o In his autobiography Billy Martin, a former New York Yankees baseball team coach, tells the story when he and his friend Mickey Mantle were going hunting
o They stopped at a farm where Mickey Mantle happened to know the farmer, asking permission to hunt on his land
o The farmer no problem, you can hunt on my land
o But first I have a request
o I have a mule in my barn who is rather old and ornery so he needs to be put down
o Would you mind putting him down for me?
o Mickey agreed but while going to the truck to get Billy he decided to play a trick on him
o Billy asked Mickey ‘well what did the farmer say. Can we hunt on his land?
o Mickey shook his head and said ‘the farmer said we cannot hunt on his land. I cannot believe it. I am so ticked off I have half a mind to go out and shoot something.’
o So Mickey jumped out of the truck and raced into the barn and shot the old mule that the farmer asked to have put down
o While he was standing there in the barn surveying what he had done he heard two shots in rapid succession
o He goes racing out to find Billy Martin standing there with smoke still coming out of his barrel
o Billy winks at Mickey and says ‘That will teach him; I got a couple of his cows too.’
o They say that is a true story; sometimes I wonder
o But this is a true story
o It is true that life does not turn out the way many of us expect
o Many people are disillusioned with life
o The reason is some never know what their purpose or life mission is
o Even in the business world most companies have a mission
o For Pepsi Cola at least originally it was ‘beat coke’, simple and clear
o What is your mission for your life, your family?
o Did you know we have a church vision and mission?
o It is on the back of the bulletin. Have your prayed about it?
o When I attend a local church I look at their vision and conclude that if that is the vision for the church it should also be the vision for my family
o So we open our home for those purposes
o Let me ask you this. ‘If the vision of the church is to reach to unbelievers then why wouldn’t our families have the same purpose?’
o When we live that way were living at the level of significance.
o Something is driving your life
o Some are driven by guilt; others resentment and anger; others fear; others materialism; still others the need for approval.
o Ask yourself this question
o What would my friends and family say is the driving force of my life?
o My life is not complicated
o I know what I am here for; to care for you, pray for you, and help you become all that God intends for your life
o Knowing my purpose simplifies my life; I am not striving for anything else
o If it doesn’t fit my purpose then I don’t do it
o Just this week I reviewed some of the material in “The Purpose Driven Life.”
o Pastor Rick Warren says people live their lives on one of three levels (see Purpose Driven Life)
1. The survival level
o That is where most people are
o They put in time at work and live for weekends
o They just go through the motions
o They live without Christ at the centre of their lives, that spirit filled life that we have been talking about
o Often their number one goal is live for leisure time
o Watch a lot of TV and movies
o Go to Winnipeg on their week off
o King Solomon finished his life like that
o He was a depressing guy to be around (listen to this (Ecc. 2:11)
o It is all useless; don’t even try, hopeless
o Gee if I had to be around that guy I would shrivel up and die
o I will tell you why he was like that
o God was not central in his life
o He had 700 wives, all the riches he could want, and still lived like a fatalist
o Solomon, who was depressed, wrote ‘There is nothing new under the sun.” Sounds like resignation.
o His goals were not centred on eternal things
o Living for retirement is not an eternal goal
o You may find out your still unfulfilled
o Isaiah wrote ‘I have spent my strength in vain and for nothing (Is. 49:4 NIV)
o That is it; the survival level
o It does not lead to fulfillment in life
2. The success level
o That is where many of you are
o Most of the world would love to have our problems
o We live in one of the wealthiest countries in the world
o Miners salaries and benefits, which some of you have are among the highest without university degrees or skilled trades
o Many of us have good homes, a boat, ATV, snowmobile, a cottage, some take a sun holiday (even if it is PAKWASH)
o But as many of you attest, success does not satisfy
o I got a call this week from a desperate woman whose husband wants to run away, too many problems, she says
o Another man I met this week broke down and wept; marriage is tough
o A third person was in the medical clinic; all alone, weeping out of control
o So we run from our problems; we change jobs, relationships; churches; all the externals, hoping these changes will satisfy the brokenness in our lives
o Many of you have shared that you do not have much joy in your life
o That is, despite all the things we have, we feel empty in life
o Were living at the success level
3. The level of significance
o Those who live at the significance level are passionate about eternal and godly things
o They want to please God and God alone
o Dr. James Dobson, President of Focus on the Family was reflecting back on his life
o While in college his desire was to become the school tennis champion
o He felt really proud when the trophy was placed in the school’s trophy cabinet
o Years later someone mailed the trophy to him
o When the school was remodeled someone found it in a trashcan
o Jim said ‘Given enough time all your trophies will be trashed by someone else.’
