Following up on his comment about spiritual gifts being partial revelation that will one day cease, the Apostle Paul illustrates: “When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things” (1 Corinthians 13:11). Paul isn’t saying that spiritual gifts are childish, but that we can be childish (immature) with spiritual gifts. There comes a time when we need to stop chasing rabbits and go after the real target.

Although I am now in my mid-60s, I can still clearly remember my childhood attitudes. I can still remember thinking about hanging myself so others would then feel sorry for mistreating me. I remember carrying two big bricks up to my bedroom and vowing to build my biceps until I could whip the older bully next door. I can still remember planting nails against the neighbor man’s tires because he had made me mad. These were all immature attitudes that all children have to work through.

But now that I am an adult, I don’t think like that anymore. I have other, more mature (hopefully) ways  of dealing with conflict. So, I put away childish ways. So it is in the church. We don’t deal with irresponsible people like we did in the world (hurt them), but we love them into change. The world’s ways don’t work in the Kingdom of God; but Kingdom ways do work in the world.

So many churches act just like secular social clubs, electing popular friends to positions, jockeying for influence, giving toward my own ends, serving to be served. But God’s children should be above that. Paul is telling these Corinthian believers to grow up! Stop acting like immature children using spiritual gifts for your own benefit. Spiritual gifts are for the benefit of others in the Kingdom.

When was the last time you observed childish attitudes in the Lord’s church?

Tags: children, Christian love