The Gift - Part 3 - David Mitts

“However, since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to use them properly: if prophecy, in proportion to one’s faith;” (Rom 12:6)

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Giving Opportunity Message

  

We have been sharing about the gift of God. The ancient Hebrew word for gift is the word picture “natan”. This begins and ends with the pictogram of a seed, represented by the Hebrew letter, nun. In the middle of the word is the tav, which is the representation of the cross. We are all born gifted, with seed implanted in our hearts and then through the death and resurrection our natural seed becomes supernatural born again seed which is fullness of our destiny. This process was described by Yeshua as the need for the seed to die to bring forth its true fruit, the destiny of the seed.

“Truly, truly I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” (Joh 12:24)

This calls to mind that to “be alone” is a description of man in a condition that God calls “not good”.

“Then the LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.” (Gen 2:18)

Being alone is the only possible condition for man apart from God’s provision of the cross. Isolation is the breeding ground for deception. We are built for relationship. This is the power of agreement, to establish truth. In other words, we don’t know what is true without another to corroborate what we believe to be true. 

“Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven.” (Mat 18:19)

The cross not only connects us to God but also to each other. We need each other for our giting to matter. Our gifting is only manifested in fullness when we use our gifting to serve. One of the perversions of the teaching on our gifting is that it about our individual significance. No. Our gifting is about effective worship through our function in the Body!

OK. Let’s dive a little deeper into the redemptive gifts of Romans 12. Let’s begin with the context, the big picture:

“For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith. For just as we have many parts in one body and all the body’s parts do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually parts of one another.” (Rom 12:3-5)

God allots to each of us a measure of faith. What exactly is a measure of faith? We know that faith comes by hearing. 

“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” (Rom 10:17)

Hearing is about a response to a sound, or a voice. A measure in music is a section that includes the notes played and the rest. God gives to each, the measure of faith, could mean that each person resonates with a particular part of the symphony of God. Like a musical instrument that can uniquely play a certain kind of music, it is only in the contribution to the whole that the instrument contributes to the entire movement of the sound of music.

Therefore the cross is essential because it the tuning of death to this life’s sound of the discordant sounds of isolation which breeds conflict. Oneness is only possible when death is brought to isolation.

The first redemptive gift spoken of by the Apostle Paul is prophecy. 

“However, since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to use them properly: if prophecy, in proportion to one’s faith;” (Rom 12:6) The prophet is the first gift and as such is a visionary forward thinking gifting.

1. PROPHET (Principle of Design)

•  ̈ Tends to see things in black and white, right and wrong. 
•  ̈ Is committed to truth. If it is right and God has said it, the prophet is committed to go regardless of whether anybody follows. 
•  ̈ Takes initiative and enjoys things that are new. Does a terrible job of maintaining things. 
•  ̈ Is verbally expressive and can be compulsive about it. 
•  ̈ Processes quickly. Has an opinion on everything and is quick to share it. 
•  ̈ Judges and evaluates everything, even situations that do not directly impact him. 
•  ̈ Knows no fear. Has a basic boldness. Not intimidated by the unknown or change. 
•  ̈ Needs to have a goal, a reason to live, an objective. 
•  ̈ Cannot tolerate having no options. 
•  ̈ Is generous but can give impulsively and unwisely at times. 
•  ̈ Shifts gears quickly from one direction to another. Can be here and then there. 
•  ̈ Tends to be a visionary. 
•  ̈ Is fiercely independent and competitive. 
•  ̈ Requires full disclosure of facts. Has a compulsion for honesty, integrity, and transparency. 
•  ̈ Is intolerant of perceived rebellion, hypocrisy, and denial, especially in leadership. 
•  ̈ Is hard on himself. Tends to find it difficult to forgive himself. 
•  ̈ Has to make sense out of everything, even unreasonable situations. 
•  ̈ Can be unsentimental about relationships. 
•  ̈ Has a passion for excellence in himself and others. Is driven to excel and challenge others to be their best. 
•  ̈ Has a large range of emotions. Has intense, passionate extremes in emotions. 
•  ̈ Bases faith on the principles of God’s Word. “God said it. I believe it.” 
•  ̈ Can embrace a problem and figure out how to repair it. Can re-build, not just criticize. 
•  ̈ Needs time alone to refuel and re-energize and process. 
•  ̈ Has a passion for restoration. Sees the damage of sin and the restoring power of God. 
•  ̈ Is drawn to brokenness and can rebuild a broken life. 
•  ̈ Is quick to celebrate what God has done. Has a passion for celebration. 
•  ̈ God often calls the prophet to a higher level of sacrifice in his personal disciplines, faith, and commitment. 
•  ̈ Can go through seasons when God is silent. These seasons of silence are designed to build a deeper root system of faith for greater fruit in the future. 

Major Weaknesses

•  ̈ Judgmental. Critical toward others and even more critical of themselves. 
•  ̈ Unforgiving. Not willing to overlook the failures and weaknesses of others. 

