{"id":1898,"date":"2017-09-04T09:05:09","date_gmt":"2017-09-04T14:05:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/?p=1898"},"modified":"2017-12-07T16:31:56","modified_gmt":"2017-12-07T22:31:56","slug":"spiritual-gifts-your-calling-and-gods-vision-and-your-vision-coming-together","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/2017\/09\/04\/spiritual-gifts-your-calling-and-gods-vision-and-your-vision-coming-together\/","title":{"rendered":"Spiritual Gifts: Your Calling and God\u2019s Vision and Your Vision, Coming Together"},"content":{"rendered":"

Adapted from the, \u201cDiscovering God\u2019s Vision<\/a>
\nFor Your Life, You and Your Spiritual Gifts.”
\nBy Kenneth C. Haugk.
\nPart 4 of 4.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, there is no audio or video associated with this sermon.<\/p>\n

1 Corinthians 1:26-30
\nMatthew 11:29-30<\/p>\n

Module 7 Your Calling<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Ministry of Every Christian<\/strong><\/p>\n

Vocation<\/strong><\/p>\n

The root of the English word vocation is the Latin vocare<\/em>, which means \u201cto call.\u201d\u00a0 This concept of vocation flows out of the medieval view that a person\u2019s work flows out of his or her place in the divine scheme of things.\u00a0 No matter the occupation, the activities they did were fulfilling God\u2019s call to them.\u00a0 Since their calling was from God, what they did in life had both dignity and purpose.\u00a0 Something that we may have lost these days.<\/p>\n

As you can see, vocation is far more comprehensive then \u201cWork, Occupation, Job or Career.\u201d\u00a0 Through vocation, there is meaning, meaning through God\u2019s calling of you.<\/p>\n

The greatest challenge for any Christian is to place of his or her life under Christ\u2019s claim.\u00a0 However, this can be fostered by ministering in the church, through the church and outside the church.\u00a0 In other words, in one\u2019s daily life.\u00a0 All ministries, whether inside or outside of the church, are necessary and important.<\/p>\n

Ministry vs. Volunteerism<\/strong><\/p>\n

There is a great deal of good done through the workforce of volunteers.\u00a0 The world benefits significantly.\u00a0 Both the volunteer and the ones on the receiving side of the volunteer, benefit.\u00a0 Is volunteerism the right word to describe the work that happens in the church?\u00a0 Most certainly not.\u00a0 Sure, Christians do unpaid service but beyond that, any resemblance to volunteerism ends.<\/p>\n

Looking through the lenses of biblical theology of ministry and calling, there are no \u201cvolunteers.\u201d\u00a0 All are ministers.\u00a0 That right there is significant.\u00a0 When Christians, you and I, truly believe in our hearts that are ministering, it changes the way we regard ourselves.\u00a0 It also changes the way we think about those we serve and those who serve us.<\/p>\n

Spiritual Gifts and Burnout Prevention<\/strong><\/p>\n

The term \u201cburnout\u201d actually goes back to the 1940\u2019s and was first used to describe the condition of a jet engine shutting down.\u00a0 Later, it became to known as a rocket engine that had consumed all its fuel, and simply shuts off.<\/p>\n

Today we associate it as a metaphor for people \u201cshutting down.\u201d\u00a0 Burnout has a sense of being used up, emptied and being ready to quit or to be discarded.\u00a0 I am sure no one here has ever experienced that before.\u00a0 Yea, I bet a lot of us have.<\/p>\n

When we speak of spiritual gifts, they are not associated with burnout.\u00a0 Here is why I tell you this.\u00a0 One major cause of burnout is being continually involved in activities that do not use our gifts.\u00a0 Hear me again, one major cause of burnout is being continually involved in activities that do not use our gifts. Experts in the field have said that many instances of burnout, actually stem from boredom.\u00a0 Here\u2019s the thing though.\u00a0 If you are using your spiritual gifts, the gifts given to you by the Spirit, then you will not be bored.\u00a0 Note, I said your spiritual gifts, not someone else\u2019s gifts but your own.\u00a0 Being who God meant you to be, will not be boring.<\/p>\n

