RETURN TO MOTIVATIONAL GIFT SYLLABUS
Bible Perspectives: Gifts of Motivation
Lesson #06
“The Gift of Giving (Contributing)”
- Homework Discussion
- Test Evaluation for the Gift of Serving
- Record both of the test scores for each student for the Gift of Serving.
- Questions and discussion.
- Class Lesson: #5 The Gift of Giving (Contributing)
- The Definition of the Gift of Giving (Contributing):
- This gift might be called the gift of special sharing for giving is at the heart of this gift.
- We add the word, contributing, to the name of this gift to convey the idea that this is not just the giving of money.
- The Greek word metadidomi is made up of two main parts: the root didomi which means to give, impart, or share; and the prefix meta which intensifies the gift by adding the idea with. It is sharing with others or a spending of ones life for others.
- Characteristics of the Gift of Giving (Contributing):
- Identity:
- This gift is the most difficult to identify in a person. This person has an all-inclusive personality. He has traits that look like a person with the gift of serving. He can be a leader or a follower. He can have the personality of a person with the gift of prophecy or the teacher, for he loves the Word of God.
- This person is a jack-of-all trades (He has the capacity to do a great variety of activities.)
- Giving
:
- The person with this gift gives his time, possessions, energy, love, and money freely with no strings attached and no ulterior motive.
- God uses this person to distribute the resources of God throughout the kingdom.
- This person is convinced that everything belongs to God.
- He likes to give without anyone knowing it.
- When he is giving, he gives the best quality but he does not squander his resources. He gives only by the leading of the Holy Spirit.
- He will usually seek confirmation of the amount to give from someone close to him. He usually believes in tithing because he knows he is a steward of Gods resources.
- Supports and Contributes:
- This person likes to be part of the ministry to which he gives money.
- He will give time, energy, and love to others to advance their ministries.
- The person with this gift will identify the need. Then he will come alongside to help once the need is identified.
- Therefore, this gift is more than money, for he fills in the areas of ministry anywhere something needs to be done, and no one else is doing it. He will do anything to help people anywhere at any time.
- Hospitality:
- For the person with this gift, hospitality is an opportunity to give.
- Like the person with the gift of serving, he likes to have people in his home.
- However, the motivation is different from the gift of serving. Serving is motivated by deeds while the gift of giving or contributing is motivated by people.
- Business and Wealth:
- The person with this gift is not necessarily wealthy but whatever he touches seems to turn to gold. God prospers him so that he has the ability to give.
- He is very industrious and a hard worker.
- He possesses natural and God-given wisdom in business.
- He is not easily deceived.
- He does not like to waste money. However, he looks for the best values. He does not spend money on himself. He is careful with money and can be a little too tight with money.
- Prayer and Evangelism:
- God has called the person with this gift to pray for the salvation of others. He has ability and an interest in evangelism. Often he is naturally evangelistic.
- The Benefits of the Gift of Giving (Contributing):
- This person helps and encourages others to fulfill Gods plan in their lives.
- This is a unifying gift in the body of Christ. He tends to hold things together filling in where help is needed.
- This gift meets the financial needs in the body of Christ.
- The Manifestations of this Gift:
- This gift manifests itself in the sharing of material things, food, clothing, etc. (Luk 3:11)
- This gift is also seen in the sharing of spiritual things. (Rom 1:11)
- The person with this gift will share his finances from his own honest wages. (Eph 4:8)
- This person will not only share his resources, but he will also share himself. (1The 2:8)
- This person shares the gospel. (1The 2:8)
- The Childhood Expressions of the Gift of Giving (Contributing):
- The child with this gift has an open, friendly, receptive disposition. He easily accepts people for who they are. Sharing comes easy for him.
- This child easily expresses love and shows affection. He gains joy by making others happy.
- This child often gives verbal appreciation and possesses oral freedom.
- This child stands out as being an active participant of a group.
- This child has a preference for outdoor sports.
- He is an achiever, industrious, and is whole hearted.
- He has a people-centered outlook and is not threatened by people.
- This child feels strongly about injustice and deals firmly with injustice and offenders.
- Practical common sense is a way of life for this child.
- This child can usually be corrected with reasoning.
- This child handles money very well.
- It is very difficult to define this gift in a child.
