The Gift - Part 4 - 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

  

Last chapter we began looking at the redemptive gifts illuminated by the Apostle Paul in Romans 12. We spoke about the first three, the prophet, the servant and the teacher. We saw that the prophet operates by the principle of design. The servant operates by the principle of authority and the teacher by the principle of responsibility. Design is all about solving problems and the creativity of bringing forth the future. Authority is about honor and empowerment by trust. Responsibility is the ownership of truth. This chapter we will finish up by looking at the final four gifts. 

4. EXHORTER (Principle of Sowing and Reaping) 

• Has the ability to cross every kind of barrier (social, racial, economic, religious) and relate to people wherever they are. 
• Is horizontal in his focus and intensely people oriented. Has never met a stranger. 
• Has the ability to share his faith easily and in difficult situations. 
• Has a big vision for reaching the world. Most world-changers in world and religious history were exhorters.
• Is capable of having disagreements without alienating others.
• Is skilled in creating and sustaining relationships at all costs.
• Enjoys being around people. Is extroverted, outgoing, a party looking for someplace to happen.
• Is a master communicator. Teaches from real life examples and is very practical.
• Does teamwork well. Is a great networker.
• Is very flexible and quick to see opportunities. Is willing to abandon their plan to go for a new opportunity.
• Is not intimidated by new ideas and new truth.
• Is a visionary. Tends to see a broader picture, the largest number, etc. ̈ Can seem superficial due to their light-hearted attitude and ability to work a crowd.
• Tends to govern by relationship, persuasion, and majority opinion of people, not by principle.
• Tends to start things and move on.
• Is attuned to the feelings of people and the time frame needed for them to embrace a new idea.
• Is tactful and able to speak to people in a gracious way to bring them along.
• Is a master of reconciliation.
• Is concerned with communicating God to people. Gets to know who God is, then communicates Him to people.
• Will open his heart and be vulnerable in order to open the hearts of others.
• Struggles with a lack of discipline with time.
• Has wonderful intentions, but often falls short in the tyranny of the urgent.
• Sees spiritual lessons in personal pain and suffering.
• Struggles with not being willing to risk offense, alienation, or rejection. The immature exhorter is unwilling to confront sin. A righteous exhorter will hold a high standard of holiness and bring those around him to that same standard.
• Works hard and is intensely busy. Functions on little sleep. Is involved in many projects.
• Can surround himself with people willing to cover for his weaknesses.

Major Weaknesses 

• People-pleasing. Unwilling to confront because of fear of rejection.
• ̈Poor time management. Tends to take on too much. 
• Compromise. May settle for doing what is good, instead of God’s best.

Biblical example of Exhorter – Paul

Sowing and reaping is all about impact. The exhorter recognizes that life happens when people are involved and trades on that currency.

5. GIVER (Principle of Stewardship)

• The giver is the most difficult to peg by behavioral characteristics. Givers are legendary for diversity, adaptability, and flexibility. They do not fit easily into nice, neat pigeonholes. 
• Has a generational worldview. Is focused on trying to prepare the way for his family and others after him.
• Is nurturing. Creates a family environment to foster relationships. 
• Has a heart for sharing their faith but tends not to do it personally. Wants to empower others to do the work of evangelism.
  
•  Is very independent. Stands alone. Does not look to other people for help and sometimes not even to God.
• Resists being conned, manipulated, or guilt-tripped into action. Tendency to feel manipulated when others withhold information from him. 
• Is able to relate to a wide range of people. 
• Desires to empower other people’s productivity. 
• Desires to keep his own life private. 
• Is not confrontational by nature. 
• Is keen at finding unseen options, solutions, and resources. 
• Is opportunistic in seizing an available moment. 
• Finds favor in terms of money. Resources flow to him. 
• Gives well and wisely, not impulsively. 
• Tends to be frugal with family members which can cause friction. 
• Tends to find bargains, good deals, or discounts before making purchases. 
• May tend to see money as a source of security.
• Lives in the present and future. Tends not to learn from the past. Does not like to be confronted on issues that are more than a week old. 
• Likes to keep all options open if possible. Hesitates to accept absolutes in circumstances, maybe even in the Bible. 
• Is a natural networker. Has an ability to bring people together and persuade them to do things. 
• Is pragmatic and practical. 
• Is a peacemaker. Can work with people who have conflicting views and theologies. Can sustain ideological tension in a group or project. Provides a place of safety. 
• Is involved in a diversity of projects, interests, and activities. Is multi-focused. 
• Can birth, nurture, and protect new things and new ideas. New things arise and grow at a greater pace than other gifts. 
• Can struggle with gratitude due to present focus and short memory. 
• Does spiritual things, but sometimes not from the right motivation. 
• May avoid risk because of a tendency to rely on self rather than God’s resources. Faith may seem hard for the giver.
  

Major Weaknesses

• Independence. Does not need others. May not acknowledge needs to God. 
• Hypocrisy. May appear to do the right things but may not deeply pursue holiness. 
• Control and manipulation. 
• Desires to control based on fear of the unknown and risk. 
• Tries to manipulate God and people. 

