Serving In Your Strengths

1 Corinthians 12:14-20, Ephesians 2:10

I want to spend some time helping you consider what your role might be.

Instead of just telling you that you’re the church and each of us has a part to play, I’d like to talk about how you might discern what that part might be.

I’ve been working on a Doctor of Ministry degree. I want to share a little something from my thesis that relates to our vision.

Developed by Gallup Organization, not a Christian organization. But there’s some things I think we can learn and see from a Biblical perspective.

Suppose your child (or you) gets

English A

Social Studies A

Biology C

Algebra F

What would you focus on?

77% focus on the “F” in Algebra, only 6% on the “A” in English, only 1% on the “A” in social studies. We tend to focus on our weaknesses.

If you have a performance review (or give one), where is most of the time focused on: strengths or weaknesses?

Preaching evaluations (received and given), 20% on “here’s what I liked,” and 80% on “here’s where you could improve and how to improve”

Have you ever done this with 1 Cor 13

Patient

Kind

Not envy

Not boast

Not proud

Not rude

Not self-seeking

Not easily angered

Keeps no record of wrongs

Not delight in evil

Rejoices with the truth

Always protects

Always trusts

Always hopes

Always perseveres

Which characteristics do you feel you’re good at?

Which characteristics do you feel you want to work on?

And then what do you focus on?

There is an underlying assumption that

Overcoming our weaknesses will lead to our greatest successes.

Your greatest room for growth is in developing your weaknesses.

And so people often spend a lot of time and energy trying to develop their weaknesses instead of developing their strengths.

Gallup contrasts two approaches and their assumptions

Weakness Fixing

All behavior can be learned

If you try hard enough, you can do it. Training is the key.

If you dream it, you can achieve it

Fixing weakness leads to success

Strengths Building

Some behaviors can be learned. Many are nearly impossible to learn.

Weakness fixing prevents failure. Strengths building leads to success

Some people spend the bulk of their energy trying to be more like somebody else.

Some people spend the bulk of their energy knowing how to live like themselves.

Now we can see this from a more Biblical lens.

1 Corinthians 12:14-20

The foot should not say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body.”

The ear should not say, “Because I am not the eye, I do not belong to the body.”

“But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.” (12:18)

God did not make any one of us to have all the gifts. We were all made with different strengths and weaknesses.

We were made to work together with different roles.

We were made to need each other, to grow together.

We’re not supposed to be well-rounded, complete. We’re supposed to be specialized. That’s the design of the body of Christ.

The ear is not supposed to spend all her energy trying to be more like an eye.

We believe God has made and arranged us so that our ministry will flow out of who we are, not in spite of who we are.

Ephesians 2:10

For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

I’ve preached on this passage before, so let me just say

We are His workmanship. God made us. He is the Potter, we are the clay. He is Michelangelo and we are his Sistine Chapel. He is Peter Jackson and you are his Lord of the Rings Triology.

He made us to do specific good works. Notice, it is not “good works” generic, but specific good works that He has prepared for us to do.

God made you and He made specific good works for you to do. God doesn’t do sloppy work. He has tailor-made you to be exactly who you are to do the very things He calls you to do.

Don’t spend your energy trying to be somebody else.

God has made you for a ministry purpose, and He has made you well.

He has made you so that your ministry will flow out of who you are, not in spite of who you are.

Let me give a theological illustration: Doctrine of Organic Inspiration

God used the human authors of Scripture to write according to their personality, vocabulary, and culture. God did not repress but utilized the humanity of the authors. For example, the writings of Paul have long, involved, complicated sentences (Eph 2:8, 9) while the writings of John have short, simple sentences (e.g., “God is love,” “Love one another”). God ordained that Ephesians and 1 John be written exactly as they were, and He used the authors’ personality, education, and writing styles to accomplish this.

The same principle can be applied to ministry/good works. God does not repress but utilizes our humanity. We need to recognize that we were created as we were so that God’s truth, God’s love, God’s presence could be communicated through each of us in our own way. You were made to serve in a particular way that is in alignment with the personality, experiences, education, family, interests, passions, that God has given you.

