Lesson #05

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Biblical Perspectives

September 21, 2015

Biblical Perspectives

September 21, 2015

Syllabus

February 12, 2010

RETURN TO MOTIVATIONAL GIFT SYLLABUS

Bible Perspectives: Gifts of Motivation
Lesson #05
“The Gift of Serving”

• Homework Discussion
  • Test Evaluation for the Gift of Exhortation (Encouraging)
  • Record both of the test scores for each student for the Gift of Exhortation (Encouraging).
  • Questions and discussion.

• Class Lesson: #4 The Gift of Serving
• The Definition of the Gift of Serving:

• The motivation to practical assistance. It is the demonstration of love by meeting practical needs and giving assistance.

 

• The Characteristics of the Gift of Serving:

 

• Deeds

:

• The person with this gift recognizes the practical needs of others and enjoys meeting those needs. He shows his love by the deeds he does.
• He has a hard time saying, “no”, to requests for help.
• He is very original in creating jobs that meet the needs of others.
• He tends to do more than what is expected of him and he is often over-involved.
• Physical Strength and Stamina

:

• God has given this strength and stamina to do physical jobs.
• This person disregards his own fatigue to serve others.
• He has a great ability to work with his hands.
• Perfectionist and Detail

:

• This person cannot stand clutter, dirt, or disorganization.
• He will do all he can to keep physical order.
• He tends to be a perfectionist. He always finishes the projects that he starts.
• He becomes frustrated if he does not have enough time to complete a project.
• This person likes to do a good job, and therefore, he pays attention to details.
• He has a computer type memory for details.
• He prefers short-term projects and short-term goals.
• Hospitality

:

• This person likes to entertain others in his home for it gives him the opportunity to serve.
• Needs Appreciation

:

• This person has a need to feel appreciated for who he is and not just for what he does.
• A Follower not a Leader

:

• This person prefers to be a follower.
• He does not like leadership roles or leading projects. He prefers others to lead.
• He is frustrated in leadership positions and will lose his joy if forced to lead.
• He prefers to do a job himself rather than to delegate it to others.
• If he has to delegate a job, he feels guilty.
• He likes to see success in the leaders he supports.
• He is a very loyal follower.

 

• The Benefits of the Gift of Serving:

 

• This person seems to see what needs to be done.
• This person is task oriented.
• This person is the hands in the body of Christ.
• This gift meets the practical needs in the body of Christ.

 

• The Manifestations of the Gift of Serving:

 

• The person with this gift does a lot of little things behind the scenes.
• These people are the workers in the church.

 

• The Childhood Expressions of the Gift of Serving:

 

• The child with the gift of serving can become absorbed in play and has no trouble playing alone.
• This child has good hand dexterity.
• This child loves cars, crafts, tea sets, sewing, crayons, construction sets, blocks, etc.
• He is a good at copying the actions of others.
• This child has a single best friend or a limited circle of friends.
• This child is family oriented.
• This child is not a strong feeling child because he is task oriented.
• This child is embarrassed to show emotion.
• This child has trouble with public speaking.
• This child can become bitter and angry with life when he is not appreciated.
• He is a spasmodic reader but has wide interests.
• This child likes pets.
• This child prefers to choose his own direction and time of activity rather than to be told.
• The greatest joy for him is to think of the task on his own and then to do it without prompting.
• He may fail to finish projects if, at the last minute, a few obstacles make it seem impossible.

 

• Biblical Examples of People with the Gift of Serving:

 

• Martha (John 11:1-40 John 12:2 Luk 10:38-42)
• Observable characteristics:
  • She shows hospitality. (Luk 10:38)
  • She shows love with deeds. (Luk 10:38)
  • She recognized the practical needs. (Luk 10:40)
  • She was a perfectionist. (Luk 10:40)
  • To her service was the most important thing. (Luk 10:40)
  • She was over-involved in the task. (Luk 10:41)
  • She felt un-appreciated by others. (Luk 10:41)
  • She was too occupied with details. (Luk 10:42)
• Other people in scripture with this gift:

• Phoebe (Rom 16:1-2)
• Stephen (Acts 6:1-15 Acts 7:1-60)
• Phillip (Joh 1:43-45 Joh 6:5-7 Joh 12:21-22 Joh 14:8 Act 6:5 Act 8:5-40 Act 21:8-9)
• Onesimus (the book of Philemon, Col 4:9)
• Peter’s mother-in law (Mat 8:14-15
• Jacob (Gen 25-30)

 

• Problem Areas and Cautions that lead to improving this gift—a challenge:

 

• Critical

:

• The person with the gift of serving can be critical of others who do not help out.
• He needs to see his service to God as a special call unique to him.
• Neglect of family

:

• It is possible that he will neglect the needs of his own family to meet the needs of others.
• Aggressive

:

• Sometimes this person will help when help is not wanted.
• Sometimes this person has a tendency to control.
• This person needs to pay attention to the lines of authority. He can become impatient with slow-moving authority.
• Receiving

:

• This person feels awkward when someone else serves him. When he objects to that service, he robs the other person of the joy of serving.
• Hurt feelings

:

• Because he has a deep need to feel appreciated, he often feels hurt when others do not express appreciation. He needs to feel appreciated for who he is and not for what he does.
• This person needs to develop a strong identity in Christ from where he receives his value. He needs to concentrate on the fact that he serves Christ and not men.
• Over-emphasis on things and projects

:

• Other people may see him as either lacking interest in true spiritual things or lacking interest in personal relationships.
• To over-come this weakness, he needs to maintain a strong devotional life.
• He needs to become aware of when people are more important than getting a job done.

• 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 _____________________

#4 THE GIFT OF SERVINGCHARACTERISTICS	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. Quick to meet the needs of others.
2. Especially enjoys working with his hands.
3. Keeps everything neat and in order.
4. Remembers details easily.
5. Enjoys having people at his house.
6. Wants to complete what is started.
7. Has a hard time saying no to requests for help.
8. Is more interested in meeting the needs of others than his own needs.
9. Enjoys working on projects that can be finished in a short time.
10. Shows love for others in deeds and actions more than words.
11. Needs to feel appreciated.
12. Tends to do more than he is asked to do.
13. Finds the highest joy in doing something that is helpful to someone.
14. Does not want to lead others.
15. Has a high energy level.
16. Cannot stand to be around clutter.
17. Wants everything to be perfect.
18. Thinks that serving is the most important thing in life.
19. Would rather do a job than ask someone else to do it.
20. Likes to help others in leadership to get the job done.
TOTAL

 

TYPICAL PROBLEM AREAS

1. Upset with others who do not offer to help out with needs.
2. May forget to help family by being too busy helping others outside the family.
3. May become pushy in eagerness to help.
4. Hard to accept being served by others.
5. Easily hurt when not appreciated.
6. Helps when help is not wanted.
7. Impatient with slow-moving authority.
8. Over-emphasis on things and projects in place of spiritual things.
TOTAL