April 24, 1907

“‘Desire Spiritual Gifts’” The Medical Missionary, 16, 17, p. 131.

ATJ

ALONZO T. JONES

“DESIRE spiritual gifts.” Do you? If not, why?MEDM April 24, 1907, page 131.1

Surely this is as plain an injunction as there is in the Bible. Why, then, should you not obey it?MEDM April 24, 1907, page 131.2

Perhaps you will say that you have long desired to see spiritual gifts manifested in the church, and have even wondered why they were not.MEDM April 24, 1907, page 131.3

But that is not what the Scripture says; it does not say, Desire spiritual gifts manifested in the church; but, Desire them manifested in yourself.MEDM April 24, 1907, page 131.4

“Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God.” Romans 14:22. Suppose you should see all the gifts manifested in the church, and yet none of them be manifested in yourself, what good would that do? You could even see all this, and yet be lost yourself. Do you not know that thousands, yes, the whole world, will see all these gifts manifested in the church, and yet it will do them no good?MEDM April 24, 1907, page 131.5

No; this is an individual matter. True, the gifts are to be manifested in the church; but this can be only by their being manifested in each individual member of the church. The gifts are divided “to every man severally.”MEDM April 24, 1907, page 131.6

Are you a member of the church? Do you belong to the body of Christ? Do you believe in Jesus? Then you are to desire that the gifts of the Spirit shall be manifested in yourself. If this is not so with yourself, you can not be ready to meet the Lord.MEDM April 24, 1907, page 131.7

Yet to “desire spiritual gifts” is only a part of the injunction,—the subordinate part, too. The whole of it is, “Follow after charity, AND desire spiritual gifts.”MEDM April 24, 1907, page 131.8

To desire spiritual gifts is altogether proper. Yet to do this without charity’s being held solely in view, would be altogether vain; because though we had all the gifts, and yet had not charity, it would profit us nothing, and we would be nothing.MEDM April 24, 1907, page 131.9

Then as the only true way to desire spiritual gifts is to desire them upon yourself, and as the only proper connection in which to desire them is to follow after charity and desire them, it follows that you must follow after charity yourself, and desire spiritual gifts manifested upon yourself in order that you may attain that thing after which you are following.MEDM April 24, 1907, page 132.1

And the charity after which you are to follow is the bond of perfectness, it is the love of God. And as “this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments,” then it is certain that the thing after which we are to follow while we are desiring spiritual gifts, is the keeping of the commandments of God. And the keeping of the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus is the consummation of the third angel’s message.MEDM April 24, 1907, page 132.2

There can be no true keeping of the commandments of God without charity; there can be no true charity without spiritual gifts; there can be no spiritual gifts without the gift of the Holy Ghost; therefore without the gift of the Holy Ghost, there can be no true giving of the third angel’s message.MEDM April 24, 1907, page 132.3