Barnabas Ministries UK

Rev. Jeff Lucas

POPULAR PREACHER’S BOOK ON DISABILTIES

A popular preacher who had to spend a week in a wheel­chair after tearing a muscle has written a book about disability.

Jeff Lucas was also on crutches for three weeks after the incident, which helped him understand how disabled people are treated.

 “I suddenly realised the indignity that disabled people experience,” he said, describ­ing in particular how people talked over him rather than to him during this time. “How tragic when it happens in the life of the Church,” he added.

 Jeff, speaking at the launch of his new book, EnablingChurch, said the resource was ideal for believers who wanted to take a fresh look at what the Bible has to say about disability and become equipped to be more inclusive.

The book is co-written by Dr Gordon Temple, chief executive of Torch Trust, and his colleague Lin Ball.

Rev. John Willoughby

MOTIVATIONAL GIFTS.

(All Scriptures in NKJV, unless otherwise noted.)

VIII. MERCY.

1. MOTIVATION

a) It meets emotional needs. “He who shows mercy, with cheerfulness” (Rom 12:8).

b) The ‘feeler’. The motivation to identify with, relieve and show sympathy with those who are in distress. An ability to feel ‘where people are’ and to mentally and emotionally relate to their needs, in order to bring comfort and healing.

2. CHARACTERISTICS.

a) The ‘feelers’. Mercy people have an insight by ‘feeling’, rather than through ‘seeing’ or ‘knowing’ (as in prophetic). They have a great sensitivity to words and actions that cause hurt to others and can themselves be quickly and deeply hurt in personal situations. This quiet sensitivity gives them the ability to ‘feel’ an atmosphere of joy or distress in an individual or group. They usually enjoy a unity with those who have a similar sensitivity and have a capacity for non-verbal communication. It is often difficult for them to communicate personal feelings.

b) The needy. They have a great compassion and empathy for ‘hurt’ people, are often drawn to the underdog and the distressed and can be good one-to-one counsellors in such situations. They, however, have the ability to discern insincerity in others and instinctively close their spirits to such people.

c) Non-threatening. They are basically quiet, non-threatening people (unlike ‘teaching’ and ‘prophetic’) and it is this attitude, which is most obvious. They do not generally like to be up front or on the platform, but rather in the background. They sometimes find it difficult to reprove others, but they have a quiet strength, almost stubbornness on major moral or ethical issues.

de) Weak but strong. When emotionally involved with someone very close to them, they find it difficult to stand up for themselves, because what they would like to say might hurt the other person, so they tend to remain silent and thus become hurt themselves. However, on other occasions they can have very strong views, especially when they believe that a firm stand could be of benefit to the other person.

f) Sad but glad. As a balance to this non-threatening attitude, they have an ability to be extremely cheerful and jovial, although many will need to be in a ‘comfortable environment’ (i.e. their own home or with close friends).

3. EXAMPLES

a) The Good Samaritan. Luke 10:29-37.

* v33. He felt for the wounded man.

* v34. He was physically drawn to the person in distress and acted to alleviate his suffering.

* v35. He took care of him and paid his bill, to avoid possible embarrassment. He also had an ability to discern the Innkeeper’s sincerity.

b) The Apostle John

* He wrote a Gospel and three Epistles of love and mercy.

* Lk 9:51-54. He was spiritual and sensitive, yet able to reprove what he thought was insincerity.

* II Jn 12 and III Jn 14. He wrote short epistles, because he preferred to speak “face to face”

4. DANGER AREAS

* They can be too introspective, sometimes grieving inwardly and then exploding in anger or bitterness.

* They can take other people’s emotional needs upon themselves and thus suffer themselves.

* A great sensitivity to the feelings of others, may cause some people to feel that the mercy person is guided by sentiment and emotion, rather than by facts and logic.

* They sometimes tend to be indecisive and may fail to be firm, when necessary.

* Because of their deep feelings, they can suffer from depression.

* Their non-threatening attitude may sometimes appear to others as weakness and may hinder mercy people from freely expressing their deepest feelings

* Men who are mercy motivated may find great difficulty in feeling comfortable in some cultures (especially Western), which tends to project men as having a very tough, ‘Macho’ image.

