Based on WELCOME TO THE PLANET: WHAT ON EARTH AM I HERE FOR?
Part 5: You Were Shaped for Serving God
By Doug Fields
Gladstone Baptist Church - 16/5/04
We are now on the homeward tack. We’ve found out about 3 of our life’s purposes and have only 2 more to go.
- The first one was that we were Planned for God’s Pleasure. We were created to make God pleased and we do this primarily through Worship.
- The Second Purpose was that we were formed for God’s Family. He made us so that we could relate to him and become part of his Family.
- The Third Purpose that we covered last week is that we are called to become like Christ. We need to adopt his values, his attitude, his character. We need to think like him and follow him.
Well, the fourth purpose that we are going to look at today is that you were Shaped to Serve God. In actual fact, you have a unique SHAPE that God gave you to do some specific tasks. Do you remember what our first memory verse is - “What on earth are we here for?”
“For you are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus, to do Good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” Eph 2:10
You were created by God, to do good works. They are things with God has designed specifically for us to do. They are custom made for each one of us. I can’t do the things God created for you to do, you can’t do the things I was designed to do – Why? Because we have different SHAPEs. Our memory verse says … Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others 1 Pet 4:10. It’s like every single piece of pottery thrown on a potter’s wheel. Every piece is slightly different. And God broke the mold after he made you. Turn to the person next you, welcome them this morning by saying, “I’m glad God broke your mold! The world couldn’t handle two of you!”
What’s My Shape?
But straight off the bat, there is a problem here … because often we don’t know what we are supposed to do. We don’t know what our SHAPE is – Are you are circle or a square or a triangle or what? If you don’t know what shape you are, you are likely to be pressured or encouraged to try to fill a different shaped hole. Instead of trying to fit the circles in the circular hole and the squares in the square holes, we try to squeeze a square into a circular hole or a triangle into a square hole. It doesn’t fit and it is uncomfortable, unfulfilling and eventually burns people out. This is all because we don’t know what our shape is …
Listen to Bill Hybels talking about what happens when we don’t know what our SHAPE is the ideal church. (excerpt from the Network Course Video
God’s ideal church is one where people are ministering in a way which is compatible to their SHAPE. Do you know what your SHAPE is? If I was to take a survey this morning, most of you wouldn’t really know that your shape was with any certainty – And many of you didn’t even know you had a shape that could be defined. You thought you were just some amorphous blob. Let me give you a few ideas about how you can begin to discover what your unique SHAPE is … I’m not doing this just for you to feel good about yourself, but so that you can have a clearer picture of what God has in mind for you to do …
To help you remember these things, they are designed as an acrostic of the word SHAPE
1 ) SPIRITUAL GIFTS - The S in SHAPE stands for Spiritual Gifts
Spiritual gifts are special abilities which God gives when you become a Christian. 4 things you need to know about Spiritual Gifts …
- They are GOD GIVEN (1 Cor 12:11) - you can’t earn them. You can’t enrol in a TAFE course and learn them. (If you think you have learnt any spiritual gifts, you are confusing them with natural abilities which we’ll talk about soon). You can not twist God’s arm to get them. They are given by God as He sees fit. They are special abilities which enable us to do things that we normally couldn’t do. They are supernatural abilities and equip us our special task.
1 Corinthians 12:7-11 - Now to each one the manifestation (or outworking) of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.
That means …
- There is no right or wrong Spiritual Gift - Every Spiritual gift is given by God for a purpose. There is no gift that is better than any other. It is a bit like our illustration of the body a couple of weeks ago. You might not think that all your body parts are as important, but you just try to walk around with a broken little toe and tell me that it is not important. God knows that the church needs help. You only need to look around to see that. And so, he gives us special gifts which he wants us to use to help other Christians grow in their faith and to help them serve one another. God has given you the gift that he knows our church needs.
- Every Christian has at least ONE spiritual gift (1 Cor 7:7). No one has ALL the gifts (1 Cor 12:27-30). That means we need everyone playing their part. If you are not playing your part, you are cheating everyone else in this church.
