Made For This - Week 2

Made For This - Week 2

Welcome - 

End of 21 Days - 

Worship Night - This Wednesday at 630pm - Point Kids will be open and the team is cooking up something special. 

Equipping the saints message

I need to clarify something I said last week - “God didn’t make you one way just to use you another way.” 

I want to bring clarity to that statement.  At first glance, it can sound like I am saying that you can only operate within the design you can recognize on your life.  Which, is not totally true.  I am at fault for not bringing further clarification to that statement, because I unintentionally excluded an important truth in that.  So, let me first apologize for lack of clarity, but bring you the rest of that truth today.

Yes, God has designed you a certain way, to use you a certain way -  He’s been very intentional with you.  That is just as true today as it was last week when I said it.  

But, what I failed to explain well enough, is that even in your gifting, talent, abilities– your God given design - He can also call you to something that’s outside your comfort zone or natural ability and put the design to good use.

Your design is a clue to your calling–but not a cage for it.   

For example - I know of a highly respected author and teacher whose worst subject in high school was writing.  In fact, the subjects he was most gifted in were science and math.   His father was an engineer, and he was encouraged to be an engineer because that’s his natural gifting.  He had a very natural knack towards those subjects, and engineering just simply makes sense.  

But as he tells this story, he said that the closer he had gotten to engineering, the more he prayed about it, the less he felt like he should.  Im paraphrasing a much longer story, but ultimately - the Lord had spoken to Him and said “I want you to write a book.”

Remember how I said last week that we can respond the way Moses does with a “who me?”  “Are you sure you’ve picked the right person for this?”

That was this guys response.  But, even through a few failed attempts, the Lord had spoken clearly to him and this guy went onto write several books, that reached millions of people, and that guys name is John Bevere.  You may know him by a very particular writing “The Bait of Satan.”

Now, here's what I think is important about that story.

God called John to something that wasn't naturally comfortable for him.

But God didn't throw away his design in the process.  He didn’t make you one way to use you another way.  

The same analytical mind that made engineering make sense to him could now help him communicate biblical truth.

His natural ability wasn't the calling.

But his natural ability served the calling.

And that's an important distinction.

God can call you beyond your natural ability, but He never asks you to do it without His grace.

I’d ask that you keep that in mind as I use statements like “your design points to your calling” or when I speak on intersecting roads that identify your call.  The Lord is always the caveat.

Stay close to Him, get silent, get alone - and let Him speak to you.  

God didn’t just save you–He put something in you. 

So, let me connect this back to what we talked about last week.

Last week was practical.

We talked about identifying the things God has already placed in you.

What do you care about?

What are you good at?

What opportunities has God put in front of you?

And when those things begin to intersect, they can help you recognize the places where God may be calling you to serve His purposes.

But today we're going one step deeper.

Because identifying your design is one thing.

Understanding what God has put inside of you to accomplish His purposes is another.

And that's where the spiritual gifts come in.

And today we're going to talk about what Scripture calls the serving gifts, or what pastors and teachers regularly call the motivational gifts.

These gifts help us understand not only what we're capable of doing, but how God has wired us to contribute to the body of Christ.

All seven gifts operated in the life of Jesus as well as the early church.  So that today, when we see these seven gifts operating among us, we get a full picture of what Jesus would look like in ministry if He were here today.

1 Corinthians 12:27 NLT

All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.

I’ll show you in scripture where each of you have been given a gift and all of us are called to collectively represent Jesus as part of His body.  You are called, as a child of God, given a gift, and are entrusted to use it as a representative of Jesus’ character and loving nature.   

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I think of all of can agree that one of the most frustrating places to be in life is to be in a place or position where God didn’t want us to be.  

Some of us try to join the worship team but we can’t carry a tune in a bucket - you’re not a bad person!  You’re just in the wrong place.  You’re not gifted for that area.

And there’s SO MUCH life when you’re in the place God has for you, has intended for you, and has equipped you to thrive in.  

Paying attention to this study is incredibly important so that we can be most effective to serving God and His people.  

Romans chapter 12 shows us seven primary spiritual gifts that help you understand what you have in you, how you use it, and how you fit in the body of christ.  

Romans 12:6 NLT

 In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. 

I want you to notice that word: Grace.

We usually think about grace as forgiveness and salvation.  Which is true!

Grace means God provides salvation, forgiveness, and those things that naturally come to your mind when you try to define “grace.”  

