Table of Contents

1    Seven Gifts To Success

2    Prophecy

3    Serving

4    Teaching

5    Exhortation

6    Giving

7    Organization

8    Mercy

9    Building of the Church Body

10    The Four Ways of Ministry

11    Outline

1

Seven Gifts To Success

Introducing Motive Gifts

Have you ever had a great longing to know exactly where you belong and what you were meant to do within the Body of Christ? You may have felt that if you knew your place in the Body it would help you to mature and develop more rapidly. Many believers feel as though they're really spiritual blahs— especially when other Christians move out and mature quickly into the fruitfulness of their positions in the Body, while they just stay in the same old place.

Through the years, my husband and I have made some serious mistakes in giving assignments to people attending our church. There are so many needs to be met that pastors tend to say, "If we just had some person to teach this Sunday School class, and some person to head up our men on this, and persons to take care of the prayer program, things would really go smoothly." We are constantly watching for a person to fill and move into positions in the Body where they are needed. As a result, there have been many times we've thrust people into positions that didn't work out, and then we didn't understand why, because they were very spiritual people. They prayed, knew the Word and were faithful in the things of God, but in filling certain positions they would fail miserably. At this point, the conclusion would be: "Well, they must not be very spiritual, or they would have been able to see that through."

Some time after we'd been experiencing these difficulties, I began studying the motivational gifts in Romans 12, and I realized that we had taken people out of the positions that God had called them to and tried to make them fill places in the Body that they could never fill. Through the years I have found myself very upset with my husband because of his lack of organizational ability. My first reaction to this was, "Every pastor should be a good organizer, and he's not!" As I began to study the motive gifts, though, I saw that this was not the position he was called to fill in the Body of Christ. As you study and begin to understand the motive gifts in Romans 12, I believe that you will really get turned on by the study because you're going to find your very own position which God has called you to and given you the ability to fulfill. You are going to spiritually discern the motive gift God has given you, and when you do, several things will take place:

1.    You will begin to mature and develop in your Christian walk.

2.    You'll see others in light of what God has called them to do.

3.    You'll stop competing with others in the Body of Christ.

4.    You'll quit trying to be someone that God hasn't called you to be.

When I understood the motive gifts in Romans 12, I realized that these are God's seven gifts to success. They bring success into the Body of Christ, into the church, into individuals, and they reveal the full image of Jesus as He really is.

Many people lump all the gifts in the New Testament, together so as you begin studying, I would like you to read the three gift chapters first. The Bible does not lump gifts together; instead, it gives a beautiful breakdown of them. In breaking down the individual gifts and ministries, your spirit will begin to discern the place in the Body where you belong.

I Corinthians 12 is the first chapter which mentions gifts in the New Testament. These gifts are called "charisma, ” and they are the charismatic gifts. These are the gifts you see in a charismatic worship service, they break down very easily into three categories with three gifts each:

1.    There are three spoken gifts, which are divers kinds of tongues, interpretation of tongues, and prophecy;

2.    There are three power gifts, which are the working of miracles, the gift of faith, and the gift of healing; and

3.    There are three revelation gifts, which are the word of knowledge, the word of wisdom, and the discerning of spirits.

You may say, "I don't know that I am a charismatic," or, "I'm a charismatic, but I really don't use these gifts." Perhaps you've seen people who are really turned on to the charismatic gifts, felt a little bit left out, and wondered, "What happened to me?" When you have completed your study on the motive gifts of Romans 12, though, you will know without a doubt that God hasn't left you out at all! He has given you a beautiful gift that is going to cause you to occupy, develop spiritually, and be fruitful in ministering to the Body of Christ.

The second account of gifts is found in Ephesians 4:11-12. This description will not apply to every person in the Body, because this passage sets forth the five fold ministry gifts. The reason that these may or may not apply to you is because they are the gifts which God has provided the people who are called to be full-time ministers in His vineyard.

An apostle is the first ministry gift, and this simply means "one sent." The word for apostle which we used today is "missionary," and you won't see that word in the New Testament. Jesus was called an apostle of faith, for He was sent by God to the earth. If you were to use your hand as a visual aid, you could say that your thumb represents the apostle, because your thumb supports your entire hand, and apostles (missionaries) are very important in supporting God's work in the Body.

Another full-time ministry gift is that of a prophet. A prophet can be represented by your index finger, because they are the ones who come to point and reveal. A prophet can point to the past and future, and tie them together with the present. The Old Testament has some beautiful examples of prophetic ministries, but the New Testament also gives a tremendous account of this ministry gift in Acts 11 and 21 about a prophet named Agabus.

In Acts 11, Agabus prophesied that a dearth would come upon the land, and all the people got ready for it by preparing to give away the things they had to people in need during that time. In God's Word the people did not hoard supplies before a dearth. Instead, they prepared to give, according to His will. Acts 21 tells about a time when Agabus brought Paul a personal message and gave him a revelation of what would happen when he got to Jerusalem. Agabus was a true prophet because his prophecies came to pass. He is a beautiful example of the prophetic ministry. In essence, you could say that men and women who are called into the full-time prophetic ministry are ministers of revelation.

The third full-time gift ministry could be illustrated with your middle finger as a visual aid: this is the evangelist. A perfect example of evangelism in the New Testament is Philip. He began as a deacon, was full of wisdom, had a good report, and then he really got turned on to preaching. Philip held a great revival in Samaria, and he personally led an Ethiopian eunuch to Christ. He even had four virgin daughters who were prophetesses. He was really successful and blessed—can you imagine having four daughters who were also called into the full-time ministry?

Your ring finger, the fourth finger on your hand, will stand for the fourth ministry gift, and that is the pastor. The pastor is "married” to the flock. He feeds, trains and corrects them, and eventually he will have to give an account for them. The pastor's ministry is to look after and spiritually nourish God's children, and he loves them.

The final full-time ministry gift is that of teaching, and this can be shown by using the little finger on your hand as an example. In this representation, your first thought may be, "Well, teaching must not amount to much; it's the last and smallest finger on my hand," but the littlest finger maintains the balance of your hand. The full-time teaching ministry is to bring balance into the Body of Christ.

Sometimes a person can have two or three ministry gifts, and Jesus had all of them. Paul had three of them, for he was called to be a prophet, an apostle, and a teacher. Some of you will never have any of these gifts, for God has not called you into the full-time ministry. If you haven't found yourself in any of the gifts mentioned thus far, don't despair—your turn is coming.

The third account of gifts is found in Romans 12, and these are the seven motive gifts which you will be studying. If you have been born again by receiving Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour, then you have received one motive gift. Romans 12:3 says,

"For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith."

The Greek word for measure is "metron, " which means "an instrument of measuring." God has measured a motive gift to you by His grace, and it was given to you when you first received Jesus. Let's continue:

"For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another" (Roman 12:4-5).

Notice that the word "office " is used, rather than "offices. " You have one office, or gift. God gave you this gift when you received the new birth, and He also measured a portion of faith which accompanies that gift. "Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us" (Romans 12:6a).

This verse establishes the fact that all believers do not have the same office (gift) in the Body. Every person has a different gift which motivates him, and he uses it to motivate others. These different gifts are given so that the Body may be complete. I need you because you have a motive gift that I may not have, and we all need each other in the Body of Christ because of the different ways in which we are motivated to minister where we are. The fullness of the Body of Christ, moving in accordance with the motive gifts, shows the fullness of the Body of Jesus. He had all seven motive gifts, because He was the spotless Son of God, and when you received Him, He gave you one of the gifts. What are the gifts?

"whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; or ministry, let us wait on our ministering; or he that teacheth, on teaching; or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness" (Romans 12:6b-8).

God has given these seven gifts to the Body of Christ: (1) prophecy, (2) serving, (3) teaching, (4) exhortation, (5) giving, (6) ruling, and (7) mercy.

Before you begin your in-depth study of the characteristics and misunderstandings which may accompany each individual gift, let's take a short look at each one.

1.    Prophecy—The prophecy motive is one which discerns and sees the motives of others. This is actively involved with restoring and repairing within the Body.

2.    Serving—The motive gift of ministry has a connotation to the word "servant. ” This concerns meeting practical needs of people within the Body of Christ.

3.    Teaching—Teaching is the motive gift which reveals truth. This motive gift causes people who have it to reveal and emphasize the truth in God's Word.

4.    Exhortation—To exhort means "to stimulate faith, ” and people with this motive gift are used to stimulate the faith of others in the Body of Christ.

5.    Giving—The giving motive is a gift which motivates people to give in many ways. God has placed them in the Body, not only to give, but to motivate others to do the same.

6.    Ruling—Ruling is another word for "organization. " We certainly need these people within the Body—this is the motive gift which deals with keeping things moving in an orderly fashion.

7.    Mercy—Mercy is a very loving and personal motive gift. This gift causes the people who have it to really empathize and minister mercy to others.

If, after seeing a brief explanation of each gift, your reaction is, "I can honestly say that I've moved in all of them," don't be surprised. I could, too. We, as a Body of believers, have moved in each gift: we've all extended mercy at some time; we have all met someone's practical need; all of us have discerned motives; I'm sure that we've all taught; certainly in our Christian lives we've stimulated someone's faith; and haven't we all given? We've given tithes and offerings and enjoyed doing it. Every person has been involved in some type of organizing, too, so you could actually say that you've contributed to the area of each gift.

As you study further, though, and begin to spiritually discern your motive gift, you will find that even though you have been used in each gift, you are being used by God in only one of them more than any other. You use your gift in a greater measure than the other gifts because it isn't something that you force—it is your gift which innately flows through you. You possess a motivational gift that ministers to the Body of Christ, and no matter what church you attend, that desire to minister is always there. Some people may already know what their motive gift is, while many others still have no clue. Don't be shocked, though, if you think you know what it is, and you find out it is different!

Are you wondering whether motive gifts are the same as talents? All of you have received talents at birth, but the Bible sets forth a strong difference between talents and motive gifts. In studying talents, you can easily examine the Parable of the Talents. In this account, three men received talents as follows: one man was given ten talents, one received five talents, and the third man received only one talent. They were not to compete with each other but were expected to develop what they had received. The men with five and ten talents both developed theirs and came up with more, but the man who had one talent hid his and did nothing with it. The Lord was very displeased with this man because he didn't use what he had. Notice, though, that each man received a different amount, and they were required to return only what was given with interest, maturity and increase.

Obviously, some people are more talented than others. Sometimes you'll see people who are so talented that it makes you think that God isn't fair. I've seen people like this, and it almost makes me jealous. Whatever they do is effortless, and I have to work, work and work. When I was in college, a girl lived in our house, and the night before finals we'd be cramming and studying, but she'd sit around reading women's magazines and playing bridge. The maddening thing about it was that she'd get A's and we'd get B's. We studied like dogs, but she never cracked a book. Her brilliant mind was part of the talent she was physically born with, so talents are not motive, charismatic, or ministry gifts.

The Parable of the Pounds, in Luke, sets forth another principle. God is showing you that the nobleman in this account did not give different amounts to his men. He gave every man one pound. When you were born again, God didn't give you talents—you received those at physical birth. God did, however, give you a pound (a gift), and He wants an increase on that. You have all received different measures of talent, but every born-again person has one motive gift, and you are to develop, increase, and bear interest on it. You are to use your motive gift to meet the needs in the Body of Christ and shine forth the light of Jesus. When you do that, the Body won't lack, for you'll be supplying the Body with what God intended for you to supply.

Ephesians 4 really shows the Body of Christ in completion. The joints make supply and increase, and motive gifts are meant to touch and minister to the joints within the Body of Christ. This is the ministry which brings forth increase in the Body, exactly as the Lord intended. I want to encourage you. Whether or not you have a lot of talents (perhaps you have more than you realize), if you are a Christian, you have been given one motive gift, and God wants you to walk in the fullness to which He's called you, showing forth Jesus!

Can some people overlook, or miss discerning their gift? This can certainly happen, and there are several reasons for it. Some people cannot recognize the office to which God has called them because there is unrepented sin in their life, and they are not in a position of spiritual discernment. Some people cannot recognize their office because they are not involved with and in the Body of Christ. Finally, there are times when people are so busy imitating someone else's motive gift, that it becomes difficult for them to find their own.

As you discern motive gift operation, you will begin to see Jesus, and this will encourage others in the Body to develop their own gifts. You will be walking in the completeness in which God has called you to walk. You'll even recognize the motive gifts in your children, your spouse, and your pastor. The wonderful part in being able to discern others' places within the Body is that you'll be able to pray for God to mature them in their gifts.

The motivational gifts in Romans 12 are God's design to perfect the members in the Body of Christ. He wants you to understand and fulfill the position He's given you. Even churches can be transformed, for in exercising the gifts God has given them, each member of the Body will be working together where they are needed.

I remember when we taught about motive gifts in our church. The night that we taught about the prophecy motive, a young man in our congregation came forward with tears in his eyes and said, "How encouraging to see—this is where God has had me, and until now, I could never understand it. Now I can understand what God has called me to in the Body." What a blessing he has become in our church, too, for he has discerned his own position. I know that you will do the same.

2

Prophecy

The first motive gift found in Romans 12 is the gift of prophecy. Even if you don't prophesy, and are not called into the full-time ministry as a prophet, you could still have the motive gift of prophecy. This gift does not mean that you are a prophet, and it is not the charismatic spoken gift which comes forth during worship. This is a motive gift, and it is an entirely different thing.

Don't get up-tight about words being used differently. The word for faith is also used interchangeably. The Bible says that "every man is given the measure of faith” (Romans 12:3), but Romans 10:17 says that faith comes "by hearing and hearing by the Word. ” I Corinthians 12 calls faith a gift, and Galatians 5:22 calls faith a "fruit of the Spirit." Which one is right? Of course, they are all right, and this is an excellent example of one word being used interchangeably. You were born again and given a measure of faith, but that faith measure is increased by reading, feeding, and acting on God's Word. There is a special charismatic gift of faith which is designed to anoint believers and cause them to rise above difficult situations through God's power, and faith which is a "fruit of the Spirit” is actually translated to mean "faithfulness."

When you see the word "prophet, ” or read abut the gift of prophecy, and when you see the motive gift of prophecy in Romans 12, realize that you are looking at three different realms. A person may be called to be a prophet, or move in the charismatic spoken gift of prophecy, but he still may or may not have the motive gift of prophecy. Basically, prophecy means "insight. ” Prophets in the Scriptures were called "seers, ” which simply means that they had the ability to see.

Those of you who have a prophecy motive gift possess insight, or the intuitive sense about the way people and situations really are. Prophecy motivated people can discern the inner motives of people in a way that most people don't. You may know certain people who seem to look right through to the core of people and circumstances, or perhaps you've seen believers who gave you the impression that they could "see through you. " (Maybe you weren't sure you wanted them to see through you.) If you've ever been around this type of person, it's very possible that they had this motive gift. The basic tendency of the prophecy motive gift is to view any person, group, or occurrence in the light of moral standards and their lives before God.

It is important for you to know that prophecy is not a suspicious motive. In examining the benefits of a spoken gift of prophecy, you'll notice that it is used for repairing, improving, and upbuilding the Body of Christ. Prophecy motives will help, strengthen, encourage, and comfort the Body; they will never tear down or damage. Yes, certainly this gift discerns inner motives, but not all inner motives are wrong; many inner motives are right, and this gift discerns them, too.

There are five specific manifestations of the prophecy motive gift, and by that I mean that there are five different ways in which the prophecy motive affects others. They are:

1.    Bringing people to accountability by exposing their motives;

2.    Revealing their heart motivations;

3.    Causing an inner conviction;

4.    Bringing an awareness of God's presence; and

5.    Making people fall upon their knees when repentance is necessary.

If the way in which you minister to others has this sort of effect on them, then perhaps you have the motive gift of prophecy. If this doesn't fit you at all, then maybe it helps to know and understand someone who is motivated this way, where previously you may have thought he was too critical.

In the past, our church has had evangelists come and speak, and some would blast away, calling black "black” and white "white” with absolutely no in—between. Then another evangelist would speak, and he would preach so lovingly and with such mercy that it was hard to believe he was also an evangelist. Both speakers had the same calling, yet each one preached a different message. Why? Because one had a motive gift of prophecy, and the other had a motive gift of mercy!

Here are the characteristics of the prophecy motive gift:

1.    There is a need to express the message verbally. The person with this motive gift has a message burning in his heart, and it must be expressed out loud.

2.    They have the ability to discern peoples' characters and motives. This person has what the world commonly calls "insight. ” They can easily discern the characters and motives of other people.

3.    They possess a divine capacity to identify, define and hate evil. The person with this motive really comes down hard on evil and sin. They sense its presence and cannot tolerate it. If a person is being dragged down into sin, a person with the prophecy motive gift will be sure to tell them about it.

4.    They are willing to experience brokenness to prompt brokenness. This person may really "break” in presenting their message, and will prompt that same brokenness in other people. I am sure that David Wilkerson, a full-time minister, is an evangelist with a prophecy motive gift. He really hates the evil in this world, and does he lay it on! He is very broken by the effects of sin, and he draws the same emotion out of other people.

5.    Their authority is always based upon Scripture for validation. A person with a prophecy motivation will never assert their own authority. The Word of God is their authority on every situation, and if they present a stern message, it is always based on the message in God's Word. Their authority is always validated and based on Scripture.

6.    They desire outward evidence which demonstrates inner conviction. This person wants to see an outward evidence of people repenting. They will do all that is necessary to get people to confess before God and break through to victory.