Let me tell you about the Parable of the Carburetor.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Once upon a time the one-millionth Ford Mustang carburetor came off the production line, had its picture taken (gleaming metal, functional, burnished) and was seized by the Vice President in charge of Production for display in his office.\u00a0 There it sat for three years.\u00a0 Vice presidents at Ford come and go.\u00a0 This one went.\u00a0 The new vice president found a new purpose for the carburetor.\u00a0 He put it in a closet.\u00a0 Five years later, when the offices were being redecorated, it was shuffled off to the basement storage area.\u00a0 Ten years after that, when the basement was being cleaned, it was carted off to a junkyard where it languished for five more years.<\/p>\n

Then a man restoring a Mustang happened along, wondering whether the junkman might have any parts.\u00a0 The carburetor was unearthed, the man installed it in his restored car, and started the engine.<\/p>\n

The environment was hot and noisy, full of flame and controlled explosions and oil and grease and dirt and racket.<\/p>\n

The carburetor was in heaven.<\/p>\n

For the first time, the carburetor was using its gift.\u00a0 It was doing what it was supposed to.<\/p>\n

What is the moral of the story?\u00a0 Using your spiritual gift may look like hard work to those on the outside, but if you\u2019re on the inside doing it, if feels like heaven.<\/p>\n

This parable has many implications for our involvement in the church, and virtually any other aspect of our lives.\u00a0 When we are involved in our gifts areas, we are much less likely to burn out.\u00a0 Sure, we may get tired at times, but this can be a healthy tired, which differs greatly from burnout.<\/p>\n

We all have responsibilities that we must carry out.\u00a0 Just because an area of responsibility does not fall within our spiritual gifts, does not mean we should shirk our responsibilities.\u00a0 But any other activities outside of the things we MUST do, we should look at what our spiritual gifts are and use them, so we do not burnout.
\nDeploying your Gifts<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Bible clearly tells us that every member of the body of Christ, is gifted.\u00a0 Even more important is how to put them into practice.\u00a0 To do so, there needs to be an intentional discovery, development and deployment, so they can have the most impact.<\/p>\n

God\u2019s Will for Your Life<\/strong><\/p>\n

The best way to develop a \u201cChristian job description\u201d is to explore your spiritual gifts.\u00a0 When we do this intentionally, the process is wrapped in prayer.\u00a0 I wish I could say I had a good prayer life, I don\u2019t.\u00a0 In fact, when in seminary, I found that most of the pastors in seminary and outside, did not have a good sense of spiritual practices, aka prayer life.\u00a0 Our synod is offering a very inexpensive opportunity to explore spiritual practices.\u00a0 I announced this in a newsletter article and it is also in the welcome center.\u00a0 Along with some prayer practices.<\/p>\n

Spiritual Gifts and Your Life\u2019s Work<\/strong><\/p>\n

Spiritual gifts have an impact outside of the church.\u00a0 They impact our lives and our work.\u00a0 It doesn\u2019t matter what kind of work you do, there is always opportunities to use some of our spiritual gifts in our work, family and in our leisure time.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t quickly assume that your spiritual gifts cannot be used in your current job.\u00a0 Think upon your gifts and your current job.\u00a0 Pray upon the use of your gifts and see where you are directed.\u00a0 The important thing is to be open to where God is taking you.<\/p>\n

Module 8 God\u2019s Vision and Your Vision, Coming Together<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The Power of Vision<\/strong><\/p>\n

Just what is your vision for your life?\u00a0 To have a clear vision, you need to have a clear vision of your spiritual gifts.\u00a0 We need to understand the spiritual gifts so they can inform us in the directions we can focus our lives.\u00a0 Through that, we can move in the direction of a clear vision for our lives.<\/p>\n

When your vision for your life and ministry is informed by your spiritual gifts, then we see the merger of God\u2019s vision and Your Vision.\u00a0 They then come together as one.<\/p>\n

A vision is a clear picture of the further that provides a guiding purpose to your life.\u00a0 Vision inspires you to use your gifts, instructs you and focuses your efforts.\u00a0 This clear vision allows you to use your gifts to more effectively glorify God.<\/p>\n

Back to prayer.\u00a0 Prayer is an import part in determining your spiritual gifts.\u00a0 It is also important in getting a clear vision.\u00a0 It is important to communicated with God and listen for God to speak to you.\u00a0 Prayer is communication between you and God.\u00a0 Not just talking to God, but listening.\u00a0 Sometimes it is more like the psalmist who says in Psalm 46:10, \u201cBe still and know that I am God.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bloom where you are planted<\/strong><\/p>\n

