December 23, 2024 • 30 mins
Today on the podcast, Beth and Jeff talk about how the gospel satisfies each Type's Core Longing—the central message your heart longs to hear.
We pray this episode fills your heart with truth and hope. We know this year has been challenging, and you can't always see the ways God is answering the longing of your heart, but rest assured that the story is not over. What started over 2000 years ago ends with an everlasting throne.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Jeff (00:00):
Hey friends, welcome to Your Enneagram Coach the
podcast.
We're here to help you todiscover, explore, and to become
the person that you've alwayslonged to be.
We're hoping you're enjoyingthis series on the gospel and
today We're going to be playinga replay of one of our most
popular episodes on theEnneagram in the gospel Now,
what do we mean by the gospel?
(00:20):
well That means all of the kindand loving benefits that are
given to us in work through arelationship with Jesus Christ
because of his life death andresurrection So we hope you
enjoy today to experience whatwe all long for, and that's the
freedom from all the selfcondemnation, fear, and shame
that we carry along with ourtypes.
That we, by grace, can be saved.
(00:42):
But in a very cosmic sense, it'smuch bigger than that.
That Jesus is the second Adam.
That in Genesis 3, whenever Godgave the promise to Eve to say
that a child of her womb willcrush the serpent's head, that
Jesus is the fulfillment of thatpromise and the seed of what is
to come, that he will returnagain and he will renew all
(01:04):
things.
Oftentimes has been portrayed,particularly here in Western
culture, as the first step forthe Christian.
But what we'd like to commend isthat the gospel is the power of
God unto salvation, but it isalso the core of the Christian's
life.
(01:25):
So, the Gospel isn't just thefirst step for the Christian,
but rather it's at the center ofthe life of the Christian
because everything spawns from aheart that is at rest with all
that our Heavenly Father is inthe person and work of Jesus
Christ, which is now applied bythe Holy Spirit.
So the way that Paul phrases itis that it's faith working
(01:47):
itself out in love.
And the reason why that we'readdressing the centrality of the
gospel for the life of thebeliever right now is because
Advent's here.
And Advent does capture for us aframework for our own
experience.
So just consider it.
So after the last prophet of theOld Testament, there's this
(02:09):
darkness and silence and waitingfor 400 years.
You know, there's many of usthat long for change.
We recognize, um, the Weaknessesof our Enneagram types.
A matter of fact, it's part offinding our type where the
Enneagram has like a, a Bethcalls it a nonjudgmental friend,
(02:29):
simply given vocabulary to thesecharacter defects in our life.
And so we long and we wait, wespend a lot of money trying to
find solutions to help uspersonally and to help us
relationally.
And then there's Christ'sarrival that was very obscure,
very meek, very human.
(02:51):
And yet, in light of Hisarrival, there was so much more
hope to come, that God nowbecame man and that He intended
to dwell with us, fulfillingGod's ultimate promise that He
would always be with us andnever forsake us.
And then Christ's arrival alsobrought hope.
(03:11):
There was a hope of things tocome, that salvation, that the
advent of Saul, God's intendedfulfillment of all the
prophecies of the Old Testamentwould now be fulfilled in this
very small child being born inthis obscure place.
And all the persecution thatwould come along with it, all
the ostracizing that would comewith it, that the hope.
(03:35):
of God's people would be in theperson of Jesus Christ.
Beth (03:40):
And so with that, that's kind of been our focus as a
couple and as believers is thathope.
And so when we started to diveinto the Enneagram, most of the
resources out there, if notalmost all of them, didn't have
this hope in it.
It didn't have a gospel centeredperspective.
Do you remember that?
Jeff (03:57):
I do remember that because I remember early on in our
studies of the Enneagram, we,you know, we kept fairly quiet
about it.
I come from a very rigoroustheological tradition.
And so, um, I, I wasn'tnecessarily afraid of reading
these authors, but there wasdefinitely like, yeah, we don't,
we do not agree with theirparticular worldview, but we'd
(04:19):
like the schema, organization ofthe Enneagram and how it helped
us to understand and see people.
But also, we were bringing ourlens of a Christ centered
theology to understanding theEnneagram, that these other
authors weren't describing whatthe real problem was, and nor
(04:40):
were they describing what thereal solution to our problems
were.
And so Beth and I, in kind ofquietness and patience, um, just
quietly sat with these things.
But then Beth started to readsome things in the various books
that she was reading of, wait aminute, there's, there's
something here as it relates tothe gospel.
Beth (05:00):
Yeah.
You know, I think first andforemost, it, it, It really was
about my own personal change.
You know, I could see moreclearly with the help of the
Enneagram, my weaknesses, mysins, my shortcomings that I
needed to own.
But then the hope of Christ, ifI just sat with that, oh my
gosh, talk about despair, right?
Because it's like so clear.
(05:20):
But the hope of Christ is thatit's all been taken care of by
His life, death, resurrection,and ascension.
And I was thinking, okay, well,how does that specifically apply
to me as a nine?
And how can it free me in theway that I know the gospel frees
me, um, to have the abundantlife that Christ brought?
So in my own kind of, Um,journey, my own diving deep in
(05:42):
the Holy Spirit, applying thesethings.
I saw that there's a uniquemessage that Christ gives my
heart, that it longs to hear insuch a way that brings absolute
freedom and grace and it propelsme.
But then I started recognizing,wait, if this is true for me,
then the gospel also speaks inthe same way to all the other
nine or all the other eighttypes.
(06:05):
And once I started using thatlanguage with the people in our
church that we were working withand seeing them light up with
hope, transformation,excitement, joy, it was like, Oh
my goodness, here we have notonly the gospel of hope, but we
have a key that can actuallydeliver it right to their heart.
Jeff (06:27):
And I can remember, uh, in some of the reading that we
were, we were doing of thesevarious authors before the
Enneagram took off is that theywould address these.
messages of that, that we longto hear as a kid, these longings
that each type brings, but therewas no solution except for
(06:47):
somehow to be something foryourself, rather than an
expression of faith that Oh,wait a minute.