This is the gospel

Eph 2:10 is not telling you to do good works. This passage is telling you what God has done for you, the Gospel of Jesus Christ for us. He has made you well and prepared good works for you.

How has God made you?

Rich Warren and others talk about your SHAPE

Spiritual Gifts hospitality, shepherding, service, encouragement, leadership, wisdom

Heart passion, what gets you excited; Holy Discontent, what upsets you

Abilities medical, musical, writing, artistic abilities; good with kids, organization

Personality DiSC (people, task; dominant, passive), Myers-Briggs

Experiences student, parent; lived in rural areas, metropolitan areas, other countries/mission fields; suffering

I’d like to add another tool to help us understand how God has made us, and in particular, what strengths do we have.

StrengthsFinder

Gallup organization did over 2 million interviews with “successful” people from various fields and industries (doctors, lawyers, salespeople, teachers, accountants, etc.), and extracted 34 themes. Just to give you a feel, let me list a few:

Analytic Search for reasons and causes; think about all the factors that might affect a situation (P. Young & P. Charles, w/ Restorative: figuring out what’s wrong and solving problems)

Woo Love the challenge of meeting new people and winning them over; great at breaking the ice and making a connection with another person. (P. Dwight)

Empathy Sense the feelings of others, understand them

Harmony Look for and build agreement and consensus (these two, P. Dan)

Responsibility Take strong ownership of what they do and are committed to honesty and loyalty (myself, and Young)

Applications

1. Recognize your own strengths.

What are your strengths? 5 Clues

Yearnings

to what activities are you naturally drawn?

Creativity/artistry, problem-solving, learning, debate; clean/organize; hurting/fringe/compassion

Rapid Learning

what kinds of activities do you seem to pick up quickly?

Geometry (seemed intuitive)

Enjoyment

what activities give you a kick, either while doing them or immediately after, and you think, “When can I do that again?”

maybe really enjoy being a peacemaker, meeting new people, learning new things, etc.

Performance

what explains your successes

What makes you a good doctor, engineer, teacher, parent, student?

high-energy/diligent, analytical, inspirer/motivator

Glimpses of Excellence

during what activities have you moments of subconscious excellence, when you thought, “How did I do that?”

If you want to learn more about StrengthsFinders, I’d recommend

Now, Discover your Strengths, Buckingham and Clifton

Living Your Strengths, Al Winseman

In these books is a code you can use to go to strengthsfinders.com, do a 180-question inventory, and see what your top 5 strengths are.

I’m thinking of one day making a class around helping you find your gifts/roles/passions in the body.

2. Learn how to apply your strengths.

Dan Whang [picture]

Harmony, Developer, Adaptability, Empathy, Individualization

Applied to preaching.

People-oriented strengths. He feels very connected with God as he intercedes for various and specific people.

Applying his strengths was to pray his message over specific people.

This is a seminar/coaching session in itself.

3. Recognize and encourage other people’s strengths

We don’t want to just focus on our weaknesses or each other’s weaknesses.

Instead of complaining about each other’s weaknesses, let’s praise God for their strengths. Encourage and celebrate them, affirm their gifts/strengths. As far as their weaknesses, maybe that’s why you’re part of this body! =)

As you recognize your own strengths, I think you will feel more free to celebrate the strengths of others.

4. Beware of some spiritual dangers

I do feel compelled to say a few things to balance this message

God sometimes wants to our weaknesses.

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthains 12:9-10)

He may call us to serve in areas where we are weak, He may want to use our weaknesses.

He wants to nurture dependence on His grace (not self-sufficiency), find our strength in Him not ourselves

He sometimes cares more about character than productivity (missing sanctification)

He cares more about your spiritual formation than your successes/accomplishments

He wants all the glory (beware of boasting in ourselves; see the dangers of pride)

5. Envision the church

Can you imagine a church where everyone has found his or her place, using their God-given strengths and passions, working together as a team! We’re not just spectators or customer. It’s not just a few pastors or leaders working a little harder. It is the entire Body of Christ, created and called for good works, using their gifts/strengths!

God has given us different passions, Holy Discontents, and strengths/gifts to do something about those passions!

And He has given us one another, to work together, each member doing its part. This is the church!