Saturday, April 26, 2008

Fake or Real?

1Co 12:7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:

The context of this pasage shows that God is talking about spiritual gifts. Every single born again Christian has at least one spiritual gift. But these gifts are designed to benefit the rest of us. Often, Christians get hurt because they do not agree with the direction of the church. They will accuse the pastor of being a dictator. The church will accuse the Christian of being a rebel. Who is right?

If a domineering pastor has a church dying under his leadership, with Christians getting hurt and becoming bitter, is he using spiritual gifts in his ministry?

What if a strong pastor has a healthy, growing church, with people getting closer to God under strong preaching, but some Christians are upset at his leadership? Are those people using spiritual gifts when they attack him and his ministry?

In both cases, the answer lies in "results." The "result" of using spiritual gifts is that God's people benefit. "Feeling good" of "enjoying the sermon" are not necessarily the results of using spiritual gifts. Spiritual growth by the church is the result of using spiritual gifts.