- Spiritual Gifts also Help answer the “WHAT” question – What do I do when I serve? What will I be most effective at? What will I feel most fulfilled doing?
Think about Moses … one of his spiritual gifts was Miracles. He was given a staff that had some awesome power. He lay it down and it became a snake. It struck the Nile and it turned into blood. It summoned swarms of frogs and gnats. It brought water from the rock. It was just a stick, but when God’s power was added to it. It became a spiritual gift and it was used to help God’s people. It was given by God for the benefit of all.
On the back of your sermon notes … is a list of Spiritual gifts mentioned in the bible. Here’s your homework for next week. Read through these a couple each day. Make note of any instruction or clarification of purpose that the bible gives. If you want more information on any gift, see me later.
2) HEART - The H in SHAPE stands for Heart
Another word for this your Passion or your motivation. What is it that you get excited about, what makes your heart start pounding with excitement? You’d be surprised at the passions God places within people’s hearts. Maybe your passion is being outdoors (walking, hiking, hunting, fishing, camping). Have you thought about how God wants you to use that passion? Some of you have a passion for golf. Have you ever thought about how God could use your passion for golf to minister to others? Maybe your passion is music or cooking or scrap-booking or gardening. How can God use your passion to for his purposes?
Phil 2:12 & 13 says … Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence — continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.
Again, I want to tell you that your passion is God given and there is no right or wrong passion. God gives us our passion and wants us to use it to motivate us in service. What do you think of when you I say “James Dobson?” - Families? What about “Billy Graham” – preaching, evangelism? What about “Mother Teresa” – care for the poor and needy. What we think of when we think of these people is their Passion. It is what excites them. It is what motivates them. They’ve figured out their passion and are using it to serve God.
Passion is the God-given desire that compels us to make a difference in a particular ministry. It gives us the direction, the motivation and energy to make a difference for God. It helps us figure out WHERE we are to serve
Think again of Moses. His passion was for his people. His heart ached when he saw them in slavery. When he saw an Egyptian beating one of his own people – he lost it. And killed the Egyptian. His people is what turned him on and God used this in his Ministry of leading the people out of Egypt.
3) ABILITIES - The A in SHAPE stands for Abilities
When God was giving instructions on building the temple he said ….
Ex 31:1-6 - Then the LORD said to Moses, 2 “See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, 3 and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts— 4 to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, 5 to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of craftsmanship. 6 Moreover, I have appointed Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, to help him. Also I have given skill to all the craftsmen to make everything I have commanded you:
Remember that the people coming out of Egypt had been in slavery making the great cities of Egypt. Where did they get their skills in building from – their training, their occupations, their natural abilities. Abilities are things that you can naturally do or learn. These abilities require no supernatural assistance to perform. The abilities may be skills or they may be intellectual. They go with Spiritual gifts to help us figure out the WHAT question – what are we supposed to do
Think of Moses again … Moses spent 40 years in the Palace – being groomed for leadership. He learnt how to handle people, how to lead, how to represent Himself before Pharaoh in court. All skills which he used later. Then he spent 40 years in the wilderness as a shepherd. He learnt how to handle confused and stupid creatures – how to herd them, how to protect them, how to have patience with them. Does God use our skills and abilities – sure does. It is your abilities which go to make up your unique shape.
4) PERSONALITY - The P in SHAPE stands for Personality
Did you know that God created you with a personality. He did.
God made you just the way you are. Some of you are extroverts, others are introverts. Some are people orientated people and others are program orientated. Some like routine, some like variation. Some make decisions based on reason, others make decisions based on emotions. We are all different, but again - your personality is God Given and is neither right or wrong. But it will affect the way you minister. Here’s an example. Just say we have 2 people who both have the spiritual gift of evangelism – telling others about Jesus - and who both have a heart to see people come to know God. What if one were an introvert (felt nervous around people they didn’t know) and the other an extrovert (loved big crowds or meeting new people). Well the introvert would probably be good at one to one evangelism – just talking with friends about their faith. The extrovert may be good at going out and meeting people in the streets or door knocking or even speaking to a crowd of people in the lunch room. Personality tells us HOW we should serve.
