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Table of Contents
Ministry Is the Expression of My Shape
S.H.A.P.E. is an acronym I developed to explain the five elements that determine what a person’s ministry should be. Every believer is uniquely shaped for a particular ministry.
SPIRITUAL GIFTS: The Bible clearly teaches that God gives every believer certain spiritual gifts to be used in ministry (Romans 8; 1 Corinthians 12; Ephesians 4). However, spiritual gifts are only one part of the picture. Spiritual gifts are often overemphasized to the neglect of other equally important factors. Natural abilities you were born with also come from God. So do your experiences and inborn personality traits. These factors were also planned by your Creator. Spiritual gifts reveal a part of God’s will for your ministry, but not all of it.
HEART: The Bible uses the term "heart" to represent the center of your motivation, desires, interests, and inclinations. Your heart determines why you say the things you do (Matthew 12:34), why you feel the way you do (Psalm 28:7), and why you act the way you do (Proverbs 4:23).
Another word for heart is passion. There are certain subjects you feel passionate about and others you could care less about. Some things turn you on while other things turn you off. That is an expression of your heart. God had a purpose in giving you your inborn interests. Your emotional heartbeat reveals an important key to understanding His intentions for your life. Don’t ignore your natural interests. People rarely excel at tasks they don’t enjoy doing. High achievers enjoy what they do.
ABILITIES: These are the natural God-given talents with which you were born. Some people have a natural ability with words—they came out of the womb talking. Other people have natural athletic abilities—they excel in physical coordination. Exodus 31:3 gives an example of how God gives people "skill, ability, and knowledge in all kinds of crafts" to accomplish His purposes. In this case, it was artistic ability to be used in building the tabernacle. It’s interesting that musical talent is not listed as a spiritual gift but it certainly is a natural ability God uses in worship.
PERSONALITY: God has not used a cookie cutter to create people. He loves variety—just look around. God made introverts and extroverts. He made people who love routine and those who love variety. He made some people thinkers and others feelers. Some people work best when given an individual assignment while others work better with a team. We need all kinds of personalities to balance the church and give it flavor. Your personality will affect how and where you use your spiritual gifts and abilities. Two people may have the same gift of evangelism; but if one is introverted and the other is extroverted, that gift will be expressed in different ways.
EXPERIENCES: God never wastes an experience. Romans 8:28 reminds us, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." At Saddleback, we help people consider five areas of experience that will influence the kind of ministry for which they are best shaped: (1) Educational experiences: What were your favorite subjects in school? (2) Vocational experiences: What jobs have you enjoyed and achieved results while doing? (3) Spiritual experiences: What have been the meaningful or decisive times with God in your life? (4) Ministry experiences: How have you served God in the past? (5) Painful experiences: What are the problems, hurts, and trials you’ve learned from?
God sovereignly determined your shape for His purpose, so you shouldn’t resent it or reject it. "What right have you, a human being, to cross-examine God? The pot has no right to say to the potter: ‘Why did you make me this shape?’ Surely a potter can do what he likes with the clay?" (Romans 9:20,21, The Jerusalem Bible). Instead of trying to reshape ourselves to be like someone else, we should celebrate the shape God has given to each of us.
Rick Warren, Saddleback Valley Community Church, Lake Forest, California
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