49 Religious Lies Jesus Told Me to Stop Believing - #19 We Are Not to Seek Spiritual Gifts

Summary

About ten years into his Christian life, Mark began listening for God’s voice. He describes this as returning to the way he believes people related to God in Eden, and says it changed his understanding of the Bible and Christian life.

The central idea is a rejection of the belief that Christians should not seek spiritual gifts. Mark says he once thought the gifts might still be available, but that actively pursuing them risked deception. Because he did not seek them, he says, he did not operate in them and instead relied on his own wisdom and strength.

In a journaled exchange that he attributes to Jesus, Mark is challenged to test the motto “seek not, forbid not” against Scripture. The response points to 1 Corinthians 14:1, which urges believers to earnestly desire spiritual gifts, and Psalm 105:4, which calls people to seek the Lord and his strength. Mark adopts these verses as guiding principles: pursue both God and the operation of spiritual gifts.

He also argues that biblical references to different people receiving different gifts do not mean a person can receive only one or a few. Mark says Paul demonstrated at least eight of the nine gifts, and Jesus at least seven. He cites his book, Overflow of the Spirit, for examples. He concludes that believers can live out the Bible’s teachings and operate in spiritual gifts.

Practices and lessons

• Desire spiritual gifts rather than assuming they should not be pursued.
• Seek both God and his power; Mark says these are not competing aims.
• Study teachings for yourself. Before repeating or teaching a theological claim, examine it carefully in Scripture. Mark describes doing a concordance study across the Bible.
• Journal and apply what you study, treating it as something to live out rather than merely as theology.
• Listen for God’s guidance in prayer. Mark invites viewers to read the relevant verses and ask God what they mean.
• Seek confirmation from three trusted advisors about what you believe you have heard, then proceed in faith.
• In daily interactions, Mark says he fixes his attention on Jesus and tries to release whatever he believes is flowing—such as wisdom, healing, power, or miracles—to the person he is with.

Mark hopes churches will stop passing down inherited teachings without reexamining them and instead seek fresh understanding from God. He closes by inviting viewers to reject the “lie” that spiritual gifts should not be sought and to pursue God and spiritual power.

Speakers and sources featured

• Mark, the first-person speaker, who recounts his experience and explains his views.
• Jesus/God, as represented in Mark’s account of a journaled exchange; this is Mark’s attribution.
• The Bible, especially 1 Corinthians 14:1 and Psalm 105:4, along with Mark’s references to biblical examples involving Paul and Jesus.
• The Wesleyan Church, mentioned as the context in which Mark says he encountered the motto “seek not, forbid not.”