Think about Moses again for a second … Moses wasn’t the bold, brash leader that some movies portray him as. He was completely unsure of himself and his abilities. Do you remember when God called him at the burning bush and Moses came up with every excuse under the sun why he couldn’t possibly do this job. God had to continually reassure Moses that He would be with him and that it was God’s power which would accomplish these things. And do you know that this made him the perfect leader.
In Numbers 12:3, Moses was described in this way … Now the man Moses was very humble, more so than anyone else on the face of the earth. Moses knew he wasn’t able to pull this off without God’s help. His humility made him dependent on God. Moses was constantly seeking the face of the Lord for wisdom. That was exactly the kind of leader God needed.
Your personality factors into your life mission in a similar way. If you get bent out of shape by high pitched squeals and constant interruptions, then children’s ministry may not be a part of you call. If on the other hand, kids energize you and make you feel young, if you relate to them and they to you maybe that’s where God’s leading you. Your personality helps to tell you How to minister
5) EXPERIENCES - The E in SHAPE stands for Experiences
Romans 8:28 - And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, a who b have been called according to his purpose.
The experiences of your life did not happen because of fate, luck, or bad luck. God is directing your life and God uses every experience for some purpose. Nothing happens without reason, good or bad. Your life experiences have made you who you are today. They have made your shape unique.
What sort of experiences am I talking about – Marriage, Divorce, Children, the Death of a loved one, an illness, a Loss of job, Job promotion, Special training. They are all experiences which God can use to minister to someone who is going through a similar life-experience that you have been through. Your experiences help to answer the “WHO” question. Who should I minister to.
Everything that happened in Moses’ life was to help prepare him for his service … He was hidden as a baby in the Nile only to be found by the Pharoah’s daughter and raised in Pharaoh’s household. Did God use that experience – He sure did. Moses’s guilt and depression in the wilderness after committing murder, did God use that experience? Yes he did.
God has given you a unique set of experiences which enable you to minister to others in similar situations. Not all our experiences are enjoyable, some are down right painful, but God is able to use them to bring about Good.
Conclusion …
You have a unique SHAPE. You are SHAPEd for ministry – a particular ministry which no one else can fulfil.
Now I know that some of you still haven’t got the foggiest what your SHAPE is. It may take quite some working through and there are some studies you could do in your small groups after this 40 Days of purpose is over which might help you discover more clearly your SHAPE. But to help you today, we have put on a ministry fair and next week we are going to have a missions fair. We have divided up all the ministries of this church and they will be putting together a display of what they do. Today are all the ministries which primarily exist to build up our church body. Next week are ministries which primarily function to help and outreach into our community. I want to encourage you to spend some time after the service, wandering around and just looking. Talk to the people who are manning the stalls. Ask questions about what is done and how someone with your shape can be involved. Each stall will have expression of interest cards which you can fill out to either find out more information or volunteer to get involved. Now if you put your name down on a form, it is not written in blood. You are welcome to come along to different ministries to just have a look and see before making a commitment to get involved.
One last note of caution. Some people use their SHAPE as an excuse. They say. That’s not my spiritual gift. That is not my passion. I don’t have a personality which could carry that off.
I want to leave you with the thought that we have both a Primary and a Secondary ministry in this church body …
1) Primary Ministry commitments are where we FIT. Where our gifts, passions, abilities, personality and experiences line up with the needs. This will be pure pleasure when you are serving in this way.
2) Secondary Ministry commitments are where we are NEEDED. Sometimes our body is missing some components or they are hurt and wounded and need a rest. It doesn’t mean those ministries are no longer needed. It just means the rest of the body needs to step in and compensate for a time. It’s like a broken foot. The whole of the body needs to compensate until the foot is able to take up its duties again. Do we have any needs in this church – sure we do. Do we need people to work to fill these gaps even though they are not SHAPED like that – yes we do.
Will you let God minister through you – and use you how you were created to be. God is calling you to do something great for him. God has a plan for your life! But we need to make ourselves available for service. God’s fourth purpose for us is to serve?
