"Spiritual Gifts": "Church Edification" Within the Postmodern Context

Tony Ogouma, M.А.

Abstract

The Seventh-day Adventist Church based on its 17th Fundamental belief, professes that God bestows upon all members of His church in every age spiritual gifts which each member is to employ in loving ministry of the church and humanity .It can therefore be said that every Seventh -day Adventist has been granted by the power of the Holy Spirit at least a spiritual gift with the aim of edifying the church within a postmodern context. While it is true that spiritual gifts are important in the church, it is also true that they are to be employed in a context which is different from the Pauline settings. Therefore, how should a Seventh day Adventist use his or her spiritual gift in order to edify the church? Should the edification of the church be shaped by postmodernism? This paper attempts to determine if the use of spiritual gifts by Adventists should be modelled according to the current age - the postmodernism. The paper argues that, in the face of popular pressure to adopt un-biblical fads of our time in order to edify the church, every believer should make a commitment to stand upon the teachings of the Holy Scripture and the Spirit of Prophesy in ministering to the church without any compromises.