Woven in a Pattern: SHAPE

Announcements

Deacon Commission/Dave thank you

In Acts 6 as the church was new, and growing, we read about the first complaint. In this case there were a group of widows overlooked along racial lines. Jesus’ disciples, who now led the church called the rest and recognized something that has been important to the church of Jesus ever since.

They couldn’t do everything. The need was real, urgent, and yet, the calling of this new church was to preach the word, to pray, to reach the lost and they knew if they put their hands and heads to even these essential things, the mission would suffer.

So they called on the church to identify a group of people who could take on this task. But not just anyone.

They were people who were a part of the Hellenistic Jewish community that was suffering, so they were equipped with keen understanding of the issues.

They were men of good reputation, full of the Spirit, and wisdom.

They then took this task that in this moment was so essential.

Churches have now for centuries appointed deacons, the word means “one who serves” to help move the mission forward by committing to handling the essential tasks that would take the eyes of the leadership off the ultimate mission.

Every church does this differently, as the tasks and needs are different. We do not have Hellenistic Jewish widows being neglected…instead we have facilities, we have finances, we have people with needs and challenges that need to be met.

This morning we are pleased to be commissioning Ted Domingos and Bill Ferber into this role at HCC. They were nominated, proved to be of good reputation, and known to be filled with the Holy Spirit and wisdom.

And so like the disciples I want to ask our elders and deacons who are present to come lay hands on them and pray.

Pray

In Acts 6:7, following the commissioning of these first deacons, we read, “So the word of God spread, the disciples increased greatly in number and large groups of priests became obedient to the faith.”

May it be so here.

Daylight Savings

Operation Christmas Child: Really important as we have only a couple weeks! video

we get to be a link in that chain!

Dismiss kids

Sermon

oops

Tomorrow night is Halloween, if you’re neighborhood is like, mine, I’m sure you’ve noticed that. So this is my annual reminder that if you are a family that chooses to participate, do it right.

By that I mean, your neighbors will be coming to your door like they do no other time of year. You have an opportunity, even in that brief window to start or build some kind of connection.

So here are my tips:

If your neighbors know you are believers…get good candy. And be generous with it.

If you plan to hand out bible tracks…(slide...attach them to king size bars.

If your neighbors don’t know you are believers, how will they know? Not encouraging you to get preachy or pushy…but are there ways you can use this night to communicate both Christ’s love that you know and your love for neighbor?

Halloween was an important holiday for my sister and I in developing life skills. There is the importance of creativity, the diligence to start early, work efficiently, and keep going till the job is done. And then comes the practice in negotiations.

Halloween candy comes in all shapes and sizes.

There’s the cheap interchangeable candy that kids will eat, but aren’t worth much in bargaining. Nobody goes looking for bit-o-honey…unless you knew that kid who loved them…now you have a bargaining position.

You figure out which candy your bargaining partner doesn’t care for, that you like, and now you have a chance to offload your less desirable candy for a step up.

As one of the rare kids that liked coconut and was neutral on almonds, I had an advantage…because sometimes you feel like a nut…sometimes you don’t. And I could take both from the coconut adverse…usually at a bargain.

That’s the great thing about halloween candy, it comes in so many shapes and sizes. Just like the preferences of kids. The perfect halloween bag would always have the right mix.

This is true in every family, workplace, and especially the church.

Everybody is different, has different strengths, weaknesses, experiences, passions, stories…like their fingerprints, no two are exactly alike.

ugh

Those differences can cause us to feel like we don’t belong together

Political ads sure work to drive that feeling. People with different beliefs certainly can’t work together?

Churches struggle with this all the time. In fact, often when we look for a church, without thinking about it, we gravitate toward one where the people there are the most like us.

How can we partner in anything important when

Different priorities drive our decisions.

When our personalities and preferences don’t line up

And when the skills we have don’t feel like they fit?

Bottom line, it’s just more comfortable.

It’s also far less effective in accomplishing the mission of Jesus in the world.

like the differing candy tastes of children makes everybody’s bag a little sweeter, so the difference is in the church are needed.

aha

You see, God did it on purpose! God meant for the church to be composed of deep variety in all these areas. Read the book of Acts and you’ll see varieties of skills, gifts, and passions bumping against each other, complimenting, competing, and challenging one another.

A month ago, we talked about God weaving us together as a community

I read from 1 Corinthians 12, and I want to refresh your memory on a couple key verses before we dig in deeper

1 Corinthians 12:15-18 “If the foot should say, “Because I’m not a hand, I don’t belong to the body,” it is not for that reason any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I’m not an eye, I don’t belong to the body,” it is not for that reason any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But as it is, God has arranged each one of the parts in the body just as he wanted.”