We were created to reach out toGod, to be back in relationship
with Him through reconciliation,through Christ's life, death,
and resurrection.
And that that is thetransformative power for our
lives is faith in Jesus Christoutside of us.
(07:11):
Now, what's interesting is thatearly when we started posting
these things on social media, Iremember there were some in the
Enneagram community that werelike, you shouldn't bring
Christianity into this.
Beth (07:22):
Yeah.
And, but what's interesting isthat, you know, it being to us a
neutral tool, you could bringany world perspective, any world
religion to it.
And so we were like, well, no,cause we don't agree with, we
don't align with everyone else'sviews.
We have a very specific view ofhow we see the hope that we have
(07:43):
at the end, the transformationprocess.
It is not about ourselves.
It is about.
us recognizing our depravity,our need for a savior and how we
have a savior.
Jeff (07:54):
So our hope in this one episode is to use the insights
of the Enneagram, not as anauthority over our lives, but
just as a servant of clarity.
Offering us vocabulary andunderstanding of ourselves to
describe these longings that wehave in our hearts and to see
(08:16):
how Jesus Christ's life, deathand resurrection and ascension
now answer the longings in ourheart that we have sought to To
satisfy through a variety ofother relationships and things
and accomplishments, whatever itmay be, have been a distraction
when all along the Spirit of Godhas been inviting us to see
(08:39):
Christ anew and to find ourheart and rest for all that He
is for us.
Beth (08:46):
And one thing I want to Uh, layout for us, because all
the nine types, the message thatwe're going to lay out for the
nine types should and does applyto all of us, because it's all
the gospel message.
So you might be wondering, well,then why do you break it up?
Well, each of us has this corelonging, this need.
And And yet no human, no job, nomaterial on earth can ever
(09:10):
satisfy this, but we look for ittoo, right?
We keep trying, but it's onlywhat Christ has done in and
through us that will bring usthat hope.
And so what we want to explainis that we each have this
longing.
And what we're trying to do isto bring the gospel message.
Uh, So that you, your type canhear it so clearly that it
(09:33):
brings real and lastingtransformation at an accelerated
pace so that you can feel,believe and know that you are
his beloved.
And in that it's going toradically transform how you see
yourself, how you see God andhow you are with others.
Let's dive in to all the ninetypes.
Jeff (09:54):
So here's how we're going to do this, uh, for this
particular episode one, we'regoing to look at what each type
belongs for and as it representsa unique part of our humanity as
a whole.
Then we're going to look at whatChrist has done.
to satisfy that longing.
And then lastly, what Christ'slife, death, resurrection, and
(10:14):
ascension have actually securedfor us in the new heavens and
the new earth.
So we hope that you find, notonly for the gospel for each
Enneagram type, that we find acommon sense of humanity from
all types as they all bringtheir own unique experience, uh,
to our lives.
So let's start with type nine.
(10:37):
And here's the idea that typenines long for peace.
They long for shalom, the kindof peace and rest that we had in
the garden.
But until Christ's return, wewill face tension in all of our
relationships with God, withourselves, with others, and with
creation.
It's inescapable.
(10:58):
We long for reconciliation, tobe at peace with one another.
And the truth of the gospel isthis, is that Jesus told us
that, My peace I give you.
He does not give peace as theworld gives.
And that Christ has secured forus reconciliation, both with
Him, with others, withourselves, and with creation.
(11:21):
And the promise of the newheavens and the new earth is
that we will be restored toright relationship in all of its
fullness, and we will have thekind of shalom that God intend
for us in the garden.
Matthew, why don't you elaboratea little bit more about the
nines experience in this worldand the truth of the gospel.
Beth (11:38):
Yeah, you know, for us nines, we're constantly looking
for peace, shalom, oneness withothers, and we'll do it at any
cost.
We'll give up ourselves andwe'll merge with others, and yet
it's exhausting because we'llnever be able to make everyone
perfectly happy so that we havethe shalom that our heart aches
for, and yet we keep trying.
(11:59):
So, this Christmas season, weget the gift of Jesus Christ,
who is our peace and our realjoy.
So, Ninths, now you get to cometo Christ and find and
experience the true innerstability and peace of mind that
you've been looking for.
Jeff (12:16):
So, let's talk about Type 8s next, and we'll go through
the same idea, um, one, ourlonging and how 8s represent a
longing that we all experienceand the truth of the gospel, um,
that.
It's available for Type 8s.
And then what Christ's sacrificehas meant for the first fruits
(12:36):
of the new heavens and the newearth.
Well, in this sinful and fallenworld, we all will face
betrayal.
We will face and experienceevil.
And we will endure thedifficulty of being wounded and
no amount of strength, no amountof independence can protect us.
(12:57):
But Jesus told us prior to hisascension that he will never
leave us nor forsake us and thathe has become for us our shield
and our protector.
He is the one who has defeatedour enemy.
So in the new heavens and thenew earth, we will be able to
(13:19):
let our guard down.
To experience mutual trust andsupport, and we will be able to
be at rest with one another andcreation.
Beth (13:30):
Yeah, Jeff, it's really interesting for type eights.
You know, a lot of people think,uh, AIDS want to just jump in
and be the strong one and takecharge.
Well, in actuality, it's reallywant someone else that is
stronger, more protective thanthey are, that they can rest and
experience the fullness of.
(13:50):
this protective figure overthem, that they are safe and
secure in, um, that protectivestance.
And so AIDS, the great news isthat's exactly who Jesus Christ
is for you, the gift of beingyour protector and your
strength.
So this Christmas season, youcan come to Christ and
experience his passionate loveand protection for you.
Jeff (14:12):
You know, it reminds me whenever you share those things
about AIDS, Beth, that Christ,one of the, Three offices that
he fulfills.
It's a prophecy of Old Testamentfulfilled a new prophet, priest,
and king that Christ fulfilledfor us the office of King.
He was the true and better King.
That he not only in the way thatour, uh, King, uh, Catechism
(14:34):
answers that question, is thathow does Christ fulfill the
office of a king?
He does so by subduing ourhearts to him and subduing our
enemies.
