Two things are simultaneously true: God doesn’t want Christians ignorant about spiritual gifts (1 Cor 14:1). Christians are ignorant of spiritual gifts. Admitting this is true, how do we address this dilemma?

Paul faced this same challenge when he wrote to the Corinthians. He described the believers there as infants in Christ, able to drink milk, not eat meat. (1 Cor 3:1-2)

To these unspiritual followers of Christ, the apostle gave instructions to bring them into a mature walk with Christ. He taught how to do the right thing in marriage, the role of sex, instructions about giving, righteous behavior, unity in church, and receiving communion. God is so practical! Paul concluded his letter with extensive instructions regarding spiritual gifts and how to operate them in their gatherings. (1 Cor 12, 13,14)

Among us now, the Lord seems to be saying two things that seem contradictory: 1) The days of children’s church for adults are over. 2) Take baby steps before you try to run.

I was reminded of this recently when I taught a group of believers about the gift of prophecy. I told the story of how this gift began its expression through me when I was a child. I took baby steps before I walked maturely. Here’s how that happened in my life.

I was only a child when I received the baptism in the Holy Spirit. I was filled to overflowing with the Holy Spirit’s intoxicating joy! With that experience, I spoke in tongues for the first time. Later, I learned to pray and worship in the Spirit in my private devotions. As a teenager, the Holy Spirit began to give me the ability to speak in tongues in church, which was followed by someone interpreting the message in English. Over time, I began to interpret unknown tongues spoken by someone else in the
assembly. As time went by, I began to occasionally feel a word well up within me to speak to the church without any tongues spoken beforehand. This was the gift of prophecy being expressed through me. Later still, I learned how to give personal prophesies.

This pattern is described by Paul in 1 Corinthians 14, where he explained tongues, interpretation, and prophetic utterances in an assembly of believers. For me, I was taking baby steps before I could walk or run. The Lord patiently led me in my development at a pace comfortable and appropriate for my age and stage. My understanding caught up with my experiences as I walked by faith, one small step at a time. It was an adventure in faith!

The point is that our walk with the Lord involves progressive development. We don’t mature overnight. There is no such thing as instantly becoming full-grown. It is a mark of youthful zeal or pride to think you’re ready when you’re still untrained, only an apprentice. It can be a mark of religious legalism to judge a person young in the faith, still untaught, and put expectations on them they’re not yet capable of handling. Be patient with one another!

We are witnessing the whole body of Christ rapidly maturing. Believers everywhere are being awakened to the reality of the Spirit’s activity. This is due to the charismatic outpouring and the ongoing restoration of contemporary apostles and prophets. Pastors keep the peace and guard the flock, but apostles require obedience to the word. They are spiritual fathers. They lead us to war and build. Prophets point the way and discern the times. God is giving us teachers to show us how all this works.