God has arranged each one of the parts.

When I worked for Youth For Christ, I had to priviledge to listen to one of the national board members, an admiral who had served as the head of strategic operations throughout desert storm.

This man had the ultimate responsibility for every missile fired and boot on the ground in that conflict.

Not a light responsibility. Before a shot was fired, he had to know

What they were aiming to accomplish

What the risks were

How they were going to use the men and tools available to get it done with the fewest casualties and damage.

There was so much more than that, it was facinating to listen to him, and then to see this man who had now dedicated his life to seeing teens reached with the gospel apply the same processes to that.

What is the goal, what do we have, how do we get what we need, how will we accomplish the goal?

But who knows the big picture and what his troops are capable of better than an admiral?

They know the mission

They know what the equipment available can and can’t do

They know what the men and women are trained to and capable of doing.

So they develop the plan. Every soldier in the field might think they have a better idea, but they follow orders because they know their perspective is limited to their own eyes.

No one knows the mission of the church better than the one who established her. We talked about that before and we’ll come back to it again, but simply put in

Luke 19:10 “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost.”

And when Jesus ascended to heaven he passed that calling to his church:

Matthew 28:18-20 “Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.””

Now when we read the passage from 1 Corinthians we hear the words: “But as it is, God has arranged each one of the parts in the body just as he wanted.” in that context.

Which means as followers of Jesus we aren’t looking for the place we are the most comfortable, but rather where can God use us for his mission?

God put the variety in the church ON PURPOSE!

That’s one of the things I love about HCC. We are a church of differing ages, backgrounds, skills, past hurts, present realities, economic and social position, careers, skills, politics, hair styles, abilities, and probably candy preferences too.

I smile every time I look at this string art over here.

THis is the one you all did. I counted the names on the paper nearby and around 60 sets of hands wove those strings onto the nails.

Look close and you will see some are tighter than others.

Some are all zig zag in one tight window

Some are all over, but in a small space

Some travel all over the board

And as the strings were different in style and color, so are the hands that wove them on different. And it’s perfect.

The reason the church works is because none of us are the same. And when our hearts are aligned in a common mission, our differences become our strength.

We believe that each person has their own unique SHAPE for ministry.

We borrowed the acronym shape (SLIDE WITH SHAPE BULLETS) from other churches to help us help you determine areas of ministry inside and outside the church where not only are you enjoying in, but are fruitful in they way you serve.

And while there are times when the need calls for people to serve regardless, as a rule, we want to prioritize helping you serve in ways that are a blessing to you and respect the way God designed you to be a part of his mission.

Some of you have been through our SHAPE class and coaching. That was our first run, and we are still refining the process and helping people find ministry opportunities.

I and so many others have found this process helpful in understanding themselves, their call, and even…find healing in seeing the way that their struggles and hurts have worked together to create the person they are today and that that person does not exist on accident.

So here’s your task for today. I want you to take some notes here. And while I hope you will all take the class at some point, take some time this week, with this knowledge and start working on your own to see how God shaped your thread to serve in this body and beyond.

If you’ve already taken the class, reflect on what you already have learned, this isn’t a one time deal. Every day God is continuing to shape us further, to give us opportunities for growth and learning.

One more note before we dive in, these are five ways we can look at our shape. (pentagon) People are more than 5 sided shapes. They are complex. (wacky shape) Even in the five, every change in one, affects the others, just like in this pentagon. Change the length here, and the angles of all the others to it are shifted.

So this isn’t an all encompassing and authoritative look at who you are. It’s a starting point for understanding yourself and for our team to understand you a little better.

We’ll go through these quickly, so write down the key verses and spend time this afternoon and this week. I’ll follow up in our Wednesday emails with some more details on each of these areas.

The first part of our SHAPE is

whee

Spiritual Gifts

Back just a bit from our hand and foot verse is this:

1 Corinthians 12:1-7 (1,4-7)“Now concerning spiritual gifts: brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be unaware... Now there are different gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different ministries, but the same Lord. And there are different activities, but the same God works all of them in each person. A manifestation of the Spirit is given to each person for the common good:”

I have some heirloom items that have passed down a couple generations. a rifle that was my great grandpa’s when he was 5, the wooden sign that was outside my grandfather’s roofing business.

Someday I will give those things away. Who will they go to? The majority will naturally go to Rebecca and Joshua or their kids. Why? Because they are gifts for the family.

If I gave one to someone else, I would be communicating that this person is now at least in some way a part of the family.