7.    They are direct, frank, and persuasive in speaking. The prophecy motive gift in people causes them to be extremely honest and direct. They'll look you right in the eye and give you truth about your situation,which really hits you "where you live."

8.    They are concerned for the reputation and program of God. They set forth standards of excellence which are in keeping with God's Word. Prophecy motivated people are the ones who say, "We can't let this nation go under," or "We can't let the schools go under."

9.    In dealing with others they experience personal indentification and inward weeping for their sin. Prophecy motivated people love the people they counsel and feel true compassion toward them. People with this motive identify so strongly with others that they feel as though they were also involved in the sin, and they cry on the inside. A person who is busy telling you how evil everyone is, and knocks the Body of Christ by trying to show off his authority is not motivated by the gift of prophecy. People with prophecy motives are in love with those sinners they counsel, and their number one concern is to see them escape from the bondage of sin.

10.    They are eager for others to point out their own blind spots. They don't just run around telling everyone else what's wrong with them. Prophecy motivated people are so direct and honest that they want to know if they themselves have a blind area. They are not only honest with others, they are honest with themselves. Once there was a man in our ministry who was brutal and cruel with his words toward others, and he told me that he was called to be a thresher in the Body of Christ. I said, "Are you sure that you aren't called to be a thrasher? I don't think you do much threshing—you are just thrashing people around." People with a prophecy motive gift are anxious to know their blind spots, and they are loving, not cruel, in their dealings with others. In Psalm 51:13, David said, "Then shall I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners will be converted unto thee.” This is exactly the attitude of a person with this motive.

Now let's examine the misunderstandings of a prophecy motive:

1.    Frankness may be viewed as harshness. Some people are so frank that they are perceived as being very hard. Honesty can hurt, and that's why the truth must be spoken in love.

2.    Their interest in groups may be interpreted as disinterest in individuals. Prophecy motives often discern the Body of Christ as a whole and may say, "This church needs more founding in the Word." This is not meant critically, but it can be misunderstood.

3.    Efforts to obtain results may be seen as gimmicky. Does that throw you? Have you ever noticed that in both the Old and New Testaments, the prophets tended to use gimmicks? Gimmicks in the Gospel? Yes. John the Baptist was very gimmicky. He was an odd looking guy, dressed in camel's hair, and he ate locusts and wild honey while living in the wilderness. If you saw him on the street today, I'm sure that you'd think he was rude, crude and uncouth. He dressed like his message: Hard! He said, "Repent! Get rid of those sins!" He even called some of the people a generation of vipers. When he asked the Pharisees who looked on during the baptisms, "What are you doing here?" he was discerning their motive.

Consider the Old Testament prophet, Ezekiel. God told him to cook food with human dung. Ezekiel really screamed about that, so God said, "All right, then, use animal dung." One time He told him to cut his hair, although this was forbidden for priests, and another time Ezekiel had to lie on his right and left side, alternately, for a certain number of days. Gimmicky!

These gimmicks were, and still are, used because they bring a visual aid lesson with the Word. People with prophecy motives want to demonstrate their message so that people will not only hear but will see what they are saying. This can be frequently misunderstood; some people feel that it isn't "spiritual. "

4.    A strong focus on right and wrong may be judged as intolerance. The person who is motivated by the gift of prophecy is so strong about the black-and-white that they are often accused of not giving credit for good in certain situations.

5.    Emphasis on decisions may appear as neglecting spiritual growth. These are people who want decisions and commitments, and this is where prophecy motives concentrate, rather than on individual growth.

6.    Public boldness and strict standards may hinder personal relationships. I don't think that people with a prophecy motive have bundles of really close friends. A lot of times their discernment can really repel people. John the Baptist had disciples, but I can't imagine that he won the popularity contest of the day. How would you like to be John the Baptist's best friend? He'd know when you were angry with your mate or had just screamed at your kids; he'd discern when you were jealous. Prophecy motives can come on strong, and some people just can't take it.

7.    Their strong desire to convey truth may appear as a lack of interest in listening to another person's point of view. People with a prophecy motive feel so strongly about bringing out what must be revealed that sometimes they're perceived as not being interested in the other person's side.

You'll gain further insight about this gift by studying John the Baptist in Luke 3:3-20. He also had a ministry call in prophecy, but in examining this account, I believe you will better understand the prophecy motive. Luke 3:3 says,

"And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins."

John the Baptist came looking for repentance, which certainly accompanies the motive gift of prophecy. He was dressed in camel's hair, which was part of his gimmick, and he was acutely aware of his personal unworthiness. Remember, prophecy motivated people are honest and open to their blind spots. John said, "I'm not worthy to untie the latchet of the shoes on the One coming after me." That really fits, doesn't it? Luke 3:4-6 offers an excellent example of these characteristics:

"As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God"

John's call was based on God's Word. He knew that he was the "voice crying in the wilderness ” and that God had appointed him. He wasn't angry at the people, he was simply acting on God's Word. Prophecy motives want Scriptural truth and will not use anything less as their authority. Let's look at another characteristic set forth in Luke 3:7-8.

"Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance. "

That's pretty plain. He was direct and frank with his message. He wanted them to bring forth fruits worthy of repentance. Why? Because he desired to see an outward sign of their repentance. That is another characteristic which accompanies the motive gift of prophecy in Romans 12.

John the Baptist placed great emphasis on right and wrong, and he really identified evil. He got in trouble with Herod by telling him that, since the woman he lived with was his brother's wife, Herod had no right to her. He really laid things out and openly revealed evil. He called the religious people of that day a generation of vipers and discerned their real motive. There is no question that John the Baptist had a motive gift of prophecy.

He not only had the characteristics, but he also had the misunderstandings. He was always looking for accuracy, and when he was in prison for telling Herod the truth, he sent a message to Jesus, asking Him, "Are you the One we're looking for, or should we look for another?" Jesus sent a message back, saying, "The eyes of the blind are opened, the lame walked, the ears of the deaf are unstopped, the poor have the Gospel preached to them. " Jesus answered with Scriptural evidence, and that was enough for John, because he lived by the Word. He wanted evidence, and he got it through Word signs which validated Jesus' ministry. I used to get up-tight about John doing that to Jesus, because I thought it wasn't right, but it doesn't bother me, now that I know it is one of the characteristics of his motive gift.

Prophecy may seem like a harsh motive gift, but there are times when the Body of Christ needs to hear that black is "black" and white is "white" without the shades of gray. The Christian walk should not consist of shades of gray, so this is a very necessary part of the Body of Christ.

Do you have this motive gift? Have you had it and not understood why you were motivated in that way, and set yourself aside? Don't set yourself aside, but allow God to move through you. I'm so glad that God's Word gave us a motive gift of prophecy. If you do not have this gift, then perhaps it will help you understand the people who do have it. If you do have it, realize that you are a necessary part of the Body, for when all seven motive gifts are together, we'll show the picture of Jesus.

3

Serving

There is not one person who cannot clearly understand the motive gift of serving, which Romans 12 calls "ministering one to another. ” People in the Body of Christ who have this motive love meeting others' needs through practical assistance. Serving is demonstrated as rendering assistance, and it is a demonstration of love. These people receive fulfillment by serving others.

The motive gift of serving isn't demonstrated by words but by deeds. People who are gifted to serve are usually gifted with their hands and equipped with physical stamina that may have no regard for weariness. Servers are people who may just pick up and take off in your kitchen, whether or not you've asked them to. As soon as a server sees that there is a need, they will jump in and take care of it without asking first.

I've watched people with serving motives in our church, and I want to tell you about a situation that we really flubbed on. There was a man who met the church's practical needs in a beautiful way: he could foresee and anticipate things that needed to be done in the radio and television ministry, and if we had a conference or a special retreat, he'd get involved and help. We were so impressed with the way he pitched in that we set him over a whole group of people to organize something, and this is where he really blew it. He couldn't organize well at all, and we wondered what was wrong. "This man is brilliant. He has a good track record at this job and meeting our needs, so why can't he organize people and get this thing going?" When I began to see the motive gift of serving, though, I discovered that organizing isn't part of a serving motive. Servers don't usually organize very well. They'd prefer to do things themselves and get them finished. This man didn't function well at organizing because we'd placed him to do something that he wasn't motivated to do. Then, we put him back where he was, and he is fulfilled and happy, moving in that position.

People with a serving motive greatly desire to help people with needs. If you have this desire, then be encouraged; you may have thought you weren't very spiritual because you wanted to concentrate on practical needs, and perhaps you've wondered what was wrong. If you have felt this way, I want you to know that there is nothing wrong! You are right on, moving in the motive gift that God gave you.

Now let's look at the serving motive characteristics:

1.    Servers are able to recall specific likes and dislikes of people. A person who is gifted to serve remembers what people like and dislike. I think that Martha probably knew what food Jesus liked, and she probably fixed those dishes when He came over. Servers are the people who will remember what each guest likes in their coffee, whether it's cream, sugar, both, or neither.

2.    They're alert to detect and meet practical needs. They can just sense needs, and especially practical needs which incur manual projects. They'll see needs before most people even noticed the need existed.

3.    They are motivated to meet needs as quickly as possible. Servers don't like long-term goals. They'd rather get every thing done immediately.

4.    Service motivated people have physical stamina which may disregard weariness. These people will stay late at night until a need is fulfilled. They may be exhausted at a project's end, but they'll disregard their weariness.

5.    They are willing to use personal funds to avoid delay. Rather than wait for the church board to approve something, they will buy it themselves. When a need exists, their instinct is to fill it themselves and pay for it with their own funds.

6.    They can sense sincere appreciation and detect insincerity. Servers know whether or not they're really appreciated. They can detect phonies.

7.    They desire to complete jobs with evidence of unexpected extra service. Not only will a server get the job done, they'll throw in the extras. If you ask them to usher, they'll buy usher badges with the church's name printed on them. People with a service motive gift aren't just eager to do the job correctly, they enjoy doing extra things that you never asked them for. If a server came to clean your house, he'd probably defrost your refrigerator, too.

8.    Servers may be extremely involved, due to inability to say "No. ” This attribute can also be a part of some of the other motive gifts. My mother used to pray that God would give me the spiritual gift of saying "no," because she said I'd accept every single invitation to teach. A serving motive is strong on this characteristic. They are so caught up in offering service, that it usually does not occur to them to draw the line.

9.    Servers experience enjoyment in reaching short-term goals. People with this motive really receive fulfillment once they have achieved short-term goals. Long-term goals tend to frustrate them, for they don't see overall pictures, but rather the end result.

10.    They dislike time limitations on jobs. A pastor may say "We want to get this done in two weeks," but servers have a dislike for time limitations.

These are ten characteristics of the serving motive gift. Now you'll see the twelve misunderstandings which may occur; there are many of them, for servers are very apt to be misunderstood.

1. Quickness in meeting needs may seem to be pushiness. Servers can often be misunderstood for this. They are immediate in actions, and will jump into projects to get them done. Others may perceive this as being pushy, without discerning the actual motive to serve.

2.    Their avoidance of red tape may exclude others from jobs. They dislike long delaying processes of red tape, so servers will complete tasks which somebody else may have wanted to do. Obviously, this may cause friction.

3.    Their disregard for personal needs can create need in their families. Servers may get so distracted with serving the Body of Christ that family-oriented service may be neglected. This is never intentional, but it can be a weakness. We've had to tell some people that they wouldn't be allowed to participate in some jobs because we did not want them to be in church so much that their families were neglected.

4.    Eagerness to serve may prompt suspicion of self advancement. Sometimes others may misunderstand people with this motive. They think that servers are just trying to get in good with the pastor. Again, the real motive has not been discerned.

5.    Servers may react when others don't detect and meet obvious needs. A lady who used to shovel our walks used to get very upset with some of the people in our church. She'd say, "So-and-so ought to be doing this; they are a deacon," or "Why won't this person work in the nursery?" Service motivated people can become unhappy when others don't share their motive of meeting needs.

6.    Insistence on serving may appear as rejection of being served. Serving motives have a very hard time accepting service. They are so busy serving everyone else that they don't realize God wants them to sit down and let others serve them.

7.    Desire for sincere appreciation may result in being easily hurt. Once a server in our church saw a need to paint the Sunday School classroom herself. Then the Sunday School teacher didn't like the color, and made this woman quite angry. As a result, she left the church and wouldn't come back, for she felt that she wasn't appreciated. It is important to appreciate the efforts of those who serve, but on the other hand, servers must be careful about these reactions.

8.    Quickness in meeting needs may interfere with spiritual lessons for others. If a family in the church is experiencing financial pressure, they'll be over with food and money, but perhaps that family isn't tithing. God may want to tell them that they won't be blessed until they begin to obey His Word.

9.    Meeting practical needs may interfere with spiritual matters. Servers are so concerned that everyone is happy —they want the church clean and the nursery running smoothly, but this may cause them to miss church services.

10.    Their stamina may be interpreted as insensitivity to others. Often, they jump in to do the work without realizing that others want to help.

11.    Enjoyment of short-range goals may result in disorganization of long-range objectives. They may hit head-on with a pastor who says they're interfering with the church's long-range goals. For instance, perhaps they're so eager to paint the nursery purple, they'll paint the wall without finding out that it was to be knocked out the next month.

12.    Desire to get things done may result in sidetracking employer's directions. They may get into things that are not necessary at all, for their instinct is so strong to fill needs which they see. They may run in and meet a need while the pastor is dealing with the overall situation, and end up getting ahead of him.

I believe that we have more people in our church who are motivated by the serving gift than by any other gift. I also find that this is the easiest gift to discern. Martha had the motive gift of serving. In Luke 10, Martha was really up-tight with her sister, Mary, because she wasn't helping to prepare the meal.

Instead, she was sitting at Jesus' feet, learning the Word, and Martha had to take care of the serving all by herself. She said to Jesus, "Don't you care that my sister has left me to serve alone?" Martha wanted everything to be perfect, but the difficulty arose when she tried to reprove Mary for not sharing her motivation, so Jesus spoke to her about it. Martha challenged Him by asking, "Don't you care?" The word "care" is the same word that Jesus used about the cares of the world which choke out faith. In essence, Martha was saying, "Aren't you sharing my fear, anxiety, and worry, Jesus?" Of course, He wasn't picking them up, for they would have choked His faith. Jesus said, "Martha, you are cumbered about with too many cares. Don't carry cares; cast your cares on Me."

Perhaps you feel that since Martha and Mary were in the same family, that there should have been more concern shown on Mary's part. First of all, recognize that it is a service gift misunderstanding to expect others to share that motivation. Secondly, family members within the Body of Christ may have different motive gifts. If you want an example of this, look at Moses' family: he was a prophet, Aaron was a priest, and Miriam was a poetess and singer. When I look at my own household, I never question that my husband has the motive gift of mercy. I believe with all my heart that I am motivated to teach, and while I cannot yet tell about my daughter, I am sure that my son's motive gift is either that of mercy or serving. Mary was certainly not motivated by the same gift which motivated Martha.

Martha had a tendency to do things herself, and you'll recall that as being one of the characteristics of this gift. She wasn't gifted in facilitating, for she asked Mary to help, and this is another serving motive characteristic. I think that Martha really loved to be in the kitchen, and she was probably a very clean person. When Lazarus was in the tomb and Jesus wanted the stone rolled back, the first thing Martha said was, "By this time he stinks! He's been in there four days. " Doesn't that sound like a housecleaner? She was a perfectionist.

Martha was also a bit pushy, but she never actually moved in and took over. A real server does not have the desire to rule, but they are willing to serve the one who does rule. They also have a hard time saying "No” to tasks, and it's possible that Martha had bitten off a little more than she could chew that day.

Don't get mad at Martha for being so busy. Servers are very necessary in the Body, and she was performing some very necessary tasks. She may have become frustrated because of concentrating more on her tasks than on the person she served, and this can be dangerous. If a server will keep in mind that he is serving Jesus, and not people, this will take the bitterness out of tasks. This thought is especially helpful when other people are not sincerely appreciative of the work.

Martha also saw the specific task; however, she didn't observe the long-range goal. You will recall that this is another serving characteristic, but don't be critical about it. Don't try to make servers what they're not, rather count on them in the areas where they excel.

People with a serving motive gift need sincere appreciation because they are workers, not feelers. If you consider the prophets to be seers, then servers are the workers—their hands are involved. If prophecy were the eyes, then serving would be the hands. Servers need to be told they are loved and worthwhile. They are so gifted in manual projects that we must recognize this as a talent and special ability.

Martha may have doubted whether she was loved for being herself. Perhaps she felt that she was loved because of her cooking. It often seems that servers work to gain approval and love. When you see someone serving by meeting practical needs, compliment them and make an effort at appreciating their position. To some of the other personality gifts, the servers' emphasis on things and projects may not appear spiritual. Keep in mind that these people are the ones who do change things, they don't change people. This is the serving motive gift, and for those who do serve, it is definitely spiritual.

What about those non-Christians who have talents and abilities to serve? I believe that at your physical birth, God gave you talents to go with your motive gift. You're not an accident here on earth. You were divinely planned with talents and with a pound, and they flow together. If you're a server, perhaps now you understand why certain things may have hurt you in the past. You will have recognized some weaknesses to watch out for, and you will, above all, know that your motive to serve is a very spiritual motive. You are necessary and appreciated in the Body of Christ.

If you are not a server, now you'll understand the serving motive, and you'll see how God has placed these people within the Body. This will help you to accept the complimenting gifts within the Body of Christ, and you'll let them flow together, supplying each joint with what they need. Keep in mind that all seven gifts flowing together will show exactly what the world wants to see: Jesus.

