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Uncovering Your S.H.A.P.E. What Are Spiritual Gifts? Let’s start by clarifying what they are not. First, your spiritual gifts are not the same as your personality traits. A personality test is not an adequate indicator of what spiritual gifts you possess. Your personality traits, however, do provide natural vehicles for expressing your gifts. For example, if God wired you to be outgoing, then your gifts will work best as you actively engage other ­people. If you are more reserved by nature, your personality will complement your giftedness. Second, spiritual gifts are not the same as natural talents. You can be a very talented architect, salesperson, or manager, but those are not spiritual gifts. Leslie B. Flynn explains, “Talents have to do with techniques and methods; gifts have to do with spiritual abilities. Talents depend on natural power, gifts on spiritual endowment.” Third, spiritual gifts are not the same as the fruit of the Spirit described in Galatians 5:22 – 23: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The fruit of the Spirit reveal Christ’s contribution to our character, while our spiritual gifts reveal the contribution we make to God’s kingdom. So what are spiritual gifts? For this study, let’s define a spiritual gift as a God-given special ability, given to every believer at conversion by the Holy Spirit, to share his love and strengthen the body of Christ. The Bible tells us in 1 Peter 4:10 that God is the gift giver: “God has given gifts to each of you from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Manage them well so that God’s generosity can flow through you” (NLT). I love how Os Guinness, in his book The Call, talks about the role of giftedness. Os says, “The purpose of giftedness is stewardship and ser­ vice, not selfishness.” God gives us these special abilities for specific reasons. Spiritual gifts only work in spiritual ways. Designed to bring great color and clarity to your life, they can only be used to their full potential when empowered by the Holy Spirit, who dwells in the life of every believer. Only those who have entered into a personal relationship with Christ have these gifts. I define Kingdom Purpose as... your specific contribution to the body of Christ, within your generation, that causes you to totally depend on God and authentically display his love toward others—all through the expression of your unique S.H.A.P.E. The Bible says, Each person is given something to do that shows who God is: Everyone gets in on it, everyone benefits (1 Corinthians 12:7, MSG). The fascinating thing to me is that literally everything God makes is unique — every human, animal, flower, tree, and every blade of grass. He didn’t clone anything. Even identical twins possess their own individual uniqueness. That ought to tell us that our individuality is a sacred trust — and what we do with it is our gift to God. Our best contribution in life — our “utmost for his highest” — can only be made as we allow God to finish his work in progress and perfect our uniqueness. To live without discovering our uniqueness is to not really live. I think God is heartbroken when his children miss out on the potential he has placed inside of them. Kay Warren could be the prototype for anyone who wants to learn about hearts that beat for God. In her story I see five passion principles that can inspire us to dream big and think beyond our fears, in the process discovering our own unique, emotional heartbeats for God. They are: 1. Know what drives you. For Kay Warren, that is God and her desire to use everything he has given her to bring glory to his name every day of her life. 2. Know who you care about. For Warren, it clearly includes those impacted by HIV/AIDS. 3. Know the needs you will meet. For Warren, it includes spiritual, emotional, and physical needs. 4. Know the cause you will help conquer. For Warren, it is the desire to dramatically decrease the spread of HIV/ AIDS in the world through care, education, and medicine. 56 Uncovering Your S.H.A.P.E. Request help from others. What two sources of wisdom can you seek help from to discover your spiritual gifts?

