MOTIVATIONAL GIFTS


(Confession of faith –its in your bulletin this week)


“I am prosperous, I am healthy, my soul prospers in the knowledge of Jesus .. even Jesus the Word.  Everything I put my hand to prospers.  I cannot be conquered, I cannot fail.  For me to fail, God's Word would have to fail and God's Word NEVER fails.  The Greater One lives in me and He helps me succeed.  He has given me great abilities.  Father God has made me the Righteousness of God in Christ. That’s what I have and that's who I am."



Have you ever notived that there are some things you are really good at – things that really get you excited. Then .. there .. are … other things – things you are no good at = at all. Things that make you go <yawn>.


Have you ever noticed that your wife/husband or friends will get REALLY EXCITED talking about something that just leaves you COLD .. or .. vice versa? These are GIFTS – MOTIVATIONAL GIFTS that GOD – yes GOD put in you when you were created.


Understanding these MOTIVATIONAL GIFTS could save your marriage !!


Understanding these MOTIVATIONAL GIFTS could save your job !!


When you UNDERSTAND what motivates you or what motivates someone else, it is easier to accept them – it is easier to LOVE them AND it will be easier to accept who YOU are and love YOURSELF.


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I have PERSONALLY struggled in this area .. not always understanding who God made ME. Not remembering that I am NOT perfect or COMPLETE in myself ..

Eph 4:15-16 NASU

15 but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ,

16 from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.


I have adopted the phrase when I tried to be consistent in the “follow up” ministry at church it was like “pulling needles through my cheeks”. Its NOT ME !!!


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TODAY, I will give you a RESOURCE for you to use at home on the internet test your motivational gifts: www.gifttest.org/index.cfm



AND I will give you a teaching on MOTIVATIONAL GIFTS:


Rom 12:3-10 NIV

3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. 4 Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. 7 If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; 8 if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.


9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.


People often have a combination of two or three gifts that makes them unique.

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Prochecy – color him RED (he/she stands out and sometimes clashes with others)


Prophecy – points out the way of God, also warns to stay away from sin.



The first motivational gift in Romans 12 is the gift of prophecy. The Greek word for this gift is "propheteia". Someone with the motivational gift of prophecy, will quite often come across as being rather stern in their dealings with other people. To a "prophet", everything is either black or white. There is very seldom any grey areas. But, this is a classic case of the gift being misunderstood because their real intention is to help people.



“Prophecy” has a keen sense of right and wrong. He/she tends to become a perfectionist because of their high standards and often become their own worst critics. The primary function of this gift is to reveal information the perceiver has discerned in a way that will help others.

In these cases, God has allowed the perceiver to discern things so they can pray about them. Often when people do not understand the purpose of this gift, they can feel (and become) judgmental instead of prayerful. But make no mistake about it, this information is purposefully shown to the perceiver for a reason!


The presence of those with the motivational gifts of prophecy will keep others from giving way to worldly desires and thus making bad choices.

GOOD CHARACTERISTICS
1. Direct and frank when speaking.
2. Eager for the correction of others.

3. Capacity to identify, define, and hate evil.
4. Dependency of scriptural truth to validate authority.


THE “DOWN SIDE”

(The first 2 are the same as the GOOD CHARACTERISTICS)
1. Direct and frank when speaking.
2. Eager for the correction of others.

3. Pessimistic, negative in outlook.
4. May be subject to deep depression.


LIKEABILITY FACTOR? … 3 (out of 10) Why? Nobody likes to be told what to do .. human nature you know ..But the REWARD FACTOR? … 10 … Service ministry people don’t get their names written in the Bible – Prophets do.

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Service – color him blue – pleasant people, easy to work with, doesn’t stand out, LIKES to work in the background


Service (Ministry) - The Greek word “Deacon”, to wait upon tables is the meaning of ministry here . . . some people LOVE to serve the temple of God (either the building or its people)

The Greek word for service is "diakonia". It literally means waiting on tables like a waiter/waitress.

The motivational gift of service is necessary for the Body of Christ to function efficiently and effectively. Some of the tasks performed by those with the gift of service, include cooking meals, serving at dinners, working with sound systems, cleaning buildings as well as many other "day to day" tasks that are always needing to be done. Often they work in the background providing services that others will never see.

