Faith and Fitness, Part 4: Live a Godly Life, Part 2 (SHAPE)

What is your spiritual SHAPE?

​By Pastor Greg Byman
St Joe Community Church
January 27, 2019

​As the calendar turns to 2019, millions of Americans will resolve to be better, and probably for millions of motivations. Too many Christians, however, are unwittingly making New Year's resolutions to earn God's love. Today, Pastor Greg Byman dives back into Ephesians 4:15 to learn how to Live a Godly Life, and this week we're focusing on your SHAPE: 

1. Spiritual Gifts
2. Heart
3. Abilities
4. Personality
5. Experiences

Pastor's notes

Click to download Pastor's notes in MS Word format.

Transcription

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Well how anyone know the power that we just prayed about how would any how is anyone even going to know that Jesus is awesome unless we show them by the way we live out our lives in front of them how in the world will they experience that power that we just pray that we just saying we all get excited what a wonderful name it is he sed healed the sick he cured those who were blind he did all kinds of cool things and we give him the strength we just honor him praise him the small ring and we come in here and say yes God Yes it's a big pep rally for Jesus but if we don't share that with somebody else if we don't let them see that victory in our lives when we leave this building today it is just going to be the holy huddle and will become the frozen chosen we got to display and do and show the power of God bring the book that I would recommend from Bob Goff called everybody always and it's about loving people right with the our God and call us to love people that are likeable he calls us to love people that we that are not likable he calls us to love people that are dirty he causes a lot of people that we don't want to be around and by the way everybody in this room is probably rubbed shoulders or got near somebody they didn't really like and don't say you can admit that this morning and got called you to love that person God called me to love someone that disagrees with me to him minutely about a worldview or heaven forbid politically I'm supposed to love everybody even if they're not in my camp when it comes to what I like or what football team I like I love that little meme that said and just like that everybody became a Rams fan. I know some of you Patriot fans are going to hate me now but it's kind of funny you got to admit but you know you got a lot of people right where they are. As they are not until they all love them when they change. You love them through the change because someone loved you through the change I could have been kicked out on the curb many times by the way I behaved in my house when I grew up I was actually a couple tough sick go outside run around the house 20 times come back in that was that was 80 medicine when I was a kid but anyway house game I got to know that power unless we display it living a godly life now you're going to hear much more clearly how we depend on God completely for that power and we're not impressing him and we're not doing this to impress any body and you can hear that in the messages previous to today's message and their online you can get those you get the notes if you don't want to hear my voice just look at the notes and read The Power Points and let God fill in the blanks that's OK too I don't want you to miss the fact that we don't do it by ourselves it's the grace of God then enables us to do this and we need the grace and the power and the Gospel of Jesus Christ more as a 5th mature believer is much as much as we did when we were a brand new coming to Christ person and I was when I was born again when I became a follower of Jesus Christ at the age of 8 years old I need to see the power of that saying gospel that I simply believe trusted trust and obey for those no other way to be happy in Jesus to trust and obey those of the old song I sang probably that Sunday that same verse needs to be true in my life today I need to trust him as much or more today to cover my sin and to empower me to overcome sin than I did when I was a kid because I've discovered that I'm much deeper center than I thought I was when I was 8 and if it won for Jesus I would have I'm in deep doodoo without. But when God fixes you want to know that you have a want to do the right thing you need to do the right thing you need to live for Jesus and someone who says I can I got saved I got my fire insurance I'm not going to hell I got wet doused that flame out of my life and now I just do whatever I want I don't have to live for Jesus I don't have to be a part of the Body of Christ I don't have to I can just pick and choose what I want to believe out of the Bible I'll look at it occasionally especially when there's some little Spivey thing on Facebook or Twitter or on Instagram I like those little sayings let me cherry pick what I want to hear from God that and cut it and it scares me when someone thinks they got some sort of religion when they were a kid and there's nothing to show for it as an adult we got to live for Jesus and efficient Schefter for the Bible tells us that he gave some to be apostles some prophet some of Vangelis some pastors and teachers equipping the saints for the work of ministry to build up the body of Christ until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God's Son growing into maturity with a stature measured by Christ fullness the Maturity is not what I think I am it's what God says I am and the litmus test is not what I you know so well I'm better than that person over there