…to another speaking in tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. I Cor. 12:10b

I’ve never had my speech overtaken by the Spirit’s presence; I’ve never dropped to the floor in worship, slain in the spirit. There are people I know who assure me that if I just had a little more faith, I’d experience both. There are others who assure me that they would question my mental and emotional stability if I experienced either. Is speaking in tongues a sign of a strong faith? Is it a sign of a damaged psyche or emotional defect?

I don’t need to categorize the gift of speaking in tongues as anything more or less that it is – a gift of the Spirit. But it’s a gift only when it deepens the life of the community of faith, when it’s partnered with the gift of interpretation. Otherwise, it’s pointless.

According to Paul, it’s not meant to be for its own sake, but for the benefit of everyone. The same holds true for all the gifts he rattles off in his letter to the Corinthians. None of them are proof of a person’s spiritual superiority, and they are all blessings for the community at large.

There are congregations today that experience speaking in tongues and its interpretation. Mine is not one of them. Perhaps the Spirit doesn’t waste a gift on a community that wouldn’t know what to do with it…

…to another the discernment of spirits…1Cor 12:10a NRSV

How do we determine if the voices in our heads or the palpable group dynamic we feel in certain crowds are on the side of angels? How do we recognize the still, small voice of God in the cacophonous whirlwind that can drown out our inner and outer dialogues? Team spirit can bind us together over something beyond our own individual preferences and experiences – just go to a soccer game. Group cohesion is powerful enough to prompt soldiers to march into certain danger and strengthen the resolve of protestors as they face tear gas, dogs, and beatings at civil rights marches; it also gives people permission to do unspeakable acts of violence that alone they would not dare to do (hazing, lynching). These things are spiritual things, beyond the scope of emotion alone.

So how can we tell what kind of spirit is prompting action? Just like most things, it boils down to God-Self-Neighbor. Is this a spirit fostering the lives of others or is it destructive? Sometimes, we need someone else to help us with that discernment. Whether the ability to discern spirits is inborn, comes through thoughtful and prayerful study, or some combination the two doesn’t really matter. The Spirit gives the gift of discerning spirits to bless the world. The particulars may vary, the results remain sacred.

to another, the working of miracles…I Cor. 12:10a, NRSV

These are the days of miracles and wonders, this is the long distance call. The Boy in the Bubble, Graceland, Paul Simon

You yourself are a miracle, a gathering of handed down genetics, dust, love, and some divine spark. Every living thing you see around you is miraculous. This day is an instance and an opportunity that will never come again.

Perhaps the gift of working miracles is just as dependent on the willingness of others to recognize a miracle when they see it as it is on the miracle worker’s ability to bring it about…

To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles…I Corinthians 12:7-9 NRSV

Jesus healed with compassionate touch, and taught his disciples to do so. Someone has fits, fever, blindness, or can’t speak: a plea for help, a touch, and health restored. Possession is transformed into inner freedom, darkness and pain to light and relief. The gift of healing continues to be given to this very day.

There are those who take advantage of the desperate and sick, turning suffering into a self-glorifying and profitable spectacle. They prey on those least able to see them for what they are. But that doesn’t mean that the gift of healing isn’t alive and well in our time and place. It is. True healers are among us. Sometimes, the Spirit heals even through the least likely sources: the con artists who claim a gift they do not have.

To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit…

I Corinthians 12:9a, NRSV

Most people can accept the others as gifts, bestowed by God where and when needed. But not faith. For whatever reason, people have convinced themselves that faith isn’t a gift. Faith has been redefined as a merit badge, something that any true believer can achieve with hard work and good intentions. It’s also been considered a sign that a person is a true follower, a way to identify who is really God’s beloved.

But faith is a given, a gift. It isn’t an achievement or an outward sign of an inward connection to God. It’s a gift given to some for the benefit of all. Not receiving faith is no more a mark of infidelity to God than not being able to heal others. We don’t get to choose our gifts, but we do get to choose whether we judge the state of our souls and the souls of others by its presence or absence.

Now there are varieties of gifts but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit…

ICorinthians 12:4-9, NRSV

Knowledge: knowing that a tomato is a fruit.

Wisdom: knowing not to put it in a fruit salad…

It’s easy to mistake knowledge for wisdom, to mistake someone who knows a great deal with someone who has the ability to foster life and love in daily living. Knowledge, even and perhaps especially Biblical or theological knowledge, can be applied in ways that bring the peace of God closer; it can also be used to inflict damage and incite hatred. Acts of terror, even genocide, have been committed in the name of faith, with perpetrators justifying their actions with Biblical quotes and theological justifications.

Wisdom is a perspective, an understanding; it is knowing that all good things are rooted in love – love for God, love for self, and love for neighbor. When wisdom guides knowledge, amazing and beautiful things come to pass.

Listen to those whose knowledge is vast; let them add depth to your understanding. But don’t forget that knowledge requires wisdom to keep it from harming God’s beloved creation and creatures.

To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. I Corinthians 12:7, NRSV

There are any number of ways to use the gifts we have, numerous contexts for their growth. At times, it feels like there is only one place for our gifts; at others, the options are so many that it’s almost paralyzing. So how do we choose the right context? How do we know where and how to invest our time and effort growing our gifts?

When we remember that our gifts come from the Spirit, we know that they are precious and unique – and should be treated as such.

When we remember that our gifts aren’t for ourselves alone, that they manifest in us for the common good, we can avoid wasting them on self-centered pursuits that will benefit no one beyond ourselves.