Gifts of the Spirit

Galatians 4:28-29 (NIV) - Now you, brothers and sisters, like Isaac, are children of promise. At that time the son born according to the flesh persecuted the son born by the power of the Spirit. It is the same now

I'm a Charismatic Christian who currently attends a Southern Baptist church because they are eager to work in the Great Commission - and also because they have the infrastructure needed to do so. But once bit, twice shy. So before joining this particular church I asked the Lord, "How am I to fit into this congregation?"

They neither understand nor believe in the gifts (of the Spirit), so they deny them. But they can't deny the love. Love is the one thing that everyone can understand.

Therefore I resolved to excel in love and not worry about the rest.

I started my Christian life as a cessationist because that's what my denomination taught. Cessationism is the belief that the Gifts of the Spirit died out after the days of the Early Church. This doctrine goes back back to a dispute between John Calvin and the Pope during the Protestant Reformation. But when I finally checked out several charismatic and pentecostal churches for myself, I discovered that my denomination was wrong on this issue.

I accepted the evidence for speaking in tongues as soon as I saw it because facts are facts - even when they take me outside of my comfort zone. But for a long time I didn't want that spiritual gift because it was unfamiliar and I didn't realize what it was good for. Until ... One night I found myself praying for my wife with more tenderness than ever before! Then I prayed for an acquaintance battling cancer with more power than ever before! I continued praying like this, for one thing after another, for quite a while. Eventually I realized that I had been praying in tongues the whole time! This was a line that I never intended to cross. Oh well! Once you cross it, there's no going back! And from speaking in tongues, it was only a small step to discerning evil spirits - an extremely helpful gift!

That was many years ago. Now I love it when my praise and worship rises above my stumbling English (I have a mild stuttering problem) and spills over into my (totally fluent!) prayer language. It's like being given wings to fly! There are also times when I am so stuck in a mental rut that I am unable to pray profitably with my mind. When that happens, what a relief to pray in the Spirit! Once a woman who overheard me praying in the spirit interpreted what I was praying about and then prophesied over me. Her prophecy later came true! Oops! Prophecy is another spiritual gift that cessationists deny. All I will say to the cessationists is:

      Just because the tracks don't go by your house doesn't mean there's no train!

But there's a lot more at stake than mere differences of opinion!
We are in a life and death struggle with the spiritual hosts of wickedness (Eph 6:12). And the Spiritual Gifts are meant to strengthen and equip us. The only one who benefits when we lay down our weapons and armor by denying them (as the cessationists would have us do!) are the Devil and his forces of evil. But as for me, I want all the weapons and armor that I can get!