BUT grace is also God's empowerment working through human weakness. 

Let me prove that to you here

2 Corinthians 12:9 NLT

 Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.

Here the scripture is telling us that grace and power work together.  You see, whether in our strength, or in our weaknesses - whether we are in a comfortable spot or called to something uncomfortable - we need Him in both scenarios.  

We need his grace.  

Every child of God has a call on their life.  Some to ministry and mission, some to schools and businesses.  

You can be called into the marketplace or office suite.  Wherever that place is, God gives us giftings in order to accomplish His will for us in that place, in that time, in that season.  

1 Corinthians 12:4-7 NLT

There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. 5 There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. 6 God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us. 7 A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.

Paul in 1 Corinthians tells us there are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the Holy Spirit is who is the source of all of them.  And in verse 7, it clearly says that a spiritual gift is given to each of us.

We will cover ministry gifts and manifestation gifts over the next few weeks - But romans 12 is where we find our area of study today.  

And here's what I want you to understand. These gifts aren't necessarily about giving you a title or putting you in a particular position in the church. 

They're more about what motivates you to help people.

It's the thing that makes you look at a need and think, "I want to do something about that."

It's the way God has wired you to contribute to the body of Christ.

SO let’s take a look at the seven Motivational Gifts in Romans 12

Romans 12:6-8 NLT

In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. 7 If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. 8 If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly. 

These gifts explain why something can happen and we can get so many different responses.  

The way you respond - the way I respond - to any situation is based off of our dominant motivational gift.

You may have 2 or 3 of these

Let's say we're all sitting around a table at a restaurant, and the server brings me the completely wrong meal.

The person with the gift of prophecy is going to say, "That's not what you ordered." They see the situation, identify what's wrong, and they're ready to address it.

“I see what’s wrong, and I feel compelled to say something about it.”

Direct and straightforward

Values truth and clarity

Often sees things in black and white

Quick to identify what is right or wrong

Potential blind spot: Can become overly critical, impatient, or confrontational if truth isn't balanced with love.

Operating in the new covenant with Jesus Christ in the gift of Prophecy doesn’t make you a prophet in the way your mind is probably going.  

There’s a lot I have to say about the gift of prophecy that I can’t get to in this message, but if this sounds like you, I’m not telling you to start a YouTube channel and start speaking some wild stuff out there. 

The New Testament gift of prophecy is speaking forth the word of God.  God has already spoken, and He’s spoken to us through His son.  (Hebrews 1)

Jesus Christ is Gods complete and final revelation revealed to us.  So, the gift of prophecy is not the office of the prophet.  It’s a redefined spiritual gift that operates primarily as Spirit-empowered proclamation of the already-revealed Word rather than as you receiving of new divine disclosure that hasn’t already been revealed.

Your typical church serving opportunities look like Prayer Team, Small Group Leaders, Worship, Evangelism, discipleship, and leadership areas.

The person with the gift of serving probably doesn't say much. They're already looking around the table saying, "Does anybody need anything? I'll grab the server. I'll take care of it." They see a need, and they meet it.

“I see a need, and I just want to help.”

Notices practical needs quickly

Enjoys getting things done and often say “I’ve got it.” 

Often prefers action over discussion

Finds satisfaction in making someone else's life easier

These types of people often work harder than anyone else - and if they don’t know how to do it they’ll work until they figure it out.  

Potential blind spot: Can have difficulty saying no, become frustrated when others don't help.  Often times, your value is defined by the needs you can fill.  If you’re sitting still for any amount of time, you start feeling worthless.  

Your typical church serving opportunities look like Point Kids, hospitality, parking lot Team, production, facilities clean up needs, connections, and building projects! 

The person with the gift of teaching wants to understand what happened. "Wait, what did you order? What did the server write down? Where did the communication break down?" They want to understand the process so we can know why it happened and how to prevent it next time.

“I want to understand why this works, and I want you to understand it too.”

Curious and analytical

Loves learning and studying

Wants things to make sense

Asks lots of questions

Enjoys explaining complicated things simply

Wants to understand the “why,” not just the “what”

Potential blind spot: Can overcomplicate things, become overly analytical, or struggle when people don't want as much information as you do.

Small group leaders, discipleship, kids/students, Bible study groups, content development for podcasts or social media, devotional creation based off of messages given.

The person with the gift of exhortation says, "Well, what can we learn from this?" They can take almost any situation and find a lesson in it. They're looking for growth. They're looking for the next step.

