Timothies And Andrews 20 May 2013

Member to a Minister

Starter Isaiah 54:17 Heritage of the servant Job 36:11 Obey and Serve God to be Prosperous We should not be like the batteries inside the flash light kept in a comfortable warm place. Need to be used to avoid acid corrosion. Unlike the toy where the Batteries were not included. When we were saved the Holy Spirit came as the batteries to empower us.

Personal Profile – Name…………… What is the ministry that you do currently ? ……………………………………… In which ministry do you think you are good ? ………………………………………. If you are given the power to change anything in our church, what will be the first thing you will change? ……………………………………………

List of mis-fits in the Bible Abraham was old Jacob was insecure Leah was unattractive Joseph was abused Moses stuttered Gideon was poor Samson – co-dependant Rahab was immoral David and his affair Elijah was suicidal Jeremiah was depressed Jonah was reluctant Naomi was a widow John the baptist was eccentric Peter was impulsive Martha worried a lot Samaritan woman had many failed marriages Zacchaeus was unpopular Thomas had doubts Paul had poor health Timothy was timid

You were shaped to serve God 1 Corinthians 3:5-6

How God shaped you Spiritual Gifts Heart Abilities Personality Experience

Discover your shape God deserves your best He shaped you for a purpose He expects you to make the most of it Focus on the talents he has given you When you attempt to serve God in ways you are not shaped to serve, it becomes frustrating, and produces limited results

Discover your shape It will waste your time, talent and energy The best use of your life is to serve God out of your SHAPE To do this you must discover your SHAPE, learn to accept it and enjoy it. Then develop it to the full potential

Assess your Gifts Don’t let another day go by, start finding out and clarifying what God intends for you to do. Eph 5:17 Estimate your capability Rom 12:3, Make a list. Ask others for honest opinion. Tell them you are searching for the truth. Both Spiritual and Natural gifts are confirmed by others

Assess your Gifts If you want to know if you have the Gift of Leadership – look over your shoulder If no one is following you ……? Ask Questions

Assess your Gifts Where have I seen fruit in my life that others have confirmed ? Where have I already been successful? The best way to discover your gifts and abilities is to experiment with different areas of service Many books get discovery process backwards – discover and you will know the ministry - Wrong Start serving experimenting with different ministries

Heart and Personality What do I really enjoy doing most ? Gal 6:4 When do I feel the most fully alive ? What am I doing when I lose track of time? What do I like ? Routine or variety ? Team or alone myself ? Introvert , extrovert ? Thinker or feeler ? Competing or cooperating?

Accept and Enjoy your shape God knows what is best for you Gratefully accept Romans 9:20-21 Celebrate the shape God has given you Eph 4:7 Recognize your limitations Nobody is good at everything No one is called to be everything We all have defined roles

Examine your experience What are the lessons you have learnt ? Review your life how did it shape you? Remember : Moses said : Deut 11:2 Forgotten experiences are worthless Gal 3:4 Paul asked the Galatians We rarely see God’s good purpose in Pain or Failure or Embarrassment while it is happening Jesus washed Peter’s feet John 13:7 Takes time. Take a weekend to do it.

Accept and Enjoy your shape Paul was clear 2 Cor 10:13 God assigns each one of us a field of service Your SHAPE determines your specialty When we try to over extend our ministry reach beyond what God shaped us for we experience Stress You are given one lane to run, Heb 12:1 Just focus on finishing the race don’t worry about the one on next lane

Never Compare your Shape Never compare your shape, ministry or the results of your ministry with anyone else. First you will always be able to find someone who seems to be doing a better job than you, then you will be discouraged Or you will always be able to find someone who does not seem as effective as you and You will get full of Pride. Either attitude will take you out of service and rob you of your Joy 2 Cor 10:12. ignore the critics