Easter Workshop 1981
GOD GAVE US EACH OTHER – A teaching on Motivational Gifts

In Romans 12 we are told to offer ourselves to God as living sacrifices. Living sacrifices have just one practical disadvantage – they have the ability to jump up off the altar. But Christ also calls us living stones we are still liable to go our own way. But even as it is difficult to remove a brick from the middle of a wall, so as living stones it is God’s will to bring us into a place of belonging in His Body where we no longer try to go it alone, but embrace also His will for us collectively, and work together for the fulfilling of His purposes. God gives us all different jobs to do, for some pastors, some evangelists, some miracle workers, some have ministries of helpers, and equips us with whatever tools are necessary from time to time to do what He calls us to do. These, are gifts of the Spirit, are tools that are necessary, but not an end in themselves. Far more important than even the tasks He gives us to fulfill is first discovering who God has called us to be. In the Spirit, being matters far more than doing. Our identity and motivation is just as much a gift from God as any of the ministries or manifestations we so often covet. We tend to adopt the world’s habit of labeling people according to what they do (e.g. farmer, osteopath, brick-layer, or watch-maker), but this misses the point for even if a person changes his job he still remains, at a core basic level, himself. So in the Body, being an evangelist or worship- leader, helper or miracle-worker does not give us our identity – these offices may change from time to time in our lives. God has given each Christian a motivation, a ‘who he is,’ to express in all he does for God. As we discover who God has called us to be we are freed from trying to be each other, freed instead to learn from each other, and function together in harmony like parts of an orchestra playing to God’s glory. Romans 12: 6-8 list these motivations. The one which is you is the one that as a Christian comes easily to you, that doesn’t require the studying all the others have done!

Motivations

1 PROPHETIC – Hunger in heart to demonstrate the Truth to the world, regardless of
cost, Counsels the mind of God. Honest, specific and sincere. A difficult gift for other people to live with. Everything black and white.
Never want compromise. Often restless.

2. SERVING – Happy seeing to practical needs of the Body. Keeps everything going
not for the sake of it, but for Jesus’ sake. Find God at work in the ‘mundane.’ Doing, helping.

3. TEACHING- Desire to make spiritual concepts and truths simple enough for all to grasp and grow in. Solid and determined in building up the Body of
Christ in the Word of God. Likes to learn and understand. An explaining person.

4. EXHORTATION Has ability to stimulate or stir up faith. Encourages and is a counselor. Proclaims God’s greatness. Likely to be often saying “Praise the Lord!” or “Come on!”

5. GIVING- Ability to give with whatever he has, putting together assets around the
Body of Christ for the benefit of God’s Kingdom. Looks for opportunities to give- joyfully.

6. RULING- God-given ability to co-ordinate people, getting maximum potential out of people and situations. May often seem objective and detached. Tidy likes to plan ahead and to do things ‘properly.’

7. MERCY - Gift of identifying and comforting, laughing with those that laugh, weeping with those that weep.

For many people their motivation is easily recognizable as a thing that has been always
with then but only changes direction when they become a Christian. It is important to
realize that training has nothing to do with motivation. An exhortation or mercy person
may learn in the course of time that it is not always wise to compromise so as not to hurt
someone, but is goes against the grain. A busy mother who even to those who know her
well may appear to be a good example of a serving motivation may well have struggled
long and hard to learn to serve, but also have a natural desire to explain. It helps others to
understand us when we confess which our real motivation is. We all have need to grow
in most of these areas, but it is helpful to recognize where the strengths and weaknesses
lie in each other that together we may live to His glory.

The motivations are not boxes to put people into, rather they are umbrellas under which
groups of perfectly unique individuals sharing this common perspective may stand.

“When we exercise our motivation (Romans 12) through our
calling (Ephesians 4:11) the Holy Spirit determines what
manifestation (1 Corinthians 12: 7-11) will be needed to
make our ministry successful, therefore we are not to seek
after manifestations, but to concentrate on our motivational
gift, and the most effective ministry of expressing it.”