yeah a raw our example is not that person over there I love to say that well at least I'm better than and I pick a name this week that I've been across as a least I'm better than that pastor over there yeah I look at them yeah I judge them wrong pray for me yeah I serve better than that person I can do that but my mike My standard is not that person over there my standard is Jesus and I go a long way to go and you got a lot of prayers for me I hope because I'm not there yet. The standard is Christ our maturity is based upon how close are we to looking like Jesus out there not just in here how close are we the moment we woke up maybe we should look at that moment but the but the moment that we can think clearly about doing the right thing are we going to do it and are we empowered by God to do in our sweet trusting in him to let us know how to do it so we talked last week about spiritual habits and we're going to continue that the small. As we act on our spiritual want to that god fixed when he came into our lives disciples are disciplined loop 923 says Jesus said If you want to if you want to come after me need to know My yourself take up your cross and follow me take up your cross daily not just something you do occasionally but you die to yourself every day you die to what the world says you ought to be you die to what the mirror says you ought to be what you think the mirror should reflect back to you set you died to everything except for what Jesus stands for and you let everything you just let it all go and say God I'm all yours and in 1st Timothy 47 he said train yourself and godliness this is a practice I want to change who I am you know how you change who you are you stop doing the things you should do start doing things that should you start adding to your life these habits that will enable you that will that will enliven you to do the right thing and. We talked about a few of them last week we talked about fellowship and let us watch out for one another to provoke on love and good works not neglecting to gather together is somewhere in the habit of doing but encouraging each other all the more as you see the day approaching That's Face to Face Time that's getting with one another time that's hanging out time. That's not just Sunday morning pep rally time that's community in action it does include coming together as a body of Christ and the rhythm of being together on the 1st day of the week was a stablished in the book of Acts it was and is an ongoing pattern that has continued even to this day is an ongoing understanding that we gather together on a regular basis unless we're providentially 100 from doing so but it's not just about gathering for an hour or 2 to come together in one building it's about being together hanging out with each other and encouraging in another and helping each of spring one another on the good works fellowship and then we talked about prayer we need to talk to God we need to talk and spend time with him and Jesus stand let's read this together see I stand at the door and knock if anyone hears my voice and opens the door I will come in to him and eat with him and he with Me How many here like to eat now good stuff that's why we say free lunch come to the discovery membership last free lunch here about Safe Families free all this we all love it we're going to have a have a celebration of life but afterwards we're going to eat a fellowship meal together yeah you guys as a cougar family and friends are all going to get together the bodhi family with Koogler of which is a part of a lot of it anyway we're going to get together and eat because eating and fellowship and hanging out it's all kind of what we do to kind of be together and hang out and enjoy fellas and so that's what prayer is prayer is hanging out with Jesus not oh yes sometimes it's that sometimes it's this sometimes just walking and talking to God sometimes driving the car with your eyes open talking to God not praying about the person that got you off praying about your attitude about the person that cut you off. Oh, me or a man I don't know which one it is. And then we talked about Bible study and I gave you what was the acronym name soaped S.-O. A.P. OK so clean your life up with Bible study news soap and then you can get that later but I can go over that today and today I had warned everybody it was here last week snow day 85 people decided snow day was enough they still came just saying OK for those of you that were here but I told them I warned them we're going to talk about something that you're not supposed to talk about church right tithing with that word tithes and offerings giving money let's read these verses together to warmest up honor the Lord with your possessions and with the 1st produce of your entire harvest Now let's look at that real quick the leftovers of your harvest is that what it says now when you're done with all your bills if you have any left give a little bit back to God Is that what it says No I keep hearing my back to you I'm sorry but it's up there too but I can't see that easily and at 1st Corinthians Let's go on 1st glance $162.00 on the 1st day of the week each of you is to set a something aside and save in keeping with how he is prospering it's according to what you're being given it you get out of your increase on the 1st day of the week this is again the pattern of the New Testament Church met on the 1st day that week they prayed and they worship together nay broke bread together and all those things that you do when you're worshipping together as the Body of Christ and he said and the pattern of giving was