Biblical example of Giver – Job

Stewardship is about dominion. The path to being in in charge is through the portal of sacrifice and contribution. Leadership is a solitary and lonely place and the giver has the emotional strength to endure it.

6. RULER (Principle of Freedom)

• ̈Thrives under pressure and puts the people around him under the same pressure. This can be motivational or abusive.
• Is skilled at time management. Controls his time and gets the job done.
• Can be loose on ethics when the end justifies the means. 
• Does not ask “why” questions. 
• Pulls together a group based on loyalty to the mission. 
• Causes the group to own a problem together. 
• Can value loyalty more than competence per se. 
• Can use imperfect people and draw the best out of them without allowing their brokenness to damage the goal of a project or group. 
• Takes a vision and puts together an effective plan. Is an implementer, not a visionary. 
• Is not into blaming himself or others. Wants to figure out how to fix it when something goes wrong. 
• Is an empire-builder. Wants to make anything bigger and better. 
• Doesn’t look to others for solutions. Owns his own problems. Does not look for help. 
• Focuses on the immediate task. 
• Is not easily distracted from a task. 
• Can be task-oriented and fall short in nurturing, shepherding, and correcting what is spiritually wrong. 
• Involved in all kinds of projects. Enjoys diversity. 
• Does not need the affirmation of other people when he has made up his mind. 
• Can do a disproportionate amount of work with the given resources. 
• Struggles with doing things in his own strength versus relying on God’s power and plan. 
• Takes on more tasks than is normally possible to complete in the time that he has. 
• Can struggle with proper focus. Is he doing the thing God called him to do, or is he just doing things to stay busy? 
• Is willing to be vindicated by God, and not man. 
• Can withstand strong opposition. 

Major Weaknesses

• Insensitivity. Since he is goal-oriented, he may fail to nurture those around him and may apply pressure without moderation.
• Ethics and integrity. The end justifies the means. 
• Compromise. Settling for his agenda instead of God’s agenda.
  

Biblical example of Ruler – Nehemiah

7. MERCY (Principle of Fulfillment)

• Gets along with everybody easily. Rarely has enemies.
• Is admired and respected. 
• Is a safe person for those who are wounded. Can make everyone feel safe sharing their hurts. Can be approached by complete strangers. 
• Can take initiative toward wounded ones. Knows who is feeling rejected or wounded. 
• Has a huge number of acquaintances and people who enjoy him but only a few who are close friends. Shares everything with intimate friends. 
• Craves intimacy of soul and physical touch. Desires hugs and physical contact. 
• Tends to be slow to make transitions based on emotional processing. Does not like rapid change without time to process. 
• Hears from God but has difficulty explaining the “why.” Operates on subjective and intuitive feelings. 
• Makes decisions based on his heart. 
• Hates to confront. Wants to keep people from hurting and protect them from pain. 
• Does not like to choose sides between two people. Does not want to say one is right and one is wrong. 
• Prone to appear indecisive because he does not desire to hurt anybody. Having to choose between people’s opinions can be paralyzing. 
• Can become a people-pleaser and enabler. The immature mercy may do whatever is necessary to make people around him happy with him. 
• May attract abuse and exploitation because of his kindness, niceness, and willingness to allow injustice to happen. 
• Has a deep strain of anger, which appears rarely and usually in the context of loyalty to someone else. Tends to take up an offense for a third party. 
• Is drawn to gift of prophet. Opposites attract decisiveness of prophet balances the indecisiveness of mercy. Prophet needs the softening influence of mercy. 
• Prone to stubbornness. May acknowledge that what he’s doing is not God’s will and yet not change. Can choose to be life-giving when he wants to, how he wants to, and where he wants to, but can stubbornly resist doing all the things that God has called him to do. 
• Can easily enter the presence of God. Has a predisposition to worship. 
• Often has not resolved the fathering issues in his life. 
• May see all pain as bad. May flee pain and keep others from the discipline of God when he intends to build maturity and wholeness through discipline. 

Major Weaknesses

• Impurity. Desire for intimacy and physical touch may lead to impurity.
• Enabling. Wants to protect others from pain. 
• Compromise. Willing to live with mixture of holy and unholy without calling people to do what is right. 
• Non-confrontational. May tolerate abuse and exploitation because he is willing to allow injustice to continue.
  

Biblical example of Mercy – John

Activation: These redemptive gifts are a template for the diversity of function as the Body of Messiah. Clearly all are needed and balance one another. Taking the 7 principles as a statement of the functions of the Holy Spirit through the human arm and legs of the Body, think about your own function within each. Rate yourself on your relative strength or weakness in each. Then investigate your life for friends who can staff your weakness. Learn the language of being one in messiah.

Principles:

• Design- Find the problem and figure it out 
• Authority- the power is in the serving
• Responsibility- worship Him in truth Sowing and Reaping- you make a difference
• Stewardship- waste not want not
• Freedom- success comes from accomplishing goals.
• Fulfillment- life only works when there is love