Some of you may have become a little disappointed in the development of this series? I know well our very common human expectations. We would all probably enjoy a diatribe like the antichrist accusations of some Reformational literature. Yes, we may very much appreciate a justification that we in the Reformed tradition are right and special in the Lord's sight.

Once I almost bought an ethnic bumper sticker. It read: "God made the Scots a wee bit better". Well, humility prevailed and you won't see that on any of my vehicles. And lately I have come to appreciate from history that the major reason God saved the Scots was to prove once and for all, that no group of clannish thieves and rustlers is beyond redemption!

I hope that my emotions in last week's consideration of liberal subtractions from the true faith did not get out of hand. In the same way, I pray that today's consideration of charismatic additions to the gospel are equally restrained. In each weekly edition of this series on the true faith I have tried to focus on a primary element of error suffered by specific contemporary Christian traditions.

I believe the Charismatic problem is very much tied in with the context of modern American and British social history. By this I blame the popular notion that any American can grow up to be president. Long have we lost an historic sense of calling to career, work and witness.

During World War Two, we almost lost the war in Europe because we wrongly believed that any bright bushy tailed young man could be trained to be a combat leader. The Germans looked for natural leaders and promoted them. As a result, even at the end of the war, a mere handful of1900 men in a German Division could fight most American divisions of 12,000 men to a standstill.

We have lost a generation or two of school children to a similar premise that almost anyone can be trained to be a school teacher. Well, they can't and the ones who can't have been promoted to supervisor situations. At least we have had the common sense to guard the medical profession a little more carefully. Even our special needs advocates in public education realize that not everyone should be trained as a surgeon! However, I do wish we would be more careful whom we would admit to technical automotive training and cosmetology school! So would some of our customers who realized that some of their functioning car parts had been traded for worn out parts from a student's junk heap. And I know the student with green hair will think twice before allowing an illiterate hair dresser to practice on her head!

Now, what has this got to do with the excesses of some extreme charismatics? Well do I remember the multi-year pilgrimage of a middle aged man in his pursuit of the spiritual gift of healing. I also remember a visitor to our congregation who moved on to a charismatic congregation where he was encouraged to pay for lessons in tongues speaking .

Again, one of my former students once bragged to me that he had spent $384 for a thirteen week long Bible study with a popular cult. I don't think that the theology of that expensive group would even rival the depth of our own free Bible Study! Why at the outrageous rates charged by that sect: The Way, our weekly Bible Study could bring in over fifteen thousand a year! And we do more than have our participates sit on a mountain top and meditate! Very many ministers in this city would even have been totally lost in the discussions of the last few weeks!

Yes, there are extreme cases and many so called charismatic groups are nothing more than faithful joyous worshipers of our God in heaven. But, the danger of the charismatic edge of Christ's Church is that too many people begin to desire noticeable gifts that are no longer common. The reality of the tongue's phenomenon which is growing in popularity may be nothing more than an emotional moment when speech is not possible.

The tongue's phenomenon may also be a common ecstatic condition observed across the board of many ancient and modern religions. The ancient Greek oracle at Delphi supposedly spoke in such a manner. And very many Shamans and Witch Doctor's would feel very much at home in an ecstatic worship situation. We see in Paul's letter to the Corinthians that Paul does not condemn completely the phenomenon, however in chapter fourteen he has some very persuasive language to the effect that there are better ways to spend our time in worship and in edification.

As for prophecy, unlike Nostradamus, every prophet must be one hundred per cent correct in the manner of Daniel and the other Old Testament saints called to this task. Jean Dixon, the popular prophetic charlatan has a public record of being less than ten per cent correct in her imaginations. You don't read this fact in the same scandal sheets that publicly announce her annual fantasies. By the same token, any modern Christian prophets must be held to the same biblical standard.

Chapter thirteen, verse eight is very astute in acknowledging that prophecies may cease, tongues my be stilled, and the direct knowledge of the first Christian generation may well pass away before the Lord's return. We in our Reformed tradition would affirm that interpretation.

We ought also go further and instruct that each person by grace is given specific gifts for which they may offer thankful praise. You all know that we do not expect every person to work in the nursery, to lead in worship, to teach, preach or to play the organ! Yes, some of us with six months practice might be able to play one hymn tune. And some with difficult preparation may well be able to give a public testimony. However, there are gifts of grace that are given to everyone in the body of the Church.

Some of you may be too satisfied with the grace of listening? But, I do know that there are times in life when that is almost more than enough. In an era when some people have moved from abusive churches or others have been pulled into Christ's Church from paganism, or even some have suffered from long term worldly problems beyond their control _ there we must affirm the timely gifts of grace to transform lives and character.

The Holy Spirit as Paul affirms, in verse eleven of chapter twelve, determines who will receive the proper gifts for the building up of the Church. Sometimes people have gifts which they will only affirm when a congregation persuades them of the fact of God's blessing. Other times people will attempt to demonstrate gifts which a congregation will just as quickly realize are lacking.

We all know that there are gifts that I as your pastor lack and we are all thankful when we find others in our midst who can demonstrate a particular spiritual gift which is necessary. Long have we awaited for the Lord to provide a second elder so that we can organize as a congregation. Perhaps at the end of the year this will finally be possible. We also need to realize that at least two more people with the gift for teaching are needed to expand our Sunday School and to provide back up for Bible Study and Sunday School when key people are away.

Paul affirms in our passage today that "There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men." We may be confident that whenever God assembles His true Church, there will be manifested all of the necessary gifts to move His work forward. May we each remember this as we all consider the calling of His spirit in our careers and in our witness. Amen.