4

Teaching

A person with the motive gift of teaching is not necessarily one who is called into the full-time ministry of teaching. This person is born again and possesses a desire to teach God's Word. A person with this motive gift can be a housewife, a grocery checker, an engineer, or certainly a pastor. An apostle could have a teaching motive, but his gift involves a person with a strong desire to teach, and it results in teaching activity right where they are, whether or not it is a full-time ministry.

Let me share my personal testimony with you. In my early teens, I was not a Christian, yet I still had a great desire to study God's Word, so I began to memorize Scripture. In those years, I taught a tiny Sunday School class and some vacation Bible School. I was not a Christian and had not received Jesus as my personal Saviour, but I thoroughly enjoyed teaching. People always complimented me and commented on what they considered an unusual ability to teach.

At age sixteen I became a Christian, and I was just thrilled with meeting Jesus. I thought getting saved was too good to be true and couldn't believe that Jesus was so wonderful and irresistible. After that, I finished high school and went to college, still very uncertain of what I'd do. I thought of being an interpreter and working for the government because of my fondness for foreign languages, but I was told that it was a very competitive field. As a result, I took courses to get a degree in teaching and received a collective major in Latin, Spanish and French, with an English minor. After taking all of those dull, dull courses, I began to teach Spanish and English classes for a High School.

This is when I absolutely fell in love with teaching. When a person loves something, they really put their heart into it, and that is what I did. Because of that, I received an "A" for the quarter, and upon graduating, I'd lost all interest in language interpretation. I only wanted to teach school.

At this time, I didn't feel called to teach the Bible, so I taught school for three years, and then my husband received his call into the ministry. I had no desire to do that, but being married to a man who did, I had to go too. To be honest with you, it was hard, and I didn't like it. I never wanted to be a minister's wife, but I did my best as unto the Lord. We traveled for a year, held soul-winning classes in the morning, and went witnessing door to door in the afternoons.

At the end of that year, we were invited to be assistant pastors of a church in Amarillo, Texas. My husband accepted, we went there, and then they asked me to teach a Sunday School class of young marrieds. I thought I was a young married, but they really marry young in Texas. (I used to say that they'd burp those kids at their weddings.) We had seventeen-year-olds in that class! I accepted the teaching assignment and proceeded to get so involved in Bible teaching that all of a sudden I found I'd become excited about it.

Then I decided that I didn't want to teach the same old things that they'd learned before, but that I would teach something fresh and alive. I really enjoyed the studying, so I constantly dug for new things in Scripture. The class grew and grew, and in three months we had over a hundred people attending! We even had special visitation for those coming without their mates, and a lot of them received the new birth. We experienced tremendous revival, and many good things happened.

After having been in Texas for about a year and a half, my husband felt led to come to Denver and start a new church. It was difficult at the beginning, but God always met us. When we moved, I started teaching home Bible studies, because many people would come into a home and receive Christ as their personal Saviour who would never set foot inside a church. These Bible studies spread citywide, and out of that came a radio program, followed by a television program. Through all of this, I still never felt called to teach. I felt a natural ability, enjoyed teaching, and liked helping others, but Bible teaching wasn't my choice. I was obeying my husband's call with him.

One night, though, my mother was very sick, and the doctors didn't think she'd live through the night. I was getting ready for bed and was crying and praying for her, when the Lord spoke to my heart. He said "Marilyn, if your mother dies, will you follow me?" "Lord, You know I will." "If she dies, will you be bitter?" "Lord, I won't be bitter." "Will you serve Me in the ministry?" "Lord, You know I'll do all I can as a pastor's wife." Then the Lord spoke to me again, saying, "Marilyn, if Mike, your son died, would you be bitter?" "Lord, I won't be bitter." "Will you follow Me?" "Yes, I'll follow You." "Will you serve Me in the ministry?" I thought this was all quite strange, but I said, "Yes, Lord, I'll serve You." Again He spoke, and said, "Marilyn, if I take your husband home, will you be bitter?" That's kind of a rough one, but I said, "Lord, I won't be bitter." "Will you follow Me?" "Lord, You know I'll follow You." Then He said, "Will you serve Me in the ministry?" I told Him, "Lord, I can't serve You because I'm not called. My husband is called." Then the Lord said, "I didn't ask you if you could. I asked you if you would." I said, "I will."

When I said that, I had a beautiful assurance that my mother would live, and she did. That incident never arose in my mind again until years later, when a man was joking with me and said, "Oh Marilyn, you feel you're called to be a great teacher." Immediately I started saying, "I'm not called at all; I've never been called," but when I opened my mouth, the Holy Spirit said, "Shut your mouth and don't say anything." Then, as real as life, He brought that incident to my mind, and He said, "That is when I called you into the ministry." I'd been teaching for quite some time before I ever recognized it.

God knew that He would call me someday, so whether I was born again or not, He gave me an ability to teach when I was born. Later, when I was born again, He gave me an accompanying motive gift. There is so much criticism for women teachers that if I didn't have His call, I couldn't be doing it today. He gave me His Word.

If you have the motive gift of teaching, you may never be called into the full-time ministry, but you could still have the motive gift. If you do have this motive gift, then I want you to be assured that you also have the ability, because God gave you the ability at your natural birth.

Now look at the characteristics of a teaching motive gift:

1.    They believe that their gift is foundational. They believe that the teaching of God's Word must be the foundation of ministry.

2.    They place emphasis on the accuracy of words. Do you love word studies? I am wild over them and always read books on word studies, even before I knew about the motive gifts. Teachers are so truth-oriented that they really stress the accuracy of words.

3.    They tend to test the knowledge of those who teach them. As people with this motive hear others teach, their tendency is to think, "Where is that in the Scriptures? Does that really apply?"

4.    They delight in research which validates truth. Studying the Word is the number one priority of teaching motivated people. They find fulfillment in discovering new ways to establish God's precepts.

5.    Established truth is often used to validate new information. They have a way of using good foundational truth which has already been taught to validate Scriptural revelation. Teachers keep their "roots” in foundational truth.

6.    They present truth in systematic sequence. Teachers have a way of setting their message forth like this: "Here it is—1-2-3-4. ” They are very systematic in presentation.

7.    These people really avoid illustrations from non-Biblical sources. People who are motivated to teach avoid illustrating their presentation from any other book than God's Word. There is a need for them to stick to the Scriptures in order to maintain credibility.

8.    Teachers resist Scriptural illustrations out of context. When someone takes the Bible out of context, to a person with a teaching motivation it's like pushing the fur of a cat in the wrong direction. That really turns them off.

9.    They find greater joy in researching truth than presenting it. Teaching motives would rather study than present material, even though they still enjoy the presentation. They are jealous about study time, for that is where they receive their fulfillment.

Now that you know the characteristics, you can follow through by gaining insight about the misunderstandings:

1.    The emphasis on accuracy of Scriptural interpretation may seem to be a neglecting of its practical application. A person with a teaching motive gift can become so busy providing a point with accuracy that they don't apply it to your life.

2.    Involvement with research can distract from the Holy Spirit's teaching. A person with this motive can delight in research so much that there is a danger in getting out of the Holy Spirit's teaching ministry and into the intellect.

3.    Use of knowledge to test others may seem prideful. When teachers begin to say, "That person said so-and-so, and that's not Scriptural," people tend to react by saying, "Who do you think you are?" Teachers tend to be quite picky about what people say if it isn't Scripturally based. The following is as example of this. When Frances Hunter, Ruth Stapleton, and I were on the Tomorrow Show with Tom Snyder, two very excellent Bible teachers criticized some things Frances said.

When that happened, we started thinking about it, and my response was, "I thought what Frances said was just great." Then it occurred to me that both of these men are teachers, and they were acting out of a characteristic of their motive gift.

Frances, however, is an exhorter, and I saw that those two men were trying to place her in their mold. As a Body, we can to be careful not to do that by discerning other peoples' motive gifts.

4.    Their concern of imparting research details can seem unnecessary. People that are motivated to teach love detail, and they often expect others to share that feeling. Some people want to be spared all the detail, though, and feel that it is overdone.

5.    The need for objective research may appear to lack warmth. Sometimes teachers can seem cold and analytical, and it may appear that they don't apply their teaching. They just want to get the truth out, and may concentrate on that, rather than the application.

If you understand these things, then you won't be so critical toward people who are teaching. Instead, you'll be praying for them. Perhaps you've identified this as your motive gift. This beautiful motive gift is for imparting truth and leading people into the truth. Its motivation is to search out and validate truth which has been declared by clarifying it. Everyone teaches differently, and not every person that teaches has a teaching motive.

I wondered what Paul's motive gift was. He was an apostle and prophet, and he also had a ministry gift of teaching, because Acts 13 says Paul was a prophet and teacher. I believe that Paul's motive gift was teaching, because he said, "Let no man lay any other foundation than that which is laid in Christ Jesus. ”

Paul felt that the foundation of all gifts was teaching, and that is a definite teaching motive characteristic. Paul tested knowledge: When he was on Mars Hill, in Acts, he said, "I see all of these many idols you've built to your gods, but I see one to the unknown God." He tested out their knowledge. Paul also used Scripture in context. He was a great scholar in his use of the Old Testament to give the revealed truth he received in the New Covenant.

Certainly Paul was a researcher, because when he was in prison he was always asking for someone to send his books. Incidentally, if you think it is wrong to use study books, then you'll think that Paul was wrong, because he used them. Paul must have thoroughly enjoyed his research for right after he became a Christian he spent three years studying in Arabia. Maybe one of the reasons God had Paul in prison so much was so he'd have time to research and write his many epistles. After all, Paul wrote the largest part of the New Testament under divine Holy Spirit inspiration.

You've found that teachers sometimes lack warmth in their personal relationships. Acts 13 tells of Paul, Barnabas and Mark starting out on their first missionary journey, and I think it offers a fine example of this. They took Mark along because the early church did quite a bit of training and developing others for the ministry. Mark got homesick, though, and he was sent home from the first place they visited. That really made Paul cross— he felt that Mark was just a Mama's baby! Mark went home and got involved in the ministry, and began to grow up, and when Paul and Barnabas returned from their extremely fruitful mission, Barnabas decided that they could take Mark on the next journey. Paul said, "No way. We're not taking him along again. He went home after the first city the last time." Well, Paul and Barnabas had a real disagreement about this, and finally Barnabas took Mark with him, and Paul separated from them, taking Silas along.

In the end, though, Paul made up with Mark, and later on he even sent for him, calling Mark, "profitable in the Gospel." He also straightened things out with Barnabas, so there was reconciliation. This example, though, really portrays the lack of warmth which may be present in the teaching motive.

Paul excelled in his use of systematic sequence too, because he tied the Old and New Testament together. In Corinthians, Paul put layer upon layer of truth in precise detail. He was burdened to teach the truth, and this is how he presented it. When he wrote to the Corinthians about an immoral situation which he'd heard about, he laid out their instructions step by step. Another time, he instructed them about their giving, and again, he was quite systematic: "one-two-three-four—this is the way you're supposed to give." Paul's burden for the Corinthians was that they receive the truth he gave them.

If ever a human being was a teacher, I think that it was Paul. He had an inborn ability to teach. He sat at the feet of Gamaliel, learning all kinds of truth before he was called into the full-time ministry. Then he was saved on the road to Damascus. God knocked him to the ground, and he came up with the motive gift of teaching! Paul, mighty teacher, has left us much that the Holy Spirit taught him, and now we can teach others.

Is this your motive gift? If it is, continue studying and learning and rely on the Holy Spirit for truth. Perhaps you have been encouraged by gaining insight about why you minister in your particular way and why you're drawn to studying in this way. If this is not your motive gift, then I'm sure you have discerned the person who has it. With this identification, you are receiving understanding of the motive gifts which bring love and produce increase in the Body.

5

Exhortation

The gift of exhortation is an exciting gift, because exhorters are people who are usually very popular. If you have this motive gift, you are probably well-liked and loved by people. When you learned about the prophecy motive, you saw that the people with that gift probably won't be winning any popularity contests because they call out sin. An exhorter is a strong, life-related gift which comes from the word "paraklesis," and that comes from the word "paraclete." By now you probably recognize that this word means "strengthener," or "comforter," and we all like to be strengthened and comforted.

An exhorter's motive centers on experience. They are motivated to see people grow, become mature, and be established in their personal life and social relationships. If you were to sum it up briefly, you could call exhortation the "gift of encouragement to personal progress. " Exhortation is a beautiful ability to stimulate people toward abundant living. Think of different teachers of the Word, and then think of those who want you to practically apply it to your everyday living and relationships. You will see that these people are moved and motivated by the motive gift of exhorting.

Exhorters are loved because they love people, and they are very positive in their attitude and outlook. When you study an example, you'll look at Barnabas, who just wouldn't give up on anyone. Exhorters are not given to much self-introspection and they remain self-accepting, even in stress. Unlike the teacher, truth is truth for the exhorter, whether it comes from the Bible or from experience. A teacher wants truth to come only from the Bible, but an exhorter will pick up and identify experience. I had the privilege of attending a Basic Youth Conflicts seminar with Bill Gothard, and I don't think there is any question that he is an exhorter. He teaches people how to live and relate to others; he emphasizes life and parent/child relationships. The exhorter really wants the Word to become flesh for others by confirming Scriptural truth with experience. A teacher, on the other hand, believes that the presentation of truth alone is adequate.

When exhorters speak, they need the full interest and attention of every listener, and they are offended if they don't get it. The main thrust of their gift is people, whereas the main thrust of the teacher is truth. By now you've observed that there is a strong contrast between the motive gifts of teaching and exhortation.

Now look at the exhortation gift's characteristics:

1.    Exhorters desire to visualize specific achievement and prescribe precise steps of action. Plans and action receive a really heavy emphasis in an exhorter's life. He wants to give you steps on coming out of trials.

2.    They tend to avoid systems of information which lack practical application. If they can't see how something can be practically applied in someone's life, they tend to put that teaching on the shelf.

3.    Exhorters have ability to see how tribulation can produce maturity. They look for positive benefits. They are the ones who will use your trials to make something productive in your life.

4.    They are dependent on visible acceptance when speaking to groups or individuals. Exhorters want to see people respond and accept the truth, because they are so concerned about people being able to apply their knowledge.

5.    Use of insight from human experience in validating and applying Scripture. People who are motivated to exhort are always on the lookout for human experience which relates to the Word. The teacher will say, Word first experience second, but the exhorter will give experience first and then the Word.

6.    They enjoy counseling those who are eager to follow steps of action. They are happy when someone responds to their steps of action. They are excited about people, and enjoy seeing these steps bring forth positive benefits in their lives.

7.    They are grieved when teaching is not made practical. Again, the emphasis on people's response; if an exhorter doesn't see an audience grasping the truth, they grieve on the inside. Don't criticize an exhorter about this. It lies heavily upon him when this happens.

8.    They delight in personal conferences. They love to counsel, especially when they see the counselee taking hold of the Word and practicing it for results. I've beat myself around at times because I can't say that I love counseling, but an exhorter doesn't dread it; that's his meat. The reason counseling really turns on an exhorter is because he's always got steps to help the counselee put the Word to action in their life.

Now you can understand the characteristics of exhortation.

Here are the misunderstandings:

1.    Emphasis on steps of action may seem like oversimplification. Others may say, "All you think is that these three steps will take care of my problem, and they won't." People with exhortation motives really stress the plan of action.

2.    Urgency in having plans may appear as overconfidence in them. Some people feel that the exhorter places too much emphasis on the action, rather than on the spiritual matter behind that action.

3.    Their desire to witness through being a living example can look like disinterest in evangelism. We have had different well-known Bible teachers teach in our church, and some would say, "You just live the life before people, and that will make them hungry for Jesus." Then we'd have someone else come and teach, and they'd say that we ought to tell everyone the reason for the hope in us and be aggressively passing out tracts. At first, I thought, "What is this?" Then I discovered that, while differently motivated people will present different views, there is a balance. There are times when people won't receive your word or a tract, but they will receive your life as a witness. There are also times when you don't have time to live the life before someone, and those are times when you should speak out. We need all seven motive gifts to keep balance within the Body of Christ. Each one gives us something that we must have, so don't ever think that you don't need the Body. One reason that some people don't discover what their motive gift is, is because they aren't active in a church. If you won't get with the Body of Christ, then you can't tell what they need from you or what you need from them. It is extremely important that you relate and interact with one specific church's pastors and congregation. If you won't be a part of the Body, you are not only hurting them by depriving them of your working part, you are also hurting yourself.

4.    Using Scripture for practical application may take it out of context. Exhorters are so concerned about making the Word flesh in your life that they may not follow the whole context through. This can really make others critical.

5.    Their emphasis on steps of action may appear to disregard the feelings of those being counseled. Some people say that these people get so carried away with their steps and plans that they couldn't recognize how the other person felt. That isn't true, but they do like to emphasize action. We have a pastor on our staff with the motive gift of exhortation, and he loves to counsel people in this way. He'll say, "I told them... 1-2-3-4-5, this is what they do, and that's what's going to happen." He really loves to counsel people and give them steps that will help them.

There are seven examples of Bible exhortation which demonstrate this strong life-related emphasis of exhortation, and most of them are in Thessalonians. These are the seven things which exhortation can show you:

1.    How to live. "Further more then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God so ye would abound more and more" (1 Thessalonians 4:1). Paul was exhorting the Thessalonians on how to live in abundance.

