Gifts or Maturity

“He [the Lord] made known His ways to Moses; His acts to the children of Israel” (Psalm 103:7)

“ For forty years I was grieved with that generation, and said ‘It is a people who go astray in their hearts, and they do not know My ways.’ So I swore in My wrath, ‘They shall not enter My rest’” (Psalm 95:10,11)

It sounds like in these verses there were two different categories of Israelites whom the psalmist is referring to: (1) those who know God and understand Him and His ways of doing things; (2) those who only know God by His “acts”—or miracles.

The Israelites always had to see miracles in order to believe in the God who had brought them out of slavery!! They didn’t really know God or how He accomplished His purposes. In other words, they thought that the only way God acted, no matter the situation, was by performing a miracle. Miracles were the answer to everything. Sound familiar?

As charismatics we are quick to defend the functioning of the Gifts of the Spirit. I would like to suggest that the Gifts are not the goal in our lives or of those lives to whom we minister. God is forming something. Not just “church”—or especially not “church growth”. But He is after maturity!! One could have 50 Gifts operating through him, and yet be immature! We can see this demonstrated in history. But, even more evidentiary are the letters Paul wrote to the Corinthian church (1 Corinthians, chapters 12-14.) He chastises them for having all the Gifts going on yet they do not have love. They were immature and needed to grow up in Christ.

God is raising up His Bride. I don’t believe His desire is for this little bride trotting along behind him like a Japanese wife of the last century. He is forming a mature Bride who can assist in managing His Kingdom. At the same time, in a different metaphor, He is growing mature “sons” who, when they have reached the appropriate maturity under his tutor, will be “adopted” into mature sonship and assist Him in the business of His Kingdom. 

You don’t get that maturity by knowing God only by His “acts”.

(Continued in next blog post)