Spiritual Gifts

This is a plum tree at my Mom's house. These plums are still green, yet they're already an astonishing blue color. Last year they amazed me when they were ripe, because they were the most gorgeous blue-purple, the kind that the camera can't even capture properly because it's almost ultraviolet.

Last week at a friend's house, we got into a discussion about Tongues. You know, Speaking in Tongues and all that stuff. It's sad that various Christian denominations abuse the whole Tongues thing and ignore the other spiritual gifts.

We listened to a tape series years and years ago about spiritual gifts, and how they're not what you always think. It's stuck in my mind because it impacted me so much back then.

Ex 31: 1-11 Then the Lord said to Moses, “See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts— to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of craftsmanship.

Moreover, I have appointed Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, to help him. Also I have given skill to all the craftsmen to make everything I have commanded you: the Tent of Meeting, the ark of the Testimony with the atonement cover on it, and all the other furnishings of the tent— the table and its articles, the pure gold lampstand and all its accessories, the altar of incense, the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, the basin with its stand— and also the woven garments, both the sacred garments for Aaron the priest and the garments for his sons when they serve as priests, and the anointing oil and fragrant incense for the Holy Place. They are to make them just as I commanded you.”

Note that first paragraph. Working in gold, silver and bronze, and woodworking, were all spiritual gifts straight from the Holy Spirit. And they're just as important as Tongues, Prophecy, Teaching and all the rest.

So, when somebody has a gift for, say, sewing, and other has a gift in architecture, and another is skilled in mathematics, aren't those all spiritual gifts, too?

Yet I never seem to hear teaching that talks about that.

In the Exodus passage, God had specially equipped and trained those men so they could make the Ark of the Covenant, the Tent of Meeting, and all the instruments and clothes that the priests needed. God seems to train us in the exact skills that we're going to need later on down the road. And the awesomest thing of all is when we use them to bring the glory back to Him.

Wouldn't it be cool if there were revival meetings where, instead of speaking in tongues, people were giving displays of the things they were talented in and praising God for it?