The Disciple by Lucy Peppiatt

Author:Lucy Peppiatt [Lucy Peppiatt]
Language: eng
Format: epub

Eagerly desiring the spiritual gifts

It is true that the use of spiritual gifts in a church requires a great amount of effort from the pastors to protect the church from possible misuse and abuse of the gifts. I am, therefore, sympathetic to those who are nervous of the possible damage of badly used spiritual gifts. Our experience, however, is that in the right context spiritual gifts can bring untold blessing to a church. I remember years ago hearing John Wimber, the founder of The Vineyard church movement, speak about how the healing ministry had developed in his church. He told the story about how, from his reading of Scripture, he became convinced that God heals today, and so he began to pray for healing for individuals in his services with laying on of hands. In the first year, nobody was healed. In the second year, some people began to be healed. In the third year, more, and so on. I do not know anyone who has pursued the gifts of the Spirit who has not grown in them. Furthermore, I am convinced that this is what we should be doing as a church, not for our own aggrandizement, but for the sake of the world. Not to seek spiritual gifts means that we are not seeking every possible way that we might be a blessing to others. If someone is sick, we will pray for their healing. If someone we know is suffering, and we do not know how to pray, we can pray in tongues. If someone we know is troubled and needs God’s peace and comfort, we will ask God to speak to them through us. Exercising spiritual gifts is an extension of the love that has been poured out into our hearts that is meant to be poured out to others. Paul is very clear that sacrificial and Christlike love is the only acceptable context for spiritual gifts. If love is not the context, better that they are not exercised, but this is not a reason to extinguish them or ignore them. We must simply pray to be more loving, so that the gifts are rightly used. The spiritual gifts have been given to the church because God loves to bless us and he wants to use us to bless the world. We do not need to be hesitant about asking for spiritual gifts, because they are not for us, but for others. We are given gifts just to give them away. The more we ask for, the more we will have to give away. I cannot see any reason not to ask, not to be desiring, longingly and eagerly, countless ways to bring God’s blessing to others.

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