It's Jesus stepping in, beingthe leader, being the one who's
going to make decisions andallows the hearts to be subdued.
(14:55):
the heart of the eight to restand but also subdues our
enemies.
He's also our protector.
So there's no need for theprotective shield because Christ
is enough.
Great.
So let's talk about type sevens.
Well, in this fallen and sinfulworld, sevens remind us of our
need to find joy, to find life.
(15:18):
To find hope and sevens remindus of these longings But
sometimes their use of reframingcan either trick themselves and
maybe some others into findingTo mistakenly believing that
we've actually found it apartfrom christ But jesus came into
the world that we might havelife in life to the full jesus
(15:41):
Demonstrated that he was thewater of life.
He was the bread of life and hewas the light that would bring
life.
So in the new heavens and thenew earth, we will have joy, joy
that is true, that is rich, andthat is full.
It won't be fleeting, but ratherit will be a genuine joy.
Beth (16:02):
Yeah, when I think of that kind of joy, you know, I think
of the spring, a spring ofliving water that is ever
flowing and just constantlymoving, but you can drink as
much as you want because it'sright there.
So sevens, the gift for you inthis Christmas season is Jesus
Christ himself, who is your truesatisfaction and your delight.
(16:23):
So you get to come to him andexperience that deep
satisfaction and a content heartthat you've always longed for by
simply being with him, beingwith the spring and drinking as
much as your heart.
Jeff (16:37):
It reminds me the image of in Psalm 1, like a tree planted
near streams of water and theidea of a tree showing up in
heaven once again, wherethere'll be another river,
another tree, a tree of lifewhere sevens and we all will
find joy and contentment.
Yeah, for type sixes.
(16:58):
Uh, so I had a Fun time, uh,jotting down some notes about
what is it that I really want.
And, and here's what I came upwith.
And hopefully sixes willresonate with me in this, but in
this world, the ground beneathus is shaking and our felt sense
of security is shaky.
And we look for all theseassurances, whether it's systems
(17:20):
of belief or right relationshipswith mentors, uh, or trying to
come up with the best solutionsand think through all the
scenarios, but we findeverything is wanting Well,
what's the promise?
What's the truth of what Christhas accomplished for us?
Well, he told us that in thisworld you will face trouble, but
take heart, I've overcome theworld.
(17:43):
He offers his peace andassurance through faith in his
life, death, and resurrection,who secured for us the yes and
amen to all of his promises.
So that now whenever we hear thecommand, fear not for I will be
with you, for I'm with you.
We know that in Christ.
He has promised to be with us ineven greater ways through the
(18:06):
gift of His Holy Spirit.
And in the new heavens and thenew earth, we have security.
We have assurance.
We have a world without fear.
There will be no need for ouranxiety.
There'll be no need forhypervigilance.
Our hearts and our minds canrest.
Beth (18:24):
Yeah.
And when I think of just whatyou said, you know, I think of
six is longing for that, thatstronghold longing for that
sense of security, like a cleftin a rock, you know, that they
can be protected under there.
And that is exactly the gift ofChrist in this season as our
(18:44):
shield and.
Our provider, like a goodshepherd, looking out for the
needs of those he loves.
And so six is you get to come toChrist and to experience his
full support and provision foryou each and every day.
Jeff (19:01):
Alrighty, type fives, you're next.
Uh, well, in this fallen andsinful world, we must face life
with limited understanding.
It can be burdensome anddemanding and in an effort to re
resource ourselves.
Fives and us all diminish ourown needs and try to figure out
(19:21):
life.
Well, Christ has become for uswisdom from God.
That is, our righteousness,holiness, and redemption.
He is the fulfillment.
of wisdom.
He embodies it.
Your needs and limitations arenot a problem to him, but rather
when you experience your need,when you experience your
(19:44):
limitations, they are a reminderfor you to be able to look
outside yourself, to trust himand not in your efforts.
And you know what, in the newheavens and the new earth,
you're We will all live at peacewith God and with our world.
And as with the garden, we willhave all that we need.
Beth (20:05):
Yeah.
You know, I think of, uh, fiveswhen they feel depleted, that
they have to minimize theirneeds and, and hoard their inner
resources.
Cause they're so afraid of thiscatastrophic depletion that
might happen if they were to letup or to, to, um, give too much
of themselves, what, what wouldhappen?
Would they have enough?
(20:26):
And yet the beautiful thing isthat God is the God of the
universe.
Like all of these things havebeen created by him.
And not only that, but hedelights in giving you the
wisdom and truth that you longfor, but also replenishing and
restoring those energy reservesthat you feel are so depleted.
So, this Christmas season, cometo Christ and experience the
(20:49):
powerful resources that He willfill you up, not only in your
energy and your ability tointeract with others, but with
insights, truth, and knowledge.
Jeff (21:01):
So, Type Fours remind us collectively, but also for Type
Fours, long for humanity to berestored.
For people to be in rightrelationship with themselves and
with one another.
To be known.
And experience no shame.
And how, what's the gospel forthe type four and for us all to
(21:24):
be known and cherished and love?
Well, that all, as the Bibletells us in Romans, although we
are still sinners.
Jesus Christ died for us.
He fully understands us both asglorious and broken people.
He sees both our dignity and ourdepravity.
And he gave himself fully andfreely for us.
(21:48):
And because of his work, he hassecured for something, a new
heaven and a new earth where ourbrokenness will be healed at
every level.
And we will experience God inone another with love, with
acceptance.
Beth (22:04):
Yeah.
And when I think about ForrestJeff, I think of someone who's
looking for a rescuer, the idealrescuer.
And we look around to thingshere on earth and we don't find
it and we're disappointed andwe're hurt and we wonder, will
we ever be fully restored?
Will we ever be fully rescued?
And the great news is that inthis Christmas season, Jesus
(22:26):
Christ is the gift of being theperfect rescuer and intercessor.
Right?
He knows you intimately.
He empathizes.
He can reach down to you andpull you back to him with pure
love and to restore you to aplace where you can come to him
and experience the emotionalbalance that your heart longs
(22:49):
for as he looks directly at youand how he uniquely created you
and sees you for the specialchild that belongs to him.
