1 Corinthians 12:1 Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant.

Well, for once I really don’t care for how the Japanese translation I use expresses something. The Japanese says, “I really want you to know the following things.” I guess that’s more polite than accusing people of potential ignorance, but I’m much more likely to call a spade a spade than the average Japanese is. The point is, ignorance about the gifts of the Holy Spirit is not a good thing, yet it is very common. There is even a lot of ignorance and/or misinformation in Pentecostal/Charismatic circles, which can make things all the more confusing. One thing that contributes to the confusion is the different Greek words that are translated “gift” in different passages. This isn’t the place to go into a discourse on that, but Don and Katie Fortune’s teaching on the subject is excellent, though their focus is on what they call the “motivational gifts” discussed in Romans 12. The point is, ignorance of spiritual gifts leaves us unaware of the resources God has for us, which means we generally don’t make full use of them. I have been using the theme of “God’s Gifts” in drawing up the month­ly Scripture Reading Lists for several months now, and we’ve still got a way to go before getting through Revelation. There’s a lot of information in the Bible! We do need to know what are spiritual gifts and what are otherwise, but we especially need to remember that “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” (James 1:17)

I have preached and taught on this subject a good bit, but I still feel there is very little understanding at times. Maybe that’s because I don’t understand spiritual gifts well enough! I am not to give up, and I need to remember that each new believer is totally without information on the subject, and not fail to teach them. New Believer Training is an area in which I’ve not been very consistent, and that’s not good. Another factor is that believers who move here from other areas, and of course other churches, have widely varying levels of understanding of each of the subjects I try to teach. They might seem very mature because of their understanding in one area, or even their level of commitment, but be largely ignorant in another area. Raising well-rounded children isn’t easy! As in everything else, I need the wisdom and power of the Holy Spirit even to begin to get the job done properly. That shouldn’t discourage me, because I know that wisdom and power are available to me, if I will submit myself to Christ. More than anything, I need to teach with the idea of those people in turn teaching others, for genuine multiplication. (2 Timothy 2:2)

Father, thank You for helping me understand how totally dependent I am on You. Help me be more and more of an open conduit for You to flow through, sharing Your love, grace, and mercy with as many as possible, for their blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!