Motivational Gifts – discovering and understanding your gift – part 1
The motivational gifts – what are they; what are they for; do you have a motivational gift and if you do what is your gift and how do you know which gift you have? We are going to help answers those questions in this 2 part teaching so, let’s get started with part 1..
“If you see a turtle on a fence post, you know one thing for certain: somebody helped it get up there.” In living life as a follower of Christ I think it’s safe to say – we all need a little help along the way, but even more important God wants to us to become the one He uses to lift others up on that fence post.
As we grow in our walk with the Lord, Jesus wants us, by His grace, to be less focused on self and more focused on helping others. God has put gifts in the church to help the church grow. He puts those gifts in believers.
Every believer has a job to do. God has empowered believers with gifts. Every gift and job is important. God created us (the body of Christ) to work together to help each other. Never underestimate your significance to the Body of Christ. You have an important job to do. God has gifted you uniquely, and He has a plan and a purpose for your life. You are needed!
Understanding the Motivational Gifts
God gives what we call “motivational gifts” to every Christian. They are listed in Romans 12:3-8. They are not to be confused with the 5 ministry gifts of Ephesians 4 or the 9 spiritual gifts of 1 Corinthians 12. The 7 motivational gifts of prophecy, serving, teaching, encouraging, giving, leading, and mercy are given to empower believers to serve God and to help meet the needs of others. They are not just natural giftings, but they are supernatural abilities that God gives us.
Purpose of Motivational Gifts
These 7 gifts are also called “Functional Gifts” All 7 of these gifts are distributed to every believer in part, however each believer will have at least one of the gifts as their dominant focus of function and motivation. How the motivational gifts are distributed within our lives influence how we view things in life and how we respond. The gifts are a matter of function. God works through us using these gifts to help us function together to help the Church grow and remain healthy.
Having an understanding of how each of these gifts function, their characteristics, and how they can be misunderstood will help us get along with others better and appreciate each other more. It will also help us to better understand our purpose and help us fulfill God’s destiny for our life. In today’s lesson we will be sharing about the first 3 gifts – Prophecy, Serving and Teaching. Next time we will explain the other 4 motivational gifts. At the end we will tell you how to know which is your primary motivational gift.
1. Motivational Gift of Prophecy
The motivational gift of prophecy is probably the most misunderstood motivational gift. One of the reasons being is because “prophecy” is also listed as one of the ministry gifts (Ephesians 4:11) and one of the spiritual gifts (1Corinthians 12:10), but they don’t all mean the same thing. If your primary motivational gift is prophecy it does not mean you have the ability to predict the future nor does it mean you are a prophet. It means your personality type will strongly be influenced and motivated to judge the actions and motives of others more strictly by the Word of God alone. This gift functions to help hold the rest of us more accountable and to keep us (the body of Christ) on track and lined up with God’s Word.
Characteristics
Those with the motivational gift of prophecy tend to see things as only black and white with no gray. They are direct and persuasive. They are loyal to truth over friendship and are usually very serious and extremely dedicated. Those with the motivational gift of prophecy tend to be more vocal with a need to speak out and be heard. They tend have the ability to better discern the true character and motives of people and see things in absolutes. They are aggressively committed to making sure the integrity of the God’s Word is upheld.
Misunderstandings
Their frankness may be viewed as harshness. They may be judged as intolerant because of their focus on right and wrong. Their strong desire to convey truth may be misinterpreted as having no compassion or interest in others or their point of view. They may seem to be unfriendly because of their emphasis on strict standards and public boldness. It may seem like they only see things in the negative. In other words they see the glass as always half empty verses the exhorter who always sees the glass half full.
2. Motivational Gift of Serving
More people have the motivational gift of serving as their primary gift than any other. It is because there are so many things that need to be done. Servers help fill the gaps of ministry and meet the needs of the church. Their gift helps to energize the church and free up others to use their gifts to the fullest. They show the love of God by serving – taking action.
Characteristics
Servers enjoy working with their hands and helping others. They are able to recognize what the practical needs are and then quickly begin helping meet the need. Servers are dependable and will work extra to see the job completed. They need to to shown and told that what they are doing is appreciated. Servers enjoy working with their hands and helping others. They often are involved in a lot of activity because they are unable to say no.
Misunderstandings
Their concentration on the practical gives them the appearance of being unspiritual. They may appear to be pushy because of their need to see the job completed. The server’s emphasis on things and projects may appear as a lack of interest in personal relationships and even a neglect of family. They can appear upset and frustrated because they don’t feel others have the same motive.
3. Motivational Gift of Teaching
Those with the motivational gift of teaching have the ability to more easily understand the principles and teachings of God’s Word and to clearly share them with others. They are motivated to make sure that the facts of their teaching are Biblically correct and effectively communicated to others, so they can live their life based upon these truths. Teachers tend to believe that their gift is foundational to other gifts. Just because you have the motivational gift of teaching does not mean you are called to the office of teacher – one of the 5 fold ministry gifts.
Characteristics
Teachers love to read and study. They place great emphasis on the accuracy of facts and words. Teachers often get more joy in doing research than in teaching the material. They will present truth in a systematic way and avoid scripture out of context and they tend to be more objective than subjective.
Misunderstandings of a teacher
Teachers may appear to lack warmth and feeling. Their emphasis on scriptural illustrations and interpretation can seem as if they are neglecting its practical application. Because of their love for study and research it can make them appear more dependent on information than on the inspiration and ministry of the Holy Spirit. Their use of knowledge and testing others may make them seem prideful.
As you have read through this you may have seen yourself in one of these gifts. If not, don’t worry in Part 2 we will share on the other 4 motivational gifts and you WILL see yourself in one of those. If you still are not sure at the end I will share a simple test you can take to easily determine which motivational gift is your primary gift.
