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TOPIC ONE
PERSONAL IDENTITY
AND HEALTH
UNITY IS KEY
Our current teaching series is based around Ephesians 4:11-16. We encourage you to meditate on this over the coming weeks.
EPHESIANS 4:11-16 NLT
11 Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. 12 Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. 13 This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.
14 Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. 15 Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. 16 He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.
"Our WHY is heaven to earth. This is our reason and purpose . It is why we exist as a Church. Ephesians 4:16 shows us what is possible for us to become as a group of people... as a Church." - Justin Box
EPHESIANS 4:16
He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.
This is our goal. If this is happening, heaven is coming to earth. A really important part of this passage is, “As each part does its own special work.” We have been talking about growing in celebrating and valuing other people’s uniqueness, but if we don’t actually take the time to identify our own, then how will we be able to do it for others? Our heart at Echo Church is that each of us would be fully aware of who we are, how we are wired, and how we see and think.
WE EACH HAVE DIFFERENT GIFTS
During Sunday Service on 20/9/20 we played this clip from Danny Silk about our individual uniqueness and passions for the Kingdom. Let’s choose to see each other as God sees us, always believing the best and looking for the gold in each other. Think about where your passions lie as you re-watch this clip
THE FIVE LOVE LANGUAGES
"Gary Chapman describes five categories of behaviour we use to send and receive the message of love. Understanding these categories helps us to identify exactly how we are creating experiences that either promote or discourage feelings of connection. It’s important to realise that we are always sending and receiving messages in relationships. We are always moving
toward one another or away from one another. The more aware we are of how we are doing this, the more we can take responsibility for the messages we are sending and actively build the connections we want." - From Chapter Two of 'Keep Your Love On' by Danny Silk,
Read detailed descriptions further down this page.
THE 4-TEMPERAMENT THEORY
This theory suggests that there are four fundamental personality types: sanguine, choleric, melancholic, and phlegmatic. Most formulations of this theory include the possibility of mixtures among the types where an individual's personality types overlap and they share two or more temperaments. The temperaments are personality traits that determined how we react to the world. How we respond, process, make choices, and problem solve.
Can you recognise elements of yourself in this diagram?
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KNOWING WHICH OF THE FIVE FOLD GIFTS YOU GRAVITATE TOWARDS
Can you identify where you fit in the five fold ministry? In his book “Culture of Honour” Danny Silk goes into more detail about the differences of the gifts of the five fold ministry and how when they are working together in unity greatness happens. Read the following slides for the example he uses and as you read this ask yourself some questions.
- Who am I most like in this scenario?
- Who else in our church might share these passions so I can be around them and grow?
- Who have I undervalued?
- Do I need to repent of thinking negative thoughts about someone because they are different to me? - Do I need to go to someone and repair a connection?
"I think I can best introduce the attributes of the fivefold anointings by describing what might happen if they all arrived together at the scene of a car accident:"
To discover which one you gravitate towards, we would encourage you to read Chapter 2 of 'The Culture of Honour' by Danny Silk, and complete the following online 'Five Fold Ministry Test'.
This test is not a definitive statement about a job role you should pursue. Rather, it is intended to give an indication and confirmation of the gifts you gravitate towards and to put some language around things you may already know about yourself.
KNOWING YOUR LOVE LANGUAGE
Knowing your love language and the love languages of those you're closest to, your family, friends or even your boss will help you to engage with others better. View the following slides found in 'Keep Your Love On' by Danny Silk describing the five love languages.
To discover your love language complete the following online 'Five Love Languages Test'.
UNDERSTANDING THE 4-TEMPERAMENT THEORY
Here is some slides with more detail on each of the temperaments.
To identify your temperament type(s) complete the following test.
This test is not a definitive statement about the entirety of your temperament. Rather, it is intended to give an indication and confirmation of the temperament you gravitate towards and to put some language around things you may already know about yourself.
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If honouring others better even when they are different to ourselves is an area you are passionate to grow in, this is a book we would highly recommend:
Culture of Honour, Danny Silk
In this powerful, revelation-packed book, Danny Silk describes the significant paradigm shift in church life, government, and relationships that has created and sustained the revival culture at Bethel Church in Redding, California.
Through many relevant and true-life stories, the church is revealed as a place of freedom, respect, empowerment, and healthy discipline (not punishment). Culture of Honor challenges the status quo of church leadership structure and presents a refreshing view of the five-fold ministry.
Jesus acknowledged this important principle in Matthew 20:25-26:
But Jesus called them to Himself and said, 'You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant.
If those with power learn how to empower those around them, then surely it will come to pass that, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.
You can apply-today-the truths revealed in this practical yet supernaturally charged set of principles to relationships in your family, workplace, community, ministry, church-wherever you deal with others.
If you want to know more about love languages and you are passionate to grow in how to love well, this is a book we would highly recommend.
Keep Your Love On, Danny Silk
Keeping your love on. It's a hard thing to do. Sometimes it's the hardest thing to do. But if you want to build healthy relationships with God and others, learning to keep your love on is non-negotiable. Adults and children alike thrive in healthy relationships where it is safe to love and be loved, to know and be known. Yet for many, relationships are anything but safe, loving, or intimate. They are defined by anxiety, manipulation, control, and conflict. The reason is that most people have never been trained to be powerful enough to keep their love on in the face of mistakes, pain, and fear.