2.    How to please God. I Thessalonians 4:1 also tells you how to please God in your daily living.

3.    How to live a life worthy of God. "As ye know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you, as a father doth his children" (I Thessalonians 2:11). Paul taught his spiritual children like a father. Perhaps you could say that an exhorter has all of the Father's "spiritual hormones."

4.    How to progress in love. "And indeed ye do it toward all the brethren which are in all Macedonia: but we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more" (I Thessalonians 4:10). Exhorters are loving, and they want you to progress in love, too.

5.    How to have respect for each other. They want to see respect in all your relationships. "And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you; that ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing" (I Thessalonians 4:11-12).

6.    How to face trials. "Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God" (Acts 14:22). An exhorter is concerned about your trials, and he wants you to use them for your own maturity by using steps of action to overcome them.

7. How to understand chastening. "For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin. And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord norfaint when thou art rebuked of him” (Hebrews 12: 3-5). I call verse 5 the ”double-D” verse. It says, "Don't despise and don't despair. ” This means don't treat the teaching lightly and don't despair because of it. An exhorter doesn't want you to give up. He wants you to understand and withstand chastening. Barnabas is an example of an exhorter, and his name meant "son of consolation. ” He was really well-loved, and his message was one which appealed to peoples' wills. Barnabas was a priest from a wealthy island called Cyprus, and he brought all of his wealth and laid it at the disciples' feet. He turned all he had over to God, and the fact that he was a priest shows that he probably had divine father-feelings and concern for people. Now you'll begin seeing that his message appealed to the will:

"Who, when he came, and had seen the grace of God, was glad, and exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord" (Acts 11:23).

Barnabas was saying, "Folks, lets give our wills to God and follow Him. Let's not be strong-willed and stiff-necked; surrender your wills to follow His desires. ” Sounds like an exhorter, doesn't it? He was very concerned about the growth of believers, and the way they lived. While a prophecy motive is concerned with the initial repentance, an exhorter is very concerned about the growth which follows:

"Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God" (Acts 14:22).

What was he saying? "Come on people, let's keep growing in the things of God; let's be successful in our living, and when we go through these tribulations, remember that they're par for the course in entering God's kingdom. Let your tribulations mature and develop you."

I saw something else about Barnabas' message that was personal and practical. Here you'll see both aspects when he and Paul had a little disagreement over a young man named Mark, and another instance where he pleaded Paul's case.

"And the contention was so sharp between them, that they departed asunder one from the other; and so Barnabas took Mark, and sailed unto Cyprus" (Acts 15:39).

"But Barnabus took him, and brought him to the apostles, and declared unto them how he had seen the Lord in the way, and that he had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus"

(Acts 9:27).

In these verses of Acts 9 and 15, Barnabas took the parts of the other people. When Paul was down on John Mark, Barnabas took his defense, yet he stood up for Paul to the other apostles. Paul wasn't an exhorter, and God put him with Barnabas, an exhorter who loved people and wanted involvement with them. When he met Paul, who was Saul at the time, he said to the disciples, "This guy is for real. I know that he used to persecute and kill the Christians, but I've learned his testimony, and I want you to receive and accept him." Barnabas stood as an intercessor.

Another time, Barnabas told the disciples, "Listen, let's send for Saul, and he'll help us." They sent for him, and when he got there, his ministry began to develop and mature quite rapidly. He became a teacher and a prophet, and I believe that this happened under the encouragement of Barnabas. Barnabas introduced Paul to the original disciples and started him in ministering and fulfilling God's call on his life.

At the opening of this study on the motive gift of exhortation, you looked at I Thessalonians 2:11, which says, "As ye know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you, as a father doth his children. ” Did you see Barnabas' character in that? He was like a father to John Mark and Paul. Barnabas, the "son of consolation, ” was an exhorter and a beautiful example of this motive gift.

Is that you? You're going to be greatly loved. Keep maturing and developing in it. Is this someone you know? Encourage them; tell them what an encouragement they are to the Body of Christ. Compliment them and tell them how blessed you are to have a friend who is moving and stimulating the Body of Christ with the motive gift of exhortation.

6

Giving

This is a gift that most people don't know much about. It is rarely seen, and maybe you think you'd rather be on the receiving end anyway, so you're not aware of it or looking for it. In regard to the giving motive gift, Romans 12 says, "He that giveth, let him do it with simplicity." God has a motive gift that causes people to love giving. It is a beautiful ministry, and as you examine it further, you'll see that it involves more than just giving money. This motive gift can include giving time or giving of yourself to the work of the Lord, and some people who have this motive gift are developed in it to a very high degree.

Perhaps you have heard about people who give as much as sixty or seventy percent of their income. I believe that these people have the motive gift of giving. When they were physically born, I think they received an ability to make money; there are those people who seem to be able to touch anything, and it turns to "gold."

When givers are born again, they receive a spiritual motivation to give, and God uses their natural talent by motivating it with the desire to give and to motivate other people in giving. I think that the enemy really fights this motive gift, because he doesn't want people giving to God's Kingdom. Certainly, the devil doesn't want the Gospel blazing abroad! God uses His givers greatly in the increase of His kingdom, so the motive gift of giving is very important.

Some years ago, when we'd been telecasting for six or eight months, a man came to our services with his five children, and when my husband gave the altar call for people to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit, this man went forward. He was filled with the Holy Spirit that night, and that was all I knew about him for quite some time. Then the people who had prayed with him saw his name on a big Chevrolet dealership, so they went in and talked with him. This is when he told the story of why he had come to our services.

He had seen the Life for Laymen telecast and was touched by the Word of God. He'd already received Jesus as his personal Saviour, but he came because he wanted more and so that his family could also walk with the Lord. About a month later, he called Channel Nine, where we telecast, and said, "I would like to give one hundred dollars a week to the ministry." Later on, he doubled that amount, and although he has moved from Denver since then, God really used his giving motive to help us in the early stages of telecasting.

Giving is not carnal; it can be a very spiritual motivation. I believe that all of us want to be able to give, and that since you've become a born-again Christian, the Holy Spirit brings out that desire, but that doesn't necessarily mean you have the motive gift of giving. Remember, as you study each of the seven motive gifts, you will see yourself in parts of each one, but only one of the gifts will be innately yours. There is one motive gift that you are more comfortable with than any others, and it flows from you in a stronger way.

As before, we will first examine the characteristics that are emphasized by the gift of giving. There are nine characteristics and five misunderstandings. Jesus had a lot to say about giving, but although many people get offended if you talk to them about giving, a person with this motive gift will get excited about it. His desire is to excite others about it, too, and it does. Here are the characteristics:

1.    These people have an ability to make wise purchases and investments. They have received this ability in their natural talents, and are motivated in it with their spiritual motive gift.

2.    They desire to give quietly to ministries and projects. They don't want a lot of publicity about giving, and that is what Romans 12 says, for the giver to give "with simplicity. ” People with this motive don't make a big splash about it. Once I received a call from someone asking me, "Do you think that you are causing people to be spiritual by having them give large gifts publicly?" I said, "No, I really don't, and I'll tell you why: I think many times people come forward to give money because they are in love with Jesus, and they're confessing before men that they love to give. I don't believe they want to be showoffs at all." I do know some very secret givers who really want to make an impression on people. We've actually had some big givers who used their gifts to try to run the church. They'd say, "Marilyn, I really support this church, but if you don't do so-and-so, then I'm going to leave." They gave secretly, but there was pressure behind their gifts. That is not a giving motive.

The Bible tells you that if you confess Jesus before men, He'll confess you to the Father, and I think confession can be done in giving. You can confess before men that you love to give to Him. I don't think it is wrong to give publicly, but I believe that the motivation behind it should be correct.

3.    Givers will use their giving to motivate others to give. They want everyone to give, and they'll attempt to encourage others with their own giving. People with the motive gift of giving have even written tracts which will stimulate giving in other people, and when they counsel someone with a problem, usually the first thing they'll ask is, "Do you tithe and give offerings?" They want other people to be blessed through giving, just as they themselves are.

4.    They're alert to valid needs which others may overlook. Givers are very alert towards people's needs and will watch for things that many people will miss. A missionary could present one need, and a person with this motive will look beyond and see other needs. They'll bring out money for projects that even the pastors never dreamed of. In fact, a giving motive seeks out needs that the church can give to.

5.    They enjoy meeting needs without the pressure of appeals. They are already motivated to give, so they don't need the pressure of appeals. Their motivation comes from the spiritual gift that God has given them.

6.    They are joyful when their gift is an answer to specific prayer. When we got ready to buy the church we now occupy, we still didn't have enough money for closing costs, and didn't realize it until the last day. We prayed about the need, and then my husband said, "We'll just go to the bank and borrow the money." The amount was only five hundred dollars, so I agreed. On the way to the bank, we had to stop by the church, first, and there was a prayer meeting going on. When we walked in, a woman ran up to us and said, "Do we have enough money for the building?" I said, "Yes, we do.", and my husband said, "Oh, we do?" Then he told her that we were lacking only the closing costs. Her eyes brightened up and she asked, "How much are they?" Well, when we told her how much, she really beamed. This seemed pretty strange to me that she'd be so excited about our lacking the money, but then she told us why. "This morning I was praying, and the Lord spoke to me that my husband and I should give five hundred dollars. I knew he'd never be responsive to that unless it was really God, so I prayed about it and then talked to my husband. I told him I felt we should borrow five hundred dollars to give to the church for the building fund. He said that God had dealt with him last night, and he prayed, 'Lord, if this is really You, have my wife talk to me about it.' This was our confirmation!" When Wally told her that we lacked the exact amount which God had spoken to her about, you can imagine how that turned her on. Givers receive tremendous joy when their gift is an answer to specific prayer.

7.    Depending on partner's counsel to confirm the gift amount. Givers seem to use a witness back and forth for a confirmation of their gift. Many times, my husband and I have depended on God to give the other a spiritual witness to match ours.

8.    Givers want their gift to be of high quality. They don't want to give any old thing. They're not giving to people, they're giving to Jesus, and who wants to be sloppy with Jesus? I have never yet seen a sloppy giving motive.

9.    They desire to feel like they're part of the work done through their gift. I think this is very precious. A man who gave to Life for Laymen during the early years became the chairman of our board for several years because he really identified with it. There are so many times he encouraged the Life for Laymen ministry and presented so much strength, not only by giving his money, but by giving of himself. He wanted to feel identified with the Body through his gifts, and that is characteristic of a giving motive.

Now let's get some insight on the misunderstandings which accompany the motive gift of giving.

1. Their emphasis on money may appear to be a focus on temporal values. When a man has been blessed in his giving and he shares his testimony, many people will criticize him, saying, "All he ever thinks about is money." I've heard criticism about Full Gospel Businessmen because of the men testifying that God has met them financially. Givers are not focused on temporal things, but they are thrilled with the way God works in their life through giving.

When we got ready to buy a new building, we presented the financial need to our church. As a result, some people mistook the presentation as an overemphasis on money, rather than on spiritual things. Two on the motive gifts, however, relate to some pretty carnal things, for God uses them to meet the carnal needs within the Body of Christ. Serving meets the practical needs, and giving meets financial needs. Be careful about what you call "spiritual” or "unspiritual. ” Giving can be a very spiritual thing, and there is a lot of Scripture about it.

2.    The desire of increasing the ministry's effectiveness may appear manipulative. This has happened before, but people who attempt to manipulate ministries through gifts do not possess the motive gift of giving. People who try to control churches through their giving are involved in something which can be very dangerous, and very enticing to a ministry in financial trouble, by causing them to look to that person, rather than God.

When we started our church, my mother said, "Marilyn, don't look to people for your financial needs, look to God. He's your source." We've had millionaires in our church who never gave a thing. God didn't use them, but He's used some pretty unlikely people to support the ministry, including people from outside the church whom we'd never dreamed of. God is our source. It is dangerous when men try to become the source for a ministry by enticement of gifts.

3.    Personal frugality may be interpreted as selfishness. Sometimes people with a strong motive to give don't live in high fashion. Is that shocking? Many people think that heavy givers should drive Cadillacs and live in a lovely section of town, but more frequently, the people who are motivated to give are very down-to-earth. Often they are saving to give into the kingdom of God, rather than spending money on themselves. Givers may be frugal about spending money on themselves and on their family. This is not the rule, but it can be easily misunderstood. The point is that givers may be very cautious about spending personal funds yet be very liberal with God's work. God is just as liberal to them, but they still remain as before. They love to give to God.

The Bible says that God loves a cheerful giver, which really means "a hilarious giver." We're not to be hilarious spenders, but we're to be hilarious givers. Some people are really hilarious spenders, but very stingy about giving. They not only do not have the motive gift of giving, they haven't been motivated by someone who has it. I've seen people with this motive gift stimulate a whole congregation to give, and they've certainly motivated me to do the same.

Giving can be called "contributing " and I believe that contributing is at the heart of the giving motive. The Greek word "metadidomi" is made up of these two parts: the root, "didomi," means "to give," and the prefix, "meta," intensifies the gift's meaning by adding the idea of "with." This implies sharing and spending out one's life with others. It is the very freedom of givers to give of themselves which makes this motive gift so very supportive. Their gift is, essentially, a part of themselves. The Bible even says that you must first give of yourself. Contributing, of course, is not restricted to wealthy people, but it is a motive gift, given into the hearts and lives of people to meet and support the needs of the Gospel and to motivate others in doing the same thing.

The New Testament identifies five different things about giving, and this will give you a clue about this gift's operation. Luke 3:11 speaks of sharing material things, as does Romans 1:11:

"He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise" (Luke 3:11).

"For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established" (Romans 1:11).

The same Greek word is used for the people sharing finances, and this is but a representative passage:

"Whereforth he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men" (Ephesians 4:8).

I Thessalonians 2:8 uses the word metadidomi about a man who gave of himself:

"So being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because ye were dear unto us" (I Thessalonians 2:8).

You are to share your time, love and physical activities, according to these verses. These qualities of sharing are ones which are evident in people who flow in the motive of giving. Abraham was an excellent example of the gift of contributing. Let's look at some of his characteristics:

1.    He was called the friend of God. Friendship emphasizes the witness, mutuality and strong supportiveness of a gift. You may have friends who are real witnesses to others because they give of themselves.

2.    God entrusted Abraham with assets. What did God bless Abraham with? Genesis 13:2 says that he was blessed in all things. Abraham was a very wealthy man, and God blessed him because He knew that He could trust him.

3.    Abraham had a liberal spirit, and was generous with others. An example of this is the way Abraham treated his nephew, Lot. When Lot was in trouble, Abraham rescued him, and when they were deciding about who would take which area of land, he gave Lot the first choice. He thought of others before himself.

4.    Abraham tithed. Many people will tell you that tithing is not in the New Testament and that it only applies under the law. Moses received the law, but Abraham was a tither before Moses ever appeared.

You will find the word "tithe” in Hebrews. Abraham was the first tither, and he was called the "friend of God." If you want to be a friend of God, be a tither. He tithed to a priest named Melchisedec, and Jesus was after that same priesthood. When you tithe, you're giving your tithe to Jesus, so don't ever think you are giving it to the church.

5.    Abraham gave God the glory in his giving. Abraham knew that his blessings came from God, for he spoke continuously of His goodness.

6.    Abraham gave without fanfare. Even when Abraham was to offer Isaac, he was willing to offer him, if that was God's requirement. He didn't blow a lot of trumpets, cry a lot of tears or tell others how spiritual and humble he was. He didn't say, "God, You wouldn't make me give up Isaac, would You? You know how long I waited for him, and You said my seed would be as the sands of the sea. If I sacrifice him to You, where is the seed coming from?" Abraham obeyed God's promise and gave, because he knew it was a promise he could trust in.

7.    Abraham wanted his assets to be used correctly. He didn't let his money go to just any old place. Many people think that wills are unspiritual, but I don't think they are. In fact, I'd much rather see my money go into the Gospel than into the government. Of course we're to pay our taxes, but after that, I want any possible extra going for the Lord's work.

Abraham was concerned, and he wanted his money to be taken care of after he was gone. He didn't want his money in the hands of wicked people. God told him that the land of Israel was for his seed and his seed's seed, and Abraham wanted to secure a good wife for Isaac so that the land would pass into good hands.

8.    Abraham was concerned about the price and value of things. He checked things out. Abraham went to buy a burying place for Sarah, recorded in Genesis 23, and he made right offers for the land. I think he really showed some beautiful wisdom in the way he made this purchase.

In the New Testament, Cornelius was known for his prayers and his giving. Can God say that He knows you by your prayers and givings? In prayer and in giving, I think that the jewels of Jesus are on us, and they are in the heart of a giving motive.

7

Organization

Now you're going to study the motive gift of organization. This is one of my very favorites, because there is such a need for organization in the Body of Christ. The word "organizer,” (the King James version calls it "ruler”) is from the Greek word "proistemi, ” which literally means "one who stands in front of others. ” This gives the connotation of a leader, a ruler, a protector, or a champion. One of the translations says that if you are a leader, you must exert yourself to lead. The Revised Standard Version calls it "giving aid.” The person who has this motive gift is one who comes along to make things easier and to facilitate.

A person who can set up goals and line people up to accomplish tasks makes things easier for the Body of believers. If everyone just does their own thing, there is helter-skelter, and God's work becomes complicated and disarranged. A facilitator will line things up and lead by working with and through others. They organize people to do things and love to develop the church or ministry they're in. People with the motive gift of organization aren't like servers in that they don't enjoy doing tasks by themselves. They are hard workers, but they enjoy making things easy for the whole Body of Christ by promoting ease of action and operation.