that they were going to collect a huge offering and give it to the famine that was taking place down in Jerusalem Gentiles helping Jews the Jewish church was in stores struggling and Paul says hey why when you do this the best way to do it is instead of saying well I'll give at the very end of the campaign. You know each week you get paid each day you get paid actually in that time and every time they you need to set aside each week a portion of that so that the end will have what we need to take and give to the need that's that we talked about all along that's the context of 1st Corinthians $162.00 and so the idea is that you know our church family we passed a budget and you continue to have needs each month we have you know our light bill or electric bill our gas bill all different things going on building but we also have ministry we buy Bibles and we buy literature and the kids connection has stuff going on the youth group does stuff we have people that you guys support us as a family to be full time if that is not something the church was and do than I need to find some part time work and I'm fine with doing that but right now the church feels lead and we feel led to be part of helping our family by. By providing for our needs we provide needs for 2 other staff members are worse of leader and worship team band leader and also for our youth ministry David and Jamie and we have different needs and each week the body of Christ comes and sets aside a certain amount out of their 1st fruit and in keeping with how they have prospered can't give what you don't have and you give on a regular basis on a rhythm so that the needs of the Body of Christ are met there's more to it than that but we always have a faith budget a budget is an illegal list it document but it is a legal means by which our team leaders have the right to spend money and use a congregation vote to give the authority of our teams to spend the money that we receive as a body of Christ on a weekly basis. And when you do that then they get it but as Karen and sherry as part of the finance team and as our elders bill kind of serves. Ex-officio as one of our elders on that team and we have other advisers that help us and involved in our finances you don't spend what you don't have and B. So how you doing it says well we are underfunded but solvent we always have what we need but there could be more generosity that would enable us to do more and those are part of our dreams and faith and plans I mean I'm sure say families has the real budget and then they have the faith budget they could do so much more if they had this but they know if they have this they'll do this and God always takes care of and we found that as a church family we don't even pass an offering plate we just felt that culturally that was something that was well I mean going to all kinds of details about that but we decided to have an offering box and we didn't really talk about too much and even ever since we ever started in 2003 even as we stay started to assume taking care of my family and myself in 2002 new year's October November range we've always had what God got always provided for what we needed it's always done that. We've never browbeat it we've never not people that we never said you know I think you make this much money not given enough I may think that but I'm not going to say that's not that's not the point you know you know it's a white ties really you made 5000 dollars last year net gross I mean what's that all about and oh no I don't think so tithing is 10 percent by the way and so isn't what I can figure that out pretty quick but I don't I don't look at what people give i don't i Cal you'll get a letter from me thanking you for giving Sherry is the one that knows what that is and she's going to match that giving record with my letter on her own I'm not going to be there and she's going to get that she's starting next week so you'll have that for your taxes for those of you that want to boost your ability to not let the government have as much as they want from you it's not about taxes but that is a benefit but God always has taken care of us and so giving is as an act of worship it's an act of obedience it's trusting God with our finances it's secure to our materialistic society and our thinking that we really are it's all about us it's not about us it's about him and about demonstrating to other people that we're trusting in Him not our things we're trusting in Him not our salaries couple other verses so he sort of ties and offerings us hear that in churches give your ties and give your offerings What does that mean well tithing is the 10 percent that's expected that's the normal level of obedience that's the minimum that's 10 percent is just saying I'm going to and by the way temp sensor Elisi is take what you get that week and put move the decimal over one spot to the right to the left and you've got a ties and that's what you give to the Lord trusting him with your resources. One point there's several verses up there that highlight this the very bottom line there Matthew 2323 Jesus Rivette referred to tithing he said yeah you do well the ties but you need to do more than that and talked about the are there activity B.D.'s they're doing the right thing not just giving financially so Jesus reference tithing as a normal and expected habit but he said it's more than just tithing in that was the context of that but he did bring that so it's well that's an Old Testament thing now to do tests and thing will Jesus kind of assumed that's what people were going to be doing all along not just something that