Victor Kubik gave a heartfelt and captivating speech Monday, May 6, for the GCE, titled “Actually Using Spiritual Gifts.” He began by telling about his experience visiting Sabbath keepers in Ukraine in 1991. These people have beliefs very similar to ours, except a few areas. Since then, he’s visited them, worked with them, spoken to them, and their beliefs have moved closer to ours, as they’ve come to understand some things (such as the Holy Days) aren’t Jewish. During that first meeting, they read our fundamental beliefs and told Mr. Kubik: “You could do more with the Holy Spirit. It’s very important to us, but you seem to take a passive approach to the Spirit.”

Spiritual gifts are by definition gifts that come from the Spirit of God. We have tended to avoid the subject of spiritual gifts in the past because there are some who have abused certain ones, but we can’t ignore something God gives just for that reason.

Reading the story of the Pentecost of A.D. 31 when the Holy Spirit was given, we see that Peter, who had denied Christ three times in cowardice was now bold, filled with the Holy Spirit and proclaiming the truth to a large crowd. The Holy Spirit transformed Peter.

The early Church grew with a bang, with signs and wonderment, not just hype. And they didn’t even have Facebook! How can we today become like they were in Acts?

Mort bought a chainsaw, and the salesman told him it was guaranteed to cut down five trees in one day. Mort took it home, and it took him a whole day to cut down a single tree. So he took it back to the store and told the clerk, “This chainsaw only cut down a single tree in one day.” So the clerk took the chainsaw, and pulled the cord to start it up. Mort said, “What’s that sound?!”

Is it possible that we’re cutting down trees without turning the chainsaw on? Is there something else we haven’t added to do the work we have to do?

When the veil was torn in half at Jesus’ death, it wasn’t just access to the Mercy Seat that we were given, but access to the very power of God. His Spirit.

Mr. Kubik, addressing the elders gathered together, asked if they each seek to put the spiritual gifts of their members to work, as in putting a choir together to sing in harmony. He asked if they seek to find their members’ gifts and help them to serve in a way that fits with those gifts.

Mr. Kubik concluded by telling the audience that he firmly believes that there is a great work yet to be done by the Church. That the work of the Church with great power is just beyond us. God has a lot He wants to do through us, if we do it in humility, decently and in order. He asked the audience: “The Holy Spirit will do its work. Are we up to it?”