Nov. 09, 2025

Series: Living on Purpose   11-9-25

MINISTRY:

Serving with Personality

How God has S.H.A.P.E.D. me for Ministry:

                                                S piritual Gifts

                                                H eart (Passions)

                                                A bilities (Talents & Skills)

                                                P ________________________________________

                                                (Where does my Personality best suit service?)

                                                E xperiences

The Secret To Success:

• Your ministry will be most Effective & Fulfilling when you’re using your GIFTS & ABILITIES in the area of your HEART'S DESIRE in a way that best expresses your PERSONALITY & EXPERIENCES!

The Apostle Paul:

Galatians 1:13-14 (PH) For you have heard of my past... I persecuted the church with fanatical zeal... and did my best to destroy it... I was ahead of most of my contemporaries in the Jewish religion, and had a boundless enthusiasm..."

EXPERIMENT:

                In the box below, write your name (signature):

                ________________________________________________

                Now write your name with your opposite hand:

                ________________________________________________

Proverbs 22:6 (AMP) Train up a child in the way he should go [and in keeping with his bent or individual gift], and when he is old he will not depart from it.

“To live is to choose. But to choose, you must know who you are and what you stand for, where you want to go and why you want to get there.”

Kofi Annan (the former President of the United Nations)

The Cure for the All-In-One Person, Super-Gifted Syndrome:

1 Corinthians 12:12–27 (NIV) ¹² Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. ¹³ For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body… ¹⁴ the body is not made up of one part but of many… 

¹⁶ if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. ¹⁷ If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? ¹⁸ But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be…

²¹ The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” ²² On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable… ²⁵ there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. ²⁶ If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. 

²⁷ Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.

IF YOU'RE A LION: 

Basic Motivations Are - Results, challenge, a tendency to gravitate to leadership in 

whatever group you're in. 

Greatest Strength - Strong leadership, decisive.

Desire Situations Which Allow - Freedom from being controlled by others, authority, 

varied activities, difficult assignments, an opportunity for challenge & advancement.

Respond Best to Others Who - provide direct answers, stick to business, stress logic.

Time Orientation - "Let's do it 'now'!"

Greatest Weaknesses - Can be insensitive, pushy, can fail to take time to really listen to 

others when it comes to decisions.

Need to Learn That - You need people, relaxation is not a crime, some controls/restrictions 

are needed, everyone has a boss (even if it's God), verbalizing to others why you've reached a conclusion is important -- not a waste of time.

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** I need to Raise/Lower the Lion characteristics in my life - One specific way I could do this over the next four weeks is to... ___________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

PAUL – Galatians 1:6, 10 (NIV) ⁶ I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—¹⁰ Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.

(Joshua, Rebekah, Elijah, John the Baptist…)

IF YOU'RE A GOLDEN RETRIEVER:

Basic Motivations Are - Deep relationships, genuine appreciation for being an 

important part of a "team." 

Greatest Strength - Loyalty, nurturing and listening skills.

Desire Situations Which Allow - specialization, being a part of a team, an 

established daily work pattern, security in life situations, consistent and familiar environment, clearly defined goals and steps to reach them.

Respond Best To Others Who - are relaxed and amiable, and give you time to 

adjust to changes, serve as a friend, allow you to work at your own pace, allow you to ask "how" questions without feeling threatened, provide personal support.

Time Orientation - The present. “Let’s Keep things the way they are.”

Greatest Weakness - Can carry the emotional weight of too many people on your shoulders.

Need To Learn That - Change can provide opportunity, you can't be best friends with 

everyone, listening to others is great but you need to share your own feelings as well (w/out fear)

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** I need to Raise/Lower the Golden Retriever characteristics in my life - One specific way I could do this over the next four weeks is to... ____________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

AARON - Exodus 32:1 (NIV) ¹ When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods who will go before us”

(Abraham, Isaac, Abigail, Hannah…)

IF YOU'RE AN OTTER:  

Basic Motivations Are - recognition, appreciation, approval. 