In Titus 3:14, Paul said that organizing was maintenance:

"And let ours also learn to maintain good works for

necessary uses, that they be not unfruitful."

Perhaps you could call organization the "maintenance department” of the church. They help the Body define, maintain, and carry out goals by providing leadership support, so that needs are effectively met by the whole Body. Before you examine the characteristics and misunderstandings of organization, I want to share with you a very personal thing that happened in our own church, which demonstrates the need for this motive gift.

We were in great need of an associate pastor some time ago, when our associate pastor of that time felt called into evangelism, and resigned. He gave us a month's notice, and my husband began to write letters to Bible schools to make contacts with pastor friends to recommend someone who could take the position. We needed a person who felt called to pastor. We didn't need an evangelist, but rather someone who wanted to build up the home base and encourage people by being a shepherd. This person needed to have a vision for outreach, because we have a local church body and an outreach ministry.

All the letters we wrote received responses, but we didn't have a witness on the people who were available to join us, and the ones we felt should join us did not feel lead to take the position. The Lord really began to deal with me about this, and a tremendous burden of prayer came upon me. I was led to pray that we would know who our associate pastor was, before we left for a trip to the Holy Land, which was scheduled for only four days later. My husband thought that was impossible, but I prayed and waited in the presence of the Lord for an answer. Finally, I called Dick Mills, a friend of ours who has a beautiful ministry in Scriptural word of knowledge. He said that he didn't know of anyone to be our associate pastor, but that he had a Scripture for me: "That which is in darkness shall be brought to light, and that which is hidden shall be revealed" (I Corinthians 4:5). He said, "I don't know who it is, but it is someone in hiding." I thought that was the dumbest Scripture I'd ever heard to use for getting an associate pastor. When I shared it with my husband, he laughed. Then he said, "Why don't you call George Smith in Tulsa. Over a year ago he mentioned a young man who may still be available."

I did call George, although I hardly knew him, and he said, "It's strange that you would call me. I've been in hiding for a year." As soon as he said that, I could only think of the Scripture which Dick had just given me. "Marilyn," he said "God has called me to pastor. He gave me a year off from the pulpit ministry to work with and among His people so that when I went back into the ministry, I could better understand how to identify with them. When do you need someone?" I told him, "July 1st," and it turned out that July 1st was the date when his year among the people was over. He said that he'd love to work with Wally, so he and his wife talked with Wally, flew out on Tuesday to look over the situation, accepted the position on Wednesday, and we left for our Holy Land tour on Thursday! How good God is.

This man who took the position has one of the most beautiful organizational motives you have ever seen, and it is highly developed. He loves setting goals and setting people up to meet them. Wally is not an organizer, and I used to criticize him because of this, but then God said, "Don't worry, he's motivated by mercy. I'll send you an organizer." He did, and we got one of the best.

Now you'll see the characteristics of the organizational motive gift:

1.    People with an organizing motive see the overall picture and long-range goals. They love to examine the overall picture of a situation, and their goals are set up accordingly.

2.    They are motivated to organize only that for which they are responsible. You will not find this person trying to take over your job. They only want to take over their own responsibility.

3.    They do not procrastinate. Organizers desire to complete tasks as quickly and efficiently as possible.

4.    People with this motive are aware of the resources available to complete tasks. I can recall when I planned to bake, and would have already begun the recipe, when I'd realize that I had only three eggs, but needed four. Then I'd have to borrow from a neighbor, and they wouldn't be home. I'd go next door to another house, and that person would be out of eggs. I'd think, "Why didn't I read that recipe before I began?" You will find that an organization motive gets all the resources there first, and has them ready. You'll never see an organizational motive baking a cake without already having four eggs.

5.    They have an ability to know who can handle certain tasks. This is spiritual insight which enables them to pick the right people for jobs. You may think, "Oh no, not that person!" Then the person which was chosen will proceed to function and minister beautifully. Always remember that the motive gifts will stimulate natural ability, but they themselves are a spiritual ability.

6.    They tend to stand on the sidelines until responsibility is turned over to them. Organizers are not pushy. They will not jump in and grab the reigns without having been asked.

7.    Organizers may assume responsibility if no structured leadership exists. If no one is there to supervise or lead, an organizational motive will naturally assume the position of leadership.

8.    They are willing to endure reaction from workers in accomplishing tasks. Have you ever been proceeding with something strong on your heart, when someone came along and said, "What makes you think you can do that?" Did you throw in the towel? You may have, but a person motivated to rule can take static from people, because they have their mind on accomplishing the ultimate task. If an exhorter got static from people, they might really fall apart, but not a person with an organizational motive.

9.    They receive fulfillment in seeing the pieces come together and watching others enjoy the finished product. They are more turned on by seeing everyone else's excitement with the accomplishments, than at what they have done themselves. That can be difficult for many people to understand, but these people receive great satisfaction with the end result of their own facilitating.

10. They desire to move toward new challenges at the completion of tasks. People who are motivated to organize are not satisfied to do just one thing and then quit. It is their natural desire to go on to another challenge, or else they may become bored.

Are these people organized at home, in their garages and closets? Maybe, maybe not. Remember, this is a spiritual motive, and they'll work hard at organizing the church. Organizational motive people are not trying to knock your individual disorganization or put you down. Their desire and challenge is that God's work be organized and that the people flow to meet challenges together.

Now examine the misunderstandings of this motive:

1.    Their ability to delegate responsibility may seem to be an avoidance of work. When organizers are trying to facilitate involvement in a project, someone may ask them why they aren't doing it. Organizational motives are not lazy; anything but. They just want to see others accomplishing with ease.

2.    Willingness to endure reaction may appear to be callous. Someone may say, "He doesn't care what color I want for my classroom; he just went ahead and got the job done without asking." Organizers must be careful about this. These misunderstandings are areas where we want people to understand us.

3.    Neglect in task explanation may fail to stimulate response. This is probably the greatest misunderstanding of the orgaizational motive gift. Sometimes I've heard organizers say, "We're going to do this, and we need this many people," but they don't motivate people to volunteer for the positions. These people are so highly motivated that they forget to express the same motivation which stimulates others.

4.    Their viewing of people as resources may place more emphasis on projects than people. These people are so turned on about goal accomplishment, that they may wear out and tire the people involved in driving them towards the end result.

5.    Desire to complete tasks swiftly may appear as insensitivity toward others' priorities. Because they want to get the task completed quickly, workers may say, "I don't want to put in that much time," and become unhappy with the organizer. They can really forget about the priorities of others, because they are so caught up in reaching their goals.

Nehemiah is the Bible example of this beautiful motive gift. He directed the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem after the Babylonian captivity. Nehemiah means "comforter," and connotes "one who comes along and gives strength." This is exactly what he did, and he had a special zeal for the cause of God's people. In Nehemiah 1:4, he said, "I've heard that the walls are down! It grieves me that the rebuilding has not been accomplished." Organizers are grieved when the goals of God's house are not met. He went to Jerusalem, and when he got there, the first thing he did was to ride around the walls at night to look at the damage. There were holes in them where the gates were down, and he actually took a survey. Remember, organizers get the material together first, and they do this by surveying the needs. Nehemiah was checking out how much wood was required and how they could go about replacing the holes. He had a real sense of timing, because he didn't drag the rebuilding into a long process. He did not wail, "I don't know when we'll get those walls done. This is going to take forever."

"And the king said unto me, (the queen also sitting by him). For how long shall thy journey be? and when wilt thou return?’ So it pleased the king to send me, and I set him a time" (Nehemiah 2:6).

Nehemiah was the king's cup bearer, and they set times on how long he was to be gone and how long it would take to get the walls rebuilt. Organizers have an ability to work well within time limits. They don't want to drag projects out forever. Your mate may have a problem with procrastination, and you may even have problems with it, but people with the motive gift of organization will not procrastinate.

Nehemiah also didn't go to Jerusalem and rebuild the walls by himself. He motivated the people to participate:

"Then said I unto them, Ye see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lieth waste, and the gates thereof are burned with fire: come and, let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we be no more a reproach. Then I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me, as also the king’s words that he had spoken unto me. And they said, Let us rise up and build. So they strengthened their hands for this good work" (Nehemiah 2:17-18).

By this time, Nehemiah had gathered the resources, and in Chapter three, you'll find that everyone didn't just jump in and do any old thing. Different people were given different assignments, and their assignments were near their homes. If you lived near the Old gate, or the Ephraim gate, then that was the gate which you would have been working on. Nehemiah organized both material resources and human resources.

In Chapters four and six, you can read about the enemy's attack against Nehemiah, and his name was Sanballat. The root meaning of his name, I understand, is "Satan. ” Of course, Satan never wants to see God's goals accomplished. Sanballat, Tobiah and another man came out and aroused the people by making fun of and ridiculing them. When that didn't work, they said, "We're going to fight with you and we'll send people to attack while you're working on the wall. You'll have your backs turned, and we'll shoot arrows into them." That didn't stop Nehemiah, because he had the motive gift of organization. He set goals and moved forward, and that pressure may have been a help, rather than a hindrance, because Nehemiah probably used it to advance his work.

He said, "We'll just put part of the people on the ground with weapons and they will protect the people working on the wall." In the end, they were never attacked, after all.

Not only was Nehemiah strong against the enemy, he was tough enough to face disorder within his own workers. The devil is always one to attack, and he's expected, but when the attack comes from within the ranks, it is a different story for most people. When a skirmish hits from the inside, most people just want to give up. Quite a few of the workers came to Nehemiah saying, "We can't continue to work here because the money we've borrowed from our Jewish brethren has such exorbitant interest rates that we will have to sell our children and go to work to pay off the debt." Nehemiah could have said, "If that's the way these people want to act, I'll just go back and be the king's cupbearer. Why should I see this thing through? I'm paying my own way and I've already had more than enough static from the devil. If the people won't get with it, then forget this!" Instead, he didn't say that at all. He called the Jews together and said, You know better than this. You're breaking the law! He dealt with disorder among the workers, and shaped them up with the Word of God. Nehemiah was a tremendous man of the Word. Organizers must have the Word, for they are the ones who uphold things, and Hebrews 1:3 says that God "upholds all things by the word of his power." Reaching the goal has to be upheld by the Word, and that was one of Nehemiah's tools. No matter what the enemy brought, Nehemiah resisted it, took it to God, and plunged ahead. I understand that the walls of Jerusalem were completed in fifty-two days. That's what the motive gift of organization can do.

He also tried to make things easy for others, and one of the meanings of facilitation is "making things easier." In Chapter five, the Bible gives an account where Nehemiah fed the people. I can just hear him saying, "I paid the food bill. I wasn't there to make things hard for them. I was there to make it easy." Isn't he a neat facilitator? I just love Nehemiah.

Nehemiah knew how to delegate authority, too. He used wisdom on who to leave in charge when he left Jerusalem to return to Babylon. He didn't leave the task to just anyone, but had insight on the men who could handle the positions of leadership. God puts this kind of divine direction in the hearts of His people who are motivated to organize.

What a beautiful motive gift!

A woman criticized some of our administration within the school, once, and asked me if the administrator we had was lazy. I said, "No, he isn't lazy, but he is very involved in counseling people." After thinking about that, I concluded that he probably had the motive gift of exhortation, so the next time I saw that woman, I told her so. Then we prayed for God to bring us a man who was motivated to organize, and God answered our prayer.

You should begin to pray that God will send in people with the motive gifts that are lacking. He'll send you people who will flow with the ones already present if you'll pray in faith, according to His Word. Stop criticizing the Body, and if your church is in need of one motive area, then pray. Jesus said, "I will build My church." I am so glad He's building it, and we're not. Aren't you? Praise God for organizers.

8

Mercy

The last and equally important motive gift in Romans 12 is mercy. The Bible says that we are to show mercy with cheerfulness and eagerness. We are to be excited about being merciful. The person who has this motive gift does not have to be told to show mercy. They want to, and they're happy to do it. Mercy is the motive gift that goes with cheerfulness. I looked up mercy, and I know you'll be interested, because in the Greek, the word "eleos, ” means "an outward manifestation of pity, ” and is the translation for mercy. Mercy assumes need on the part of him who receives it. A person who is motivated by mercy's attitude is, "whether or not you deserve mercy, I want to give it. "

God is rich in mercy; He's wealthy in it. His mercy does not give on the basis of what people deserve, but it is extended, even though they don't deserve it. He is merciful to both the Jews and Gentiles, and Luke 1:50 says that he is merciful to those who fear Him.

What is the difference between grace and mercy? Grace relates to your sins, and mercy relates to helping you out of trouble or affliction. When you have sinned, you need grace for the pardon and forgiveness. When you are afflicted, though, often the result of sin, you need mercy. You can say, "God! Give me mercy in this, because I don't know how to get through it." Galatians 6:16 says that you should ask mercy for one another. Jesus is merciful, and when God brings His salvation to its issue at the coming of Christ, His people will obtain mercy. The coming of Jesus is God's mercy.

I've seen that in the Bible, mercy and peace are found together quite often. They occur in that order, because you're not going to have peace unless God extends His mercy to you. Mercy is the act of God and peace is the resulting experience in the heart of man. Grace, remember, is God's attitude toward the lawbreaker and the rebel, but mercy is His attitude toward those who are distressed.

Let me give you a demonstration of this: We had a young girl in our church who was dating a nice looking boy. They were both about seventeen, and seemed to be very wild about each other. In fact, we were concerned that they were too wild about each other, and one morning my husband said, "I think this young couple is physically involved with each other." I thought, "Oh, no. I hope not." His comment, however, made me much more aware of them when they were together.

As pastor and wife, you can sense when people are physically involved because of what has been learned through experience of watching for things. At the time, we were in a revival meeting, and I noticed that they were coming for prayer a great deal, and I mean really agonizing prayer. They seemed to really have a problem that they didn't know how to handle. One night in service, I felt directed of the Spirit to talk to the young man, and I went to him and asked what was troubling him. He said, "I can't tell you, but I really need prayer." I said, "If I tell you, will you be honest with me?" His eyes got really big and I said, "I'm going to tell you what I think, because you need help, and I think you need the help of your pastors. I think that you and this girl that you're dating are involved physically," He just about passed out. There was a real shock on his face, and he said, "Yes, we are, and she thinks she is pregnant because she hasn't had a period for three months, and we don't know what to do. Marilyn, we've repented, and we know we were wrong. Will you go and be as honest with her as you've been with me?" I went over to her where she prayed, and as I told her the situation, she began to cry. "I know I've just miserably failed God, and I've repented a thousand times." The repentant law breaker receives grace, but after grace, there is mercy. I had never seen such a visual aid lesson in mercy as God gave to me that night.

With their permission, I explained the situation to the evangelist and told him, "I don't know how to pray." He said, "This is the way we'll pray: we won't ask God for her period, or for them to get married. We won't tell God how to do it, but we are going to ask Him for mercy on the situation." We joined hands, prayed and agreed for His mercy together, and the next day at 6:00 a.m., this girl called me and said, "Marilyn, I've started a period. God's been merciful to me."

There is something else about mercy that I think you'll like. A lot of people think that God was not merciful in the Old Testament, but He was. He had a Mercy Seat, and it was the cover on the Ark of the Covenant. Once a year, on the Day of Atonement, the priest would sprinkle the Mercy Seat with blood, and also the ground before it. He was saying, God will have mercy because of the slain lamb, and the shedding of its' blood, sprinkled between He and you, will bring His mercy. God said that the Mercy Seat was his footstool, and He talked with His people from above it. He can talk to you because of Jesus' blood, and Jesus shed His own blood because of His mercy for you. I Chronicles 28:11 calls the Holy of Holies the "House of the Mercy Seat." When you came to Jesus, He became your Mercy Seat, because He shed His blood. When you take His blood, He says to the Father, "Mercy on this one!" Jesus extended not only grace, but mercy, so He put a motive gift of mercy within the Body.

You may have watched certain people who are rich in mercy, and they really stimulate others to be merciful also. If you don't have the motive gift of mercy, remember that the Bible tells you to "put on the bowels of mercy. ” Now take a look at the characteristics of this motive gift:

1.    They possess ability to sense atmospheres of joy or distress. They can sense the atmosphere around others, both in individual people and in group situations. They are very sensitive to peoples' feelings, reactions and emotions.

2.    Attraction and understanding to people in distress. I've heard people say that their children bring home every stray cat and dog on the street. They were attracted to them, and in the Body of Christ, there is a motive gift which causes people to bring in stray people who are in trouble and need help.

3.    Mercy motives desire to remove hurts and bring healing. They can't stand to see people who have been shattered. It almost shatters them, so they want to run and help by offering them mercy.

4.    They are more greatly concerned for mental distress than physical distress. Mercy motives are really tuned in to people's mental afflictions and turmoil, so they are much more deeply concerned with mental and emotional healing, rather than physical.

5.    They avoid firmness unless it will bring benefit. These people can be firm, but they are firm only when they know it will benefit the other person. If it will not help the situation, they'll avoid it. I used to think that this characteristic was sort of "sloppy agape," or "greasy grace," but that isn't true at all. People who are motivated by mercy can be firm but are sensitive about the timing.

6.    They're sensitive to words and actions which hurt others. They select their words and actions carefully because they don't want to hurt others. They are always concerned that someone will get trampled.

