![]() ![]() Normally, spiritual gifts are given at salvation, but also need to be cultivated through spiritual growth. A determined Christian who strives to learn the Word and develop his teaching ability may become a better teacher than one who may have the spiritual gift of teaching, but who neglects the gift.Īre spiritual gifts given to us when we receive Christ, or are they cultivated through our walk with God? The answer is both. We are all called to evangelize whether or not we have the spiritual gift of evangelism. Some may not be as gifted at evangelism as others, but God commands all Christians to witness and disciple (Matthew 28:18-20 Acts 1:8). If God commands us to do something (such as witness, love the unlovely, disciple the nations, etc.), He will enable us to do it. There is one thing that is abundantly clear-God’s command is God’s enablement. If He did, then who would serve in all of the other functions of the body of Christ? If every Corinthian strongly desired a particular gift, such as prophesying, God would not give everyone that gift simply because they strongly desired it. Having said this, it still remains that these gifts are distributed according to God’s choosing, not our own. Now, why would Paul tell them to strongly desire the “greater” gifts if they already had been given all they would be given, and there was no further opportunity of gaining these greater gifts? It may lead one to believe that even as Solomon sought wisdom from God in order to be a good ruler over God’s people, so God will grant to us those gifts we need in order to be of greater benefit to His church. Paul tells the Corinthian believers that if they are going to covet or long after spiritual gifts, they should strive after the more edifying gifts, such as prophesying (speaking forth the word of God for the building up of others). These passages also indicate that not everyone will have a particular gift. In order to participate in this ministry, a simple skill and musical competence assessment must be made.We are also told in 1 Corinthians 12:28-31 and in 1 Corinthians 14:12-13 that it is God (not us) who chooses the gifts. “Liturgical worship is given a more noble form when the divine offices are celebrated solemnly in song, with the assistance of sacred ministers and the active participation of the people.”By serving in this ministry, not only are we offering a prayer to God and guiding the congregation through the same prayer, but we are also giving the liturgy a more sacred meaning. According to Chapter 6, paragraph 113 of the Sacrosanctum Concilium: 113. Music Ministry is a gateway to have a one on one conversation with God, praising His name and thanking him for all the blessings He has bestowed upon us, while at the same time, encouraging the congregation to participate in that same collective prayer, through song. Sacred music has a magnificent way of keeping the word of God engraved in our hearts and there is no better way to worship His Holy Name than by praising Him with song. The purpose of Music Ministry is to promote the active participation of all members of the congregation through song. ![]() In this same way, we should cultivate and invest our God-given talents to worship and participate in the Liturgy. Matthew 25:14-30 in the Parable of the Talents teaches us to cultivate our talents and invest them. ![]() Many of us have been blessed with God’s gifts and talents, but few of us use those same gifts and talents for their full purpose. ![]()
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