A couple months ago I read from a book that was Monica’s grandfathers that was given to me. I was not Don Farr’s grandson, but when Monica’s aunt gave me his old ministry books, there was an increased sense of connection to him.

Spiritual gifts are abilities that come when we become a part of God’s family through our faith in Jesus. They might become apparent immediately, over time, or when we are in need of them.

Quote: “A manifestation of the Spirit is given to each person for the common good.”

Some important points.

For the common good. They are for the building up of the body. Ephesians 4 dived deeper here

They are not the same as roles. When I embraced a call to ministry, I experienced the gift of preaching immediately. That didn’t make me a preacher. That gift needed time, a blending with the rest of my shape, and God’s timing for the right setting and calling. That doesn’t mean it was useless in the meanwhile. But it’s important to note that gifting does not equal role.

Finally, because they are gifts, they are not to be sources of pride or division. Paul called on the church to be so others focused that our gifts became blessings, and we honored others and what God was doing in them.

Romans 12:10 “Love one another deeply as brothers and sisters. Take the lead in honoring one another.”

Applies in our gifting for certain.

There are Spirtual Gifts tests that can be done…there is one in our Shape class…but truly, these are usually best identified in the using of them…and often by others who see more in us than we can.

Let’s move on

Heart

The Bible defines the heart at the whole of who we are. Our actions are driven from our heart.

Proverbs 27:19 “As water reflects the face, so the heart reflects the person.”

This one is so key. Our heart is what drives us to serve. Now God is always at work shaping our hearts to be more like his.

To be God and others centered above ourselves.

In fact, God promises that when our hearts desire him, they will be fulfilled.

Psalm 37:4 “Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires.”

or as we just saw in the sermon on the mount this summer:

Matthew 6:20-21 “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don’t break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

No other desire is promised to be fulfilled. Great reason to develop a heart that longs for God.

But there is also room in our hearts for so many other things.

We can have a heart for certain roles

Maybe you love music, or graphic design

Maybe you love solving problems or influencing others

We can have a heart for certain people

Maybe you have a heart for teenagers, or for people dealing with certain disabilities. Or maybe it’s people in a certain community or nation. The homeless or people in struggling marriages.

And you can have a heart for causes

Like marriage enrichment, parenting, evangelism, relationships in the church, relationships in the community, and so many more

I know in the past I have struggled when it felt like the rest of the church wasn’t fired up about the things that got me out of bed in the morning. One of the greatest things for the church is when we see and value the way God intentionally shaped the heart of others. And the church needs each of those.

Abilities

Your abilities are natural talents or talents you developed along the way.

Years ago, Eric took me disc golfing for the first time. Over the years I have taken a number of people to do the same. Each came with some level of natural ability and strength. Every one got better during that first round as they developed skills and got some coaching.

In exodus we see God give certain folks capacity to take on certain tasks in the creation of the tabernacle.

Exodus 31:1-5 “The Lord also spoke to Moses: “Look, I have appointed by name Bezalel son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. I have filled him with God’s Spirit, with wisdom, understanding, and ability in every craft to design artistic works in gold, silver, and bronze, to cut gemstones for mounting, and to carve wood for work in every craft.”

One of the best parts of being a band parent was watching our kids start in one place with an instrument and then grow in it.

One of the best parts of parenting is getting to see the place where their heart drives them toward a thing, and then ability grows as they apply themselves to it.

One of the common lies we tell ourselves is that we don’t have abilities that matter.

First: many studies have revealed that the average adult has between 500 and 700 abilities we have learned along the way.

Second: We can always learn new skills. While kids are the most adept at learning new things, none of us are beyond it.

Most important is this: Every ability can be used for God’s glory.

Colossians 3:17 “And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

I challenge you to make a list of the things you can do. Keep it handy and keep adding to it. You might be surprised. Then consider how those skills can be used inside and outside the church for God.

Personality

You have one and it matters

it will affect where and how you use your gifts and abilities.

Consider two people who have the gift of evangelism. One an extrovert and the other an introvert. Both can evangelize, but the method and setting will likely be very different.

I know some of you love to work with wood. Do you work with the grain, or against it?

There are times when we do go against the grain to grow, to develop in new ways…but typically we will find it more rewarding and easier to work the way our personalities are wired.

There are many tools for helping us to see our personality well.

One of the simplest and one you can find free online pretty easy is a Meyers Briggs. I encourage you to take some time with one of those if you haven’t.

With a caveat

These are helpful tools…like the shape process. But they are not definitive.

There is also the temptation to use the results as an excuse for bad behavior or as a way to excuse yourself from following God’s lead.

I’m an introvert so I can’t reach out. I’m an extrovert so I can’t settle down.

