Oftentimes people are disheartened by or resistant to self-assessments because they feel as though it puts them in a box, limits their options, or does not fully capture or articulate their heart and mind.
Oftentimes people are disheartened by or resistant to self-assessments because they feel as though it puts them in a box, limits their options, or does not fully capture or articulate their heart and mind.
For example, our spiritual gift assessment teaches on 16 spiritual gifts, one of which is the Spiritual Gift of Teaching. Those with the Spiritual Gift of Teaching are described as having the ability to present difficult concepts clearly and articulately in a way that an audience would be able to understand. The existence of the spiritual gift of Teaching by no means implies that every teacher does or must have this spiritual gift. More often than not, one teaches because of what the Lord has laid on their heart and through their unique gifts and personality.
Your personality and spiritual gifts are reflected in the style by which you carry out your calling or role.
I have now had the opportunity to teach PLACE with both of my parents, neither of whom have the Spiritual Gift of Teaching. Between the three of us, there are all kinds of differences between our personalities and spiritual gifts. My dad is a D personality with the Spiritual Gifts of Hospitality and Leadership. My mom is an S/C personality with the Spiritual Gifts of Helps and Shepherding, and I am a C personality with the Spiritual Gifts of Wisdom, Knowledge, and Teaching.
Each one of us is wired and gifted in such different ways, and yet, we all three find ourselves in what, on the surface, would be deemed as merely a teaching position.
The key factor that brings each one of us to the same place in ministry is Passion. Even our passion, however, is motivated by different life experiences and uniquely formulated postures of our hearts. Passion and life experiences are the game changers that bend your heart in certain directions.
So, while the outlet and platform in which we serve is the same, the style in which we teach is a reflection of the interaction of our personality and spiritual gifts as well as the unique bend of our heart that gave us the passion to do so in the first place.
Think intensity. That is my dad, whether he is teaching PLACE, meeting people at church, or watching a basketball game. The D personality is known to be intense, driven, and emphatic. D personalities with the gift of Leadership will normally portray decisiveness and confidence while presenting ideas and direction to a group. Those who have heard my dad speak can attest that he does so emphatically and intensely. His teaching style is a direct reflection of his personality and spiritual gifts interacting with each other on the platform for which he finds his passion and PLACE.
I just recently had the opportunity to teach on spiritual gifts with my mom at a pastor’s wives retreat for the Georgia Baptist Mission Board. This was the first time I had ever been able to see her in a teaching role for PLACE Ministries, something she used to do more often before being promoted to a “full time mom,” her dream job. The S personality combined with the Spiritual Gifts of Helps and Shepherding exemplifies a gentle peacemaker concerned with serving others and watching over their spiritual well-being which is a picturesque depiction of my mother. She spoke to the wives with a compassionate and gentle heart. This was, in part, because it was a way to serve them as a helper and guide them as a shepherd. She also spoke from a place of empathy and care because of her passion for helping people find their PLACE in light of her own life experiences and personal experiences as a pastor’s wife.
As a C personality, my mind as well as my teaching style is very logical, organized, and consistent. Combine that with my Spiritual Gifts of Knowledge, Wisdom, and Teaching, and one might see a calm confidence amidst a teacher who is well informed on the topic and can explain concepts and applications in a clear and concise manner.
While I may not be intense and animated like my dad or come across as gentle and loving as my mom, my teaching style can still be effective in this platform and come from a heart that is passionate about helping people find their PLACE in life and ministry.
Paul explains in his letter to the Corinthians the value and purpose of our unique gifts, abilities, and passions coming together under one purpose for kingdom work.
“For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,’ that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing?… But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be.” (1 Corinthians 12:14-15; 17-19).
This visual of the body is God’s way of illustrating to us the value of each one of our unique designs and purposeful roles in His kingdom. An awareness of our design should not limit or dishearten us because we end up comparing ourselves to other parts of the body and hyper focusing on roles and abilities we do not have. Rather, an awareness of the intricacy and intentionality behind our design should stir in us an even greater confidence in stepping into the opportunities in which we can fulfill the passions the Lord has placed on our hearts.
To schedule Mary, Jay or Mary and Jay together to teach and lead your group to being informed regarding personality and/or spiritual gifts as Paul tells us in I Corinthians 12:1 contact us at 1-877-463-2863 or email us at placeinfo@placeministries.org.
To schedule Mary, Jay or Mary and Jay together to teach and lead your group to being informed regarding personality and/or spiritual gifts as Paul tells us in I Corinthians 12:1 contact us at 1-877-463-2863 or email us at placeinfo@placeministries.org.
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