* Some ‘women mercies’ can become too ‘frothy’ and therefore never really accomplish much.

5. SOME GOOD ADVICE

a) To others and pastors. This is one of the most needed gifts, but is often misunderstood and suppressed (particularly in men). Encourage and develop avenues of ministry for them in the church.

b) To Mercies. Learn to release your emotions and do not feel condemned, because of the depth of your feelings. Learn not to take other’s problems upon yourself, but rather give them to Jesus. Men need to re-think the qualifications for manliness – gentleness is not excluded (Look at Jesus)!

“Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” and “My little children let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth” (Heb 4:16. I Jn 3:18).

Rev. John Willoughby

MOTIVATIONAL GIFTS

(All Scriptures in NKJV, unless otherwise noted.)

VII. FACILITATING

1. MOTIVATION

a) It meets organisational needs. “He who leads, with diligence” (Rom 12:8).

b) The ‘Organiser’. The motivation to co-ordinate the activities of others, in order to achieve common goals for the Kingdom and also to lead, organize and direct in the right tasks to achieve it. The ability to understand long-range goals and to facilitate others in the task. Peter Wagner wrote, “The gift of leadership is the special ability that God gives to certain members of the Body of Christ to set goals, in accordance with God’s purpose for the future and to communicate these goals to others in such a way that they voluntarily and harmoniously work together to accomplish these goals for the glory of God.”

2. CHARACTERISTICS

a) Leaders and organisers. They are able to lead and to co-ordinate the activities and abilities of others, tending to be quiet but firm and usually have good management ability. Completed tasks give them a special joy; but once completed, they need a new challenge.

b) Wide view. Facilitators have a broader understanding of the situation than most other people. They have the ability to see the overall picture, to clarify long range goals, to know what and who will be needed and how long it will take.

c) The strong but reluctant organiser. Sometimes they tend to stand on the side-lines, until those in charge of projects hand them over or delegate to them a well prescribed area of responsibility. If there is no other leader present, they will often automatically lead.

d) Awareness. They have an awareness of the recourses which need to be available, in order to complete a task and also have an ability to know what can or cannot be delegated to others.

e) Thick-skinned. They appear able to endure complaints, pressure, grumbling and opposition from others in order to accomplish a task.

f) Zealous. They are positive people who have a special zeal for the cause of God’s people and work. They well understand the value of time and sometimes are workaholics.

3. NEHEMIAH

* 2:1-20. He was a leader (v12) and had a special zeal for the cause of God’s people and work (v5). He could sense the overall problems, surveyed the needs and did something about it (v13, 17). He proceeded in the face of external and internal pressures (v10, 19-20).

* 3:1-6. He knew how to delegate authority.

* 4:10-14. He led without fear.

* 5:1-13. He was able to deal with problems.

* 5:14-17. He made things easy for others and would not be a burden, taking no personal remuneration for his work.

4. DANGER AREAS

* They can be manipulative and can use people.

* They can neglect to use their gifts for the benefit of others.

* They can be too concerned with the project and not with the people – with a great zeal to get the work done.

* There is sometimes a temptation to accomplish personal goals, rather than those appointed by the Lord.

* They can be work-alcoholics and sometimes they expect others to be the same.

* They have a tendency to overlook major character faults, because a person may be useful.

* They tend not to like to spend time explaining details, or the reason why something should be done. This may cause some workers or colleagues to feel neglected.

5. SOME ADVICE

a) To others and pastors. Employ the gift for the body. Encourage the Facilitators to be involved in the practical areas of the church. Do not feel inadequate yourself, because of his leadership and organisational abilities.

b) To Facilitators. Lead with diligence. Be aware of people and their needs, not just the project in hand. Be willing to spend time in explaining the reason something needs doing. Be willing to take advice from your peers. Take time off sometimes!

“He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm and carry them in His bosom and gently lead those who are with young” and “Obey those who rule over you and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.” (Isa 40:11. Heb 13:17).

Rev. John Willoughby

MOTIVATIONAL GIFTS

(All Scriptures in NKJV, unless otherwise noted.)

