The Purpose of Your Gift-Jesus Is Lord and God is Love

There has been much controversy over spiritual gifts since the early church. The central point of our modern rub is whether or not certain gifts are "for today." Some say that gifts such as healing and speaking in tongues have ceased to exist, while others say that speaking in other languages is the only sign that one has been baptized with in the Holy Spirit. Since this controversy has existed since Paul's day, it can't be solved in a short writing; however, Paul does "bookcase" his instructions about gifts in 1 Corinthians 12 with two crucial prerequisites for any use of a gift. First, the gift must be exercised under the Lordship of Jesus Christ through the personal leadership of the Holy Spirit. Paul tells the Corinthians that the result of their previous style of worship was silence from their idols. He contrasted this with the truth that our God speaks to us and through us: 2You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols. 3Therefore I tell ... no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.
What will the exercise of gifts demonstrate? The bottom line is that every true exercise of a Spritual gift will say loud and clear, "JESUS IS LORD" If it does not say this, it is of the flesh. Second, right in the middle of the instruction of gifts picked up in Chapter 14 is Corinthians 13; aka, the Great Love Chapter. Here Paul, in beautiful, lyrical language demonstrates that if our motivation is not love, we say nothig, are nothing and gain nothing. So, the motivation for the use of any gift must be that of loving others. This is supernatural, and anytime someone loves another with the love of Jesus Christ, the Spirit of God is working through them in a miraculous way--regardless of where they stand doctrinally on this issue.