'The Common Good' / Neil Dawson

Grace Community Church NI

We read in 1 Corinthians 12 about the range of spiritual gifts given to us as children of God. Each person is given a different gift, but they all point to revealing who God is and who we are in him. When we don’t unwrap our gifts, the whole body of Christ misses out, as all the gifts need to work together. Like the orchestral symphony that has many different parts, but is dependant on one another to work towards a common goal, we must use our gifts for the advancement of the kingdom of God. When it comes to spiritual gifts, there tends to be strong opinions at the extremes: ​“cessationism” and ​“charismatism”. 1 Corinthians chapters 1 and 14 warn holders of these views. One thing is certain: if a gift turns the person using it into the main character, there’s a problem.