VI. CONTRIBUTING.

1. MOTIVATION

a) It meets supportive needs. “He who gives, with liberality” (Rom 12:8).

b) The ‘Giver’. The motivation to see the needs of the work of God met and the ministry of others go forward and succeed, either emotionally or materially. It is the ability to handle and give assets and to be supportive of other people and projects. The desire to give stems from the very core of their personalities and is not limited to finances. Many are blessed through their generosity.

2. CHARACTERISTICS.

a) Finances. They have a wisdom and ability to acquire, handle and then distribute assets and know the value of things. They will not spend money wastefully.

b) Encouragement to others. They are able to stir up and encourage others to contribute to needs of many kinds and sometimes they will attempt to use their own giving to motivate others to give.

c) Spend little on themselves, but generous with others. They tend to go out of their way to save money in bargain hunting for their own needs, but any gift they purchase for someone else must be of the highest quality, regardless of cost.

d) Careful to whom they give. Contributors are not gullible, and similar to ‘mercy people’, they close their hearts to those who are insincere. They have a special insight about when and to whom they should give. They tend not to respond to ‘high pressure appeals’, preferring to give quietly and prayerfully to specific projects or people and find pleasure in doing so (without any pressure).

e) Big givers. They tend to give liberally and compassionately and are often willing to part with whatever they have.

f) Leadership. They are often bubbly, joyful people with leadership potential and are generally good organisers.

3. ABRAHAM – GENESIS

* 13:1-11. He readily allowedLotto choose the best land (v9-11).

* 14:14-24. Later he readily rescued him and his goods from capture (v14-16). He had great assets and had no trouble with the concept of tithing (v20). He discerned a wrong source and would not receive personally any gifts from the King of Sodom, “lest you should say, I have made Abraham rich” (v23). He was, however, willing for his helpers to take their share (v24).

* 22:1-3. Without a great fuss, he was prepared to sacrifice even his own son, because he believed that God required it of him.

* 23:14-18. He was concerned that he purchased the right plot of land, at the right price for his wife’s burial.

* 24:1, 10. He gladly gave of his own riches for the benefit of his son, Isaac.

* 24:35. As he was generous to others, so God was generous to him.

4. DANGER AREAS

* Restlessness. They need to be occupied or they can become restless.

* Underneath their enthusiasm, may exist a lot of self doubt.

* Givers often find it difficult to receive from others, i.e. affection, money, advice or compliments.

* Beware the danger of subtly controlling those to whom you give.

* Beware of the temptation sometimes to give, with a view to buying friendship and affection or a desire to receive something back in return (Mt 6:3-4).

5. SOME ADVICE

a) To others and pastors. Do not put pressure on any ‘Contributors’. Gently encourage them in their gifting and rely on them to hear God’s direction for their giving. Thank God for them and also thank them sometimes!

b) To Contributors. Remember to give with liberality, with simplicity and in secret. Do not give in to manipulation, self doubt or negativism.

“Give and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you” and “now brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able and even beyond their ability … but they gave themselves first to the Lord … ” (Lk 6:38. II Cor 8:1-5)

Rev. John Willoughby

MOTIVATIONAL GIFTS

(All Scriptures in NKJV, unless otherwise noted.)

V. EXHORTATION

1. MOTIVATION

a) It meets personal needs. “He who exhorts, in exhortation” (Rom 12:8).

b) The ‘Life-lover’. The motivation to stimulate faith and the spiritual growth of others. One who encourages personal progress and growth in all areas of life, both practical and spiritual and to meet the experiences of life.

2. CHARACTERISTICS

a) Experience. They tend to love life and a desire to have ‘personal experiences’, rather than to rely on what others have done. They need to ‘experience themselves’ before they feel free to be fully involved or to recommend others to be involved. Life illustrations are very meaningful to them, as well as insights from human experience, which can be related to Scripture.

b) Optimistic. Their attitude is generally positive and optimistic, thinking the best of everything.

c) Casual in outlook. Exhorters tend not to be given to self-examination or introspection. They usually have a casualness, which allows them to remain self-accepting, even under great stress.

d) Maturity through trials. They have the ability to see how various trials can be used by the Holy Spirit to produce new levels of maturity in people and enjoy being able to share the results of new insights and experiences from trials.

e) Needs attention. They require the full attention of their listeners, whether in groups or individually.

f) Importance of the ‘will’. They will often resolve personal problems by taking control of their own will and will encourage others to do the same.

g) Ordered ‘steps of action’. They have a desire to visualise or plan specific goals, then to recommend precise steps of action to achieve results. They tend to think of themselves as very well organised and practical and can be grieved, when their teaching or advice is not heeded.

