Our Spiritual Gifts ~ Part 1

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Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed (1 Corinthians 12:1, NIV).

Examining a list of books on Amazon about spiritual gifts, I first see many titles, and second, I note that most of them were written after 1970. Why?

The Charismatic Movement coincided with the Jesus Movement in the 1970s, emphasizing spiritual gifts and creating a renewed interest in gifts of the Spirit. Before then, most churches and denominations either ignored the gifts or believed that the power of God was limited to the first century.

The perception of the power of God working through spiritual gifts and miracles changed from cessationist (limited to the first century) to continualist (spiritual gifts still exist). And this renewed belief in the power of God began to seep into all churches.

Worship songs changed. Christians began asking one another, “What are your spiritual gifts?” New denominations were formed that emphasized spiritual gifts (Vineyard, Calvary Chapel, and others). 

Arguments ensued as the new wine of God’s Spirit began stretching the old wineskins of previous church routines. Pastors didn’t understand how to respond when Charismatics raised their hands in worship or insisted that God could work through a guitar instead of a pipe organ.

I was involved in the “The Conference on Spiritual Renewal,” an organization that emphasized using spiritual gifts, during the 1970s and 1980s. I also knew several pastors from cessationist churches who had been fired for attending one of our conferences.

Now, decades after the renewal of the 1970s and 1980s, I don’t hear much about spiritual gifts anymore. Most Christians today believe in spiritual gifts, but we find more passion in sharing our Enneagram than results from a Spiritual Gifts test.

The church today, while being continualist in belief, has become practicing cessationists in action.  

There are many reasons—including the moral failure of many charismatic leaders, over-promising of miracles by faith versus nothing happening when we pray, and a general post-Covid disenchantment with large churches.

My passion for spiritual gifts survives! 

The Apostle Paul prayed for Timothy, “I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands” (2 Timothy 1:6). I’m asking God for a renewed passion for spiritual gifts today.

A recent author defined spiritual gifts as:

Capacities or abilities imparted to Christians by the Holy Spirit to enable them to exceed the limitations of their finite humanity in order to serve other believers to the glory of God.

Is this why the church is lukewarm today? That we’ve lost abilities empowered by the Spirit of God?

Tomorrow, in Interruption #1354, I will discuss finding our spiritual gifts.