o Nothing wrong with tennis, exercise is good, but if that is all you have at the end, what do you have
o Living to create an earthly legacy is a short-sighted goal
o Jim Dobson was saying a wiser use of your time is to build an eternal legacy, that is living at the level of significance
o Jim is around 70 and won’t be with us much longer
o But Focus on the Family is an organization he started, and it has been life changing for millions of people all over the world
o Here is his life vision “Redeemed families, communities, and societies worldwide through Christ.”
o He had a big vision; small visions attract nobody
o His life was devoted to doing something eternal and everlasting
o He has faced much opposition; be sure of this that you will when you devote your life to Jesus and eternal things – you will be criticized
o Have you ever thought about what you want to be remembered for?
o For me it is easy ‘at least he tried.’
o At least he tried to give us direction, a vision, a path
o At least he tried to preach good messages
o At least he tried to be a good husband
o At least he tried to be a good father
o At least he tried to be a good grandfather
o At least he tried to be my friend
o At least he tried to teach us to pray – at least he tried
o I said to one person ‘thanks for playing on the worship team’ they looked directly at me and said “I am not just playing on a team. I am building a large area wide church to reach hundreds for Jesus.”
o That person sees the larger purpose
o One of the deacons said with passion ‘if everyone in our church would give an hour a week in service we would become a different church’
o That is focus; that is purpose; that is seeing the larger picture
o The Bible says that we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works
o Did you know that God has a purpose for your life (Psalm 139:14)
o God has a task, mission, purpose for our faith community
o We need good works to fulfill our purpose
o The Bible says we have been saved to do good works
o You have come to believe that good works will not save you
o But I want you to believe that good works will bring a little heaven into your life; into your home
o One helpful way to know your purpose is to get a handle on the way God wired or created you; in other words to discover and use your spiritual gift
o In 1 Co. 12 the Apostle Paul wrote ‘About Spiritual Gifts I do not want you to be ignorant”
o Was he blunt or what?
o He comes right out saying your ignorant, you do not know the truth
o Paul wrote to tell us the Holy Spirit gives the church spiritual gifts to grow the church and fulfill God’s purpose for our lives
o Only Christians receive a spiritual gift from the Holy Spirit
o The very moment you put your faith and trust in Jesus you are going to receive at least three incredible gifts
a) Eternal life (Romans 6:23). When you place your faith and trust in Jesus Christ your future eternity is solid, secure, and settled.
b) The Holy Spirit (2nd Co. 3:16). The moment you place your faith and trust in Jesus Christ you receive the Holy Spirit. Paul is saying you have received the Spirit in your body, a temple whereby the Spirit lives within you. So be careful what you put into your body
c) At least one, possibly more spiritual gifts (1 Co. 12:7-10).
o The Holy Spirit who is God makes no mistakes. He gives gifts to you to fulfill the purpose for why the triune God made you.
o At Calvary, we focus on an individual approach to ministry rather than an institutional approach. An institutional approach is centers on the church and people are viewed as resources.
o Many smaller churches govern this way. They make up a list of jobs that need to be done. Then they go and find people, pressurizing them to fill the jobs whether they match or not.
o At Calvary, we take the exact opposite approach to ministry. We center it around people and each person’s uniqueness. We don’t force a square peg into a round hole. Our goal is not to build an institution. Our goal is to build people. We want to develop you more than we want to develop an institution.
o I have two goals for these upcoming messages
1. That we will discover our unique design (S.H.A.P.E.) for ministry and commit to developing and using our God-given gifts and abilities in serving God and others through our church family.
