1) Spiritual gifts are divine enablements—grace given by God through the Holy Spirit—to fulfill a role in the body of Christ for its edification and equipping others for ministry.
--6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; 7 or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; 8 he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness. Romans 12:6-8
--7 But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift. 8 Therefore He says: "When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men." ...11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 1 Ephesians 4:7-14
2) Not all have the same gift(s).
--27 Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually. ...29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? 30 Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? 1 Corinthians 12:27-30
3) The spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. The believer has control over the use of his gift; he can determine to exercise it or not, and this is to maintain a degree of order and opportunity in the assembly.
--32 And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. 33 For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints. 1 Corinthians 14:32-33
--27 If anyone speaks in a tongue, let there be two or at the most three, each in turn, and let one interpret. 28 But if there is no interpreter, let him keep silent in church, and let him speak to himself and to God. 29 Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others judge. 30 But if anything is revealed to another who sits by, let the first keep silent. 31 For you can all prophesy one by one, that all may learn and all may be encouraged. 1 Corinthians 14:27-31
--40 Let all things be done decently and in order. 1 Corinthians 14:40
4) The usual requirement of the Sunday Morning sermon and the requirement to keep the attention of children and adults for Sunday School classes may be more than what the gifts provide. The gift of teaching or knowledge may be some short simple truth to impart to the gathering, but instead, there is an expectation to have something that can keep the attention of people, often requiring some degree of entertainment.
--29 Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others judge. 30 But if anything is revealed to another who sits by, let the first keep silent. 31 For you can all prophesy one by one, that all may learn and all may be encouraged. 1 Corinthians 14:279-31
5) The Apostle Paul speaks of a maturity principle concerning the gifts, or at least concerning certain gifts in First Corinthians 13:8-12.
What he says is somewhat obscure and open to debate.
In referencing the gifts of knowledge—though he may just mean particular knowledge and not the gift itself—and prophesying and tongues, he speaks of their incompleteness and transience.
Paul speaks of that which is complete, which is to come, when that which is incomplete or partial will go away. This complete thing is not identified.
Some say Scripture, and some say it's the coming of Christ or the kingdom.
It would seem that the complete and the incomplete should be the same kind of thing: complete knowledge will replace incomplete knowledge. But that doesn't necessarily mean the completed canon of Scripture is in view.
It could be the conditions that will exist at the coming of Christ with reference to knowledge. One might conclude this with Paul's words: “ For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.” 1 Corinthians 13:12
Yet, interestingly, Paul also says: “When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.” 1 Corinthians 13:11 This speaks of maturity.
Maybe the obscurity is in the fact that there is a progressive move away from the need for certain gifts as the Church matured. Maybe there was less of a need for the more miraculous sign gifts to establish the Church as it matured. What was needed early on would gradually fade away as the church matured from a child to an adult—something like that.
The church still needs the roles necessary for its edification and equipping, but not in the same way.
Obviously, something has changed in the way the church looks and functions today. It could be that the church is more carnal, or tradition has limited it proper function, or it could be a combination of all these things: carnality, tradition, and a certain maturity since the First Century.
Whatever has happened over the centuries, regarding spiritual gifts, the principle that every believer is a part of the body and has a role in its edification needs to be maintained.
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