The Progressive West Virginian. [volume] (Williamson, W. Va.) 1911-1913, 1912-05-30

| -sss-Szz - the church, Wh1cn
is his body
Every believer at conversion is
united to the body OF Christ. and
thereby becomes a member Each
member has some function to per.
form, just as the hand or eye has in
the physical body. ITO every man his
work.
As each member has some function
| to perform, so also he has some gift
for the great head OF the church does
not expect the members to serve
without capacity for service. "The
manifestation Of the spirit is given
to every man." q Cor. 12:7).
Every believer is bound to believe
| that he has some spiritual gifts. even
If he has not discovered it, and even
If other people think and say that he
has none. God says he has, and that
settles it, and the humblest believer
will find, If he is willing to wait, and
work. and pray, that Gods promise is
| true.
When Dwight L. Moody was exam
med for church membership one of
the deacons went home and told his
family, that OF all the people whom
he had ever examined, young Moody
was about the most unpromising
Events proved that Gods promises are
more reliable than a deacons judy
ment
The spiritual gifts which believers
receive are not OF their own selec-
| ton, but are such as God chooses to
| confer upon them. Dividing to ev-
cry man severally as he will" God
hath set the members every one OF
them in the body as it hath pleased
him." q Cor. 1911, 49,.
Spiritual gifts are not conferred on
| us for our own benefit, but for the
perfecting Of the saints, for the work
Of the ministry, for the edifying Of the
| body Of Christ" (Eph. 4:12). Too oft.
en- this is forgotten, and many fee.
Bile church has unemployed talent
enough in its membership to make II
mighty spiritual power, IL only its
members would exercise their gifts.
| 1. Many Christians question serious.
ly whether they have any spiritual
gift, and the devil encourages them
in this belief. So long as he can keep
them inactive In the masters service
they give him little trouble. AS a
rule this notion arises from the fact
that they have never attempted any
kind OF Christian work They have
never tried earnestly to meet any
| spiritual need, and hence they do not
know what they can do. A duck
would never know that 1t could swim
II it did not attempt 1t.
f Gifts Are Different.
1t is great mistake to suppose that
all spiritual gifts are necessarily gifts
of speech. BY no means. What a
misfortune 1t would be II the body Of
| Christ were all mouth! Let It never
be forgotten that the eye and the ear,
| the hand and the foot are just as i'm
portant as the mouth. Romans
| l2:6-15 shows what a great variety of
gifts the spirit confers on the men,
bers Of the body. Among them is
cheerfulness, hatred of evil, patience
In suffering. prayerfulness, and hospi
tally. The fact Is that many spirit
ual gifts are not recognized as such.
About two years ago was present
at football game between Yale and
Princeton. On the grand stand were
nearly twenty thousand people. d.
rectly back of me sat young lady
accompanied by gentleman. She
was one Of those healthy, happy girls
that carry sunshine with them wher-
ever they go. Whenever a good play
was made, she gave vent to her en-
.susiasm in the heartiest manner
finally, aaYale man caught the ball
and, making fine end play, he ran
down the field in triumph. Springing
q her feet. she threw up her hat, coat,
aid everything about her that was
Gose, and shouted. "Oh, am SO glad
! was born"
The young man seemed equally
glad, and | am frank to confess that
shared his sentiments Such SPLEEN
did enthusiasm! What would it be
worth to the cause of Christ? How
It would inspire church, or put new
life into dead prayer meeting, or
make even drudgery seem delightful.
You may not have the gift OF en-
thusiasm. but perhaps you have cour-
age to attempt hard things, or a pa
thence that never tires, or cheerful.
ness that is contagious, or the faculty
Of making others see things as you do,
or the gift of approaching other peo-
pies good qualities. which is one of
The finest of ALL You certainly have
some gift, for God says 80.
II How can one ascertain what his
gifts are? BY going to work for
Christ. AS rule no one knows what
gifts he possesses until he begins to
use them.
Unless we employ our gifts. they
will be taken from us, for the law
which governs all our faculties is this
use them or lose them. Mr.. Charles
Darwin in early life was very fond of
poetry. and passionately fond OF mu-
sic. He became interested in natural
science, and eventually devoted his
life to 1t. In his last years he testi-
fed that his scientific studies had so
completely changed his tastes that he
no longer cared for poetry. and music
caused him positive torture. In other
words. he had lost certain gifts By
disuse.