Spiritual Gifts

      It is human nature to fear what we do not understand, especially in the church. I have always found it interesting that so many Christians do not understand what a spiritual gift is, and that many do not believe in them at all, or will accuse you of not being a true Christian if you claim a spiritual gift. On the flip side, there are churches that believe so strongly in the Holy Spirit and spiritual gifts that they claim you are not saved or are weak in the spirit if you do not claim a spiritual gift! I have been to both kinds of churches, and after time studying the Bible and my own personal experiences, I believe in spiritual gifts.
     I would like to ask a pastor or some sort of theologian why is it that if we as Christians teach that God is the same now as He was in the past, and always will be in time to come, that we deny spiritual gifts? 1 Corinthians 12 not only talks about spirituals gifts, it list many of them, and if our God is always the same and has always been the same, why would he stop giving people spiritual gifts?
     True, the Bible warns to be cautious of oracles, and fortune tellers, those using witchcraft, but in 1 Corinthians 12 verse 10 it also speaks of people receiving the spiritual gift of prophecy. We are called not to judge and condemn those with spiritual gifts, we were not meant to be suspicious but to use faith and prayer to discern the spirit and His will to help each other better serve The Lord. Spiritual gifts are meant to be a tool to help us better support and care for each other. They are meant to give us awareness of the Spirit and His will, not divide us.
     Farther in 1 Corinthians 12 it goes on to talk about how we are all part of the same body and need to learn to functions as one body. That each part is meant to function in a different way with a different purpose, so then is it not logical that since we are meant to work in the Spirit in different ways that God would make us differently? And doesn't it too make sense that if a lesser being like Satan can cause people to use gifts such as spirit discernment and prophesy for his purpose that God can use them for His?
        I believe in the Holy Bible, I believe it as truth. And I believe my God is the same God now that He was when He created this planet. I believe in all His gifts and blessings, and believe that those Christians who doubt and condemn those with a spiritual gift need to take a second look at 1 Corinthians 12. I don't believe in telling anyone how to believe or what to believe, mostly because it is usually just a case of whether you want to believe or not but what I do ask is to be open enough to consider it. Give it research, time, and prayer. Those are the three steps to finding truth.

1 Corinthians 12: 1-11
1 Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. 2 You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols. 3 Therefore I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.

4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.

7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues,^a and to still another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.