2. That you will select and begin serving in the ministry of our church that best expresses (and this is the key) what God made you to be.
The first thing we need to think about is how God shaped us. There are five
things that God uses to shape you to serve in your area of spiritual giftedness
(Acronym).
S - SPIRITUAL GIFTS
Before Paul listed some of the spiritual gifts he wrote “There are different kinds of
gifts, but the same Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:4 NIV).” Gifts come in many kinds;
the Bible gives sample lists, not necessarily intended to be comprehensive.
H - HEART
o Romans 1:9 "God whom I serve with my whole heart in preaching the
Gospel of His Son, is my witness how I constantly remember you."
o The question you want to ask here is, "What do I love to do with my whole
heart?"
o Isn’t it true there are some things you love to do and there are just some things you hate to do? That’s your heart. Where did you get that natural inclination?
o God put it in you. God wants your ministry to be a blessing, not a burden. So it’s a legitimate question to ask yourself, "What do I love to do?" Why would God give you a ministry that He hasn’t given you a heart for? When you look at your gifts and your heart, what do you like to do?
o One of the things I’ve discovered after being a pastor the last six years and an elder for a number of years is that people rarely succeed unless they’re having fun doing it.
o I just love being your pastor. I am having fun in ministry
o We’re going to look at discovering, what is my heart beat? What shape is my heart? Why do I have fun doing?
o Consider the lady or man, who loves to cook, just has fun doing it, and then have people over; they have the gift of hospitality or mercy. What a great gift to grow the church.
o Ask these two questions. What am I gifted to do? What do I love to do?
A - ABILITIES
o Natural talents, vocational skills. They’re different from spiritual gifts. The Bible says "There are different abilities to perform service." "I (God) have given him skill, ability, and knowledge in all kinds of crafts." Those are vocational skills. God gives people abilities. 2 Corinthians 3:5 says "our competence comes from God."
o I am a Certified Management Accountant. Do you know how much accounting I do these days? Just the families tax returns. Although I have the vocational skills I have no passion to work in accounting. Two things bring me joy; preaching and pastoral care. I love just sitting by someone going through hard times and just hearing them talk. That desire came from my SHAPE, my experiences God brought me through.
o So the third question to ask yourself is “What vocational skills have I learned? What natural talents have I been given by God?
P - PERSONALITY
o This is the fourth thing we’re going to look at. We’ve all got very different personalities, different blends of temperament. 1 Corinthians 2:11 "No one can really know what anyone else is thinking or what he is really like, except that person himself."
o So think about this, where did your personality come from? It came from God? He knows you the best. He gave you your personality to serve Him.
o If you are an introverted person I’d suggest you not get involved as a Door Greeter. That’s going to put a lot of additional stress on your life. God doesn’t want you to have to do that.
o On the other hand, if teenagers make you laugh, you like being around them, they don’t stress you out at all, you like to share your time with them, guess what your ministry is?
E - EXPERIENCES
o Your experiences help determine the direction you should be involved in ministry. There are four different kinds of experiences you want to look at when you’re trying to discover your shape.
1. What spiritual experiences have I had?
o This means times with the Lord. Maybe at a retreat or campground or at home, maybe as a young person, maybe a crisis you went through and that brought you closer to the Lord.
o Hebrews 5:12-13 GW says "There has been enough time for you to be teachers but you still need to be taught. You are without any experience in the matter of right and wrong."
o Your experiences are going to have an influence. The amount of time you’ve been a Christian is going to influence what ministry you should be involved in.
o Let me give you an example straight from the Bible. The Apostle Paul wrote regarding potential elders, leaders “He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil (1 Timothy 3:6 NIV.)”
o The Bible says one way to avoid painful situations involving the disciplining of an elder is to be careful about who is ordained in the first place.
o Paul counseled Timothy to be reluctant about whom you lay hands on to become a leader in the church; not new converts
o Paul gives a warning. Those who take part in the premature ordination of an errant leader share the blame for the negative consequences to their church. That is a matter for serious prayer.
o That is why I don’t leap for joy when someone recommends someone for leadership who is too young in the faith and life’s experiences.