7.    They can discern sincere motives in other people. Don't think that a merciful person is just a soft individual. He has a spiritual ability that discerns what is behind actions, and gets turned off to phonies. People with mercy motives can sense insincerity a mile away, and this discernment is similar to a prophecy motivation. It is their reaction, however, which is different.

8.    People who are merciful enjoy uniting with others who are also merciful. They love being with others who have the mercy motive. I don't think that this holds true with

other motive gifts being attracted to their same gift, but people with the motive gift or mercy feel a great attraction to each other. They enjoy talking about how they can show mercy and discern motivations.

9. They tend to close their spirits to those who are insensitive. When someone will not come through and be sensitive to others, but are calloused or insincere, these people have a cutoff point.

Now continue studying the mercy motive gift by examining misunderstandings:

1.    Avoiding firmness may seem weak or indecisive. Because mercy motives won't come down firmly on every situation, they may be perceived as being weak or indecisive.

2.    Their spiritual sensitivity may appear illogical. The mercy motive does not respond to people with their logical mind. A teaching motive is often critical of emotional response of mercy motivated people, but their motivation is spiritual, and they are led to show mercy.

3.    Attraction of those in distress may he misinterpreted by the opposite sex. This can really be a danger. God has really dealt with me about advising discretion in counseling situations. Every now and then you'll hear stories like this one, which a pastor's wife told me: She told me that her husband became involved with a counselee, and after talking for awhile, I concluded that he did have the motive gift of mercy. She warned him about using caution in counseling women, but he neglected her advice and found himself involved with a divorced woman whom he was counseling. Of course they were ashamed, but still the affair continued, until the woman's guilt overcame her and she suffered an emotional collapse.

While she was in the hospital, another patient heard the story, and the elders found out about the situation. They consulted the pastor, and he broke, wept and admitted it. He told them the truth, that the relationship had ended about a month previously, and you can imagine the horrible condemnation he'd been experiencing. The elders prayed with him, extended him mercy, and stood with him without telling his wife.

Then, while the pastor's wife was praying one day, God revealed the situation to her, and she asked her husband about it. He confessed, and she cried, but knew that the Lord would give her the strength to stay with him. That couple, and the church elders stood together in God's grace and mercy, and they are still going, but there have been many struggles because of this. This man learned where mercy has a stopping place.

4.    Sensitivity to harmful words and actions may appear that they take another's offense. Mercy is not to pick up others' offenses. If a person has been offended because they did right, the glory of God will rest upon them, but there is no glory for the person who picks up the offense. People motivated by mercy, must be careful to extend only God's mercy and not to take sides.

5.    Ability to detect insincerity may alienate people. People with the motive gift of mercy tend to be cautious with certain people because of their ability to detect insincerity. This may cause some people to find them "hard to get to know. "

An excellent example of a person with a motive gift of mercy is the good Samaritan.

"And Jesus, answering said A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he

journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, and went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee." (Luke 10:30-35).

The Good Samaritan is a parable of mercy. The Good Samaritan was a man, despised by the religious people of the day, yet he extended mercy on the wounded man. He had compassion on him and wanted to help, so he poured oil and wine in his wounds to bring healing. Not only did he want the man healed, he wanted to make sure that there was time for the healing. He spent what he had. Mercy is active, it doesn't just say, "I feel sorry for you. He paid the bill for the future so that the man would not be embarrassed, and he had an insight that the innkeeper had sincere motives, and would not take the money, but eject the wounded fellow when he left. The Good Samaritan said, "If he spends any more, you can trust me, I'll repay you. ” Perhaps the innkeeper also had a mercy motive, and he discerned the sincerity of the Good Samaritan; he may have also felt mercy for the man who had been wounded.

"Which now of these three, thinkst thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? And he said, He that sheweth mercy on him" (Luke 10:36, 37a).

The mercy motive is a neighbor. Exhortation may have been a father, but mercy is a neighbor. The mercy motive within the Body of Christ should stimulate you to be merciful toward others.

Have you been stimulated? I trust that you have not only been stimulated in this study on motive gifts, but that you have been motivated and have spiritually discerned your own very important place in the Body of Christ.

I want you to pray with me in closing:

Dear Father,

I thank You that You have not left us, as the Body of Christ, incomplete, but that we are complete in Him. Not only are we complete in Him, but we are complete in one another. Without each other, we are lacking. Without ministering to one another, others lack. I pray for every person who completes this study to have spiritually discerned his own motives, and the motives of others. Not only will it be discerned, but growth, development and ministering will take place by the joints within the Body of Christ. And Lord, as we all minister, one to another, You have promised that You would bring the increase of love and an increase in the Body. Help us to minister that the love might flow through exercising our motive gifts, and that we might feel the love of others flowing into us through their motive gift. I thank you that the Body is increasing because we have been obedient to Your Word. In Jesus' Name,

Amen.

9

Building of the Church Body

I want to talk to you about BODY BUILDING, and I don't mean physical exercise. There's a lot of hype today about body building, but now you're going to discover spiritual body building. The Bible uses a word for spiritual body building called "edification", and you'll find this word in many places in the New Testament.

You've probably read a lot about edifying, edification. Yet perhaps you were not sure about what the word meant. What does the word "edification" make you think of? Edification, or edifying, comes from the word, "edifice. " What's an edifice? A building. Edifice is the noun of edifying, the verb, so it's easy to see what edification is: It is building.

Edification means "to construct," "to organize," "to establish, " and "to instruct and improve." As a member of the Body, you're to be a Body builder. You are to establish, instruct, and improve the Body. By building individuals in the body, you'll build the entire Church body; and in building a part of the Church body, you're building up the Kingdom body. Edification, or building, works on a small, individual basis, on a group basis, on a church basis, and is involved in developing God's Kingdom.

When I started studying this, the Lord brought me a very simple explanation: What is a knife used for? To cut. What is a fork used for? To pierce. What's a spoon used for? To lift up. You can be a knife in the Body and cut other members of the Body; you can be a fork and stab at them all the time. But God didn't call you to be a knife or a fork. What did He call you to be? He called you to be a spoon, to lift, not to stab or cut; you're called to lift others and edify them. Edification will keep you from a lot of trouble. Lifting up and edifying is not part of your carnal nature, but if you move in your spirit man, you'll be lifting up. Your spirit man will never be stabbing and cutting. You're to be a Body builder.

Now take a look at how God speaks of the Body. The Bible says that God has called us to be part of one body, in Colossians 3:15: "And let the peace of God rule in your heart. to the which also ye are called in one body, and be ye thankful. ” You have been called as a member of one body; even though you're a church member, you are still called to be part of one body. I believe that God calls people to be a part of churches and places them there with the Holy Spirit. The church you are in is not perfect, and you aren't perfect, but the Holy Spirit calls you to a specific church body. I think sometimes people get offended and become "grasshoppers," and they leap here and there, but they are not letting the Holy Spirit lead them.

Christians are being moved by their emotions and circumstances. Each needs to let the Holy Spirit place him in a church body; then he will begin to experience spiritual unity. Then God will begin giving him a vision with that body. Every church body has a goal, and when the goal is a spiritual one, you begin to contribute to the heartbeat of the church. You begin to get the vision.

Our church has a vision of 44,000 members. Then, John Osteen got up and said the vision was too small. I thought, "Do you know how big it is? We're believing for 44,000." He said too small. Wasn't that something. Nobody ever said this to me, but I thought some of our people thought "too big”. When he said that, some of the people looked like they could have fallen off the pews! What is happening? God is uniting us to have one vision. If one eye looked this way and the other looked that way, you'd really have a problem; your eyes have to focus in the right direction. Fred Price's church bought Pepperdine University and it is huge! They have been claiming this land for a number of years. Pepperdine wasn't thinking of moving or selling, they began claiming it long before Pepperdine had it in mind. They put pictures of it all over the church, in the Sunday School rooms, in the restrooms, every place, saying, "Pepperdine is ours." Then all those people began seeing that, seeing that, and seeing that for years. What happened? They got the vision and now it is literally theirs.

Can you see how important your united vision is? Don't be surprised when God begins to give you a vision of huge proportions. Don't be surprised when your congregation begins getting creative ways from the Holy Spirit to bring it to pass. There are lots of things going on in the Body that's causing members to unite the vision to which they've been called. The first thing that God calls you to is one vision. Romans 12:4 says, "For as we have many members in one body and all members have not the same office..." Not everybody's going to do the same thing within the Body, but you're still a part of one Body. You can't say, "Well, so-and-so isn't spiritual because they don't come to the Thursday morning or Friday night prayer meeting." Let's not put everybody in the same slot, but let's allow God to place the members in the Body. The prayer meeting people are to have the same vision as the people in the Bible school. Somebody else may be a Sunday School teacher—they may not make the prayer meeting, or be active in the Bible School, but they're still getting the vision. God places different members throughout the Body with the same vision, but each member is involved in a different part of carrying out that vision. Remember, though, you are to be lifting up the Body of Christ. You're not here to stab. You're here to be like spoons and lift each other up, not cut each other. "For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's Body." I Corinthians 11:29 It is very important that you discern the Body. I don't believe that you can discern the Body through your natural senses, or that your natural understanding can grasp the position where God has placed you. I used to want everybody to be a teacher, but God didn't call everybody to be a teacher. It takes spiritual discernment to understand where people are coming from. You are going to be hearing things throughout your walk with the Lord that may sound very foreign to what you've been taught, but God will give you a spiritual discerning.

If a person is out of line, God will give you a spiritual discerning to get them back where they should be. I overheard a conversation recently that really bothered me. I thought, "I'm going to run in there and say, 'No, No, No! That's wrong!" The Lord said, "Hush. Be still." That conversation was very unscriptural. I wasn't involved, but I couldn't help but overhear. I was able to deal with it individually later, but that is an example of a time when discernment was needed.

"The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ; the bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?” I Corinthians 10:16 Communion has to do with fellowship and unity, and as members of the Body, we must start placing an emphasis on our oneness of vision. You're spiritually discerning where the members are that build the Body; but that whole Body must have one vision, and there is to be a communion of that vision.

Once I talked to a woman in our church who has been strongly used by the Lord to intercede for other people's children, and she's spent hours fasting for them. Her own children, though, are not serving the Lord, and there are four of them. Last night she was so discouraged about it and said, "You know, I don't see anything happening with my own children." Sometimes a person needs to be encouraged, not just encouraging everybody else. I said, "Well, do you think that you can sow in all these other peoples lives and not reap in yours?" With the law of sowing and reaping her harvest is bound to come, but fellowship within the Body is needed to lift each other up in their position. That's communion. I said, "I know what you're doing, and it's so easy to do. You look at the Word which promises you your children and then you look at where they are and the two don't go together. You can get cross-eyed by looking at two things. You need to get that single eye that discerns what God is doing." The communion of the Body helps to keep the Body with one vision. What do you have to do when a person begins to talk with unbelief? You have to commune with them and bring them back into focus. You have to tell them, "You're not going to let go!" "And God has set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues." I Corinthians 12:28

God has set ministries within your church Body, and those ministries are there to lift up and keep the vision in focus within your church. One person will bring a part of the vision, and another will bring another part of the vision; every part is important. Basically, the best place of the vision to really come to pass is in the small groups where individual sharing takes place.

There, the foundational work of the Holy Spirit can be emphasized by placing members in the parts where they are activated within the vision. How do you build the Body? I Corinthians 3:10 shows where you start:

"According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon."

You must first have a foundation to build on. What's the foundation? Jesus. No building can take place until the foundation has been laid by Jesus Christ. Sometimes you may want to skip layers and get up to the top, but it is very necessary for you to go in the order which God has called you to do. If you skip layers because you think you don't like something in particular, then you're building shakily upon your foundation. You are to have a strong foundation. If you have a great big foundation you'll go higher, and the higher you go, the broader the base has to be.

When you get out into the world, you can encounter a lot of things. You have to be ready for it, so build a big foundation. Don't be impatient if it doesn't go as quickly as you'd like. Building is not only going to be preached from the pulpit, but real building is on a one-to-one basis. When you have children, you start building when they are infants, and you build little tiny things all the time. You start right at the beginning on a one-to-one basis, and it's the same way in the Body of Christ.

"Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do" (I Thessalonians 5:11).

What does edify mean? "To construct, organize, establish, instruct, and improve. ” How does edification begin? On a one-to-one basis. What are you to do within the Body? Instruct, construct, organize, and establish one another! If you're edifying someone, are you cutting them? Stabbing them? No! You're lifting them up.

"Let every one of us please his neighbor for his good to edification" (Romans 15:2.)

If I am wanting to edify someone, I want to please him. If I don't want to build him up, I don't want to speak the words that please him. We are to be on a one-to-one basis, looking for ways to build up our neighbors.

"All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not" (I Corinthians 10:23).

There are a lot of things you can be involved with, especially as your church grows. You could get in everything and be there for 24 hours a day. That would not be expedient. Our church has six activities going on on Thursday nights. You couldn't be in all six activities in one night. You have to say, "Lord, it's all good, but where do you want me to be lifting others up?" Seek that you can excel in areas of building up.

"How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying" (I Corinthians 14:26).

Paul says that all these people came to give a part. If you came to church with the attitude and expectation of building up someone else, you would always be built up. We ought to come to give, but most people's first instinct is, "What can I come to get?" One time a person came to our church. He was a stranger, but one of our members saw him all the way across the building and felt deeply concerned about him. The man was ready to commit suicide and he had just slipped out of the church. This member saw him and raced out afterwards, saying, "You're new here. I want to meet you, and I feel you have a need. Can I help you?" The man just broke and wept. He did not commit suicide, but instead he received the Lord into his heart. Why? Because one member was watching, wanting to give. When there are new people in church, watch for someone that you can edify and build up.

"Again, think ye that we excuse ourselves unto you?

We speak before God in Christ: but we do all things, dearly beloved, for your edifying" (II Corinthians 12:19).

Paul said, "You know what? We're doing this to build you up." We're here as a church to build each other up. Edifying will keep your church Body moving in the right direction with one vision. Constantly be looking for a way to build up.

There is a price to pay for building. If you were going to build, what is the first thing you'd look at? "How much does it cost?" If you were going to buy something new, what would you look at first? The price tag! "How much does it cost?" When our agency talked to us about satellite, the first thing I asked was, "How much does it cost?" It costs to build people, too, and costs you. If you're going to be an edifier in the Body and you're going to excel in edification, it's going to cost you something. It sounds sweet, but it may not be so sweet at 2:00 in the morning when someone calls you and says, "Did I get you up?" It costs, it costs, it costs!

Luke 14:28 says,

"For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?"

It costs you to commit yourself to God. The deeper the committal, the greater the cost. It's going to cost the Body members individually, not only the staff and pastors. It's expensive to be in the program of God. Maybe it will cost sleep. You are stepping from commitment to commitment when you continue in His plan of building. Count the cost. Are you willing to pay? Are you willing to give of yourself? That's the cost.

Most of the people in Dr. Cho's church in Korea give him seven days of their time out of the year to fast and pray on Prayer Mountain for what they are doing. That's expensive. It's costing them. He said, "Send your prayer needs to Prayer Mountain," because they have 10,000 people each day to fast and pray over those needs. It's expensive to build the Body, but it's worth it. Let's examine the costs:

(1)    Love—I Corinthians 8:1 says, "Now as touching things offered unto idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifeth ” Love will build. Even when a person won't let you witness to him with the Word, he will let you love him. We live in a Jewish neighborhood and my daughter has really witnessed to the children; but the parents are really turned off. They are the sweetest people, though, and we have them over for dinner and take them ice cream; they'll receive love. Charity will always build. Love never fails.

Ephesians 4:16 says,

"From whom the whole body fitly joined together, compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love."

You say, "Oh! I want to increase!" Well, in order to increase, you may have to love some mean people. That's the price sometimes in having concern for people's needs.

(2)    The second thing in the cost of building is found in Jude 20,

"But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost."

How can you keep yourself built up? You have to be built up before you can build others in the Body! There isn't anything that will keep you built up more than praying in the Spirit. You can run down, too, so praying in the Spirit will keep you built up in your position, ready to build others.

(3)    The third thing for edifying the Body is in Acts 20:32.

"And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified"

The Word of His grace builds you up. What is grace? Grace is God's goodness and miraculous power towards you. What will build you and others up? Not only the Word of love, but the Word of grace.

I asked the Lord one time, "Why is it that no matter what we preach on in this church, people get saved?" One time I preached on widows, and who do you think got saved? Almost all men! I think that there were eleven men and one woman! Preach on widows, men get saved. Preach on prosperity, people get saved. Preach on healing—people get saved. It doesn't matter, people get saved, no matter what the message! What is that? That is the Word of God's grace. That is God's goodness, and the goodness of God leads men to repentance. You can preach the condemnation of the Word if you want to, but it will never build. If you will teach people of God's goodness, they'll get it, it doesn't matter what you're teaching! Don't slap people to the ground with scripture. Don't be a knife or a fork. Building takes a spoon, so lift them up.

(4)    Prophecy—I Corinthians 14:3,4:

"But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort. He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself."

Did you know that praying in tongues will edify you? That goes right along with Jude 20. Prophecy edifies the church Body. It is for edification, comfort, and exhortation, so if someone stands up and prophesies condemnation, that is wrong prophecy. Prophecy is not used to rip people, but it is the tool that God uses to build up the Body.

(5)    II Corinthians 13:10 says,—

"Therefore I write these things being absent, lest being present I should use sharpness, according to the power which the Lord hath given me to edification, and not to destruction."

