The question was posed from one member of the group to another, where he stood on cessationism. It is a good question, and while he answered I pondered what my own answer would have been, and not just what I think, but trying to line it up with Scripture. See, the Bible doesn't say that some of the gifts have gone home. 1 Corinthians 12:7-11 says that God gives gifts to each one of us, according to his wisdom, including those "power" gifts. So is it in his wisdom to NOT give these gifts to the contemporary church? It later draws a parallel between different body parts and different gifts, that they all are part of the whole, relying on each other for functions.
So what parts are we missing because we do not see these gifts in the church today?
As the book continues into chapter 13, a discussion of love ensues, with this interesting section:
(8)Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. (9)For we know in part and we prophesy in part, (10)but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears.
What the heck does that mean? Prophecies and tongues will cease? Why?
And why is love thrown in here like this? Is it a gift? We know it is part of the fruit of the Spirit, and gifts are given of the Spirit. They do seem, in that sense to be related. From the beginning of chapter 13, we know is better to have love than to have the gift of tongues but not love.
Maybe this means today's church does not know how to love, and so is not given the lesser gifts of tongues, prophecy, etc.
