Quote:
Originally Posted by Igzy
Everything God creates is good. The issue isn't a natural gift or talent. The issue is the state of the heart of the person with the talent. If the person is subject to God, God can easily use the talent. If not, it's a lot harder.
But Lee, with his "natural constitution" doctrine, put the emphasis on the talent itself, as if it somehow needed to be "dealt with." This kept everyone wondering whether their gifts had been dealt with and so made everyone hesitate to use them.
This was just another aspect of Lee's overall misconceptions about spiritual growth. He made it more about some mysterious metaphysical condition of being rather than simply our heart being more aligned with God's.
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That it is more than "our heart being more aligned with God's", is indicated by this verse:
1 Cor 6:17 "But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him".
It does not say, "he who is joined to the Lord remains two spirits that look like each other", or "two spirits that are aligned".
I am not saying you are wrong about Lee's emphasis, just that the Bible does imply a reliance upon God.
I think that no one including Lee has a right to tell others how they should use their gifts. If they want to seek guidance and counsel from others that is fine, but it is a personal matter between them and the Lord. And who are we to deny someone to use their gifts in God's service, regardless of whether we think they are capable or not?
How does one know if their giftings are natural or spiritual? I would say spiritual giftings are those not naturally acquired. The spiritual gifts mentioned in the Bible (healing, prophesy, etc) have little to do with things that humans are normally capable of doing (playing musical instruments, arranging chairs, preparing food).