Paul said, "God didn't give me power to rip you up. He gave me power to edify you, the Body of Christ." This power is exousia, meaning authority. Why has God given you authority within the Body? To build! You say, "I have authority in the Name of Jesus." That's right, but you don't have the authority to tear. You have authority only to build.

Here's a comparison Scripture: II Corinthians 10:8—

"For though I should boast somewhat more of our authority, which the Lord hath given us for edification, and not for your destruction, I should not be ashamed."

You know, people in leadership who aren't spiritually ready tend to take advantage of their authority by becoming forks and knives: "I'm the authority here. Listen to me." That's wrong motivation; that puts people down. There are no instant authorities. There is instant coffee, but never instant authority. You must be built and prepared before taking positions of authority. All authority given you within the Body is given to you for edification, not to rip up the flock. That doesn't mean that you won't ever correct, because part of edification includes correction; that correction, though, must be done in love.

(6)    Ephesians 4:12 says,

"For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ."

This chapter lists five ministry gifts: apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. Those five ministry gifts are given to build you up. When missionaries come to church and speak, what are they there for? To build. What are prophets to do? Build. If an evangelist speaks, what is he to do? Build. If pastors speak what are they to do? Build. What are teachers to do? Build!

Many years ago a man came to speak at our church felt he was called to rebuke the Body of Christ. It was absolutely the worst thing I have ever heard in all my life. He ripped up the people from one end to the other—just terrible! I can see where correction can be necessary; but this was not correction, it was condemnation. I thought my husband was going to jump up and get him out of there! (He was ready to be a knife.) On the way home he said to me, "That man will never do that to my flock again; I will never allow that again." Today this man is out of the ministry. Why? Because he was acting as a knife. God calls each person with a ministry gift to be spoons, not knives. Because he was tearing down the Body, he was removed from his office. The quickest way to get out of ministering is to quit edifying. God will take you out quickly because His purpose is always to build.

"Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do" (I Timothy 1:4).

You can delve into all kinds of "off-center" topics if you want by issuing political opinions and recipes, but then what will happen? Anybody can come up with something that's way off in Timbukto and you'll have to bring them back. That's not cruel; that's Bible. You can minister questions, but you're to stay in Godly edifying by ministering the answers presented in His Word. These other topics may be interesting, and I know that; but they're not the goal, and, as a Body, we are to keep with the goal. If you enter a service and people are worshipping, then you ought not to be sitting there reading your Bible. If there's prophesying, you shouldn't jump up and dance. If the teaching and preaching is going forth, then what should you do? Run around the church? You should be listening. If the Body of Christ is doing it's own thing, then there is no agreement. There is lack of vision. Do you know what cancer is? It's a cell that rebels by going off and doing its own thing. We don't want to be malignancies in the Body—we want to move with the rest of the Body.

I Corinthians 10:23 says,

"All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient. All things are lawful for me, but all things edify not."

You have to make decisions as to what will build and what will not.

I Corinthians 14:17:

"For thou verily givest thanks well, but the other is not edified"

The context of this is that somebody was speaking in tongues in the service all the time and the people could not understand what was being said. Sometimes believers can be so spiritual and so interested in edifying themselves at home. But when you're together with the Body, what are you building? His kingdom.

Galatians 2:18 says,

"For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor."

When you came to Jesus, some things in your life were destroyed. It could be a lot of things—drinking, drugs, swearing, and who knows what else. Suppose you're going along really well, and suddenly you kind of slip back into it. At first it's a little hard to do, but then it gets easier and easier. Don't build things that have been destroyed and let a struggle get the advantage over your thought life. No! Don't get in a place of transgression over the things that were destroyed by building the things that God took from you.

Here is your master and final goal as a Body builder: I Corinthians 14:12—

"Even so ye, foreasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church."

To excel means to be number one; it means that you get an "A." If you're wondering about your church and saying, "Why are we doing this; why are we doing that?" pray about it; don't stab at it. As you pray, what are you doing? You're building the Body and building the Kingdom of God.

There are all kinds of spoons, so you have to decide what size spoon you'll be. Are you going to be a tablespoon or a great big huge spoon that says, "I'm always lifting somebody up! I lift up big numbers of people!" You don't just decide to be a spoon, you have to decide to be a BIG spoon—decide to be a big Body builder—edify the Body. Edify the church. Keep that as your number one goal and you'll be blessed and prosperous. Keep that as your number one goal and the vision will come to pass.

10

The Four Ways of Ministry

I want you to look at the four ways that Jesus wants to minister to you, and how He wants to use you to minister to others by examining the balanced ministry. This is found in a very unusual place in the Bible, so you may think, "Oh, what on earth is this?" I believe that Ezekiel 1:10 shows you what a balanced ministry is by displaying a creature with four faces; this creature has the face of a man, the face of a lion, the face of an ox, and the face of an eagle. This is a beautiful picture of Jesus and His ministry. It should also be a picture of your ministry if you know Jesus, because Jesus showed a picture of four types of ministry in his life, and it is shown very beautifully in the New Testament.

There are four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. At one time I thought, "Why have four Gospels? Couldn't You have put it all in one?" But the Lord didn't do that; He put all four there, and each one tells the story of Jesus. There is some repetition, but each Gospel also presents you with a different picture of Jesus.

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus is pictured as a Lion. He is shown as the mighty Lion of the Tribe of Judah. He's the authority, the King of kings, and the One who rules. That's what the Jews were looking for—One Who would come to rule and reign. Matthew shows this authority in Jesus' speaking to the waves, the wind and the sea, multiplying the loaves and fishes, and marvelously calling forth the dead to life! He was the Man of Authority.

In Mark, Jesus is depicted as the ox. Why? Because Jesus is shown as a servant in this short Gospel. The Gospel of Mark has only sixteen chapters; and throughout the Book, Jesus is shown serving: "I didn't come to be administered to; I came to minister to you." He is shown washing feet, holding children, cleansing the leper—always a servant always beautifully there to meet men's needs.

Then in John, you can see another picture of Jesus, and this logo is that of an eagle. John depicts Jesus as an eagle with His wings outspread as though he is in flight. The eagle, of course, is the king of all birds; it flies the highest and makes its nest the highest. I believe that the Gospel of John shows the fullness of the divinity of Jesus, the Son of God: turning the water into wine, dealing with Nicodemus with the new birth, talking to the man at the Pool of Bethesda and healing him and speaking to the woman at the well. The seven "I Am's" are in the Gospel of John, and Jesus always demonstrated them. He said, "I am the Vine," and He turned water into wine. He said, "I am the bread, " and He multiplied the loaves and fishes. "I am the light," and a man was healed so that He could see!

Then Luke set forth Jesus' ministry as the Son of Man; Jesus knew how to identify with mankind because He became and walked among men; said He was tempted in all ways as we are; and He understands our temptations. He gives us strength because He understands us and has experienced being a man.

When you read the four Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John you can see the four pictures of Jesus' ministry, for He came as a Lion to be an Authority, an Ox to be a Servant, an Eagle to show the fullness of God and His Love; and He came as a Man—He wept, He got tired and He was rejected. He felt the same things you feel so that He could minister to you in these four areas. There it is, the fourfold balanced ministry in Ezekiel 1:10.

The Lion

Now I want you to look at these representations in relationship to yourself and understand how God wants you to minister. First of all, look at the Lion. When you first come to Jesus, oh, you're so fresh and so excited about the Lord—Who He is and what He is to you! He's so wonderful. He's a marvelous Lion. You see yourself in the authority that you have. You can have prayers answered in the Name of Jesus! You can speak to the devil and He'll flee! You know, it's a very exciting thing to see that you have authority over the devil. Even the disciples came back and said, "The demons are subject to us in Your Name. ” Jesus said, "Don't rejoice about that. Rejoice that your name is written in the Book of Life, because that's what gives you the authority!” You may see some little woman who only weighs ninety pounds in front of her sink, washing dishes, and she mightily rebukes the devil in the Name of Jesus, and he has to flee! "That little woman can do that?" Yes! She can do that because she is using the Lion's authority over the enemy.

The Bible says that the devil goes about as a roaring lion. It does not say that he is a lion, but he goes about roaring and growling as a lion. He's really after people, trying to make them think he'll chew them up, but Jesus is the Lion of the tribe of Judah. The Bible says that He Who is in us is greater than the pretender on the outside!

Once we had a little Siamese cat who loved birds; she'd go after them sneakily by tiptoeing over and pouncing on them. Then, before she'd eat those birds, she would bat them back and forth. I'd see her preying on the birds, and then sometimes she'd miss them. Then she'd go, "Meow, meow, meow," because she missed the bird. The Lord really showed me something about that. He said, "If the devil came up to you, roaring, you'd run off. He's sneaky and subtle, and then he jumps to get you. But if the devil is going about as a roaring lion, then he's not shown as being sneaky. He's growling! Why is he growling? Because he missed his dinner! He's going roar, roar, roar. I missed that Christian dinner, and didn't get to eat them after all!” Why? Because you released the real Lion on him, and that upsets him. That's the Lion; that's Jesus in you, the Hope of Glory! I love that, don't you?

The Ox

Now look at the ox. That's extremely opposite from a lion! How could Jesus be depicted as an ox? What does an ox do? Well, an ox was used for sacrifice; he was a servant animal who carried burdens. An ox is a plodder—get him in a rut and he just keeps plodding through. Jesus is depicted as the servant, the ox, because He came to be a sacrifice for the sins of the world. He knew that, and no matter what came up, He kept His eyes on going to the cross. He told His disciples one time that He was going to the cross to die, and Peter said, "I won't let You do that!" Jesus said, "Get behind Me, Satan." He wouldn't let anything get between Him and His goal; He just kept plodding. "I'm going to the cross. I'm going to the cross. No matter what, I'm going to the cross."

He did, too. He became that sacrifice to give us life. He died for you and me by shedding His blood, and then He arose from the dead! He proved that He was God by displaying Satan's weakness openly and spoiling principalities and powers; then He gave you His same authority over Satan. He had to be a servant before He could do that. He was always a servant. Right now, Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father, serving you. "He is?" Oh, yes, for He ever lives to make intercession for you. Isn't that beautiful?

Then when you die and go to heaven, Jesus will gird Himself and serve some more, for He's going to wait on us at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. He's always a servant. He said, "I didn't come to earth to be served. I came to serve." Jesus calls you to be a servant. Philippians 2:5 says,

"Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus; who, being in the form of God thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men."

The mind of Christ in you is to be a servant. I am to be a servant. I am to serve the Body. I am to serve believers if I have the mind of Christ. I don't walk around thinking, "I'm a big wheel. I'm Marilyn Hickey, the teacher." No I'm not! It's true, I am teaching the Word, but I am a servant to the Body. I don't say, "The congregation had better wait on me." No! The Bible says that I am to serve and wait on them. I'm letting the mind of Christ be in me; I am called to serve. If you're keeping the mind of Christ, you'll be serving.

Serving also means that you're going to be faithful in following the Lord. "I'm going to follow Him no matter what. I keep my eyes on what He wants me to do, and whether or not I feel like it, I'm going to read my Bible every day and spend time praying every day!" Whether it rains or snows, or whether you're tired, you still need to do it!

What would happen if you measured the four ministries and said, "I'm going to be an authority all the time. I want to be a lion, and that's all I'm going to be. All I want to do is run around chasing demons, and I'm just going to speak to the winds and the waves. I'm going to be an authority all the time." Do you know that you could get obnoxious? Jesus never ran around saying, "I'm a Lion, I'm a Lion! I have authority!" He just demonstrated it. Have you ever met Christians who, when you say "I just found some wonderful truth in the Bible," say, "Oh, are you just seeing that? I've had that for years!" Or you say, "I want you to come to our church and hear this wonderful Bible lesson." "No, I've heard all of that for years. I'm so wise; I've got it all." They think they've arrived because they're majoring on being a lion all the time. God didn't call you to be a lion all the time. He also called you to be an ox, a servant.

I remember when we first started our church and had some young saved men from the Air Force Base. They were Spirit-filled and so thrilled about what they'd received. Then one night one of the men felt such an anointing and power of God that he walked up to another man and said, "Shake my hand, brother, and you'll feel the power." This young man was really very quiet and conservative, but he shook his hand. The man said, "Did you feel the power?" "No. I didn't feel anything." "Well shake it again!" So he shook it again. "Did you feel the power?" He said, "No. I didn't feel a thing." What was happening? Well, this young man was new in the Lord, and when he began experiencing the power of God, he started to get obnoxious about it. You don't have to run around saying, "I've got the power! I've got the power!" Just demonstrate, honey, it'll show! Demonstrate it; that's Jesus in you, and that's why it's there.

Now you may say, "Well, I should just be a servant all the time. I'm just going to be humble." Do you know what that gets into? That gets into a martyr thing. "Oh, I'm just a servant. I'm a martyr, and the pastor couldn't live without me. I wait on everybody." And you're never a lion. Do you know what you'll get? You'll get a martyr complex. Oh! You'd be so boring to be around, and people don't want to be around a person who says, "Ohhh, what I do for Jesus," and there's a great big long string of pins on how many years they went to Sunday School without missing. Ohhh. You would be so drab and dull if you did that. You haven't been called to permanent ox-ship. Jesus didn't call you to be an ox all the time.

I remember one time when I came back from a meeting and I was so thrilled and excited! My husband met me at the plane and I was telling him all the wonderful things that had happened at the meeting; people had been saved and filled and healed, changed and transformed. He said, "Oh, Marilyn, isn't that marvelous. You've been out being a lion, but when you get home you get to be an ox, because all the laundry's dirty!" That was true. It was time for me to be an ox, and it was good for me to be an ox; real good for me.

The Eagle

Now look at the face of the eagle. Remember that I told you the eagle flies high? Oh, he flies high! He builds his nest higher than any other bird; and it's a wonderful big nest. He makes it complete with sticks, straw, feathers, and cloth. Then the mother pulls little breast feathers out and lines the nest with to make it soft for the babies. Usually, eagles have only two babies, or three at the most, because those babies have huge appetites. Both the mother and the father are flying all the time to keep those babies fed: out getting a snake, out getting a mouse— something to keep those babies full. If they don't feed the babies fast enough and they're gone at lunchtime and baby brother gets hungry, guess what he'll eat? He'll eat baby sister who's smaller than he is! They have to keep those babies full or they'll eat each other. Isn't that like Christians? The Bible talks about those who bite and devour one another. Why would Christians chew on each other? Because they're not chewing on enough of the Word. If you'll keep full enough of the Word you won't want to chew on another Christian.

Later, the mother eagle puts her wings out and entices the baby eagles to get on her wings to take a ride. She probably pulls out some string, feathers, and cloth so the babies will get very uncomfortable. Sometimes, as Christians, we get very spiritually uncomfortable where we are. That's Father, pulling the feathers out; He's enticing us to come up a little higher in the things of the Spirit. This mother eagle puts her wings out, and I know those babies have seen their mother fly. She says, "Come on out; get on my wings." They say, "I've seen her fly; that's wonderful. I'll try it!" So the wind just raises her wings and she flies higher, higher, and higher into the atmosphere. All at once she tips one wing and "bing! ” There goes a little baby. Then she tips another wing and "bing! ” There goes the other little baby. Here they are, dropping through the sky and don't know what to do. They're probably saying, "Chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp!” Then the mother will fly back over, take them back on her wings, and bring them back to the nest. Now I think you know what those babies think: "Oh, now that we're back at the nest we are never going to leave again."

How can I say that? Well, I remember the first time I went to a Spirit-filled service. I was so turned off with it and thought those people were just a bunch of holy-rollers I felt sorry for my mother for getting into that. But she was so radiant and happy, that I went one night because felt sorry for her. Actually, the Lord was drawing me. Spiritually, I didn't have what I needed and was very uncomfortable, but I didn't want what she had. I went to that service, and I'll never forget it.

Four people were seated on the platform. There was a woman sitting with her husband, and she had a white handkerchief that she was waving, and I thought, "Put that handkerchief away! That's for your nose!" Those people also called on her to speak, and when she did, she was gorgeously, beautifully anointed. She came down from the pulpit into the congregation and said, "Do you have too much of Jesus? Let Him splash over on me!"

I felt something there that day. I got on the wings and rose into the atmosphere. But when they clapped their hands and spoke in tongues, it was just as if I'd been dropped off the wing. I just chirped all the way home to my mother, "I'll never go to that church again. That's a bunch of holy roller women who don't use makeup!" I just carried on and on! Chirp, chirp, chirp!

Wouldn't you know, some years later I met the man who became my husband, and he'd just received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. The only place he'd take me was to a holy-roller church and out to dinner, so what choice did I have? I'd go to church, and think "Oh, brother!" It was such a drag to go to church all the time but I went so that I could be with him. Then he began to pray that I'd get a hunger for the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and I remember that God visited me one night when I was very wretched and miserable. I mean I was more than miserable. I thought, "oh, God, I must have something more for you. I must!"

