Being Spiritually Gifted and Spiritually Mature Are Not the Same Thing
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It is exciting to see gifts operate in people. However, we often confuse being gifted with being mature. I want to share with you the story of a church that was extremely gifted, but also extremely immature.
They Abused the Taking of Communion
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Confused Worship Services
You can read chapter 14 to see how disorderly the services were.
As you can see, this gifted church had a lot of issues. I would almost say what they had in gifts they lacked in maturity. That’s why some of the most gifted people can be the most immature, because there is no connection between the two.
The reason why this can happen is because people are not the source of their gifts. They come from the Holy Spirit. In that same 1 Corinthians 12 list, we see that the Holy Spirit gave gifts to each one for the good of the body and as he saw fit. This means that the gifts came as a result of his grace, and because they are gifts they did nothing to earn them because if they did they would no longer be gifts but rewards. However, as we have seen, just because you have a gift does not mean you have maturity.
Is there a way you can keep this from happening? The answer is yes. Here is the solution. Use the gift but develop the fruit. The real evidence of maturity in a person is not the gifts they possess but the fruit they display. Consider this verse in Galatians.
Imagine for a moment if the Corinthian church, in addition to their gifts, had displayed this fruit. That would have been an unstoppable, amazing church. They would have been flowing in the power of God through the gifts and the character of God through the fruit. When this fruit begins to grow and appear in your life, this is evidence that the Holy Spirit is working and maturing you. In other words, your maturity comes not from doing more but from being more.
The more fruit that is evident in your life, the more you start to look like and remind people of Jesus. This is not only evidence of maturity, but it positions your gift to have greater impact. While it is great to develop and exercise your gifts, make sure you are developing fruit along with it because that is the real test of your maturity.
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