3. What painful experiences have I had?
o Many people overlook this but it’s very, very important. Your painful experiences often determine your ministry.
o 2 Corinthians 1:4 "God helps us in our troubles, so we are able to help others who have all kinds of troubles, using the same help that we ourselves have received from God."
o Here is the point. God often allows you to go through a painful experience and carries you through those trials.
o He is preparing you for a ministry in helping others who are in the same predicament
o Who can relate to somebody who’s struggling with alcoholism better than somebody who’s been an alcoholic? Who can better relate to a woman who suffered a miscarriage, that silent pain, than somebody who’s had a miscarriage? Who can better relate to someone who lost their job than a person who lost theirs?
o God never wastes a hurt. Look for opportunities to minister to hurting people through the experiences you have had
3. What educational experiences have I had?
o Proverbs 4:13 "Always remember what you have learned. Your education is your life; guard it well." (Good News) What have you learned? If you’ve learned certain skills like computers God wants to use that. If you know how to lead a Bible study start a HOME group. 4. What ministry experiences have I had?
o What experiences have I already had? What opportunities have I already had? For some of you this will be a lot. For some of you this will be minimal. Some of you none at all. "Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel (2 Corinthians 9:13.)”
o You’ve served already and you’ve proved yourself so people can see what God is doing in your life.
o We believe that your ministry will be most effective and fulfilling when you are using your Gifts and Abilities in the area of Heart’s Desire in a way that best expresses your Personality and Experience.
o Now were going to take a practical example by looking at the Apostle Paul’s life. Then next week we will come back and begin looking closer at the individual spiritual gifts.
o An example of HOW PAUL’S MINISTRY WAS "SHAPED".
o If we look at Paul’s Spiritual Gifts, his Heart, his Abilities, his Personality and his Experiences, how did God use those five things to make Paul effective in ministry?
o S. What were PAUL’S SPIRITUAL GIFTS? 2 Timothy 1:11 tells us he had three. He preached, taught and was apostolic. Apostolic is the gift of the ability to start new churches.
o He said he always built where no one else had built. He was a pioneer. He said, "I didn’t build on anybody else’s foundation."
o H. What was his HEART? Paul tells us what his heart is. He writes it out in several verses, "My constant ambition has been to preach the gospel where the name of Christ was previously unknown, and to avoid building on another man’s foundation." "For God, who was at work in the ministry of Peter as an apostle to the Jews, was also at work in my ministry as an apostle to the Gentiles."
o We see two things here. First, he said, "My heart is to plant churches where there are none. Second, it’s to go to the unchurched Gentiles. I’m not going to go to the Jew who knows about God. I’m going to go to the Gentiles."
o Today if Paul was a Canadian he would probably go to Vancouver, one of the most un-reached cities in the world
o Then he says, "Life is worth nothing unless I use it for doing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus." What was Paul’s ABILITY? In addition to his gifts, did he have any special vocational skills or natural talents? Yes, he did. Acts 18 "Paul went to see them, and stayed and worked with them, because he earned his living by making tents..." Paul was a tentmaker, a very important skill in his day.
o Then we read "...He debated in the synagogues every Sabbath trying to convince both Jews and Gentiles." These verses tell us two different abilities that Paul had.
o He had the ability to work with his hands. He made tents. Some of you are incredibly talented at crafts. Where do you think you got that ability? What do you think God wants to do with that?
o He wants to use that in ministry. Some of you are good at art. Do some chalk art at one of our services. Some of you are good at fixing things. Paint and redecorate the building. Fix the fence at the back. We do not need a board meeting for that. There’s a place in ministry for you.