3. BARNABAS. ACTS 4:36-37. 9:26-27. 11:22-26. 12:25-13:3. 14:19-22. 15:37-39.

* 4:36, 11:23. He was called the “Son of Encouragement” and was always encouraging the believers.

* 9:27. He encouraged the apostles inJerusalemto accept Paul after his conversion.

* 11:25. He encouraged Paul to leaveTarsusand to join him in ministry atAntioch, thereby enlarging Paul’s ministry.

* 15:39.Col4:10. II Tim 4:11. He continued to encourage John Mark, so that eventually even Paul valued his ministry and company.

* 11:23. In his preaching he appealed to the will (i.e. “with purpose of heart”) and always aimed for growth and successful living for believers.

* 14:22. He taught with Paul that difficulties bring us closer to God, “We must go through many hardships to enter thekingdomofGod” (NIV).

4. DANGER AREAS.

* If there is too much of an emphasis on ordered ‘steps of action’ to see a task accomplished, it can over simplify a problem.

* Exhorters can be exploited and prevailed upon to spend too much time with those who are not serious in spiritual matters.

* Due to their desire for things to be ‘comfortable’ (non threatening) where possible, there is a danger that people feel too much at ease at the expense of the truth.

* They tend not to be introspective, thus missing things in their own lives.

* Because of this emphasis on experience, they tend to live life to the full and in ‘the now’ without thought of consequences.

* The need for personal experience can rob them of faith to believe without experience (Jn 20:29).

5. SOME ADVICE

a) To others and pastors. It is good to affirm and to positively encourage the mature exhorters in your church, so that they are released to encourage, exhort and counsel the people.

b) To Exhorters. “Let him who exhorts give himself to exhorting”. Keep at it, even though at times you feel that you are the person needing encouragement!

“Everyone helped his neighbour, and said to his brother, ‘be of good courage’. So the craftsman encouraged the goldsmith; he who smooths with the hammer inspired him who strikes the anvil” and “exhort one another daily, while it is called ‘Today’, lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.” (Isa 41:6-7. Heb 3:13

Rev. John Willoughby

MOTIVATIONAL GIFTS

(All Scriptures in NKJV, unless otherwise noted.)

IV. TEACHING

1. MOTIVATION

a) It meets mental needs. “He who teaches in teaching…” (Rom 12:7).

b) The ‘Teacher’. The motivation to search out, study and make known the truth about facts and information. It is an ability to impart knowledge and to lead others into Biblical truth and doctrines.

2. CHARACTERISTICS

a) Searching for facts. They are often intellectual and quite intelligent. They find great delight in research and study to accumulate information, infact they can experience far more joy in organising and researching material, than in actually presenting it! They can be very concerned about details and are likely to have a wide range of books, records and notes – according to their interests.

b) Accurate and systematic.

* They will resist scripture verses and illustrations given out of context and tend to test the knowledge of anyone, who is teaching them.

* They place great emphasis on the facts presented, accuracy of words, right definition, pronunciation and origin (Greek or Hebrew).

* When they do present truth, it is in systematic sequence.

* They are orderly, logical, punctual, faithful people who are not easily persuaded.

* At their best they have the ability to make profound ideas interesting, simple and understandable – as Jesus did.

c) Concern for truth. They expect truth to have an impact because it is ‘truth’. Their concern for the facts and truth can be more important to them than the person to whom they are presenting information.

3. EXAMPLES

a) Apollos. Acts 18:24-28.

* v24. “Mighty in the scriptures …” He studied and had a good knowledge of God’s Word.

* v25. “Fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord.” He taught with accuracy and intensity.