Passion is the fuel of life. It is the great source of energy and drive. It’s what makes us explore new vistas, develop new relationships, and seek solutions to perplexing problems. Bob Buford, Halftime Filled with Scripture and real-life stories, S.H.A.P.E. presents a series of challenges that will guide you through the process of discovering your personal blend of: It's all here: insights that can change the way you look at yourself and how you live your life and practical guidance for applying them. Discover how to apply your amazing array of personal attributes in ways that bring confidence, freedom, clarity, and significance that can only come from your Creator. gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues (1 Co­rin­thi­ ans 12:28). It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers (Ephesians 4:11). Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms (1 Peter 4:9 – 10).Spiritual Gifts: A set of special abilities that God has given you to share his love and serve others. Experiences: Those parts of your past, both positive and painful, which God intends to use in great ways. God wants you to truly understand and accept who he has made you to be. He longs for you to experience the release that comes with simply living as the person he created you to be. It's all here: insights that can change the way you look at yourself and how you live your life and practical guidance for applying them. Discover how to apply your amazing array of personal attributes in ways that bring confidence, freedom, clarity, and significance that can only come from your Creator. Product Details Our leader is a Servant. But we can be slow to follow. Erik Rees has written the servant’s manual and it’s accessible, illuminating, applicable, and inspiring.” John Ortberg Teaching Pastor Menlo Park (California) Presbyterian Church

The material is genius. Erik delivers on the promise of the book to help you discover the purpose for which God's created you. I feel a million times closer to that now that before I read the book. But...all great things in life must be shared. And I think when you're reorienting your life like this, you need tangible support from close friends and family. Another assignment I remember from that college art class involved using a potter’s wheel to create something from clay. I spent three weeks trying to master the use of the wheel, with little success. My pitiful excuse for a bowl resembled nothing that could be called art. The cute girl in the class, however, could make beautiful pots. The clay seemed to come alive in her hands, as her skillful fingers molded it into any shape she desired. She was able to make the wheel spin at the perfect speed and apply just the right pressure to the clay. Do you see the importance of love when it comes to using our gifts for God? Paul tells us we may have wonderful and valuable spiritual gifts, but without love we are unusable. To determine what is truly propelling your spiritual gifts, ask yourself, “Who is the primary beneficiary of my actions?” If your actions benefit others, you are serving with love. If you realize you are the prime beneficiary of your actions, you need to immediately realign yourself with God. A love-driven life is the life God uses. In his book, Why You Can’t Be Anything You Want to Be, Arthur F. Miller Jr. talks about the danger of misusing what God has given us. “The dark 46 One of those people is John Baker—an ordinary man God has used in extraordinary ways. For many years, John battled an addiction to alcohol. It almost cost him his marriage, his family, and his life. Thankfully, John found God through his local church. That turning point led him to write his senior pastor a lengthy letter, outlining the vision for a ministry he believed God was nudging him to start. He also confessed his feelings of inadequacy about taking on such a task. Not long after, the pastor challenged John to go after his dream. Are eager to be known as ambassadors for Christ in the world. • Willingly work hard to see churches reach their full potential for God. h Yes h Maybe h No Discernment: The God-given special ability to serve and strengthen the body of Christ by recognizing truth or error within a message, person, or event. ­People with this gift . . . • Find it easy to “read” others, and are most often right. • Recognize the spiritual source of a message — whether it is from God, Satan, or man. • Recognize inconsistencies in others. • Easily identify ­people’s true motives and agendas. • Perceive when the truth is twisted or communicated with error. h Yes h Maybe h No Encouragement: The God-given special ability to serve and strengthen the body of Christ by helping others live God-centered lives through inspiration, encouragement, counseling, and empowerment. ­People with this gift . . . • Are driven to inspire others and impact their lives positively for Christ. • Rejoice with those whose reliance on Christ has helped them overcome difficult life situations. • Seek out opportunities to help others reach their full potential in Christ. • Are natural encouragers, whether in words or through actions. • Rejoice at others’ success. h Yes h Maybe h No Evangelism: The God-given special ability to serve and strengthen the body of Christ by sharing the love of Christ with others in a way that draws them to respond by accepting God’s free gift of eternal life. ­People with this gift . . . 39I’ve seen high school students gain permission to be who God has made them to be instead of what their friends and culture tell them to be. I have seen those in retirement find renewed purpose and vision for their life. The truth is, God made everyone and made everyone unique — and that includes you! During my freshman year of college, I took an art class—not because it was my major, but purely for the fun of it. (Well, to be honest, I took the class because of a cute girl who also had signed up for it!) One of our assignments was to study works on display at area art museums and galleries. So one day a classmate and I drove to an art show. That very chapter of Scripture—Hebrews 11—lists many ordinary people who by faith accomplished extraordinary things for God, among them Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Moses, and Rahab. Over the years, I have had the privilege of personally seeing thousands of ordinary people live out their Kingdom Purpose through their confident assurance in God. You Are Special is ripe with the meaning of unconditional love. Although intended for children, I’m encouraged by it myself. I appreciate how Eli, the loving woodcarver, took time to help Punchinello see just how special he was, regardless of what others thought or said about him. Like Punchinello, we all need to take time to visit with our Creator. How else can he demonstrate to us how we stand apart from all his other works of art?