“There's something good that can come from this. Let's take the next step.”

Naturally optimistic

Looks for potential in people

Loves seeing people grow

Encourages people toward action

Often turns experiences into lessons

Can find hope in difficult circumstances

Naturally motivates others

Enjoys helping people take their next step

Potential blind spot: Can move too quickly past someone's pain or unintentionally make everything into a lesson when someone simply needs to be heard.

I score high in exhortation - and I have a really bad habit of never turning that off.  It CAN be good, but sometimes my wife just wants me to listen and not immediately get into pastor mode. 

Your typical church serving opportunities look like Worship Team, small groups, discipleship, Dream Team leadership, altar/prayer ministry, Connections Team

The person with the gift of giving is probably looking around thinking, "This restaurant clearly needs some help." They're not just thinking about fixing tonight's problem. They're thinking about what could be provided to make things better.

“There's a need. What can I do to help meet it?”

Naturally notices needs and resources

Generous with money, possessions, time, and influence - and you see financial giving as an act of worship.  

Thinks about what could be provided

Often sees opportunities others don't see

Enjoys making things possible

Can be strategic about resources

Doesn't necessarily need credit for what they give

Often thinks, “What would help this situation?”

Your typical church serving opportunities look like getting involved in our SERVE team, benevolence, community outreach, Dream Team support, special projects, resource development.  And I’m not going to spend a lot of time talking about this right now for the sake of time, but the spiritual gift of giving is 

The one spiritual gift that accelerates vision in the church handed down by God.  Every other spiritual gift is crucial support and incredibly needed, but giving is the one area that that accelerates that vision.  Often times, people with this gift, they get plugged into other areas because they can and want to - but it’s not often they have an opportunity to operate in their dominant gifting of giving because the opportunity to doesn’t exist.    

Potential blind spot: Can assume money or resources are the answer to every problem, or become frustrated when others don't steward resources the way you would.

The person with the gift of leadership/administration is thinking, "Why does this keep happening? Is there a system for taking orders? Who is responsible for checking them? How do we make sure this doesn't happen again?" They're not necessarily interested in personally fixing the problem. They want to build a system that prevents the problem.

“Something needs to happen. How do we organize people and resources to make it happen?”

Naturally sees the big picture

Taking responsibility doesn’t scare you

Thinks in systems and processes

Organizes people and resources

Notices inefficiencies

Potential blind spot: Can become controlling, impatient with disorganization, or prioritize the system over the person.  You can be more transactional than relational.  

Your typical church serving opportunities look like Dream Team leadership, ministry oversight of some sort, project leadership and organization, operations, events, administration

And then there's the person with the gift of mercy.

They're probably the one who notices that I'm embarrassed that my food is wrong. They're not thinking about the order anymore. They're thinking about me.

"Hey, don't worry about it. It's okay. Everybody makes mistakes. You're good."

“I see the person behind the problem.”

Highly sensitive to people's emotions

Notices when someone is hurting

Naturally compassionate

Wants people to feel safe and understood

Often sits with people in difficult seasons

Doesn't need to fix everything immediately

Remembers how people felt, not just what happened

Drawn toward people who are hurting, overlooked, or struggling

Often says, “How are you doing, really?”

Potential blind spot: Can struggle with confrontation, avoid necessary correction, or allow compassion to override truth.

Your typical church serving opportunities are pastoral care, prayer team, connections team, Point Kids, small groups, benevolence, hospital/home care.  

Please remember - The gift doesn't necessarily tell you what ministry or role you should do. It tells you what you may naturally bring to that ministry or role.

Same problem. Seven different responses.

And that's what makes these gifts so fascinating.

Situations don’t determine your response. Your God-given motivation does.

Seven people can see the exact same situation and respond seven completely different ways.

And here's why I don't want this to just be an interesting personality test for you.

I don't want you walking out of here saying, "Oh, apparently I'm a mercy person."

Great.

Now what?

Spiritual gifts weren't given to us so we could identify ourselves and be done.

Spiritual gifts were given to us so we could give ourselves to others.

God gave us these gifts so that we could build up the body of Christ.  

The gift describes how God has equipped you. The position is simply one place where that gift can be used.

1 Peter 4:10 NLT

God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. 

We are instructed to use the gifts we’ve been given. Because:

When you exercise the gift, you exercise your faith in the one who gave it. 