* v26. “He spoke boldly in the synagogue”. He spoke truth without fear.

* v28. He had the ability to convince others on the basis of the scriptures.

b) Luke. Lk 1:1-17.

* Note the amount of detail given in this passage (also in the rest of the Gospel and Acts).

* v1-4. He was dedicated to finding out the truth and to pass it on to Theophilus.

4. DANGER AREAS

* Underneath it all, there may be a belief that their gift is foundational to all other gifts.

* They tend to emphasize details and not communicate the broader picture. Teaching is not an end in itself, but only a means to an end. D L Moody wrote, “The Bible was not given to increase our knowledge, but to change our lives.”

* They can be too factual and very unemotional

* They can become self centred, if they are not willing to share their knowledge.

* They can spend much time in study and preparing teaching materials, yet sometimes not have an outlet to teach them, bringing about frustration.

* Their great concern for details may appear unnecessary to others and their attitude may wrongly suggest a lack of warmth for people.

* They can be dictatorial in their teaching, if they think they know all about a particular subject and may be unwilling to listen to others.

* Sometimes their concern to present every side of a truth, may result in so much information, that people can become tired and confused.

5. SOME ADVICE

a) To others and pastors. Encourage them in their gifting and use it for the blessing of all.

b) To teacher.

* Don’t let anything rob you of direct revelation and understanding from the Holy Spirit. (Books, tapes, videos and concordances may be very useful, but they must be treated as a secondary source of information.)

* Resist the natural tendency to be only a researcher, rather work at being a practical teacher of others – no matter how small the class.

* Encourage those you teach to not only understand what you teach, but to also put it into action, becoming disciples of Jesus.

* Remember that a person is more important to God and others, than a lot of information – learn to love them!

* Try to relate to and to listen to others, in order to keep yourself well balanced.

“Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus” and “daily in theTempleand in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.” (Col1:28. Acts 5:42)

Rev. John Willoughby

MOTIVATIONAL GIFTS.

(All Scriptures in NKJV, unless otherwise noted.)

III. SERVING.

1. MOTIVATION.

a) It meets practical needs. “Or serving, let us use it in serving…” (NIV. Rom 12:7).

b) The ‘Doer’. The motivation to demonstrate love by meeting practical needs and giving assistance where possible. The ability to see and do things that need to be done.

2. CHARACTERISTICS.

a) Doers. They are big hearted and energetic people, gifted with their hands and a good physical stamina, rarely becoming weary or tired. They find great fulfilment in practical and manual tasks and are fulfilled by serving others. They can see what needs to be done and usually get on and do it, sometimes giving the impression of being ‘pushy’. They may give the appearance of taking over – but inwardly this is not their desire. When everyone else has dropped out, serving people are still there serving others!

b) Workers in the background. They are inclined to do things by themselves and may not be good organizers, rather preferring to be instructed in a task, than be in leadership. They have a great desire to please and are reluctant to say ‘no’ to requests.

c) Time. In order to complete a job, they will often put in extra hours and are frustrated with time limits, because of their desire to see it done thoroughly. They usually prefer short range, rather than long range goals.

d) Need of appreciation. They have an ability to sense sincere appreciation of their services and although they are ‘workers’ and not ‘feelers’ they may be deeply hurt, if they are not acknowledged and thanked.

3. MARTHA. LK 10:38-42.

* v40. “Martha was distracted with much serving…”. She could be distracted from the most important thing, unlike her sister Mary (v42).

* v40. “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone?” She felt that she was doing all the work alone, without help from her sister.

* v40. “Tell her (Mary) to help me”. Not good at delegating and organizing others.

* v41. She was very active and felt that she needed to get everything done, finding it hard to stop.

* She more readily saw a specific task to ‘do’ (cooking and cleaning) than a long-range goal (preparing spiritually for Jesus’ burial and resurrection).

* Jn 11:39. She had a practical outlook.

* Jn 12:2. She was a server.

4. DANGER AREAS.

* They find it difficult to delegate – often wanting to do it all themselves and to take on more than they can cope with.

* Their desire to serve others and a disregard for personal needs, may result in neglecting their own needs and the needs of their families.

