From the Pulpit...

We study the cessation of sign gifts (speaking in tongues, prophecies, words of knowledge, interpretation of tongues, miraculous healing, and the apostolic gifts). These gifts have ceased because their purposes have been entirely fulfilled and there is no need for them today. Those purposes were as follows: 1) to authenticate the NT apostles, 2) exhort to Jewish unbelievers, 3) to identify new racial or ethnic groups in the early church, and 4) to edify fellow believers.

Our Scripture reading was found in 2 Samuel 22:1-24.