Greatest Strength - enthusiasm; getting people motivated and involved, making life fun.

Desire Situations Which Allow - prestige, friendly relationships, freedom from control 

and detail, the opportunity to help others and opportunity to motivate people, platform to verbalize ideas.

Respond Best To Others Who - are democratic and friendly, provide social involvement 

along with or after working on projects, provide verbal or tangible recognition of abilities, appreciate your bent toward risk taking.

Time Orientation - the future. “Trust me, it will work out.”

Greatest Weaknesses - subject to peer pressure because of a deep need to be "liked" 

and popular, can make quick decisions without all the facts.

Need To Learn That - time controls and deadlines are important, there is such a thing as 

too much optimism.

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** I need to Raise/Lower the Otter characteristics in my life - One specific way I could do this over the next four weeks is to... ________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

JOHN MARK - Acts 15:37–38 (NIV) ³⁷ Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, ³⁸ but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work.

(King David, Samson, Ruth, Peter…)

IF YOU'RE A BEAVER:

Basic Motivations Are - to do things right, quality control, check the details and fine print. 

Greatest Strength - accuracy, quality, following instructions.

Desire Situations Which Allow - clearly defined tasks, security in relationships, team 

participation, stability, limited risk, assignments that require precision and careful planning.

Respond Best To Others Who - provide consistent reassurance, maintain a supportive 

atmosphere, provide an open-door policy for questions, spell out detailed expectations

Time Orientation - the past. “How was it done in the past?”

Greatest Weaknesses - can use their critical skills and high expectations to become 

critical of others.

Need To Learn That - total support and detailed answers to questions aren't always 

possible, thorough examination isn't everything, deadlines must be met, predictability doesn't equal being "boring."

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** Indeed to Raise/Lower the Beaver characteristics in my life - One specific way I could do this over the next four weeks is to... _____________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

THOMAS - John 20:24–25 (NIV) ²⁴ Now Thomas... ²⁵ said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand 

into his side, I will not believe.”

(Moses, Judas Iscariot, Joseph O.T.…)

THE PERFECT BALANCE:

JESUS’ _________________________________ ATTRIBUTES:

Luke 19:41 (NIV) ⁴¹ As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it.

JESUS’ _____________________________ ATTRIBUTES:

John 2:13–15 (NIV) ¹³ When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. ¹⁴ In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. ¹⁵ So he made a whip out of cords, 

JESUS’ _____________________________ ATTRIBUTES:

John 2:15–16 (NIV) ¹⁵ So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. ¹⁶ To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!” 

JESUS’ _____________________________ ATTRIBUTES:

Matt. 21:14 (NIV) The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them.

John 2:18–21 (NIV) ¹⁸ “What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?” ¹⁹ Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” ²⁰ They replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” ²¹ But the temple he had spoken of was his body.

William A. Glaser:

Lions think life’s not worth living unless they’re doing something.
Otters think life’s not worth living unless they’re talking to someone.
Beavers think life’s not worth living unless they’re thinking about things.
Golden Retrievers think life’s not worth living unless they’re relating.

Florence Littauer 

(in The Gift of Encouraging Words) 

God could have made us all Otters.
We could have lots of fun but accomplish little.
He could have made us all Beavers.
We would have been organized and charted but not very cheerful.
He could have made us all Lions.
We would have been set to lead, but impatient that no one would follow!
He could have made us all Golden Retrievers.
 We would have had a peaceful world but not much enthusiasm for growth. 

 We need each temperament for the total function of the body.
Each part should do its work to unify and edify the body.

REASONS THIS IS SO IMPORTANT:

                1. We are each _______________________________ for our ministry! 

Romans 14:12 So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.

• Your Personality Type is Tightly Woven into the _______________________ you should be Involved in!

            2. Our S.H.A.P.E. _______________________________ our ministry!

• Your Personality Type is very important in matching you to the right _____________________________ (the place for you to serve).