* Their eagerness to serve may prompt suspicions of self-advancement.

* A quickness to meet physical and practical needs may interfere with meeting the spiritual needs of the person being served – God may be teaching someone a lesson by their ‘need’.

* They can be too involved in serving and doing things for their own sake, rather than serving others with discrimination, being reluctant to say ‘no’ to requests, because of their strong desire to please.

* They may complain, if they feel others are not doing enough and may have a tendency to despise those who are not as active as themselves.

* The servers emphasis on things and projects could appear as spiritually superficial and a lack of interest in people.

* They themselves may at times feel spiritually inferior and condemned for not doing ‘spiritual’ things.

* Promotion may not always be good for a serving person, they may not be able to handle the responsibility.

* Beware of allowing the activity of serving to take the place of personal times with God and building relationships with people.

* Beware that the rehearsing of achievements does not become an ego-trip (pride)!

5. SOME ADVICE.

a) To others and pastors. Be sensitive and do not overwork your serving friends. Recognise that they are not necessarily good at organising others. Be prepared to show appreciation for their work. Strong servers need firm and understanding pastoral oversight, lest they overlook their own health and also the welfare of their families.

b) To Servers. Be led by the Spirit in the things you should do and for whom you should do them. Learn to say ‘no’! Recognise that all are called to serve, but not all have a motivationary gift to serve.

“He who is greatest among you shall be your servant” and “through love serve one another.” (Mt 23:11. Gal 5:13)

Rev. John Willoughby

MOTIVATIONAL GIFTS

(All Scriptures in NKJV, unless otherwise noted.)

II. PROPHETIC.

1. MOTIVATION.

a) It meets spiritual needs. “If prophecy, let us prophecy in proportion to our faith” (Rom 12:6).

b) The ‘Seer’. The motivation to make motives and attitudes right and to discern and declare spiritual truth. It is having spiritual insight, with the ability to ‘see’ where people or programmes really are.

2. CHARACTERISTICS.

a) Insight. An ability to discern (‘see’) character, motives and attitudes in people and projects. This includes an ability to pinpoint insincerity and hypocrisy, and to be indignant about it. He is concerned with the abuse of Biblical truth.

b) Speech. They have a directness, persuasiveness and frankness, so that they may be viewed as harsh or blunt. They will often reprove evil openly without fear of response. Sometimes tears accompany their words and they can talk in great detail about the matter in hand.

c) Sensitivity. They may seem outwardly to be rather tough and blunt, but are often very sensitive and can experience an inward weeping over their own faults and the failings of others.

d) Strict standards. There is an intensity in a ‘prophetic person’, setting very high standards for themselves and others. Their emphasis is on the truth – black or white, right or wrong. They tend to love the Bible, which is the truth. They tend to press for decisions and have a need to see immediate outward evidence of internal changes.

3. JOHN THE BAPTIST. MT 3:1-15.

* v3. He depended on scripture to seal his authority and ministry (Jn 3:34).

* v2, 7-10. He was direct and frank in his speech saying (Jn 3:36).

* v1-2, 5-6. He looked for immediate repentance.

* v7-10. He had the courage to reprove evil openly (Mt 14:4).

* v7. He was able to discern hidden motives in people.

* v4. He lived a lonely and separate life, because of his call.

* v10. He was zealous for God’s honour and purposes – to the point of being martyred (Lk 9:9).

* v11-12. He pointed to Jesus (Jn 3:29-30).

4. DANGER AREAS.

* They can be too intense, dogmatic, frank and overbearing and are sometimes prone to overstate the situation.

* They tend to be too introspective and can be too tough on themselves.

* They can have very strongly held views and can be too demanding and critical of others.

* Their public boldness, strict standards and often strong personalities can hinder development of intimate personal relationships.

* Due to their lifestyle, they can be easily misunderstood by others.

* If thoughts are bottled up inside, they can say the wrong thing at the wrong time, in the wrong spirit.

