Understanding your Shape

Section 31: pages 241 - 248

Friday 12 November 2010

Only you can be you

Friday 12 November 2010

Friday 12 November 2010

SHAPE: applying your ABILITIES

You have natural abilities - those you were born with

Ex 31“...I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills...crafts...have appointed Oholiab son of Ahisamak, of the tribe of Dan, to help him. Also I have given ability to all the skilled workers to make everything I have commanded you:

Friday 12 November 2010

All of our abilities come from God

Rom 12:6 God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well.

Therefore natural abilities are as important as ‘spiritual’ abilities - the difference being that they came at birth.

Studies show the average person possesses 500-700 different skills and abilities, some being less obvious than others: you can smell 10,000 different odours, your mind can make 15,000 decisions / second...

Friday 12 November 2010

Every ability can be used for God’s glory

1 Cor 10:31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

Examples of abilities God uses for his glory:

Artistic ability, architectural ability, baking, boat making, debating, designing, gardening, leading, managing, farming, fishing, carpentry, tailoring, writing - and even teaching.

God has a special place in his church where you can make a difference - it is up to you to find that place.

Friday 12 November 2010

God gives some people an ability to make a lot of money. If that is you how should you use that gift for God’s glory?

Dt 10:18 But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth

1. Realise it is a God given gift - give the glory to him.

2. Use it to serve the need of others and remember to share your faith.

3. Return at least 10% to God as an act of worship.

4. Make sure you build the KOG not your wealth.

Friday 12 November 2010

What I’m able to do, God wants me to do

You are the only person able to do your role - you have your own unique abilities

Heb 13:20-21 Now may the God of peace...equip you with everything good for doing his will...

What are you good at doing?

Friday 12 November 2010

Strengths are a good indicator of what God wants you to do with your life. God doesn’t waste abilities; he matches our calling and our capabilities.

1 Pet 4:10 Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.

At Warren’s church people are told, “whatever you are good at, you should be doing for church”

Friday 12 November 2010

SHAPE: using your PERSONALITY

The possibility of someone having the same DNA as you is:

10 to the 2,400,000, 000th power - a number you would need a piece of paper 37,000 miles long to write out!

There has never, nor ever will, be anyone like you.

Friday 12 November 2010

God loves variety in people - introverts, extroverts, people who love variety and who love routine, thinkers and feelers, team workers or solo workers.

The 12 disciples had differing personalities - and personally we see this often in interpersonal conflicts - fortunately in God there is no right or wrong person, in terms of temperament, for his work

Friday 12 November 2010

A God given gift will be expressed differently by two different people with contrasting personalities - one is not wrong or right, they are just different.

If you have to work in a way that doesn’t suit your temperament then you will feel uncomfortable, have to give more effort and probably not get the best results.

Don’t copy other people - learn from them and apply it to your shape.

Friday 12 November 2010

Personality types

Warren describes Peter as sanguine, Paul a choleric and Jeremiah as melancholy

There are many ways of describing personality types and the classical 4 temperament types are defined below as extracted from Wikipedia.

I have used the Myers Briggs Personality type indicator an found it useful - free versions which take a while to complete, are available online.

Beware here, such tools can ‘box’ people in if not used wisely and recognized as simply aids not definitive in their results.

Friday 12 November 2010

The Sanguine temperament personality is fairly extroverted. People of a sanguine temperament tend to enjoy social gatherings, making new friends and tend to be quite loud. They are usually quite creative and often daydream. However, some alone time is crucial for those of this temperament. Sanguine can also mean very sensitive, compassionate and thoughtful. Sanguine personalities generally struggle with following tasks all the way through, are chronically late, and tend to be forgetful and sometimes a little sarcastic. Often, when pursuing a new hobby, interest is lost quickly when it ceases to be engaging or fun. They are very much people persons. They are talkative and not shy. For some people, these are the ones you want to be friends with and usually they become life long friends.

Friday 12 November 2010

Choleric

A person who is choleric is a do-er. They have a lot of ambition, energy, and passion, and try to instill it in others. They can dominate people of other temperaments, especially phlegmatic types. Many great charismatic military and political figures were cholerics. They like to be leaders and in charge of everything.

Friday 12 November 2010

Melancholic

A person who is a thoughtful ponderer has a melancholic disposition. Often very considerate and get rather worried when they could not be on time for events, melancholics can be highly creative in activities such as poetry and art - and can become occupied with the tragedy and cruelty in the world. A melancholic is also often a perfectionist. They are often self-reliant and independent; one negative part of being a melancholic is sometimes they can get so involved in what they are doing they forget to think of others.

Friday 12 November 2010

Phlegmatic

Phlegmatics tend to be self-content and kind. They can be very accepting and affectionate. They may be very receptive and shy and often prefer stability to uncertainty and change. They are very consistent, relaxed, rational, curious, and observant, making them good administrators and astronauts.

Friday 12 November 2010

SHAPE: employing your EXPERIENCES

Experiences shape your life - through God using them, he moulds you.

Family - what did you learn growing up as part of your family?

Education - favourite subjects?

Vocation - what jobs have you been good at, what did you enjoy most?

Friday 12 November 2010

Spiritual - what have been your most meaningful times with God?

Ministry - have you served God, what ‘affected’ you in that?

Painful - hurts, trials come along our path

God often uses painful experiences in preparing us for ministry - “God never wastes a hurt” - your pain can be used in many ways by God.

Friday 12 November 2010

2 Cor 1:4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.

“The experiences you have resented or regretted most in life...are the experiences God wants to use to help others”

Warren page 247

People are more encouraged when we share our weaknesses than brag about our strengths.

Friday 12 November 2010

2 Cor 1:8-10 We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters,about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us...

Paul sharing his depression and doubt - so you might be encouraged

Friday 12 November 2010

Point to ponder

Nobody else can be me

Friday 12 November 2010

Point to ponder

1 Peter 4:10Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.

Friday 12 November 2010

Question to consider

What God given ability or personal experience can I offer to my church?

Friday 12 November 2010