I’ll start by saying this….the world is full of false teachers. Never….I repeat…..never take a person at their word. Do as the New Testament believers did…..search the Scriptures for yourself. I teach a small group (we started at Genesis 1:1 about 5 years ago and are just now at Revelation). I tell our group….check me out. When there are things on which I have an opinion without Biblical grounds, I say so. Do as Paul suggests: Ask if the teacher professes Jesus as Lord? Test their credentials by finding out what they teach about Christ. Teaching is a spiritual gift. Ascertain the teacher has a true spiritual gift and is not a false teacher.
After His resurrection, Jesus told the believers that the Comforter would come. At Pentecost, the Comforter came filled the people with the Holy Spirit and give them spiritual gifts. Make no mistake…the gifts bestowed on the people were for one reason only….to build up Christ’s body, the church. One thing all believers have in common – faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Our gifts may be different but our common belief is not!
1 Corinthians 12, Romans 12, Ephesians 4, and 1 Peter 4 gives a comprehensive list of spiritual gifts. Some people have more than one spiritual gift. Thank goodness we have a variety of spiritual gifts. It would not be a good thing if we all had the gift of preaching. What a chaotic Sunday service that would be! We’d all be preaching to one another without having anyone to lead praise and worship!
Paul recognized a problem at Corinth. Spiritual gifts were tearing the church apart, not building it up. The people were using spiritual gifts as a way to rank themselves. That is, some were viewing their gift as more powerful and more important than the gifts of others. There is no spiritual gift greater than any other. The gift of generosity is just as important as the gift of healing. The gift of healing is just as important as the gift of encouragement and no less important than singing in the choir or teaching a Bible study class. We ARE the body. It takes all spiritual gifts to minister to and maintain a healthy body.
Today, people still want to rank spiritual gifts. One of the most “popular” gifts is that of prophecy. From Jean Dixon to the local psychic, there is always someone predicting the future……ah ha! There’s your first clue. Does the “prophet” predict the future or does the prophet use the gift to boldly preach the Word of God? I tell you there are many folks out there who will ‘prophecy’ for you – and for your $20.
Another ‘popular’ gift is that of ‘tongues’. I have met people who believe they are more spiritual if they speak in tongues. I was at a prayer meeting and an 8 year old boy was sitting by me. The congregation ‘paired up’ to pray for one another. The 8 year old looks at me and asks, “Is it OK if I pray in tongues?” I told him that if he had to ask me if it was OK then I seriously doubted he had the gift of tongues.
The body of Christ works like the human body. Each part has a specific function that is necessary to the body as a whole. The parts are different for a purpose but in their differences they must work together. It is easy for Christians to make mistakes about spiritual gifts. One mistake is pride in believing our gift is more important than another’s. A second common mistake, which leads us to the theme of this topic, is that some believers think they have nothing to offer the body! So, have you discovered God’s call on your life?
The church is the body of Christ. Just as gifts are different, so are the people who make up the body. We are all unique and wonderfully made. The differences are great in that all are needed to work in harmony for the task at hand: sharing the Good News! But, at the same time, the differences can divide people. This was happening at the church at Corinth.
Have you discovered God’s call on your life? Do you know what your spiritual gifts are? If you are a believer, you have at least one spiritual gift. That’s a promise from God. Get with your pastor and find out when and where you can take a spiritual gift test. The results just might surprise you.
- - - Mr. Joseph Mcklemurry received his Masters in Biblical Studies with Trinity Seminary in Newburgh, Indiana and is an ordained minister serving as a praise and worship leader with Beautiful Feet Church in Fort Worth, Texas.