o Then Paul also had the ability to debate. He was an incredible debater -- a brilliant mind, a genius. To have debated Paul would have been like taking on Ravi Zacharias. He had that ability -- to think fast and on his feet. Where is our debating taking place today – on our universities and college campuses – ministries like Campus Crusade for Christ and Ravi Zacharias ministries
o P. Then Paul’s PERSONALITY. What was Paul’s personality? Galatians 1:13-14 "For you have heard of my past. I persecuted the church with fanatical zeal, I did my best to destroy it. I was ahead of most of my contemporaries in the Jewish religion and I had a boundless enthusiasm."
o Those verses talk about Paul’s personality. He said I was zealous, fanatical. He said, I was ahead of everybody else. I was at the top of my field. I did my best. I had boundless enthusiasm.
o Would you say Paul was an introvert or an extrovert? No question! He’s off the scale extrovert.
o E. Paul’s EXPERIENCES, let’s look at these. What were his spiritual experiences? He watched Stephen be stoned, a profoundly spiritual experience that had an impact on his life. His conversion on the road to Damascus. The three years maturing in Arabia. The special vision he received from God. These are all spiritual experiences that shaped Paul’s life.
o How about painful experiences? Here are just few of his painful experiences. 2 Corinthians 11:23-27 "I have been in prison more times, near death often, been whipped five times with 39 lashes by the Jews and three times by the Romans, once stoned. I’ve been in three shipwrecks and once spent 24 hours in the water. In my travels I’ve been in danger from floods, robbers, enemies, wild animals and false friends. I’ve serve long hours without sleep or food or shelter or even clothing." Did Paul have any painful experiences? I’d say he had a few! Those helped shape his life.
o Not only did he have painful external experiences, he said he had an internal one. 2 Corinthians 123:7 "To keep me from becoming conceited because of these great revelations, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan, to torment me." We have no idea what that was. I think God intentionally didn’t tell us what Paul’s thorn was so that everybody can relate to it. Some think he had poor eyesight. That is speculation. We don’t know what it was. But he had a disability.
o The fact is there was a disability that kept him from serving God as fully as he wanted to. He said it was a thing that was really for his good and kept him from being puffed up with pride.
o Then Paul’s educational experiences. Acts 22:3 "I received my training at the feet of Gamaliel, and I was schooled in the strictest observance of our fathers’ Law." Gamaliel was the number one Jewish teacher in those days. It would be like studying from the most important Bible scholar in the last fifty years F.F. Bruce, an outstanding scholar. Paul said, "I was personally trained by the greatest Biblical scholar in my day."
o His ministry experiences -- read the book of Acts. The book of Acts tells the full ministry experiences of Paul.
Application
o God has uniquely gifted each of us (SAY WITH DULLNESS)
1. If you are a member of the body and you say I have nothing to contribute because I cannot lead a song, or lead a meeting, or put a bulletin together, I cannot preach, your totally mistaken
o Our weekend celebration is important but the ministries that happen during the week are equal in importance
o Bible studies (new one at Rita Rind’s – Gospel of Mark)
o Prayer
o Meals
o Preparing lessons for children
o Youth ministry
o Men’s and Women’s Ministries
o Family ministries
o Building maintenance
o Need welcome brochures prepared
o Maintain our WEBSITE
o Prayer supporter (Sundays at 7:30 AM)
o Organize fellowship lunches
o Crisis prayer team
o You see you have at least one or more spiritual gifts
o God expects you to use them
Conclusion
o Now supposing my wife gives me a gift for my birthday
o It is a beautiful cordless drill, but I do not know that because I choose to never open the gift
o She sees me trying to put a hole in the wall with a hammer
o She says why don’t you use the cordless drill I gave you
o She is dumbfounded to find out I never opened
o Sadly that is how many Christians go through life
o I am begging you, don’t do that at Calvary
o The role of the pastor is to equip you to do the work of the ministry
o But when we don’t use the spiritual gifts God has given us there is a gaping whole in our church because a part of the body is not working
o Without you the picture is not complete
o That is what I mean by ‘we need you on the team’