happened in the Old Testament but Malakai 3 specifically on this going to read it real quick it says and starting in verse 8 he says well man RAB rob God yet you're robbing me how do we rob God you ask by not making the payments of the tense and the contributions you are suffering under a curse yet you the whole nation are still robbing me and in verse 10 this is where we talk about bringing the why offerings we believe is as a storehouse tithing that we give to where we give where we get fed we give where we belong we give where we are part of the community of faith 1st by not bringing the full tents into the storehouse so that there may be food in my house test me in this way says the Lord of armies see if I will not open the floodgates of have an employer out a blessing for you without measure in other words this is the only place in the Bible were God says test me this is the only place recessed see if my promise is true we've given this challenge to several times in our church and we've never been asked to repay this but we said hey test God and tithe 10 percent of your income for a month and if you don't feel like God bless you in any particular way you keep track of it because and we'll keep track of it because you give it under your name and will refund your money. Now that's not really a Biblical concept I don't think it's anti biblical but I'm so convinced that God will bless you if you'll start doing what he asks you to do that we're not going to have to worry about that promise being that you'll renege on your on your gifts I can tell you time and time again when I thought I don't have it to give this month that I can't live on 90 percent my bills are 150 percent and you're asking me God for 10 and I didn't quite say it that way but with trembling I would write that check hoping that maybe it would got cash before the other so that the church didn't know that I was backwards on my and I'm telling you what and now is more like there's poor and then there's college poor. And then they're single mom poor by the way that's a new level of poor. But I was at the college level of poor, so I don't know the with kids poor Why do you know that too but not quite the same way. And it was in college days and I thought there's no way this is this is going to work financially and then not only am I not a math whiz and realize that I was off on my balance but another windfall came in Beyond that I didn't realize was coming and God had it covered long before I caved the money you've got it to give God gave it to you and you don't own it it's his anyway so just do it the way you asked it to and see what God might have to do instead of you worrying and fretting over what little you have seen what God can do with that and expanding it in ways you never thought was possible this isn't about hyping up our budget in fact the next thing is offerings is anything beyond that 10 percent that's generosity. And in 1st Timothy Chapter 6 as part of some of those fat verses up there it says instruct those who are rich in the present age not to be arrogant or to set their hopes on the uncertainty of wealth but on God who richly provides us with all things to enjoy instruct them to do what is good to be rich and good works to be generous and willing to share storing up treasures for themselves as a good foundation for the coming age so that they may take hold of what is truly life offerings is beyond the 10 percent and saying God I Where do you want me to give what part of the Body of Christ do you want me to be a part of what extra things do you want me to do as part of my local church family while I just heard about say families identify with Bonny story. That tug at my heart I need to give an offering to what God's doing to say families I need to give an offering to what God's doing through other ministries Hope Center we talked about last week I'm going to be a part of something bigger than myself I need to contribute to something that I never realized that was a need and I need to be part of meeting that need because I'm rich in this world but I need to use my riches and leverage it to the glory of God because when if you've got a ton of cash when you die I've discovered that causes lots of fights but if you plan ahead with what that gobs of cash is going to do so that there's a plan in action I tell you someone who can give you all kinds of stories in this house and she lust for me I say out loud but Sherri could tell you all kinds of stories of family she works with trusts don't you and if you don't have a plan for what you're going to do with all that stuff that you have when you're gone some of you say what stuff but some of you had can say that stuff if you don't have a plan your kids might not know how to make a plan. And we need to help you and Sherri can get you some resources to help you put Raise your hand is Sherri some of you don't know Sherry and she's been in banking for many years but what we can get you on the track so that you can be an offering of blessing to instead of possibly causing heartache in the future so giving How do we give it our church real quick is the 3 ways the offering box when you leave there's an offering box to the right this one out of the 4 you're to the right as you go out into the great room and then bill pay you can actually go on your own banking account and you can write in the church address and the name and send a check to our mailbox and some people do that just much easier for them to put that in a regular system of giving they know pretty much what they want to give each week according to their paycheck and