What does it mean to bloom where you are planted?\u00a0 It means that we should do the best we can, just where we are at this moment.\u00a0 It means first, to know who I am.\u00a0 From there, to flower.\u00a0 That has been what I have been speaking about in this series.\u00a0 Determining our spiritual gifts, so we can be who we are, where we are and then flower where we are.\u00a0 It is up to you to bloom where you are planted.\u00a0 God has given all that is needed.<\/p>\n

If you were to make a banner to represent you blooming as a flower, what would it look like?\u00a0 What would you want to include and communicate to all, to see who God made you to be?\u00a0 Consider this.\u00a0 Put on your banner words that proclaim something about your faith.\u00a0 Maybe some symbols and a few words.<\/p>\n

Who has God made you to be?\u00a0 What are the gifts God has given you.\u00a0 Where is God leading you.\u00a0 Are you willing to go where your spiritual gifts take you?\u00a0 They came from God, and God tells us in Jeremiah 29,<\/p>\n

For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. 12\u00a0<\/sup>Then when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you. 13\u00a0<\/sup>When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart, 14\u00a0<\/sup>I will let you find me, says the Lord\u2026<\/p>\n

The Invitation<\/strong><\/p>\n

I am going to pass around today, clip boards.\u00a0 If you are at all interested in learning more about your spiritual gifts, then print your name, phone number and an email address.\u00a0 I want to give each of you an opportunity to participate in a church-wide study on spiritual gifts.\u00a0 It is an eight-week long study, where we will look deeper into our spiritual gifts.\u00a0 We will walk together with God, prayer with one another, prayer to God and listen for what he has given us.\u00a0 Let us find our clear visions and God\u2019s vision for us and walk in such a way, that the visions become one.<\/p>\n

If you cannot make that commitment now, that is okay.\u00a0 You can email me, email the office or call the office and let us know.\u00a0 I will also have a sign-up sheet at the welcome center.\u00a0 Once we know how many people, then we will form small groups to walk through the study.\u00a0 We will see what days\u2019 and times work best.\u00a0 Because of the importance of this study and the time that it takes, we will not have a Sunday class.\u00a0 Each class is 1 hr.\u00a0 So, we know the reality of that.\u00a0 It means an hour and 15 mins.<\/p>\n

Ask yourself.\u00a0 Can you spare 10 hrs. of your time to find out what God has given you.\u00a0 Can you spare 10 hrs. of the time God has given you, to walk with God?<\/p>\n

In confirmation this year, we will be doing the same study.\u00a0 Because of some other important topics that need to be covered, we will be doing the study over 16 weeks.<\/p>\n

Prayer:<\/p>\n

The God of all, who is and has been.\u00a0 Who gave you everything, also give you the heart to participate, to give back 10 hrs. of the time God has already given you, to find out what spiritual gifts God has given you and where God is leading you.\u00a0 In the name of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit.\u00a0 Amen<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Adapted from the, \u201cDiscovering God\u2019s Vision For Your Life, You and Your Spiritual Gifts.” By Kenneth C. Haugk. Part 4 of 4. Unfortunately, there is no audio or video associated with this sermon. 1 Corinthians 1:26-30 Matthew 11:29-30 Module 7 Your Calling\u00a0 The Ministry of Every Christian Vocation The root of the English word vocation … [Read more…]<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[57,130,137,72,21,102,78,83,4],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"entry","1":"post","2":"publish","3":"author-admin","4":"post-1898","6":"format-standard","7":"category-bible","8":"category-calling","9":"category-dreams","10":"category-evangelism","11":"category-faith","12":"category-god","13":"category-gospel","14":"category-sermon","15":"category-spirit"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2m6h5-uC","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1865,"url":"https:\/\/www.messy-spirituality.com\/wordpress\/2017\/08\/19\/spiritual-gifts-what-does-god-want-me-to-do-with-my-life-who-am-i\/","url_meta":{"origin":1898,"position":0},"title":"Spiritual Gifts: What Does God Want Me to Do with My Life? & Who Am I?","author":"Douglas Dill","date":"August 19, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Adapted from the, \u201cDiscovering God\u2019s Vision For Your Life, You and Your Spiritual Gifts.\" By Kenneth C. 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