Jeff (22:58):
Well, type threes offer us a tremendous gift because they
remind us all.
But for threes, they, living outa sense of calling in this
fallen and sinful world isdifficult.
Processes and plans fail.
Completing a task can be sofrustrating.
(23:20):
And we can lose our sense ofdignity in the pursuit of our
calling as we're wrestling withthe thorns and thistles of this
world.
Well, the gospel for us all, andespecially for the type three,
is that Jesus is the author andthe perfecter of our faith.
That he who began a good work inyou.
(23:42):
We'll carry it on to completion,and He intends for us all to be
trophies of His grace where wewill gladly join people from
every tongue, tribe, and nationin worshiping because of what He
has accomplished in and througheach and every one of us.
And 1 John, it says this aboutthe new heavens and the new
(24:03):
earth.
He says, when we see him, weshall be like him.
That is the work will becompleted.
He will have accomplished whathe set out to do.
And we as people will experiencethe kind of dignity in our
relationships and our work inthe new heavens and the new
earth.
Beth (24:21):
And when I, I think of the threes, Jeff, I think of someone
looking to put on.
an identity, an image for othersto see.
And yet the gift of Christ, whatHe gives us is our true
identity, who we truly arebecause of what He has done on
our behalf.
And so the threes can rest inthis true identity because it
has all of the accomplishmentsthat we've ever needed are
(24:43):
already ours and secure.
So Christ gives us our trueidentity.
which gives us great hope.
And because of that, we can cometo Christ and experience his
love for being our mostauthentic self right before him.
Jeff (24:58):
Already type twos.
Well, what longing do you inviteus all to?
Well, twos have the longing forpeople to be cared for and to
experience healing.
And oftentimes they take up themantle themselves in order to
bring that kind of care andhealing to others.
And yet it is burdensome.
(25:19):
Well, the good news of thegospel for Twos and for us all
is that by Christ's wounds, weshall be healed.
He is our Redeemer.
He is our counselor.
He is our friend.
And we'll never be able toreplace or to address what only
(25:39):
Christ can fulfill.
But the good news of the gospeland the good news of the new
heaven and the new earth for usall, as well as Twos.
Is that in the new heavens andnew earth, there will be no more
tears.
There will be no more grief orloss, and there will be no more
tragedy, but living for eternityin right relationship with God
(26:02):
and with others and withourselves.
Beth (26:05):
And Tews, you greatly.
Have compassion, and youempathize with others.
You feel other people's emotionsand needs, and this urgency to
move in and fix, and yet you'reexhausted.
Well, Christ is your gift thisChristmas.
Go to Him and allow Him to beyour empathizer, your nurturer,
(26:25):
who will heal and restore youright where you're at, as He
also does that for others.
And as you come to Christ,you'll be able to experience His
unconditional love for you andHis desire and pursuit to be
with you.
Jeff (26:42):
And round this all off, we're going to end with type
ones.
Ones remind us all, butparticularly ones experience the
longing for justice andrestoration in a fallen and
sinful world.
And the gospel for ones and forus all is that Christ's death
has secured for us allrighteousness for all those who
(27:03):
believe in him and that longingfor justice will ultimately be
fulfilled in a fair and just newheaven and new earth.
It's a restoration, It'sredemption that has been
accomplished by Christ, so thatones your heart can be at rest,
(27:23):
that all things are renewed.
Beth (27:25):
Yeah, for ones, Jeff, you know, they've had this inner
critic that is constantlypointing out to them all the
imperfections of the world.
And it's true.
There are imperfections of theworld.
We need a reformer, someone thatwill restore all things and
reconcile all things.
And that's exactly what Christhas done for all of us, which
allows the one's heart to cometo rest.
(27:47):
And the gift of Christ thisChristmas season for you ones is
that he is your righteousnessand your mediator.
He goes before you.
He shows his father.
How your sins, past and presentand future, are no more, and the
righteousness that you have iswon through Christ alone.
So ones, you can come to Christand experience childlike
(28:09):
playfulness and real serenitybecause of all that Christ has
done in and through you.
Jeff (28:16):
You know, by hearing these things, it came to mind for me
as we're talking through each ofthe types and we end up
reflecting these three ideasthat, one, there was Israel in
waiting for a Messiah, theadvent of the Messiah, and what
he would mean for the newheavens and the new earth upon
his death.
(28:37):
Life, death, resurrection, andascension, that we're going to
be singing these amazing hymnsand carols, and some of them
will be fun and joyful, andwe'll have great times with our
family, um, but I'd, I'd like toinvite you to consider what, how
these hymns may give expressionto your unique experience of
(28:59):
Enneagram type.
That how, what it is that youlong for and what your family
members remind you of what weall long for as we await the
arrival of our Messiah and Hissecond coming.
And that we're reminding oneanother that the truth of the
gospel is global in that itapplies to all of us and it is
(29:23):
also specific as it appliesuniquely to us.
And that we remind one anotherin this season of how valuable
they are.
To God, our Father, JesusChrist, the Son, and the Holy
Spirit.
So we hope you have a veryspecial Advent season with your
(29:43):
family.
We pray peace upon you all, thatyou would experience the joy of
journeying with Jesus Christ.
Beth (29:52):
And for each of you, you are a true gift.
God created you to be your type.
And yes, on this side of thefall, we do struggle, but we
have great hope in the victorythat Jesus Christ has won for
us.
So this Christmas season, openthe gift that Jesus Christ
offers you personally and howthat will transform not only
(30:16):
you, but your relationships andrelationships.
Jeff (30:21):
We hope you enjoyed this episode and you find it, uh,
helpful and would be anencouragement to your friends
and family and community.
Don't forget to also visitYourEnneagramCoach.
com.
You can find us on Facebook andInstagram, where we'll be
providing some additionalcontent in regards to the Gospel
for each type during this Adventseason.
Thanks for joining us.
Don't forget to check out theshow notes as well and all the
(30:44):
resources mentioned in theepisode and the episodes that we
previously did with our guests.
And always remember this, theEnneagram reveals our need for
Jesus, not our need to workharder.