they do that and then Pay Pal we do offer Pay Pal as an option if you have electronic or you want to get through a debit card or some other way like that and we will use that that's a little more awkward for us to use but we want to be right where you are in the way you normally use your we don't have a credit card swipe yet I've I you know when I went to enterprise one time they came out to my car with this hip thing right and I said gave him a card in the here you go sir I do have to go back into the desk so I thought maybe next week we'd have Bob if you would if you just have one of those hip things and was go down the aisle vastness Master Card Visa discover it not American Express now it. Some people have put in giving kiosks and we just don't we aren't at the giving level to where it would be fit there's cost involved in that there's an overhead charge and if we get to that point and there's room enough interest we'll certainly do that because we want to it's not about exactly the way you give it's that you give and we want to be where you are in the way you're normally giving in and spending in and paying your own bills so that's what that's really what that's all about so typing that's huge that's a huge maturity level habit that will change your life if only you'll do it now we don't have time for a couple of more things this morning and we're going to continue our story next week but I want to talk about I want to start the conversation about the next habit and that's the habit of serving and then we have one more at the bottom of it next week for we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared ahead of time for us to do you know there's things that God had prepared for you to do before you ever thought about trusting him with your life there are things that God wanted you to do way in advance of you even thinking about being a blessing to somebody else how many here discovered in the last 10 years something you never realize you could be good at for God's sake and you've been a blessing to somebody can use Put your hand in the air all over this room and you go wow I had no I didn't what I did not take God by surprise because God already prepared those things for you to do and that cool he knew you'd be where you were to be a blessing in that particular way he prepared in advance for you to do Have you ever had a divine energy I see intervention a divine appointment with somebody. That you came across their path and suddenly you realize I was meant to be at this place at this time to be a blessing to this person they were as much a blessing to me as I was to them and wow God did some kind of great work right here because he knew I would be here and he put them right in front of my path how many have had that circumstance which God prepared in advance ahead of time for us to do wow we get on God's timetable live in his rhythm cool things start to happen cool things start to happen that's when I say people see the great power of the name what a beautiful name it is you know why they know it's beautiful cause you're beautiful in the way you display his name in your action in front of them that's how they know it's power because no one I remember one time we were plant doing something with a friend of mine who is close to God not close not this close as I'd like to see him to God. But he's a believer and he's a good old boy I grew up in good old boy Landon So he's from good old boy land and southern Ohio who he has lots of flannel and country music and. And somehow my daughter never lived there and my 1st born daughter loves flannel and loves country music What's that all about and I'm starting to like country again a way that's just I can't believe I admitted that out loud. But we're not go with this where was I know you he was I was really was at my house and we're putting something together and we're fresh traded because the electric sit circuits in my house were not there not code there are safe but not the way and we're trying to wire it up the way it's cheap short now and I can't all and suddenly what I had this fixture fell and I think something broke I don't remember but all I know is that he expected a curse word to come flying out of my mouth and I went oh now trust me God's done a work in my life. And there's there are not times that I haven't thought about those words even I'm just saying OK I'm a human being and I live in a fallen place and I'm still of center saved by grace but somehow God kept me from saying a word that I might have said in the past and he goes Man I want what he has you didn't curse so then I would let it fly when that happened and is this my house not his and he has I can't believe that says will praise God because it wasn't Greg it was Jesus it was a moment to display the power of God by doing the right thing by habit not just by legalism Oh I can't believe he cursed whatever just get over the legalism of that just start living in the power of God and see it displayed and make a difference in your workplace be the person that doesn't laugh at the dirty jokes not because you might think they're funny because in your carnal side you know that's kind of funny but because you know that that's not affirming or respectful and way before the need to movement it's flat wrong Biblically God didn't create us to act that way about other human beings ever even if it was culturally except period display the power of God we do that by serving in our giftedness and real quick I'm just going to go over a couple of ways in which God gives us the way were shaped God wants us to serve how were shaped and we're