5. SOME ADVICE.

a) To others and pastors. Do not be fearful of asking their opinions concerning spiritual things and projects – even though you may not want to hear what they have to say! Encourage them and give them room to grow in their gifting and thus be a blessing to others.

b) To ‘prophetic’. Keep in touch with your leaders (for affirmation, approval, encouragement and correction). Do not go your own way. Find a friend who will let you talk your heart out in order to let go of your thoughts and feelings. Women ‘insights’ should rely heavily on the confirmation and ‘covering’ of a mature husband.

“The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe.” and “though I …. understand all mysteries and all knowledge and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.” (Prov 29:25. I Cor 13:2)

Rev. John Willoughby

MOTIVATIONAL GIFTS.

(All Scriptures in NKJV, unless otherwise noted.)

I. INTRODUCTION TO MOTIVATIONAL GIFTS.

1. DIFFERENT GIFTS, MINISTRIES AND ACTIVITIES GIVEN BY GOD. I COR 12:4-6.

* v4, “now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.” These nine gifts of the Spirit are listed in v8-10 and are “for the profit of all” (v7). The Holy Spirit gives these gifts, “distributing to each one as He wills” (v11).

* v5, “There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord”. We see these five ministries listed in Eph 4:11. They are given by Jesus to His church, “for the equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ” (Eph 4:12).

* v6, “there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all.” In Rom 12:3, we read, “God (The Father) has dealt to each one a measure of faith.” In the following verses are listed the seven “activities” or what is termed ‘the Motivational Gifts’, given by the Father.

2. MOTIVATIONAL GIFTS.

Rom 12:6-8. They consist of prophetic, serving, teaching, exhorting, contributing, facilitating and showing mercy. Many believe that they are foundational to life and are not received at ‘new birth’, but rather are part of our personality. In the church they work closely with the ‘Ministry Gifts’ (Eph 4:7-15) and with the ‘Gifts of the Spirit’ (I Cor 12:7-11), but are not the same, for instance a person who has a ‘teaching motivation’ does not necessarily have a ‘ministry of teacher’ to the church. A person will have all 7 motivations to some extent, but some will be more pronounced than others – one usually taking precedence.

3. THE PURPOSE OF MOTIVATIONAL GIFTS.

a) To be released in who we are. Ps 139:13-16. Each one of us has been uniquely created for a purpose by a loving God, with different intelligence, physique, temperament, personality and motivation. His desire is that we become ‘whole people’ and through the work of the Holy Spirit, He accomplishes this over a period of time. As a result the gifts which ‘motivate’ us are released and we are better able to love, serve and bless others as we were created to do.

b) To be released in our function in the body. Rom 12:3-6. In the film Chariots of Fire the Olympic runner Eric Liddle says, “I believe God made me for a purpose, but He also made me fast and when I run I feel God’s pleasure.” From the above passage in Romans we can learn the following:-

* v3, 6. God gives by grace – we do not deserve our giftings.

* v3. He has given to each of us sufficient faith for their release.

* v3. We receive from Him and use what He has given us with humility.

* v4. We have different giftings.

* v5. We function in the gifts for the blessing of the whole body of Christ.

* v6. We need to use them.

4. SOME REASONS WE FIND IT DIFFICULT TO RECOGNISE OUR MOTIVATIONAL GIFTS.

* We are not willing to be known for who we really are!

* We would like to have a different motivation and find it difficult to accept who we really are.

* We have not yet been fully released, through being young of age, having little experience of life or a lack of the inner work of the cross in our lives.

* We have past hurts, bitterness and pride, which have not been dealt with. These can all form as barriers.

* We have a fear of being used by God.

5. Using this teaching.

a) For different means of blessing.

* Personal development. That we may be encouraged to function in our right place in the body of Christ, each one of us having a part to play.

* Counselling.

* Releasing people into leadership and non-leadership positions.

* Raising children – seeing them released in who they are.

* Relationships of all kinds and being able to appreciate other personalities and callings in a better way.

a) Be encouraged! Ask the Holy Spirit to help you to see your motivational gift, that by faith you might see it released.

b) Take time to discover the wonderful potential God has invested in you.

c) A word of caution. We are all so different, therefore don’t put labels on others – they must arrive at their own conclusions. Relax in who God has created you to be. Don’t try to be somebody else!