What motivates a server is helping someone else. Because servers have a tendency to prefer jobs in support roles, they are not usually in the forefront or public eye. They prefer to accomplish their tasks without an audience and therefore, their personalities tend to be more quiet and reserved. Unfortunately, some people interpret the reserved nature of a server and the desire to work behind the scenes as being uninterested. This couldn’t be further from the truth! Servers see the needs "behind the scenes," as essential to making things work on the "front lines."


While the server doesn't seek the limelight he or she does appreciate hearing a thank you for a task that has been done.

GOOD CHARACTERISTICS

1. providing for the physical, material, or spiritual needs of people and the church building

2. taking care of the less fortunate in society such as the poor or the widowed.

3. helping in the distribution or collection of food, clothing, etc. to give to those in need.

4. Use of personal funds to avoid delay in meeting needs.
5. Avoiding red tape; working alone.
6. Having physical stamina; not regarding weariness.
7. Willing to work extra to see the job done.


THE “DOWN SIDE”
1. May appear pushy.
2. Eagerness to serve may be seen as a desire for self-advancement.
3. May be upset with others who do not have the same gift.
4. Find it difficult to accepts service form others.

LIKEBILITY FACTOR ? … ABOUT 9

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Teaching – color him brown, sometimes dull, sometimes dry, but has the potential to be VERY well liked – kinda like CHOCOLATE


Teaching - Giving CLEAR, STEP BY STEP DIRECTION (sometimes to a fault :) about God’s Word - sometimes about EVERYTHING :)

The third motivational gift in Romans 12 is the gift of teaching. The Greek root word for teaching is "didaskalia". People with the gift of teaching are consummate debaters. It doesn’t matter if they are in the office or at home, teachers can appear argumentative while they are simply trying to gain further understanding. People with the gift of teaching need intellectual stimulation. They easily get bored with routine tasks. Teachers love to learn and keep their minds busy. They usually enjoy research and love the opportunity to share something they have learned. The teacher would rather gain knowledge than eat, sleep or just about anything else.

GOOD CHARACTERISTICS
1. Emphasizes the accurate use of words; enjoys word studies.
2. Delights in research to validate truth.
3. Desires to evaluate new information by comparing it with established systems of truth. (Where is it in the Bible?)
4. Avoids non-biblical illustrations.
5. Resists scriptural illustrations used out of context.
6. Enjoys the research involved in presenting a lesson.

THE “DOWN SIDE”
1. Accuracy in interpretation may override practical application; failure to apply learning; teaching style may be dull.
2. Details of research appear by many to be unnecessary.
3. So many details give the appearance of lack of warmth and feeling; concern for message, but not the people.

LIKEABILITY FACTOR? … Depends on the personality of the teacher .. 4 - 8

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Exhorter – color him purple – nice personality, sticks out a little, adds FLAIR to your life


Exhorter - “To call near” or “to comfort” - It usually takes a warmer heart to exhort than to teach - an ENCOURAGER :)

The Greek root word for encouraging is "paraklesis". Exhorters will normally be outgoing and have a personality that will draw other people to them.

Encouragers have the ability to call out the best in others through encouragement and motivation. People with the gift of encouragement feel comfortable around people and tend to have extraverted personalities. Encouragers want to see people improve and succeed. They have an ability to bring new life to people who have lost their determination and feel burnt out.

The apostle James was an exhorter. He said,
"Count it all joy when you fall into different kinds of trials and testing."


Encouragers are good with every personality and gift. However, because encouragers are considerate of the feelings of others, they can easily be offended when people are not considerate toward them

GOOD CHARACTERISTICS
1. Tends to avoid systems of information that lack practical application.
2. Looks for living examples applied to in the Bible.
3. Grieved when teaching does not have practical application.
4. people oriented.

THE “DOWN SIDE”
1. Feeds on success, can be impatient.
2. Emphasis on steps of action may oversimplify the problem.

THAT’S IT .. WHAT’S NOT TO LIKE ABOUT THE ENCOURAGER ??


LIKEABILITY FACTOR ? … Usually 9 or 10 … people LIKE to be warmed and encouraged.

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Giver – color him (you guess) GREEN (you got it) he/she puts the most finances into the Body of Christ.


Giver - Some people WORK to GIVE ! ! ! You may NEVER understand that, but it is TRUE ! ! ! They think EVERYBODY should :) It is a BLESSED gift, because when you GIVE, you ............ (receive).


