Motivational Gifts #5 The Source Of All Of The Gifts God Gives Us

Motivational Gifts Source Overview

In this fifth installment of the Motivational Gifts series, the Pastor opens with a foundational question that most believers never ask: why did God call me? Drawing from Psalm 46:1-5, Romans 12:3-8, and the broader New Testament framework of spiritual gifts, the message establishes that salvation is a covenant of ownership — God purchased us with His blood and calls us to fulfill a specific purpose here on earth. Three streams of gifts are identified: the seven motivational gifts of Romans 12, the nine spiritual gifts of First Corinthians 12, and the five-fold ministry gifts of Ephesians 4. A particular focus is placed on the motivational gift of serving, illustrated through the biblical example of Martha, who is notably listed by name before Mary in John 11:5. Real-life illustrations, including a powerful story of obeying God to help a logger on the verge of suicide, ground the teaching in everyday obedience. The Pastor challenges believers to take ownership of their gifts, serve with excellence, and allow God’s echo-like ability to multiply back what they diligently invest.

Motivational Gifts Source Outline

• 00:00 – Opening Prayer and Series Context: The Pastor opens in prayer and situates this message as the fifth in the Motivational Gifts series, framing the central question: why did God call you?
• 05:30 – Salvation as a Covenant of Ownership: Christianity is presented not as a one-sided benefit but as a covenant of ownership, compared to marriage, where both parties are fully given to one another.
• 12:00 – Three Streams of Gifts from God: The Pastor outlines the three categories of gifts: the seven motivational gifts in Romans 12, the nine spiritual gifts in First Corinthians 12, and the five-fold ministry gifts in Ephesians 4.
• 20:00 – The Gift of Serving Defined: Serving as a motivational gift is unpacked through the Greek word diaconia, showing that true service is trained, diligent, and reflects the one being served — King Jesus.
• 29:00 – The Echo Principle and God’s Multiplied Ability: Using the Greek word iskus and the analogy of an echo, the Pastor explains how diligent effort in one’s gift causes God’s ability to return and multiply in the believer’s life.
• 36:30 – Personal Illustration: The Logger in the Woods: A compelling story of obeying God to help a suicidal logger, working for free, and witnessing a family restored and a man come to faith in Jesus Christ.
• 44:00 – Characteristics and Guidelines for Servers: The Pastor details key traits of serving-motivated people: diligence, preference for immediate results, and the risk of enabling dependency rather than allowing God to work.
• 50:00 – Martha as a Biblical Model of Serving: The example of Martha in Luke 10 and John 11 shows that Jesus honored her serving gift by listing her by name first in John 11:5, vindicating her motivation while calling her to balance.
• 56:00 – Martha’s Confession of Faith: At Lazarus’s tomb, Martha demonstrates mature faith with a strong declaration that Jesus is the resurrection and the life, showing that serving and deep faith are not mutually exclusive.
• 59:00 – Closing Exhortation: Ask God Why He Called You: The sermon closes with a direct challenge to every believer to identify their motivational gift, obey God’s call, and start working toward the fulfillment of their God-given purpose.

Scripture References

Psalm 46:1-5, Romans 12:3-8, Romans 12:6-7, 1 Corinthians 12:1, Ephesians 4:10-11, Philippians 2:5-11, 1 Peter 4:9-11, Colossians 3:23-24, Luke 10:38-42, John 11:1-6, John 11:17-27

Key Takeaways

• Salvation is a covenant of ownership in which God purchased believers with His blood and calls them to fulfill a specific purpose for His Kingdom here on earth.
• God has given every believer gifts not for heaven but for now, equipping them to rise above the challenges of life in a fallen world and glorify Him.
• The seven motivational gifts found in Romans 12 are grace gifts received at the new birth, not natural talents, and every believer is called to identify and use theirs.
• Spiritual maturity is not determined by how many years someone has been born again but by their obedience to what God has called them to do.
• The gift of serving, illustrated by Martha, is honored by God and carries a reward — Martha’s name appears first in John 11:5 precisely because she was the one who served Jesus.
• Serving with excellence reflects who you are working for, and diligent effort causes God’s ability to echo back into your life in greater measure.
• Believers must discern when to serve and when to step back, since sometimes helping another person can prevent God from doing a necessary work in their life.

Motivational Gifts Source Notes

Called for a Purpose, Not a Benefit

One of the most convicting points of this message is the observation that most Christians never ask God why He called them. The Pastor notes that after 42 years of ministry, it appears many believers think God exists primarily to serve them rather than the other way around. But salvation is a covenant of ownership. Just as marriage involves two people giving their lives to one another, giving your life to Jesus means submitting to His purpose. The question every believer should be asking is not what God can do for them but what God has called them to do for His Kingdom.

Three Distinct Gift Systems in Scripture

The New Testament reveals not one but three distinct categories of gifts. The seven motivational gifts of Romans 12, which include prophecy, serving, teaching, exhortation, giving, leading, and mercy, are given at the new birth. The nine spiritual gifts of First Corinthians 12 are received through the baptism of the Holy Spirit. The five-fold ministry gifts of Ephesians 4, apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, and teacher, are given as believers submit to the local church. Each category serves a different dimension of a believer’s life and calling, and none of these gifts has ceased or lost its power.

The Echo Principle of Diligent Service

The Pastor introduces a memorable teaching from the Greek word iskus, translated as ability, from which we derive the word echo. Just as a voice must be strong and deliberate to produce an echo, a believer must serve with consistent diligence before God’s amplified ability returns to them. The point is not passive waiting but active investment. When believers train, prepare, and execute their gift with excellence, God multiplies what they pour in. The praise and worship leader who said his anointing was simply eight hours a day of practice captures this principle perfectly.

Martha Vindicated by Jesus Himself

Martha is often remembered only for being corrected by Jesus in Luke 10, but the Pastor draws attention to John 11:5, where the text says Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. Notably, Martha is listed first, before Mary who sat at Jesus’s feet. This is not accidental. Martha’s serving gift led her to be the one who welcomed Jesus into the home and the one who ran to meet Him when Lazarus died. Far from dismissing her gift, Jesus honored it. His earlier words in Luke 10 were not a rebuke of serving but an invitation to add the discipline of sitting at His feet.

When Serving Can Hinder God’s Work

One of the most practically important warnings in this message is that a serving-motivated believer can unintentionally interfere with what God is trying to do in another person’s life. The Pastor recounts a church member who was helping a family that had developed a pattern of dependency. When the server stepped back at the Pastor’s counsel, the family prayed, found their own resources, and came back two weeks later feeling genuinely empowered. This is a critical maturity checkpoint for servers: discern whether your help is filling a genuine need or filling a gap that God intends to use for transformation.

Obedience Produces Spiritual Maturity

The Pastor makes a bold and clarifying statement: spiritual maturity has nothing to do with how long someone has been a Christian. A believer born again for five years can be far more mature than one who has been in church for forty, if that person is consistently obeying God. The personal story of going into the woods to help a despondent logger despite having no desire to do so illustrates this truth. Obedience to a nudge from the Holy Spirit, even in an area that is not your natural gift or preference, is where real maturity is forged and where God accomplishes things that no human plan could produce.

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