- Biblical Examples of People with the Gift of Giving (Contributing):
- Abraham (Gen 22 Gen 13-14)
- Observable Characteristics:
- He had possessions to share (Gen 13:2)
- Wise in finances (Gen 13:2)
- Successful in business (Gen 13:2)
- Generous. He gave Lot the best land. (Gen 13:9)
- He blessed others (Gen 13:9)
- Had faith in Gods supply. (Gen 13:9)
- Had wisdom (Gen 13:9)
- Gave his energy and time (Gen 13:14)
- Gave his possessions (Gen 14:16)
- Prosperous (Gen 14:19)
- Gave by the leading of God (Gen 14:20)
- Wise in his decisions (Gen 14:23)
- Other people in the Bible with this gift:
- Dorcas (Act 9:36-42)
- Cornelius (Col 1:7 Col 4:12 Philemon 23)
- Paul (Rom 1:1-20 Acts 9-28)
- Lydia (Acts 16:14, 40)
- Zacchaeus (Luc 19:1-10)
- Solomon (1Kin 1-11 2Chr 1-9)
- Problem areas and cautions that lead to improving this giftchallenge:
- People with this gift dont have significant problem areas to the extent of the other 6 gifts. However, some possible areas are:
- Control
- He can give freely but sometimes with strings attached in order to control a situation.
- Sometimes he will pressure others to give because he thinks others should give as much as he.
- He may use money to get out of doing other helpful things.
- Family Relationships:
- His unpredictable patterns of giving may upset close family members.
- He has a tendency to spoil his children and relatives.
- Talents or Gifts:
- Because he has abilities in many areas and does not concentrate to perfection on one area (a “jack of all trades and a master of none”), he thinks that he has no gifts or talents.
- He needs to develop a strong sense of Gods calling and a close personal identity with Christ.
- His help is often taken for granted and unappreciated.
- Saying “no”:
- Like the person with the gift of serving, this person with the gift of giving can become over-burdened with the projects of others because he cannot say, “no”, to those that need help.
- Prayer:
- He does not consider his calling to prayer seriously.
:
- Homework:
- Read each statement under “Characteristics”: Ask yourself, “How true is this of me?”
- If the characteristic is never true about you, place an X in the box under “Never”. Then place a 0 in the point column.
- If the characteristic is true about you only on rare occasions, place an X in the box under “Seldom”. Then place a 1 in the point column.
- If the characteristic is true about you sometimes and sometimes not (up to 49% of the time), place an X in the box under “Sometimes”. Then place a 2 in the point column.
- If the characteristic is true about you 50 75% of the time, place and X under “Usually”. Then place a 3 in the point column.
- If the characteristic is true about you most of the time, place an X under “Mostly”. Then place a 4 in the point column.
- If the characteristic is true about you all the time, place an X under “Always”. Then place a 5 in the point column.
- After completing the columns concerning “Characteristics”, add all the points and place the total in the box at the bottom of the point column, next to the word “Total”.
- Read each statement under “Typical Problem Areas”:
- Fill in the columns and points in the same way as before.
- Add all the points and place the total in the box at the bottom of the point column next to the word “Total”.
- Bring your completed test to the next class.
- If you think this is your gift, read the scriptures in this lesson and observe how this gifts functions.
- If you are sure this is not your gift, consider your spouse, your children, grandchildren, or friends.
NAME _____________________
#5 THE GIFT OF GIVING (CONTRIBUTING)CHARACTERISTICS | N E V E R |
S E L D O M |
S O M E T I M E S |
U S U A L L Y |
M O S T L Y |
A L W A Y S |
P O I N T S |
0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
1. Gives freely of money, things, time, and love. | |||||||
2. Loves to give quietly, without others knowing about it. | |||||||
3. Wants to feel a part of the ministry he gives to. | |||||||
4. Prays a lot for the salvation of others. | |||||||
5. Delighted when his gift is an answer to someones prayer. | |||||||
6. Wants gifts to be the best he can give. | |||||||
7. Gives only by the leading of the Holy Spirit. | |||||||
8. Gives to support and bless others or to help a ministry. | |||||||
9. Sees having people in his home as an opportunity to give. | |||||||
10. Has ability to handle his own finances wisely and well. | |||||||
11. Quick to help where a need is seen. | |||||||
12. Prays about the amount to give. | |||||||
13. Believes in tithing and in giving more than that. | |||||||
14. Loves to share the Gospel more than anything else. | |||||||
15. Believes God will take care of all his needs. | |||||||
16. Works hard to earn money so more can be given away. | |||||||
17. Has natural ability and good at making money. | |||||||
18. Careful not to waste money on himself. | |||||||
19. Definitely not easily fooled. | |||||||
20. Has both natural and God-given wisdom. | |||||||
TOTAL |
TYPICAL PROBLEM AREAS
1. May try to control how money that is given is used. | |||||||
2. Pushy in trying to get others to give. | |||||||
3. May upset others who do not understand how and why he gives. | |||||||
4. May spoil someone by giving too much. | |||||||
5. May become stingy. | |||||||
6. Becomes over-burdened with the projects of others. | |||||||
7. Cannot say “no” when his time is already too occupied with projects. | |||||||
8. Neglects time with his family to fulfill the needs of others. | |||||||
TOTAL |