It's the Gospel that transformsus.
Hey friends, welcome to Your Enneagram Coach the
podcast.
We're here to help you todiscover, explore, and to become
the person that you've alwayslonged to be.
We're hoping you're enjoyingthis series on the gospel and
today We're going to be playinga replay of one of our most
popular episodes on theEnneagram in the gospel Now,
what do we mean by the gospel?
(00:20):
well That means all of the kindand loving benefits that are
given to us in work through arelationship with Jesus Christ
because of his life death andresurrection So we hope you
enjoy today to experience whatwe all long for, and that's the
freedom from all the selfcondemnation, fear, and shame
that we carry along with ourtypes.
That we, by grace, can be saved.
(00:42):
But in a very cosmic sense, it'smuch bigger than that.
That Jesus is the second Adam.
That in Genesis 3, whenever Godgave the promise to Eve to say
that a child of her womb willcrush the serpent's head, that
Jesus is the fulfillment of thatpromise and the seed of what is
to come, that he will returnagain and he will renew all
(01:04):
things.
Oftentimes has been portrayed,particularly here in Western
culture, as the first step forthe Christian.
But what we'd like to commend isthat the gospel is the power of
God unto salvation, but it isalso the core of the Christian's
life.
(01:25):
So, the Gospel isn't just thefirst step for the Christian,
but rather it's at the center ofthe life of the Christian
because everything spawns from aheart that is at rest with all
that our Heavenly Father is inthe person and work of Jesus
Christ, which is now applied bythe Holy Spirit.
So the way that Paul phrases itis that it's faith working
(01:47):
itself out in love.
And the reason why that we'readdressing the centrality of the
gospel for the life of thebeliever right now is because
Advent's here.
And Advent does capture for us aframework for our own
experience.
So just consider it.
So after the last prophet of theOld Testament, there's this
(02:09):
darkness and silence and waitingfor 400 years.
You know, there's many of usthat long for change.
We recognize, um, the Weaknessesof our Enneagram types.
A matter of fact, it's part offinding our type where the
Enneagram has like a, a Bethcalls it a nonjudgmental friend,
(02:29):
simply given vocabulary to thesecharacter defects in our life.
And so we long and we wait, wespend a lot of money trying to
find solutions to help uspersonally and to help us
relationally.
And then there's Christ'sarrival that was very obscure,
very meek, very human.
(02:51):
And yet, in light of Hisarrival, there was so much more
hope to come, that God nowbecame man and that He intended
to dwell with us, fulfillingGod's ultimate promise that He
would always be with us andnever forsake us.
And then Christ's arrival alsobrought hope.
(03:11):
There was a hope of things tocome, that salvation, that the
advent of Saul, God's intendedfulfillment of all the
prophecies of the Old Testamentwould now be fulfilled in this
very small child being born inthis obscure place.
And all the persecution thatwould come along with it, all
the ostracizing that would comewith it, that the hope.
(03:35):
of God's people would be in theperson of Jesus Christ.
Beth (03:40):
And so with that, that's kind of been our focus as a
couple and as believers is thathope.
And so when we started to diveinto the Enneagram, most of the
resources out there, if notalmost all of them, didn't have
this hope in it.
It didn't have a gospel centeredperspective.
Do you remember that?
Jeff (03:57):
I do remember that because I remember early on in our
studies of the Enneagram, we,you know, we kept fairly quiet
about it.
I come from a very rigoroustheological tradition.
And so, um, I, I wasn'tnecessarily afraid of reading
these authors, but there wasdefinitely like, yeah, we don't,
we do not agree with theirparticular worldview, but we'd
(04:19):
like the schema, organization ofthe Enneagram and how it helped
us to understand and see people.
But also, we were bringing ourlens of a Christ centered
theology to understanding theEnneagram, that these other
authors weren't describing whatthe real problem was, and nor
(04:40):
were they describing what thereal solution to our problems
were.
And so Beth and I, in kind ofquietness and patience, um, just
quietly sat with these things.
But then Beth started to readsome things in the various books
that she was reading of, wait aminute, there's, there's
something here as it relates tothe gospel.
Beth (05:00):
Yeah.
You know, I think first andforemost, it, it, It really was
about my own personal change.
You know, I could see moreclearly with the help of the
Enneagram, my weaknesses, mysins, my shortcomings that I
needed to own.
But then the hope of Christ, ifI just sat with that, oh my
gosh, talk about despair, right?
Because it's like so clear.
(05:20):
But the hope of Christ is thatit's all been taken care of by
His life, death, resurrection,and ascension.
And I was thinking, okay, well,how does that specifically apply
to me as a nine?
And how can it free me in theway that I know the gospel frees
me, um, to have the abundantlife that Christ brought?
So in my own kind of, Um,journey, my own diving deep in
(05:42):
the Holy Spirit, applying thesethings.
I saw that there's a uniquemessage that Christ gives my
heart, that it longs to hear insuch a way that brings absolute
freedom and grace and it propelsme.
But then I started recognizing,wait, if this is true for me,
then the gospel also speaks inthe same way to all the other
nine or all the other eighttypes.
(06:05):
And once I started using thatlanguage with the people in our
church that we were working withand seeing them light up with
hope, transformation,excitement, joy, it was like, Oh
my goodness, here we have notonly the gospel of hope, but we
have a key that can actuallydeliver it right to their heart.
Jeff (06:27):
And I can remember, uh, in some of the reading that we
were, we were doing of thesevarious authors before the
Enneagram took off is that theywould address these.
messages of that, that we longto hear as a kid, these longings
that each type brings, but therewas no solution except for
(06:47):
somehow to be something foryourself, rather than an
expression of faith that Oh,wait a minute.
We were created to reach out toGod, to be back in relationship
with Him through reconciliation,through Christ's life, death,
and resurrection.
And that that is thetransformative power for our
lives is faith in Jesus Christoutside of us.
(07:11):
Now, what's interesting is thatearly when we started posting
these things on social media, Iremember there were some in the
Enneagram community that werelike, you shouldn't bring
Christianity into this.
Beth (07:22):
Yeah.