I’m self expressive so I’ve got to speak my mind, I’m self controlled so I never do.

Like everything else in our lives we must surrender them to Jesus for like Paul says in Galatians:

Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

But these can help us in fine tuning the where and how we use those gifts and abilities.

finally

Experiences

In some ways, the most impactful. Certainly impacts our heart, has much to do with our abilities, and is intimately connected to our personality.

Experiences are what they sound like: Everything that you have experienced.

For the purposes of finding how God has shaped you to serve, I want you to consider a few key areas:

Ministry experiences: How have you served God in the past?

Good and bad. What has worked well for you, and what do you never want to do again? What used to be satisfying, but now you struggle with?

Work experiences: What jobs have you enjoyed the most? Where have you been effective?

The jobs you do have an impact. When I was in college I worked part time for a guy who refurbished inventory computers for grocery stores. I learned to solder, to clean keypads, to repair screens, and more. I also learned that working in isolation on detail work…isn’t me.

I worked in banks over the years. I learned that working with people on problem solving is fun. I learned that I really love helping others grow in their roles. Had I stayed, I was on track to move into the training department.

Every job has revealed a piece of me, added to my abilities, and often steered my heart.

Educational experience: What have you learned? What subjects do you enjoy?

Spiritual experience: What have been your most meaningful times with God?

Where has he gotten your attention and moved you forward?

Painful experience:

What have been the trials, thorns, problems, and hurts from which you have learned?

This may be the strongest in impacting our ministry shape.

I remember in one of the darkest moments of my life seeing the words of Romans 8:28 “We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” on the wall and cynically asking God to prove it.

HE DID. He also didn’t fix the situation. It didn’t get better.

But he did healing work in my heart.

From those places of healing, I found calling, I found ability to serve others in similar hurt, I found joy in the redemptions stories around me.

Caution: Be careful about stepping in to help others when the hurt is ongoing or fresh.

Get counseling, do the work of healing in your own life first.

Hurt people hurt people…often unintentionally.

But hear what God’s word says:

2 Corinthians 1:4 “He comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction, through the comfort we ourselves receive from God.”

You’ve been SHAPED for ministry. Shaped to serve one another in the church and in the community beyond. I encourage you to take these notes and invest time this week in considering them.

The shape class is currently being turned into an interactive curriculum in our church digital library (RNM) and will be available soon. We are doing this so instead of waiting for the next class time to come, when you are ready to dive into your shape and get connected to a ministry team or opportunity, you can do it on your time and then one of our shape coaches will contact you to go through your results and get you plugged in right away.

yeah

It’s not a great pastor that makes a great church.

Many churches have grown fast with a great leader, and broken up just as fast when that leader leaves or struggles.

A healthy, mission accomplishing, God-honoring church will always be made up of men and women who choose to give of themselves for the cause of Christ.

Pastor’s often lament what is called the 90/10 rule. 90 percent of the work done by 10 percent of the people. I haven’t run the numbers, but i know our numbers are better than that…however…we have room to grow.

ultimately, I am prayerful that HCC will be a church that follows the rule of seasonal thirds. A third doing the bulk of the work, a third resting and supporting, and a third being raised up to take on the next season.

Always bringing new people in, equipping them to serve, and recognizing that everyone needs seasons of rest, but that all of us who claim to follow Jesus have a part to play in the body of Christ.

Let me close with a few things.

One, to those who serve in any capacity: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

One of our new families was telling me how friendly and engaging this church is. That’s all on you in this room who choose to be friendly and engage. Our greeters, leaders, teachers, and every one else who steps up and is involved.

Second, if you are in a season of rest, thats ok. But don’t let the rest become a coma. Take the time you need. Get healthy, get encouraged, get rested. Only you and God know what you need. but then step up and step in to what God has next.

If you are in a serving position, especially leadership, I have a challenge for you. Duplicate yourself. Elders, who are you raising to be the next elder? Deacons, who are you equipping to serve? Singer, who are you encouraging in their musical gifts, those who help with hospitality, cleaning, teaching, caring, administrating, even pastoring…who are you discipling to give them the opportunity to find the joy of serving Jesus as you have?

Finally, try something. See a need and jump in. Help with Operation Christmas Child, volunteer to help with the many other christmas things coming up (TREE LIGHTING!)

I am excited about the next three weeks. We have identified the weaver, the threads, the story, the picture, the patterns in this great weaving of threads God is doing at HCC…but next week we begin to finish this series by looking at where this weaving and the mission come together to change our community and the world.

But none of the hopes and dreams reflected there can happen without each member of the body doing their part in serving our king.

Pray - Call to serve