House Church Talk - Re: cessation of spiritual gifts (was: Glenn, may I forward ...)

[David Anderson]

>The cessation of spiritual gifts, at least those enumerated in Rom 12, 1Cor
>12-14, Eph 4, and refered to in 1Pet 4 is fact. It was implied that these
>gifts were predicated upon maturity but that is not Biblical. The gifts were
>a necessity due to a lack of maturity in the Body of Christ. Gifts were
>given to supply that which lacked in the new church. Now maturity supplies
>it having been nurtured in the admonition of the Lord, of course. It would
>be handy to possess such gifts in situations where maturity is lacking but
>we have recourse to other things now available. A goal should not be how
>to get everyone to use their gifts, it should be how to get everyone mature!
>Then gifts are unnecessary. Maturity provides for all functions that gifts
>did in the first century. Maturity is possible and necessary since there are
>no temporary gifts now to fill in the gap.
>
>In Christ,
>Ross Purdy

     Hi Ross,

I'll have to think about this cessation of gifts of which you speak, 
brother. Others say that only the miraculous gifts were terminated.

RC Sproul, a popular theologian, was recently interviewed on one of the 
major Christian cable networks. He was illustrating some point of 
doctrine and said: "Just as we don't raise the dead today..." At that 
point he was interrupted by someone else on the stage who claimed to 
regularly raise people from the dead.

(I am NOT suggesting that he did or did not raise the dead. I personally 
would like to see somebody raised in downtown Chicago or Times Square for 
a change. Really, If you have gone on into glory, is being brought back 
here something to desire?)

Did you ever read the book by RJ Rushdoony entitled "Revolt Against 
Maturity?" It's a few decades old but right on in many ways.

The maturity of which you speak directly reflects upon the biblical 
concept of eldership, which I believe is much more comprehensive in its 
application than most dare to consider.

Ross, I suppose that your view of maturity includes charity, somewhere 
very near the top.

     David Anderson