And, but what's interesting isthat, you know, it being to us a
neutral tool, you could bringany world perspective, any world
religion to it.
And so we were like, well, no,cause we don't agree with, we
don't align with everyone else'sviews.
We have a very specific view ofhow we see the hope that we have
(07:43):
at the end, the transformationprocess.
It is not about ourselves.
It is about.
us recognizing our depravity,our need for a savior and how we
have a savior.
Jeff (07:54):
So our hope in this one episode is to use the insights
of the Enneagram, not as anauthority over our lives, but
just as a servant of clarity.
Offering us vocabulary andunderstanding of ourselves to
describe these longings that wehave in our hearts and to see
(08:16):
how Jesus Christ's life, deathand resurrection and ascension
now answer the longings in ourheart that we have sought to To
satisfy through a variety ofother relationships and things
and accomplishments, whatever itmay be, have been a distraction
when all along the Spirit of Godhas been inviting us to see
(08:39):
Christ anew and to find ourheart and rest for all that He
is for us.
Beth (08:46):
And one thing I want to Uh, layout for us, because all
the nine types, the message thatwe're going to lay out for the
nine types should and does applyto all of us, because it's all
the gospel message.
So you might be wondering, well,then why do you break it up?
Well, each of us has this corelonging, this need.
And And yet no human, no job, nomaterial on earth can ever
(09:10):
satisfy this, but we look for ittoo, right?
We keep trying, but it's onlywhat Christ has done in and
through us that will bring usthat hope.
And so what we want to explainis that we each have this
longing.
And what we're trying to do isto bring the gospel message.
Uh, So that you, your type canhear it so clearly that it
(09:33):
brings real and lastingtransformation at an accelerated
pace so that you can feel,believe and know that you are
his beloved.
And in that it's going toradically transform how you see
yourself, how you see God andhow you are with others.
Let's dive in to all the ninetypes.
Jeff (09:54):
So here's how we're going to do this, uh, for this
particular episode one, we'regoing to look at what each type
belongs for and as it representsa unique part of our humanity as
a whole.
Then we're going to look at whatChrist has done.
to satisfy that longing.
And then lastly, what Christ'slife, death, resurrection, and
(10:14):
ascension have actually securedfor us in the new heavens and
the new earth.
So we hope that you find, notonly for the gospel for each
Enneagram type, that we find acommon sense of humanity from
all types as they all bringtheir own unique experience, uh,
to our lives.
So let's start with type nine.
(10:37):
And here's the idea that typenines long for peace.
They long for shalom, the kindof peace and rest that we had in
the garden.
But until Christ's return, wewill face tension in all of our
relationships with God, withourselves, with others, and with
creation.
It's inescapable.
(10:58):
We long for reconciliation, tobe at peace with one another.
And the truth of the gospel isthis, is that Jesus told us
that, My peace I give you.
He does not give peace as theworld gives.
And that Christ has secured forus reconciliation, both with
Him, with others, withourselves, and with creation.
(11:21):
And the promise of the newheavens and the new earth is
that we will be restored toright relationship in all of its
fullness, and we will have thekind of shalom that God intend
for us in the garden.
Matthew, why don't you elaboratea little bit more about the
nines experience in this worldand the truth of the gospel.
Beth (11:38):
Yeah, you know, for us nines, we're constantly looking
for peace, shalom, oneness withothers, and we'll do it at any
cost.
We'll give up ourselves andwe'll merge with others, and yet
it's exhausting because we'llnever be able to make everyone
perfectly happy so that we havethe shalom that our heart aches
for, and yet we keep trying.
(11:59):
So, this Christmas season, weget the gift of Jesus Christ,
who is our peace and our realjoy.
So, Ninths, now you get to cometo Christ and find and
experience the true innerstability and peace of mind that
you've been looking for.
Jeff (12:16):
So, let's talk about Type 8s next, and we'll go through
the same idea, um, one, ourlonging and how 8s represent a
longing that we all experienceand the truth of the gospel, um,
that.
It's available for Type 8s.
And then what Christ's sacrificehas meant for the first fruits
(12:36):
of the new heavens and the newearth.
Well, in this sinful and fallenworld, we all will face
betrayal.
We will face and experienceevil.
And we will endure thedifficulty of being wounded and
no amount of strength, no amountof independence can protect us.
(12:57):
But Jesus told us prior to hisascension that he will never
leave us nor forsake us and thathe has become for us our shield
and our protector.
He is the one who has defeatedour enemy.
So in the new heavens and thenew earth, we will be able to
(13:19):
let our guard down.
To experience mutual trust andsupport, and we will be able to
be at rest with one another andcreation.
Beth (13:30):
Yeah, Jeff, it's really interesting for type eights.
You know, a lot of people think,uh, AIDS want to just jump in
and be the strong one and takecharge.
Well, in actuality, it's reallywant someone else that is
stronger, more protective thanthey are, that they can rest and
experience the fullness of.
(13:50):
this protective figure overthem, that they are safe and
secure in, um, that protectivestance.
And so AIDS, the great news isthat's exactly who Jesus Christ
is for you, the gift of beingyour protector and your
strength.
So this Christmas season, youcan come to Christ and
experience his passionate loveand protection for you.
Jeff (14:12):
You know, it reminds me whenever you share those things
about AIDS, Beth, that Christ,one of the, Three offices that
he fulfills.
It's a prophecy of Old Testamentfulfilled a new prophet, priest,
and king that Christ fulfilledfor us the office of King.
He was the true and better King.
That he not only in the way thatour, uh, King, uh, Catechism
(14:34):
answers that question, is thathow does Christ fulfill the
office of a king?
He does so by subduing ourhearts to him and subduing our
enemies.
It's Jesus stepping in, beingthe leader, being the one who's
going to make decisions andallows the hearts to be subdued.
(14:55):
the heart of the eight to restand but also subdues our
enemies.
He's also our protector.
So there's no need for theprotective shield because Christ
is enough.
Great.
So let's talk about type sevens.
Well, in this fallen and sinfulworld, sevens remind us of our
need to find joy, to find life.