The mother eagle would bring those babies out in the air again, and they probably thought, "Oh, that was an accident; she won't drop us again." Have you ever gone to a Spirit-filled meeting and thought, "well, I'll try again, it probably won't be as wild this time." And it's wilder the next time? Well, the mother took those babies up in the air, and what did she do? She tipped her wings again, "Bing!" "Bing!" And they're saying "Chirp, chirp, chirp!" Then, all at once, they found out that those two little feathered things on each side were wings, and they could fly, too! I found that it wasn't just my mother's experience with the Lord that had changed and transformed her. It wasn't just my fiancee's but God loved me, and that this wonderful experience was in God's Word for me. I could flap a wing and say, "That's God's Word." I could flap another wing in faith and say, "That's for me!" And when I flapped both wings and asked for the baptism of the Holy Spirit He filled me too. I'll tell you that he made me an eagle that day. He took me high into the atmosphere of the Holy Spirit. There is nothing in the whole world like it, is there? If you've ever once tasted the atmosphere of the Holy Spirit you'll never be satisfied with anything less!

I want to tell you what would happen, though, if you were always an eagle; you'd be obnoxious. Have you ever met people who were SO spiritual and heavenly minded that they were absolutely no earthly good? You could say to them, "I want you to teach a Sunday School class." And they'll say "I'll have to fast and pray for forty days first, to see what God's will is." Or you say, "I want you to call on the sick and lay hands on them." They'll say, "I don't know. I'm so spiritual I never leave my house." You can never get them to do anything. You'll say, "I have a wonderful recipe for hot fudge." They'll say, "Don't talk to me; I'm having a revelation." That's what would happen if you were a permanent eagle. You wouldn't be like Jesus if you did that, because you'd be out of balance. Jesus is a lion—when He needs to be one. He's an Ox—when He's needed to be. He's an Eagle—when He's needed to be one.

The Man

Notice, though that the very first face seen on this creature in Ezekiel 1:10 is the face of a man. Isn't that wonderful to see the face of a man? What does that say to you? This is the face that the world can recognize, and the face that they want to see. If you run out to people who are not Christians and say, "Oh, I'm a lion with authority! I cast out evil spirits." They'll think, "My goodness, what a nut! Let me away from him." If you run out and say, "Oh, I'm an ox. I'm in church five times a week." They'll think "How dull, you must be a real drag." Or if they hear, "I speak in tongues!" They'll want to call for the men with white coats. But if you say to the world, "I'm a person like you. I have problems just like you, but I've found the answer to them, they'll receive that. If you can sit down over coffee with someone and let them spill their gut about their problems, and you will understand and be compassionate, that's what the world is looking for. They're looking for a man or woman. You don't have to be some big-shot evangelist. Just be you. Share what you have.

I looked up the word, "man," in Hebrew and found four words for man:

(1)    the first word is Adam, and it means "red or earthy." We meet some real gut-level, down-to-earth people, don't we? How do you deal with those people? Well, Jesus said, "I am the last Adam, and I'll show you how to deal with them."

(2)    The second word for man is "ish," and this is the word which describes Adam when he was alone and wanted a bride for fellowship. He wanted someone he could relate to. There are many of lonely people, and some of them say to me, "Marilyn, you don't understand. You don't know what it's like to be lonely, because you have a husband and a family." But I found that Jesus knows that feeling. Genesis 2:23 says that we're bone of His bone and flesh of His flesh. He'll show you how to relate to the people who lack fellowship. He likes fellowship, and He wants His people to have it.

(3)    The third word for man is "enosh." This word means "weak, sickly, and sinful." Jesus became weak so that we could be strong. He became sick so that we may be well. He became sin that we might be sin-free. He will show you how to relate to sick, weak, or sinful people and give them the answer to raise them up and transform them!

(4)    Lastly, there is a word for man called "gever. " This means a "mighty man. " It always occurs with the word "trust." Do you want to be mighty and strong? Then trust Jesus today. You'll be mighty and strong. You'll know how to relate to those with needs because of Jesus in you, the Hope of Glory!

11

Outline

Introducing Motive Gifts

I.    Motive gifts show us our position and others' positions in the

Body of Christ so we can mature and become what God wants us to be.

II.    Three Bible references for gifts

A.    I Corinthians 12—Charismatic gifts

1.    Three spoken—divers tongues, interpretation, prophecy

2.    Three power—miracles, faith, healing

3.    Three revelation—knowledge, wisdom, discerning of spirits

B.    Ephesians 4:11 & 12—Ministries

1.    Apostle

2.    Prophet

3.    Evangelist

4.    Pastor

5.    Teacher

C.    Romans 12—Motive Gifts

1.    Each person is given one motive gift with the faith to develop and use the gift.

2.    These seven gifts together show the Body of Christ— Jesus had all seven Usually we are very strong in one.

3.    The gifts are prophecy, serving, teaching, exhortation, giving, ruling (organizing), and mercy.

4. We all move in all these areas, but one is more outstanding than the others in our lives.

III.    Difference between talents and motive gifts

A.    Talents come in varying measure when we are physically born.

B.    The strength of one motive gift comes when we are born again.

IV.    Reasons why we don't know our gifts

A.    Sin

B.    Not involved enough in the Body

C.    Trying to imitate others

D.    Failure to analyze why certain Christian activities appeal to us

Let Your Motive Gift Shine So Others Can See Jesus! Prophecy

I.    Defining

A.    Has "insight" or intuitive sense about people and situations as they really are before God

B.    Encourages, exhorts, and comforts people

II.    Manifestations of the gift (I Cor. 14:24-25)

A.    Brings people to accountability

B.    Reveals inner heart motivations

C.    Brings inner conviction

D.    Brings awareness of God's presence

E.    Makes people fall to their knees in repentance and humility

III.    Characteristics

A.    Need to express message verbally

B.    Ability to discern character and motives of people

C.    Capacity to identify, define, and hate evil

D.    Willingness to experience brokenness to prompt brokenness

E.    Dependence on Scriptural truth to validate authority

F.    Desire for outward evidences to demonstrate inward conviction

G.    Direct, frank, and persuasive in speaking

H.    Concern for reputation and program of God

I.  Inward weeping and personal identification with sins of those he talks with

J. Eagerness to have others point out their own blindspots so they can help others

IV.    Misunderstandings

A.    Frankness may be viewed as harshness

B.    Interest in groups may be interpreted as disinterest in individuals.

C.    Efforts to gain results may be seen as using gimmicks

D.    Focus on right and wrong may be judged as intolerance of partial good.

E.    Emphasis on decisions may appear as neglecting spiritual growth.

F.    Public boldness and strict standards may hinder intimate personal relationships.

G.    The strong desire to convey truth may be interpreted as little interest in listening to another's view.

V.    John the Baptist illustrates the gift of prophecy in the Bible (Luke 3:3-20)

A. Aware of his unworthiness and wanted others to point out his blind spots

B.    Knew he was the voice of God and depended on Scriptural truth to validate his authority (Luke 3:4-6)

C.    Had directness and frankness in speaking (Luke 3:7-14)

D.    Looked for repentance (Luke 3:8)

E.    Placed great emphasis on right and wrong and identified evil (Luke 3:10-14)

F.    Had courage to openly reprove evil (Luke 3:19)

G.    Was able to discern people's motives (Luke 3:7)

Serving

I.    Defining

A.    Meets practical needs of others in love

B.    Demonstrates love in deeds and not words

C.    Sees what needs to be done

II.    Characteristics

A.    Has ability to recall likes and dislikes of people

B.    Has alertness to detect and meet practical needs

C.    Meets needs as quickly as possible

D.    Has physical stamina without regard to weariness

E.    Uses personal funds to avoid delay in meeting a need

F.    Needs to have sincere appreciation and can spot insincerity

G.    Wants to see a job done and will do extra work to accomplish it

H.    Is involved in a lot of activities because can't say "no"

I. Enjoys short-range goals more than long range goals J. Is frustrated with time limits on jobs

III.    Misunderstandings

A. When trying to meet needs, may appear to by "pushy"

B.    When hindered, may do jobs himself to avoid "red tape

C.    When eager to serve, may be misunderstood as wanting to advance self

D.    When working with those having different motive gifts, may get upset with them

E.    When receiving offers of help, may find it difficult to accept them

F.    When desiring appreciation, may have feelings hurt

G.    When desiring to help others, may interfere with God's dealing with others

H.    When meeting practical needs, may be judged as lacking interest in spiritual needs

I. When enduring with stamina, may be misinterpreted as insensitive to others' desire to serve

J. While enjoying short-range goals, may be frustrated and disorganized by long-range goals

K. When directed by the pastor, may instead get sidetracked with others' needs

IV.    Martha illustrates the gift of serving in the Bible (Luke 10:38-42 and John 12:2)

A.    Martha was doing the work herself.

B.    Martha tried to make Mary do what she did.

C.    She had too many things to do because she couldn't say "no"

D.    She seemed to concentrate more on tasks than the person being served.

E.    She saw the short-range goal (cooking the meal) rather than the long-range goal (depth of Jesus).

V.    Servers need sincere appreciation

A.    They are workers and not "feelers."

B.    They try to work to receive others' love.

Teaching

I.    Characteristics

A.    Belief that gift is foundational to other gifts

B.    Emphasis on accuracy of words

C.    Testing of knowledge of those who teach them

D.    Delighting in research in order to validate truth

E.    Validating of new information by established systems of truth

F.    Presenting of truth in systematic sequence

G.    Avoidance of illustrations from non-Bible source

H.    Resistance to Scriptural illustrations out of context

I. Greater joy in researching than in presenting lesson

II.    Misunderstanding

A.    Emphasis on accuracy of Scriptural interpretation may appear to neglect practical application

B.    Research of others may appear to be dependent on intellect instead of Holy Spirit

C.    Use of knowledge in testing others may appear to be pride of learning.

D.    Details of research may appear to be unnecessary to listeners.

E.    Objectivity in research may appear to lack warmth and feeling when speaking

III.    Paul is an example of the motive gift of teaching in the Bible

A.    Felt teaching most important gift

B.    Tested knowledge

C.    Tied Old and New Testaments together

D.    Researched while in Arabia for 3 years and while in prison

E.    Did research to be able to write much of the Bible

F.    Did a systematic study of giving

G.    Had a burden to give the truth

Exhortation

I.    Defining

A.    Very positive—encourages people to abundant living

B.    Loves people

C.    Paraclete—strengthens or comforts

D.    Wants Word to become flesh in others lives

II.    Characteristics

A.    Desire to visualize specific achievement and give steps of action

B.    Tendency to avoid systems of information that lack practical application

C.    Ability to see how tribulation can produce new levels of maturity

D.    Dependence on individual acceptance when speaking to people

E.    Insights into human experience that can be applied to the Bible

F.    Enjoyment in seeing people taking steps of action to meet needs

G.    Grief when teaching doesn't have practical application

H.    Delight in personal conferences that result in new insights

III.    Misunderstandings

A.    Emphasis on steps of action may seem to oversimplify the problem.

B.    Urgency in giving steps of action may appear as having

too much confidence in them.

C.    Desire to win non-Christians by living examples may appear as lack of interest in personal evangelism.

D.    Use of Scripture for practical application may appear to take it out of context.

E.    Emphasis on steps of action may appear to have awareness of others' feelings.

IV.    Seven Bible examples of exhortation

A.    How one ought to live—I Thes. 4:1

B.    How to please God—I Thes. 4:1

C.    How to live a life worthy of God—I Thes. 2:11

D.    How to progress in love—I Thes. 4:10

E.    How to live so there is respect among people—I Thes. 4:11 & 12

F.    How to face trials—Acts 14:22

G.    How to understand chastening—Heb. 12:3

V.    Barnabas (son of consolation) is example of motive gift of exhortation in the Bible

A.    Appealed to the will with his message

B.    Was concerned with how people live—Acts 14:22

C.    Was personal and practical—Acts 9:27

D.    Didn't give up on John Mark, but exhorted him—Acts 15:39

Giving

I.    Defining

A.    Spiritual need to give

B.    Spend one's life for others

II.    Characteristics

A. Ability to make wise purchases and investments

B.    Desire to give quietly to effective ministries and projects

C.    Attempt to use his giving to motivate others to give

D.    Alert to valid needs he fears others may overlook

E.    Enjoyment in meeting needs without pressure of appeals

F.    Joy when his gift is answer to other's prayer

G.    Dependency on partner's counsel to confirm amount of gift

H.    Concern that his gift be of high quality

I. Desire to feel a part of the work or person to whom he gives

III.    Misunderstandings

A.    Need to deal with large sums of money may appear to focus on temporal values.

B.    Desire to give to a ministry may appear as an attempt to control the work or person.

C.    Attempt to encourage others to give may appear as lack of generosity and unnecessary pressure.

D.    Lack of response to pressure appeals may appear as lack of generosity.

E.    Frugal personal living may appear to others as selfishness in not meeting friends' or relatives' needs.

IV.    New Testament clues

A.    Sharing material things—Luke 3:11

B.    Sharing spiritual gifts—Romans 1:11

C.    Sharing finances from one's own wages—Eph. 4:8

D.    Sharing oneself—I Thes. 2:8

E.    Sharing the Gospel—I Thes. 2:8

V.    Abraham is the Bible example of a giver (contributor)

A. Was called the friend of God in James 2:23—a giving relationship

B.    Given assets by God—Genesis 13:2

C.    Dealt generously with others—Genesis 13:9-10

D.    Helped others when they had a need

E.    Had no trouble tithing—Genesis 14:20

F.    Wanted God to get the glory for giving

G.    Would sacrifice all (Isaac) if he knew God required it

H.    Wanted his assets to be used for the best result

I. Concerned about the price of things and knew their value —Genesis 2 3

J. Rejoiced when his giving was related to answered prayer

Organization

I.    Defining

A.    In the Greek, "proistemi"—"one who stands in front of others"—leader

B.    In the RSV translation—"one who gives aid"—giving leadership to aid others

C.    Facilitator—one who likes to help others develop themselves in their ministries

D.    In Titus 3:14—the maintenance of ministries in the Body

II.    Characteristics

A.    Ability to see overall picture and clarify long—range goals

B.    Motivation to organize what he is responsible for

C.    Desire to complete tasks as quickly as possible

D.    Awareness of resources available to complete a task

E.    Ability to know what can and cannot be delegated

F.    Tendency to stand on sidelines until those in charge tell him to take over

G.    Tendency to assume responsibility if no structured leadership exists

H.    Willingness to endure reactions from workers in order to accomplish ultimate tasks

I. Fulfillment in seeing others coming together and enjoying a completed task

J. Desire to move on to a new challenge when a previous task is completed.

III.    Misunderstandings

A.    The ability to delegate responsibilities may appear to be laziness.

B.    Willingness to endure reaction may appear as callousness

C.    Neglect in explaining why tasks must be done may prompt workers to think they are being misused.

D.    Viewing people as resources may appear that projects are more important than people.

E.    The desire to complete tasks swiftly may appear to be insensitive to the schedules, weariness, or priorities of workers

IV.    Nehemiah is the Bible example of an organizer or facilitator.

A.    Had special zeal for cause of God's people—Neh. 1:4

B.    Sensed the overall problems and surveyed the needs— Neh. 2:12-15

C.    Knew others had to do work—Neh. 2:16-18

D.    Had a sense of time—Neh. 2:6

E.    Organized human and material resources—Neh. 3

F.    Measured and proceeded under opposition—Neh. 4 & 6

G.    Was "tough" enough to face disorder from workers— Neh. 5:1-13, Neh. 7:3-4, and Neh. 13:11

H.    Made things "easy" for others and was not a personal burden—Neh. 5:14-19

I. Knew how to delegate authority and could sense who could best do the j ob—N eh. 7:1-2

Mercy

I.    I. Defining

A.    A. Is happy to show mercy

B.    Has outward manifestation of pity

C.    Helps in times of trouble

II.    Characteristics

A.    Ability to feel atmosphere of joy or distress in individual or group

B.    Attraction to and understanding of people in distress

C.    Desire to remove hurts from others lives

D.    Greater concern for mental distress than physical distress

E.    Avoidance of being firm unless can see how brings benefits

F.    Sensitivity to words and actions that can hurt others

G.    Ability to discern true motives of people

H.    Enjoys unity with others who are sensitive to people's needs

I. Closing of spirit to those insincere or insensitive

III.    Misunderstandings

A.    Avoidance of firmness may appear to be weakness.

B.    Sensitivity to spirit and feelings may cause others to believe they are led by emotions and not reason.

C.    Attraction to those upset may be misinterpreted as interest in opposite sex.

D.    Sensitivity to words and actions that cause hurt may be misinterpreted as taking up another's offense.

E.    Ability to detect insincere motives may make it difficult to know and get close to the person.

IV. The Good Samaritan is an example of the mercy gift in the Bible.

A.    Wanted to do something for him

B.    Spent himself to help—was active

C.    Had insight to know inn keeper would help him take care of the man

D.    Stimulated others to have mercy, too

Marilyn Hickey is a woman greatly used of God. She shares full-time ministry with her husband, Wallace, who is the founding pastor of Happy Church in Denver, Colorado. Today Marilyn is answering God’s call to awaken the “sleeping giant” of Christian laymen and to reveal the authority of God’s Word as a creative power.

Marilyn has authored many books and has produced countless teaching tapes. She is founder of a multi-faceted organization, Marilyn Hickey Ministries, which includes radio and television programs, a satellite network program, a monthly manual for contemporary living, Time With Him, and a combination tape/written lesson series, Victorious Living.

Marilyn travels to cities all over the United States hosting seminars and miracle crusades. Because of her obedience to the Lord, the Word always goes forth in power with signs and wonders following.

Table of Contents

1 Seven Gifts To Success

2 Prophecy

3 Serving

4 Teaching

5 Exhortation

6 Giving

7 Organization

8 Mercy

9 Building of the Church Body

10 The Four Ways of Ministry

11 Outline