House Church Talk - Re: cessation of spiritual gifts

[David Anderson]

     Dear readers,

It was joy to return from the weekend and to read the mail. Jim P and Jim 
S and Glenn have blessed me immensely and I am still looking things over 
for more blessings. Think of me as a bee, going from flower to flower...

I just realized that much time has passed since ugliness reared its ugly 
head on this list. God be thanked. In times past it was so prevalent that 
a close friend in Ohio advised me to discontinue the list. I realized 
then that I had little emotional capital left to expend on those in 
cyber-space who practiced ugliness. You see, my other relationships 
demand and deserve my emotional capital, so to speak.

So, if you have the gift of encouragement, bring it on, OK? Also, please 
practice self moderation when it is needful, preferably off-line but not 
necessarily. Be meek about it, of course.

          ----------------------------------

Jesus was the most mature person ever and he also manifested a number of 
the gifts. 

John 2:11 This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and 
MANIFESTED FORTH HIS GLORY; and his disciples believed on him. 

There is certainly no shortage of counterfeit gifts in circulation today. 
One way to identify the counterfeit is to ask whether the interests of 
the Kingdom are advanced or if some person (or "ministry") other than 
Jesus is glorified, as in the above text.

After a discussion of the gifts in Chapter 12 or Corinthians, Paul then 
showed a "more excellent way" - love!

    David Anderson