(15:18):
To find hope and sevens remindus of these longings But
sometimes their use of reframingcan either trick themselves and
maybe some others into findingTo mistakenly believing that
we've actually found it apartfrom christ But jesus came into
the world that we might havelife in life to the full jesus
(15:41):
Demonstrated that he was thewater of life.
He was the bread of life and hewas the light that would bring
life.
So in the new heavens and thenew earth, we will have joy, joy
that is true, that is rich, andthat is full.
It won't be fleeting, but ratherit will be a genuine joy.
Beth (16:02):
Yeah, when I think of that kind of joy, you know, I think
of the spring, a spring ofliving water that is ever
flowing and just constantlymoving, but you can drink as
much as you want because it'sright there.
So sevens, the gift for you inthis Christmas season is Jesus
Christ himself, who is your truesatisfaction and your delight.
(16:23):
So you get to come to him andexperience that deep
satisfaction and a content heartthat you've always longed for by
simply being with him, beingwith the spring and drinking as
much as your heart.
Jeff (16:37):
It reminds me the image of in Psalm 1, like a tree planted
near streams of water and theidea of a tree showing up in
heaven once again, wherethere'll be another river,
another tree, a tree of lifewhere sevens and we all will
find joy and contentment.
Yeah, for type sixes.
(16:58):
Uh, so I had a Fun time, uh,jotting down some notes about
what is it that I really want.
And, and here's what I came upwith.
And hopefully sixes willresonate with me in this, but in
this world, the ground beneathus is shaking and our felt sense
of security is shaky.
And we look for all theseassurances, whether it's systems
(17:20):
of belief or right relationshipswith mentors, uh, or trying to
come up with the best solutionsand think through all the
scenarios, but we findeverything is wanting Well,
what's the promise?
What's the truth of what Christhas accomplished for us?
Well, he told us that in thisworld you will face trouble, but
take heart, I've overcome theworld.
(17:43):
He offers his peace andassurance through faith in his
life, death, and resurrection,who secured for us the yes and
amen to all of his promises.
So that now whenever we hear thecommand, fear not for I will be
with you, for I'm with you.
We know that in Christ.
He has promised to be with us ineven greater ways through the
(18:06):
gift of His Holy Spirit.
And in the new heavens and thenew earth, we have security.
We have assurance.
We have a world without fear.
There will be no need for ouranxiety.
There'll be no need forhypervigilance.
Our hearts and our minds canrest.
Beth (18:24):
Yeah.
And when I think of just whatyou said, you know, I think of
six is longing for that, thatstronghold longing for that
sense of security, like a cleftin a rock, you know, that they
can be protected under there.
And that is exactly the gift ofChrist in this season as our
(18:44):
shield and.
Our provider, like a goodshepherd, looking out for the
needs of those he loves.
And so six is you get to come toChrist and to experience his
full support and provision foryou each and every day.
Jeff (19:01):
Alrighty, type fives, you're next.
Uh, well, in this fallen andsinful world, we must face life
with limited understanding.
It can be burdensome anddemanding and in an effort to re
resource ourselves.
Fives and us all diminish ourown needs and try to figure out
(19:21):
life.
Well, Christ has become for uswisdom from God.
That is, our righteousness,holiness, and redemption.
He is the fulfillment.
of wisdom.
He embodies it.
Your needs and limitations arenot a problem to him, but rather
when you experience your need,when you experience your
(19:44):
limitations, they are a reminderfor you to be able to look
outside yourself, to trust himand not in your efforts.
And you know what, in the newheavens and the new earth,
you're We will all live at peacewith God and with our world.
And as with the garden, we willhave all that we need.
Beth (20:05):
Yeah.
You know, I think of, uh, fiveswhen they feel depleted, that
they have to minimize theirneeds and, and hoard their inner
resources.
Cause they're so afraid of thiscatastrophic depletion that
might happen if they were to letup or to, to, um, give too much
of themselves, what, what wouldhappen?
Would they have enough?
(20:26):
And yet the beautiful thing isthat God is the God of the
universe.
Like all of these things havebeen created by him.
And not only that, but hedelights in giving you the
wisdom and truth that you longfor, but also replenishing and
restoring those energy reservesthat you feel are so depleted.
So, this Christmas season, cometo Christ and experience the
(20:49):
powerful resources that He willfill you up, not only in your
energy and your ability tointeract with others, but with
insights, truth, and knowledge.
Jeff (21:01):
So, Type Fours remind us collectively, but also for Type
Fours, long for humanity to berestored.
For people to be in rightrelationship with themselves and
with one another.
To be known.
And experience no shame.
And how, what's the gospel forthe type four and for us all to
(21:24):
be known and cherished and love?
Well, that all, as the Bibletells us in Romans, although we
are still sinners.
Jesus Christ died for us.
He fully understands us both asglorious and broken people.
He sees both our dignity and ourdepravity.
And he gave himself fully andfreely for us.
(21:48):
And because of his work, he hassecured for something, a new
heaven and a new earth where ourbrokenness will be healed at
every level.
And we will experience God inone another with love, with
acceptance.
Beth (22:04):
Yeah.
And when I think about ForrestJeff, I think of someone who's
looking for a rescuer, the idealrescuer.
And we look around to thingshere on earth and we don't find
it and we're disappointed andwe're hurt and we wonder, will
we ever be fully restored?
Will we ever be fully rescued?
And the great news is that inthis Christmas season, Jesus
(22:26):
Christ is the gift of being theperfect rescuer and intercessor.
Right?
He knows you intimately.
He empathizes.
He can reach down to you andpull you back to him with pure
love and to restore you to aplace where you can come to him
and experience the emotionalbalance that your heart longs
(22:49):
for as he looks directly at youand how he uniquely created you
and sees you for the specialchild that belongs to him.
Jeff (22:58):
Well, type threes offer us a tremendous gift because they
remind us all.
But for threes, they, living outa sense of calling in this
fallen and sinful world isdifficult.
Processes and plans fail.
Completing a task can be sofrustrating.
(23:20):
And we can lose our sense ofdignity in the pursuit of our
calling as we're wrestling withthe thorns and thistles of this
world.
