Getting Into S.H.A.P.E.

Getting Into S. H. A. P. E.

Various Scriptures

Stewarding our lives.

1. ME

How do I struggle with this?

I don’t know about you, but I have struggled to know what God wanted me to do with my life. Before I became a Christian, I was interested in medicine and nuclear physics. After I came to Christ, I knew God wanted me in the ministry; I wanted to be a pastor but was also good in music and loved teaching music in schools. When crossroads would come in my life, these choices raised their heads again. People would counsel me that I had to limit my choices. That created confusion. 

I’ll tell you how things worked out later on. 

2. WE

How do we all struggle with this?

How do you steward your life? That is the question for today. Do you just do whatever you want, or do you consider God’s call and plan for your life. 

Yes, you have a call and a purpose.

Romans 8:28 NKJV And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. 

3. GOD

What does the Bible say about this?

1.  God created us in His own image and likeness.

Genesis 1:26–28 NKJV Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

2.  He created us inside and out.

Psalm 139:13–16 NKJV For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them.

3.  He re-created us in Jesus Christ when we were born again!

Ephesians 2:10 NKJV For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

4. YOU

What should you do about this?

You have a unique SHAPE. Now I am not talking about one of the body shapes but about five characteristics that God put into you to fulfill your purpose. 

S - Spiritually Gifts

Everyone has spiritual gifts. 

Ephesians 4:7-8 NKJV But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore He says: “When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men.

Three types of gifts

I Corinthians 12:4-7 NKJV There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:

Motivational gifts

  

Romans 12:6 NKJV Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: 

Ministry gifts

I Corinthians 12:27-28 NKJV Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually. And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues.

Manifestation gifts

I Corinthians 12:8-10 NKJV for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.

H - Heart

Proverbs 23:7 NKJV For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.

What is your passion? What is your pain? Your misery is your ministry!

What would you do in life if money was no object?

A - Abilities

I Peter 4:11 NKJV If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies…

What are you good at? You may want to sing in the worship team, but can you sing? If you can only make a joyful noise your venue is your vehicle! Your show is your shower! 

Illustration

In my first church one Sunday morning a family came in carrying all kinds of instruments: horns, drums, percussion… I knew they couldn’t play them. I wondered, “What are they going to do?” When we started singing, they started playing, loud!

I asked them to quit and the dad got offended. He said, “The Bible says to make a joyful noise unto the Lord!” I said, “Well, you did that!”  Then I quoted one of my life verses:

Psalms 33:3 KJV Sing to Him a new song; Play skillfully with a loud noise.

He understood and was fine. I appreciated their heart, but skill is important!

P - Personality

Proverbs 15:13 NKJV A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance, But by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken. 

I have always talked about personalities in four temperaments.  

Sanguine, the ultimate extrovert…

Choleric, the direct extrovert…

Melancholy, the reserved introvert…

Phlegmatic, the ultimate introvert…

Most of us are blends. I am a Sanguine/Phlegmatic, the nicest guy you ever fired. I can get nothing done and have the greatest time doing it!

For more info, check out “Spirit Controlled Temperment” by Tim LaHaye. 

E - Experience

Proverbs 20:29 NLT The glory of the young is their strength; the gray hair of experience is the splendor of the old.

Only you have your history, your story. This gives you a unique ministry  

II Corinthians 4:7 NKJV But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.

Your experiences trace your encounters with God in brokenness. You become a broken vessel that manifests the fragrance of Jesus wherever you God. You don’t minister about Jesus; you minister Jesus. 

I remember many times when I would try to minister to someone in the midst of a crisis. I would share the Word and pray, but it paled in comparison to what would happen when someone entered the room who had been through the same crisis. They brought a living dimension to give to the person in need.

“Don’t waste your sorrows!”

5. WE

How can we all live this out together?

We need to become this to a dying world that is longing for a real Jesus, an encounter with the living Christ who is manifested through you!

II Corinthians 2:14-15 NKJV Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.

Application

Don’t be too worried about finding your exact purpose and calling. Why? If you just live in obedience to God and get involved with people, you will find it. God takes the responsibility for you finding it!

Philippians 1:6 NKJV being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;

Philippians 2:13 NKJV for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

Romans 8:28-31 NKJV And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

Illustration

Let me finish the story I started at the beginning. I want to share three instances where God took responsibility to give me direction and purpose.

Dr. Bryson; Dr. Temple; Richard Humphries, TFAC

Citation

Excerpt(s) from COMMUNICATING FOR A CHANGE: SEVEN KEYS TO IRRESISTIBLE COMMUNICATION by Andy Stanley and Ronald Lane Jones, copyright © 2006 by Andy Stanley and Ronald Lane Jones. Used by permission of WaterBrook Multnomah, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. All rights reserved.