“If service, in the act of serving; or the one who teaches, in the act of teaching;” (Rom 12:7)

2. SERVANT (Principle of Authority)

•  ̈ Sees external needs of comfort and food and is quick to meet those needs. 
•  ̈ Is a team player. Is relatively free from the desire to build his own kingdom. 
•  ̈ Is very practical. Is committed to the present moment to meet present needs. 
•  ̈ Has difficulty saying “no” to competing demands. Usually overcommitted in scheduling. 
•  ̈ Finds it hard to accept excellence in his work, to affirm himself, or to receive affirmation from others. Tends to find something to apologize for when serving others. 
•  ̈ Has few enemies. 
•  ̈ Sees the best in others. 
•  ̈ Has high loyalty to family. 
•  ̈ Is not easily angered except when someone hurts a friend or family member. 
•  ̈ Tends to save stuff, but not in a particularly organized manner. 
•  ̈ Is totally trustworthy and reliable. 
•  ̈ Works very hard, often to the harm of their physical health. 
•  ̈ Can make excuses to justify others’ bad behavior. Can become enablers, especially to immature people. Wise servants learn to empower, not to enable others. 
•  ̈ Tends to spoil children, meeting too many needs too often. An immature servant may be in denial regarding their children’s shortcomings. 
•  ̈ Attracts dishonor, especially in the home. Tends to be the one who is talked down to and has jokes made about them. A servant seems to allow this to happen. 
•  ̈ Is competitive in areas that are considered safe to the servant, such as games or children’s sports teams. Otherwise dedicated to seeing others succeed more than himself. 
•  ̈ Has purity of motive. Is straight-forward, honest and can be trusted. 
•  ̈ Prefers not to be visible. Does not desire the spotlight. 
•  ̈ Can be in a sinful environment without getting personally defiled (example: Esther). 
•  ̈ Tends to be exploited by others. Tends to have a victim mentality. 
•  ̈ Responds well to truth. 
•  ̈ Can struggle with issues of shame. May believe they deserve to be the victim. 
•  ̈ Wrestles with self-worth. Tends to believe that “I’m not worthy. Others are more worthy.” 
•  ̈ Desires to empower others to achieve their best. Greatest fulfillment comes in knowing he enables somebody else to do their work. Is drawn to pray for leadership and make them successful. 

Major Weaknesses

• ̈ Battle for self-worth. Doesn’t see his innate value and doesn’t believe God’s truth about himself or his call. 
•  ̈ Worry/anxiety. Takes on other people’s problems and worries about the problem. 
•  ̈ Enabling. Does a task instead of teaching others to do it and releasing it to them. 

Biblical example of Servant – Esther



3. TEACHER (Principle of Responsibility)

•  ̈ Needs to validate truth for himself. It is at the core of who he is. Loves knowledge. 
•  ̈ Does not receive new things immediately. Looks at things from different angles. 
•  ̈ Wants first-hand details. Values precision in sharing details. Sometimes overkill of details. 
•  ̈ Processes and makes decisions slowly. Can slow down impulsive people who jump to conclusions. 
•  ̈ Is a very safe person emotionally and is sometimes confused with the gift of mercy. The difference is the teacher tends to be led by their head and mercy to be led by their heart. 
•  ̈ Has a deep commitment to family and tradition. 
•  ̈ Seen as safe because he is patient with those in sin. He is willing to lay out the whole picture and allow the other person to choose to do what is right and be reconciled. 
•  ̈ Resists using personal stories and illustrations when speaking or preaching. Prefers dealing with pure doctrine in a theological way. Loves Greek and Hebrew. 
•  ̈ Tends to be unwilling to begin a process until he can see the end of the process. 
•  ̈ Can be immobilized by fear or risk. It can keep him from obeying God. 
•  ̈ Has a wonderful sense of humor. 
•  ̈ Tends to be the last one to speak in a group. He will listen and observe, seeing things from all angles, then summarize the whole picture. 
•  ̈ Does not reject new ideas immediately. Does not go forward as quickly as visionaries think he should. 
•  ̈ Tends not to take the initiative to confront what is wrong. Can be too tolerant of sin. 
•  ̈ Prefers the old, established, validated ways. Preserves history. 
•  ̈ Looks for more validation. Seeks out more credentials to attest to his competence. 
•  ̈ Tends to feed his mind, more than his spirit. There may be perceived dryness as he dispenses truth with intricate details. 
•  ̈ Tends toward selective responsibility. Can be extremely responsible and reliable in one area but does not carry that same behavior over to other areas. 
•  ̈ Is unwilling to impose responsibility on others. Finds it difficult to compel someone to do what is right. His natural tendency is to explain, reason and put forth truth, expecting or hoping the other person will pick up the truth and act on it voluntarily. 
•  ̈ Is not easily swayed from the truth. Can keep the more impulsive gifts in check. Serves as an anchor. 
•  ̈ Wants to verify truth with his natural wisdom. May lead to struggle with intellectual pride. 
•  ̈ Can have difficulty with emotions because of a desire to rationalize, explain, and systematize how he feels. 
•  ̈ Relies heavily on knowledge. Thinks that knowledge is the inside track, and if he has knowledge, he has intimacy. Thinks the more he knows about God, the closer he is to God. 

Major Weaknesses

•  ̈ Passive. Unwilling to impose responsibility on others. Can be soft on sin and too patient with people who are doing wrong. 
•  ̈ Struggles with issues of timeliness and responsibility in selective areas. Procrastinates on practical things. 
•  ̈ Wants to live by sight, not by faith. Wants to know the end of a process before he begins. 
•  ̈ Intimacy and prayer may be a major battle for the teacher. Tends to pursue a doctrinal system rather than intimacy with the Father. Biblical example of Teacher – Luke 

Activation: Look at these 3 redemptive gifts and think of people that you know, including yourself who are tuned to these frequencies of God’s vision for the body.