going to use S. H. A P. E. You can start on your bulletin on the left-hand side S. H. A P. E. And the 1st one we're going to talk about this morning is that we have spiritual gifts they're all up there OK Now flip to the next one real quick David because I don't know it's just you know you didn't get all that yet so go the next one here you'll get the rest on later OK look up here spiritual gifts God gives every one of us. Spiritual a spiritual gift sometimes it can go and here is the one of the verses that talks about that and he gave himself and he himself gave some to be apostles some prophets some avenging the some pastors teachers and he quit equipping the saints for the work of ministry that's what it's for he gave us people that were gifted in sport to killer ways and there's other gift lists in the Bible and we have an entire seminar that we talk about your gifts and we don't have time to talk about all that today but when you became a follower of Christ he endowed you spiritually with particular gifts he himself God the Father through the power of the Holy Spirit and under the direction of the Lord Jesus Christ is the head of his church gave you a spiritual gift everyone has at least one and I call them motivational gifts there's a particular good now say well how do I know what my gift is start serving start asking questions I can give you all there's all kinds of online diagnostic tests that's fine I found those to be helpful for some people they usually reveal about the same thing that I've kind of discovered as I've learned and taught and been part of the Body of Christ but really those gifts you just don't you don't know for sure until you start doing something for God Next week we're going to continue on the shape but I wanted you to understand that we are shaped to serve God in a special way and it comes by his spiritual endowment not just by you being deputized by some other place and just like Bonnie said when she talked about say families we can we can find any place for somebody to serve in their gift in this you figure out some kind of your motivation your heart your spiritual gifts and I'm sure there's a place for you to serve and be a part of St Joe Community Church in some way shape or form we believe people ought to be hanging out with the body of Christ weekly regular basis. In worship hanging out on Sunday morning we believe everybody ought to be part of a connection group a small group experience where you're around in circles not just in rows you're getting to know friends and we believe everybody ought to be serving somewhere and displaying the power of God through the way God shapes them to serve in his name we're going to talk more about that next week in fact next week we're going to have a bunch of all the ministry teams are going to be displayed out on the great room for you to see what we have available for you to be involved in here at St Joe Community Church seeing jump in and be a part of it some then take anything more than being a warm body in a pulse and having a smile summit it means getting. Really down on the down in the muck in the mire and really digging in and serving and huge waves and everywhere in between because we believe that if you if you if you're not expressing yourself in service the way God wanted you to do be doers of the word not just here is of the word you heard that from the very beginning today and we just want to help you to hear from God not us telling you what to do I'll tell you what did you want me to but that usually doesn't work it's you discovering what God's got in store for you being open to seeing what it is in front of you that you can engage yourself in the middle of and serving Him and awesome in powerful ways and seeing his grace come through you and powerful ways that stand or feed our teams going to saying one more song this morning before we dismiss you know in this cold weather. I'm prone to stop that every car that's got their flashers on out on the highway specially out in the countryside where I my house is and yesterday was no exception the young man was pulled over and I did a U. Turn and put my have a chaplain's. Reflector vest on and I put that on and from the police department I took that and got out and I just said Hey can I is there anything I can do for you he said no my dad's Come on I ran out of gas great on your way sometimes serving people's as simple as asking a question and everything's fine that's just fine all the way up to someone's having a medical emergency and you're there and you might see that person rescued because they're along the side of the road and you stop to help them now not everybody feels safe enough and you shouldn't if you're not safe enough to do that. And you need to be safe yourself and any call 911 don't get out of the car if you see a major emergency so that I say real help a lot of help can come and then help you police officers always call in that they're getting out of their car before they go to the emergency because they need backup and where the backup But what I'm saying is you never know by stopping and looking around you at somebody in need what kind of a blessing you will be for that and I'll tell you what that Bible verses says it is more bless it to give than it is to receive I want you to drink from that well because you will be hooked that's my prayer I don't want to get all the blessing of serving everything and doing everything around here I want you to be in on what god's up to and get a spill out of all the blessings that he has in store for all of us his way show us God how we're to respond of small.