I just concluded reading a book, Theo of Golden by Allen Levi. I very highly recommend it. As I drove between errands and meetings yesterday, I was thinking about the story and the unexpected gift it was to read that book and how precious it was to me, and I started to think about the blessings of God that ignite something within you, something that you can’t deny is real but something that you find hard to explain. Then I thought about the gifts of the Spirit and how precious they are. Then I thought about the cheapening of them by some segments of the Christian Church, and my thoughts went there in grief.
The gifts of the Spirit as described in 1 Corinthians 12:7-11 “To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good - gifts of wisdom, and to another the gift of utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.”
Paul lists these gifts in a chapter that precedes one of the most well-known scriptures, 1 Corinthians 13, which lists something greater than these spiritual gifts, love. Chapter 13 describes what is the fruit of this love; patience, kindness, not boastful, not arrogant, or rude, not insisting on their own way, not irritable, not resentful, does not rejoice at wrongdoing but rejoices in truth. This love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. These attributes are the evidence of the Holy Spirit being in the room with the supernatural gifts of the Spirit.
I became a Christian in the 1970’s in the Jesus/One Way movement. I was filled with the Holy Spirit shortly after with the evidence of speaking in another tongue. I was a teenager. From there to this day in October 2024 I have been through and witnessed a lot in the church world in the United States. These experiences include a healthy dose of Independent Charismatic Churches. Yet what started with truth in many of these churches ballooned into a lot of ego-driven performances, discouraging me and many others.
In 1 Kings 18:20, Ahab sent to all the people of Israel to gather the prophets of Baal and Asherah on Mount Carmel. Elijah had just had a conversation with Ahab to do so. We have one prophet of God and 850 prophets of both Baal and Asherah gathered. Elijah then asks the people of Israel how long they will go limping between two opinions, if the LORD is God, follow Him, but if Baal is, follow him. And the people did not answer a word. (verse 21)
What’s going on here? Why does this story come to mind when writing about the subject of gifts from God and the Holy Spirit? Why did the people not answer a word when challenged by Elijah?
What we have is a set up for God to show His almighty power, and we have people hedging their bets on what will happen and looks to be the most successful. It applies to God’s gifts as God is sovereign in His giving and His gifts are beyond the power and the human will of the masses. His gifts cannot be manufactured by man. Elijah was one against 850 yet God was with Elijah, not with the majority.
To worship God for the Israelites was to obey Him and follow instructions. It was to bend their own will to His. To worship idols is not that. To worship idols in whatever culture is to adapt yourself to that culture and serve what they serve at that space in time. What we have in the United States is a materialistic, success-driven culture, measured by clicks and social media followers, followers being the key word. Yet, we are supposed to be following Jesus Christ. When Christian interests, be they a church, an individual, or an organization, seek to duplicate the worldly success of stars and popular culture but with a Christian theme plastered on the human efforts, are we hedging our bets also?
I wish and desire that Christians that don’t read their Bibles daily would start to. As I began a few years ago in a much more rigorous habit of Bible study and prayer, an understanding of discipleship has emerged for me in a greater degree and it continues to contrast greatly with the newest Christian fad or book or spiritual quest, for gold dust or laughing or digital number sequences popping up randomly talking to us. Prophesies spoken that tickle a person’s ear that no one bothers to check later to see if they came true, and they mostly don’t. A very popular ministry in South Carolina shoots off prophesies as popcorn yet no one seems to check whether they come true. People rush to grab the latest inspired book that seem to generate followers of the sect but is weak at making disciples of Christ. At the turn of the century we had frantic “lemmings” following each other over the cliff of preparation for doom that never happened and I can’t remember any apologies given by leaders that preached this error after it was proven to be false. How did this happen in the first place? God knew what was going to happen and what wasn’t. Someone wasn’t listening to Him.
In conclusion, and I know this is a rabbit trail of sorts from writing about unexpected precious gifts and it might be a somewhat abrupt ending, I know. I just want to say that I personally want to wait to be given what God truly has ready to give me, at all the times I need them, and without me trying to buy my own. Those gifts given are the most precious of all.
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