A main take away for me is this point by Erik Rees: the key to spiritual transformation is meeting God in vulnerability – the inclination is to show presentable parts – that’s like going to the dentist and only showing him your good teeth. Trust God to meet our shame, weaknesses and sin with his love. Filled with Scripture and real-life stories, S.H.A.P.E. presents a series of challenges that will guide you through the process of discovering your personal blend of:• The next year, John launched a new ministry called Celebrate Recovery, a biblical process to help people find freedom from addictions through the love and grace of Jesus Christ. For the next ten years, God used John to deliver hundreds of people from the grip of destructive lifestyles. In 2004, President George W. Bush publicly recognized John for bringing hope to hurting people. Today, Celebrate Recovery is an international ministry helping millions of people overcome painful pasts and harmful addictions through the merciful, powerful love of Jesus. God doesn’t create anything without value. He is the ultimate craftsman. And he designed you specifically to fulfill a unique role in his ultimate plan to establish his kingdom on earth. Even though each of us has made mistakes that make it more difficult for him to perfect, we still are a special work of the Creator’s hands. He even takes time to know about our day-to-day lives. In fact, he is smiling right now, rejoicing as you seek to discover the masterpiece you are to him. Trap #4: Deception The final trap Satan uses is deception. He manipulates you into believing you have certain gifts that God in fact has not given you — distracting you from putting your true gifts into effect and preventing you from accomplishing what God intended for your life. This deception especially plays itself out when it comes to leadership. John Maxwell has said, “If you think you are a leader, but no one is following you — you are just taking a walk.” ­People like that often expect results that will be blessed by God, yet God never meant for them to be a leader — at least not in the way they imagine. Be wary of Satan’s deception as you begin to share the gifts God has given you. Focus on God so he can reveal the spiritual gifts he has for you and show you how he wants you to use them for his glory. An excellent way to ensure that you don’t fall prey to one of these traps is to ask trustworthy ­people in your life for help and accountability.G r a b b i n g H o l d Reflect on what you have learned. What did this chapter show you about spiritual gifts? Know your ultimate dream for God’s kingdom. For Warren, her dream is to help eradicate HIV/AIDS it in her lifetime. Now let’s explore each of those principles in more detail.

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. Based on the purpose of ministry outlined in The Purpose Driven Life, this inspiring guidebook gives you the tools to: Uncovering Your S.H.A.P.E. Chapter 1: Masterpiece. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Chapter 2: Spiritual Gifts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Chapter 3: Heart. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Chapter 4: Abilities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Chapter 5: Personality. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81 Chapter 6: Experiences. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 The fascinating thing to me is that literally everything God makes is unique—every human, animal, flower, tree, and every blade of grass. He didn’t clone anything. Even identical twins possess their own individual uniqueness. That ought to tell us that our individuality is a sacred trust—and what we do with it is our gift to God. Our best contribution in life—our utmost for his highest—can only be made as we allow God to finish his work in progress and perfect our uniqueness. To live without discovering our uniqueness is to not really live. I think God is heartbroken when his children miss out on the potential he has placed inside of them. ³ Here God gives us a clear, beautiful picture to explain his relationship to us. He is the master craftsman; we are like clay in his hands. His role is to carefully shape us; ours is to remain pliable, allowing him to do so. It’s amazing how well the process works when we cooperate! As the prophet Isaiah emphasized: And yet, LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, and you are the potter. We are all formed by your hand (Isaiah 64:8, NLT).Lucado ends his comments with these powerful words: Can you be anything you want to be? I don’t think so. But can you be everything God wants you to be? I do think so. And you do become that by discovering your uniqueness.