So don’t wait to be the “master” of whatever gift you have.  Simply use it, and as you use it, you will grow in it! 

KEYS

This is why when you get connected to serving at The Point, we don't just ask, "Where do you need a volunteer?"

We ask, "How has God wired you?"

This church needs volunteers, more importantly, we need people to live out their calling.  

SOMEONE NEEDS WHAT GOD PUT IN YOU.

And here's the beautiful part.  We actually need all seven people at the table.  Because if everybody responded the same way, we'd have a problem.

We need the person who sees what's wrong.  We need the person who serves.  We need the person who wants to understand it.

We need the person who finds the lesson.  We need the person who will provide the resource that's needed.  We need the person who builds the system.

And we need the person who notices who's hurting.

That's the body of Christ.

That’s why 1 Corinthians 12 tell us that there

Different gifts.  Different service.  Different ways God works through His people–to reach the people He loves.

Your gift isn't a title. It's a tool.

Your natural abilities.  Your experiences.  Your passions.  Your spiritual gifts.  Your opportunities.

God can take all of those things and weave them together for His purposes.

You were made for this.

Not because you're naturally capable of everything God may ask you to do.

But because the God who called you will also empower you to do what He called you to do.

Next Steps Desk - Connections Team

As you’ve come into church today you’ve noticed a new desk.  I want you to know what that is all about.

We are launching a new team called the Connections Team - where they will serve in various ways, and one of them is at that desk.   It’s called the Next Steps Desk. 

No matter where you are in life or your walk with Jesus - you have a next step.  For some of us that’s salvation and receiving Jesus for the first time.  For some it’s serving on our Dream Team in the church, for some you’re new to this area or this church and you need community.

But - regardless of what the Next Step need is, that desk will be your connection point.  You need a bible?  Go there - you need prayer?  Yeah, you can go there too.  You need to sign your kid up for something thats going on?  You guessed it.

Here’s why this is important - one of my highest priorities is to equip you, the saints, for doing the work of the ministry.  You have giftings inside of you to pray, to intercede, to care, to lead, to administrate, to accelerate vision - you have those gifts inside of you.  When we get this team rolling in the next few weeks, they will be there specifically for helping you get connected to whatever your next step is.  

And it’ll be saints doing ministry for other saints.  People doing ministry with and for other people.  

So - here’s my challenge.  I’m not telling you to serve in a particular area, or take a certain next step - we’re all in different places in our walk, all in different seasons of our lives.

But, what I am absolutely telling you to do is talk to the Lord about what your next step is.  And when this team is ready for you in a few weeks that you walk up and take that next step.  

Im challenging you to serve, lead a small group, get involved with a small group, get baptized, get prayed for, pray for people, 

STEP INTO THE GIFTING THAT GOD HAS GIVEN YOU.   

2 Timothy 1:6-7 NLT

6 This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you. 7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.

STAND

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We say this every week in some way, but before you’re called to an assignment, you’re called to salvation through Jesus.

Jesus went to the cross and died for you. He paid the price for your sin, and it’s your faith in Jesus that brings salvation.

It’s not something you work for. It’s not something you can earn. It’s a gift that God gives you, and you receive that gift by placing your faith in Jesus.

Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

But there is a response to that gift.

Repentance.

Repentance doesn't save you. Jesus saves you.

But when you place your faith in Jesus, something changes in you. You don't just want Jesus to forgive your sin. You begin to want to turn away from the things that were taking you away from Him.

That's what repentance is.

It's turning around. It's changing direction.

If you've been walking one direction your whole life, and you encounter Jesus, you don't have to clean yourself up before you come to Him. You come to Him as you are.

But when you come to Him, you don't keep walking the same direction.

You turn toward Him.

So if you've been walking through life without Jesus, and you've been wanting to turn in a different direction toward Him, He's right there with you.

You don't have to earn your salvation.

You don't have to become good enough.

You don't have to clean yourself up and then come to Jesus.

You come to Jesus, and He begins changing you.

Salvation is received by faith.

Repentance is the response of a heart that has encountered Jesus.

And today, if you're ready to put your faith in Him, you can do that right now.

But whether you’re making this decision for the first time, or you’re rededicating your life to Him - we want to know about it.  There’s a connect card in the seat backs where you can indicate if you’ve made a decision for the first time or whether you’re rededicating.  And we want to know.  I would encourage you after we pray to fill that card out and hand it to an usher, put it in the bucket, or hand it to a team member.