Well, the gospel for us all, andespecially for the type three,
is that Jesus is the author andthe perfecter of our faith.
That he who began a good work inyou.
(23:42):
We'll carry it on to completion,and He intends for us all to be
trophies of His grace where wewill gladly join people from
every tongue, tribe, and nationin worshiping because of what He
has accomplished in and througheach and every one of us.
And 1 John, it says this aboutthe new heavens and the new
(24:03):
earth.
He says, when we see him, weshall be like him.
That is the work will becompleted.
He will have accomplished whathe set out to do.
And we as people will experiencethe kind of dignity in our
relationships and our work inthe new heavens and the new
earth.
Beth (24:21):
And when I, I think of the threes, Jeff, I think of someone
looking to put on.
an identity, an image for othersto see.
And yet the gift of Christ, whatHe gives us is our true
identity, who we truly arebecause of what He has done on
our behalf.
And so the threes can rest inthis true identity because it
has all of the accomplishmentsthat we've ever needed are
(24:43):
already ours and secure.
So Christ gives us our trueidentity.
which gives us great hope.
And because of that, we can cometo Christ and experience his
love for being our mostauthentic self right before him.
Jeff (24:58):
Already type twos.
Well, what longing do you inviteus all to?
Well, twos have the longing forpeople to be cared for and to
experience healing.
And oftentimes they take up themantle themselves in order to
bring that kind of care andhealing to others.
And yet it is burdensome.
(25:19):
Well, the good news of thegospel for Twos and for us all
is that by Christ's wounds, weshall be healed.
He is our Redeemer.
He is our counselor.
He is our friend.
And we'll never be able toreplace or to address what only
(25:39):
Christ can fulfill.
But the good news of the gospeland the good news of the new
heaven and the new earth for usall, as well as Twos.
Is that in the new heavens andnew earth, there will be no more
tears.
There will be no more grief orloss, and there will be no more
tragedy, but living for eternityin right relationship with God
(26:02):
and with others and withourselves.
Beth (26:05):
And Tews, you greatly.
Have compassion, and youempathize with others.
You feel other people's emotionsand needs, and this urgency to
move in and fix, and yet you'reexhausted.
Well, Christ is your gift thisChristmas.
Go to Him and allow Him to beyour empathizer, your nurturer,
(26:25):
who will heal and restore youright where you're at, as He
also does that for others.
And as you come to Christ,you'll be able to experience His
unconditional love for you andHis desire and pursuit to be
with you.
Jeff (26:42):
And round this all off, we're going to end with type
ones.
Ones remind us all, butparticularly ones experience the
longing for justice andrestoration in a fallen and
sinful world.
And the gospel for ones and forus all is that Christ's death
has secured for us allrighteousness for all those who
(27:03):
believe in him and that longingfor justice will ultimately be
fulfilled in a fair and just newheaven and new earth.
It's a restoration, It'sredemption that has been
accomplished by Christ, so thatones your heart can be at rest,
(27:23):
that all things are renewed.
Beth (27:25):
Yeah, for ones, Jeff, you know, they've had this inner
critic that is constantlypointing out to them all the
imperfections of the world.
And it's true.
There are imperfections of theworld.
We need a reformer, someone thatwill restore all things and
reconcile all things.
And that's exactly what Christhas done for all of us, which
allows the one's heart to cometo rest.
(27:47):
And the gift of Christ thisChristmas season for you ones is
that he is your righteousnessand your mediator.
He goes before you.
He shows his father.
How your sins, past and presentand future, are no more, and the
righteousness that you have iswon through Christ alone.
So ones, you can come to Christand experience childlike
(28:09):
playfulness and real serenitybecause of all that Christ has
done in and through you.
Jeff (28:16):
You know, by hearing these things, it came to mind for me
as we're talking through each ofthe types and we end up
reflecting these three ideasthat, one, there was Israel in
waiting for a Messiah, theadvent of the Messiah, and what
he would mean for the newheavens and the new earth upon
his death.
(28:37):
Life, death, resurrection, andascension, that we're going to
be singing these amazing hymnsand carols, and some of them
will be fun and joyful, andwe'll have great times with our
family, um, but I'd, I'd like toinvite you to consider what, how
these hymns may give expressionto your unique experience of
(28:59):
Enneagram type.
That how, what it is that youlong for and what your family
members remind you of what weall long for as we await the
arrival of our Messiah and Hissecond coming.
And that we're reminding oneanother that the truth of the
gospel is global in that itapplies to all of us and it is
(29:23):
also specific as it appliesuniquely to us.
And that we remind one anotherin this season of how valuable
they are.
To God, our Father, JesusChrist, the Son, and the Holy
Spirit.
So we hope you have a veryspecial Advent season with your
(29:43):
family.
We pray peace upon you all, thatyou would experience the joy of
journeying with Jesus Christ.
Beth (29:52):
And for each of you, you are a true gift.
God created you to be your type.
And yes, on this side of thefall, we do struggle, but we
have great hope in the victorythat Jesus Christ has won for
us.
So this Christmas season, openthe gift that Jesus Christ
offers you personally and howthat will transform not only
(30:16):
you, but your relationships andrelationships.
Jeff (30:21):
We hope you enjoyed this episode and you find it, uh,
helpful and would be anencouragement to your friends
and family and community.
Don't forget to also visitYourEnneagramCoach.
com.
You can find us on Facebook andInstagram, where we'll be
providing some additionalcontent in regards to the Gospel
for each type during this Adventseason.
Thanks for joining us.
Don't forget to check out theshow notes as well and all the
(30:44):
resources mentioned in theepisode and the episodes that we
previously did with our guests.
And always remember this, theEnneagram reveals our need for
Jesus, not our need to workharder.
It's the Gospel that transformsus.
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Therapy Gecko
An unlicensed lizard psychologist travels the universe talking to strangers about absolutely nothing. TO CALL THE GECKO: follow me on https://www.twitch.tv/lyleforever to get a notification for when I am taking calls. I am usually live Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays but lately a lot of other times too. I am a gecko.