God. Our faith is a self-centered faith that focuses on our prosperity, our emotions, our desire for power. We focus on God's love but not his sovereignty. This is epidemic in North American churches. Our lukewarm apathy has led to different movements / denominations that have tried to remedy our problems. The two movements from which we receive the most divergent views of the Spiritual gifts were created to combat pride and apathy around similar times, but they each focused on different aspects of God leading to different doctrines.

These movements are fundamentalism, which primarily focuses on the sovereignty of God and going back to the "fundamentals" of the faith, and charasmaticism, which focuses on the lost passions for godliness and the miraculous. These movements are really brothers, but quickly grew to disagree and cause division.

The different views on Spiritual gifts are partially caused by different interpretations of scripture and are partially reactionary.

1 Corinthians says, "8Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away. 9For we know in part and we prophesy in part; 10but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away. 11When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. 12For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known." (NASB)

Fundamentalists teach that the "perfect" is the completed word of God including the whole New Testament, and therefore the gifts have ceased, and charismatics teach that the "perfect" is the second coming of Christ, and therefore the gifts continue. I personally believe the latter view because although the word of God is perfect, it does not make imperfections in our knowledge of God disappear, and certainly we do not see face to face. This is all I will say about this issue because I would like to spend more time on the reactionary issue which I consider more prominent.

Fundamentalists have seen charismatics as crazy; the "charismatic chaos," and charismatics look at fundamentalists as legalistic (I have been on both sides of the issue). Both stereotypes are justified because they are often true because we are self centered. Our North American "me" focus comes out like this:

For charismatics the Spiritual gifts become a status symbol of spirituality. The one who displays tongues, prophecy or miracles openly is clearly a very successful and spiritual Christian. There is nothing wrong with using the Spiritual gifts (we are called to desire them), however displaying these obvious gifts can lead to a sense of proud accomplishment. The focus of the gift of healing ceases to be on God's power to heal and moves to the one using the gift. A sense of expectancy is born. A view of so-and-so as a great healer instead of focusing on God. This is the reason for so many scandals involving false healing and prophecy. Certain people get reputations and begin to maintain the status quo, becoming greedy and not wanting to lose their status, leading to false prophecies and healing. The moment the focus is on man the Spirit leaves.

Fundamentalists however, seeking humility and a reverence for God forsake the Spiritual gifts all together. Instead they value theological knowledge and bible teaching to the detriment of anything experiential. People who seek the Spiritual gifts are frowned upon. The word of God crosses the fine line and becomes an idol.

These are clear stereotypes and not everyone is like this, but they do hold truth. I would like to see the reconciliation of these feuding brothers. I would like to see solid biblical teaching lifted up alongside the Spiritual gifts. I would like to see all glory given to Christ and humility in the church. Let's forgive our differences and seek to mend our damage done. Let's learn from each other. Let's lift up all the Spiritual gifts and not idolize the more exciting ones. Let's not ban Spiritual gifts based on the sins and abuses of certain people.

God bless you, may you seek his will. I will leave you these words from Ephesians chapter 1:

3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. (emphasis mine)