More on the Spiritual Gifts...

Well, I've been researching this issue of the Spiritual Gifts, and how you come by them, a lot in the last couple of days. And, I've read some pretty interesting articles. None has specifically said *how* you come by the gifts (other than that the Holy Spirit gives them, and that He is the one who chooses who gets what gift ~ see 1 Corinthians 12:11). But, I think I'm getting an answer to my question: Do you have to have someone lay hands on you and pray for you to be able to receive a Spiritual Gift?

After reading several websites, I read this verse:

1 Corinthians 12:11 ~
"All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and He gives them to each one, just as He determines."

So, if the Spirit gives a gift "to each one", how would those who've never heard of this 'condition' of needing someone to lay hands on you be true? Not everyone would know about that ~ I didn't until the other day. But yet, the Word says that "each one" gets a Gift.

Romans 12:6-8 says:

"In His grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly."

This verse seems to say that we, as believers, already *have* our gifts. See the use of "past tense" -- "God has given us different gifts" -- not present or future tense. Nowhere in this passage does it say you need to have hands laid on you before you can do these things.

So, I think I'm going to stick with the belief that you *don't* need to have someone lay hands on you to receive these gifts. Maybe it helps, but I don't think it's necessary.

(*Please note, though, that I'm not condemning anyone who still believes in the laying on of hands for the receiving of a Gift. If you believe that, that's fine. I'm only posting what I've come to believe is true through my search of Scripture*)

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Now, I want to also mention that I *do* think God wants us to search out what our gifts are. 1 Corinthians 14:1 says, "Let love be your highest goal! But you should also desire the special abilities the Spirit gives..."

The gifts are given so that we can build up the church, not so we can edify ourselves. 1 Corinthians 12:7 says, "A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other." (note: again it says we EACH receive a spiritual gift!)

Our purpose on earth is to please God (Hebrews 11:6; Colossians 1:16), and to "go into the world and make disciples" (Matthew 28:19), so edifying the body of Christ (church) is just a part of that ... anything that helps build one another up will, eventually, assist us in spreading the gospel! At least, that's how *I* see things. :-?

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Lastly, it's important to point out that NONE of this matters if we don't have LOVE. 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 says:

"If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn't love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God's secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn't love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn't love others, I would have gained nothing."

So, without Love, all of it is pointless, anyway. :o)