The Greek root word for giving is "metadidomi" meaning to impart. The New Testament scriptures show that giving is characterized by: 1) giving of one’s excess or bounty.

2) Enjoys supporting ministries

3) specifically contributing to the less fortunate.

Givers also donate their time through volunteer work or helping others in some way.




GOOD CHARACTERISTICS
1. Ability to make wise purchases and investments.
2. Desire to give anonymously.
3. Enjoyment in meeting needs without pressure or appeals.
4. Joyful when gift is in answer to prayer.
5. Concerned that gifts are of high quality.

THE “DOWN SIDE”
1. Cause, not people-oriented.
2. Judgmental about others' finances.
3. Desire to give sometimes appears to a form of control.
4. Desire to feel a part of the ministry or individual to whom gifts are given.


LIKEABILY FACTOR? 5 – 10 Depends on his/her interaction with others

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Leader – color him WHITE – he/she knows the way to get it done, the HEADLIGHTS on the vehicle of Christ

Leader - When the coffee spills, the leaders stands up and says, “Joe, get the mop. Mary, take this wash cloth, Nancy, write down ‘get more coffee’, WAS ANYBODY HURT?”


The sixth gift in Romans 12 is the gift of ruling. The Greek root word for leader is "proistemi," which translates "administer". The scriptures illustrate how a ruler will: 1) organize 2) delegate responsibility 3) see a project through.

What makes the gift of ruling unique is the ability to see the "big picture".  The ability to guide people and communicate to them regarding how to develop the "big picture" gives the ruler an assertive, take-charge attitude. So, naturally, rulers can appear bossy to other people who do not understand the ruler’s gift.

But when things in the church become fragmented, he can salvage the whole program if given a chance. As soon as a task is completed, he is already working on the next event and starts giving the directions before others have recovered from the last project.



GOOD CHARACTERISTICS
1. Ability to see the overall picture and clarify long-range goals.
2. Ability to organize that for which he/she is responsible.
3. Tendency to stand on the sidelines until responsibility is his or hers; does not push for position of leadership.
4. Fulfilled in seeing all the pieces come together - seeing people enjoy the finished product.
5. Desire to move on to new challenges when a task is completed.

THE “DOWN SIDE”

1. Delegation of responsibility is sometimes seen as avoiding work.
2. People viewed as resources; projects seem more important than people.


Likeability Factor? 9 Most people like a leader – but not all.

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Mercy – another blue – easiest to get along with.


Mercy - Mercy looks at the sinner, not the sin. Mercy is more concerned with reconciliation than “getting it right”. A wonderful gift, but it drives “prophecy” crazy :)


The Greek word for mercy is "eleeo".

These are those who “weep with those who weep, and rejoice with those who rejoice”. Often, people with the gift of mercy are usually effective in roles that require compassion, such as physical therapists, social workers, counselors, or where they can listen to the problems of others, such as human resources where employee concerns are addressed. Its best to have an organizer in the office AND a mercy gift to man the phone

It is this ability to show compassion and mercy that enables the person with this gift to demonstrate a large amount of patience. They are less likely to become frustrated when people repeatedly come to them with problems unlike those gifted in the other areas. Some people think of mercy as being weak or a compromiser, but he/she usually has some strong beliefs and principles. It's just that he doesn't like to hurt anyone's feelings, so he doesn't express them very often.


GOOD CHARACTERISTICS
1. Ability to feel the atmosphere of joy or distress in an individual or a group.
2. Sensitivity to words and actions that hurt others.
3. Tolerant of people’s personal failures.


THE “DOWN SIDE”
1. Not objective.
2. Sensitive and easily wounded.
3. Avoidance of firmness appears to be weakness.
4. Sometimes unwilling to "speak the truth in love."
5. May become depressed or inwardly grieve over others with problems.


Likeability Factor? 20 on a scale of 10

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Why did I teach this today? Well let me “put a handle on this so you can take it home.”


WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND WHAT GIFTS MOTIVATE PEOPLE AROUND US - WHEN WE UNDERSTAND AND SEE, IT IS EASIER TO LOVE AND GET ALONG ! ! !


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BOTTOM LINE .. Love

1 Cor 14:1 TLB

14:1 Let love be your greatest aim . . .


LOVE makes life WORTH LIVING ….


They (the world – your friends – your boss) will know we are Christians by our LOVE!