William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army, was interviewed near the close of his life.

This is what he said: "God had all there was of me. There have been others who had greater plans, greater opportunities than I; but from the day I got a vision of what God could do, I made up my mind God would have all there was of William Booth."

Ministry is using whatever God has given me, to serve Him and the needs of others.

2 Corinthians 5:10 (NIV) For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

II. EVERY MINISTRY IS IMPORTANT
 

1 Corinthians 12:15-22 (NIV) If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body. 21 The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you!" 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable,

What part of your body are you willing to give up?

           Your stomach?

           An arm and a leg?

           Your love handles?

           They are all important and we don’t want to give up any of them.

           God gifts the members of His Body, the Church, as He wants.

Your gift is important.

All parts of the body are important
           If one quits working then the others have to work hard to compensate. 

           The size of the ministry is not important.

                      Complexity - How visual it is - How big it’s budget it.

What is the most important light in the house?

The little night light that keeps you from killing yourself in the middle of the night, when you head for the refrigerator.

It’s important for each of us, to use our gifts in service to Jesus.

III. EACH MINISTRY IS DEPENDANT ON THE OTHERS

Romans 12:3-5 (NIV) For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. 4 Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.
 

We often fail to realize the importance of something until its gone.

1 Corinthians 12:22-26 (NIV) On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

What if those who are gifted in evangelism bring in a lot of people,

           but then we do not have people who are gifted in teaching or hospitality?

           After a while, we will either lose the new people

                      or they will not grow in Christ.

1 Peter 4:10-11 (NIV) Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. 11 If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

When one part does not function, the rest of the body is affected.

In January of 1985 Roger Boisjoly, an engineer for Morton Thiokol, observed that under unusually cold conditions, an o-ring seal on the Space Shuttle’s solid rocket booster would fail.

Further tests were done, and in July of 1985 Boisjoly wrote a memo to the Vice President of Engineering at Morton Thiokol which stated: “It is my honest and very real fear that if we do not take immediate action to dedicate a team to solve the problem, … then we stand in jeopardy of losing a [space shuttle] flight…” (Roger Boisjoly January 1985 ).

Even in the hours leading up to the launch of the Challenger in January of 1986, Boisjoly and other engineers were stating their belief that it was not safe to launch the shuttle.

Despite the engineer’s concerns, a general manager for Morton Thikol said, “We have to make a management decision” (address given at MIT ).

                      They made the decision to launch.

           This small part, an 0-ring seal on the solid rocket booster, failed to do what it was designed to do.

It didn’t serve as it’s creators has intended.

And the results, speak for themselves.

When we fail to serve as our creator intended.

           When we fail to do our job as a servant of Christ, a servant of the Church,

                      Then the result speaks for its self.

                                 It’s called failure!

           For the church to succeed, to make a real impact on the world, to fulfill it’s purpose,

                      we must joyfully put our talents and gifts to work in the church of Jesus Christ.

IV. OUR “SHAPE” SHOULD DETERMINE OUR MINISTRY. Verses 6-8

Do you wonder why God did not make us all the same?

           Why didn’t God give us all the same abilities?

Romans 12:6-8 (NIV) We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. 7 If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; 8 if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.

God knows that each one of us is unique.

Psalms 139:13-16 (NIV) For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. 14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. 15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, 16 your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

           There are also many different jobs that need to be done

                      in order for the work of the kingdom to get done.

One of the greatest frustrations a person can have in trying to serve God, is to be pushed into an area of service that we feel that we cannot do.

           Now I don’t want people to use this for an excuse not to serve.

                      We are all to serve people, although we will all do it a little different.

As you look around us, you will notice that each of us has a different shape.

Did you know that your ministry, or area of service, should be determined by your SHAPE.

           Rick Warren uses the word SHAPE as an acronym for.
• Spiritual Gifts (How God has gifted me)
• Heart (passion) What do I love to do?
• Abilities (What natural talents do I have?)
• Personality (Where does my personality best suit me to serve?)
• Experience (What experiences have I had?)

1) Education
2) Vocation
3) Spiritual Maturity
4) Past. (how you have served in the past)
5) Pain (What problems, hurts and trials have you learned from)

Isaiah 64:8 (NIV) Yet, O LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.

           We are all different because God made us that way.

           Your personality will affect how you use your spiritual gifts;

                      your passion will affect what you place as important. 

           Too many times we go about things backwards.

                      We feel that since we don’t know what we are gifted in, we do nothing.

                      Or we think that we can take a test, to find out what our SHAPE really is.

           The best way to find out where your gifts, talents and heart is,

                      is to serve in many different areas

                                 and from that, you will settle into what you are good at.

CONCLUSION

If the church is not a church that focuses on serving others,

           then what will happen to us, is that we will become friendly to ourselves,

                      we will take care of ourselves,

                      and we will focus our resources on ourselves.

If as a collective body of believers,

                      we are not each focused on serving in some area of ministry,

                                 the whole body will be hurt.

           If I have areas of ability,

                      that I will not use for the body of Christ at Union City,

                                 then I am hurting the body of Christ in Union City.

           For this body to function,

                      we need each and every part of it to be functioning.