My suggestion to church professional or lay leaders about our services is to contact us about the number and ages of those who are quite interested in discovering God’s plan for their life. Group workshops range from $500; Basic Pattern $750; Comprehensive Pattern $1500 to $2500.
Among the mega and other well established churches, some senior pastors have difficulty with my discovery that God has entered human affairs and designed lives for people focused on vocational objectives, as contrasted with emphasizing social services for the needy. In addition, God’s plan infused in people a love for doing the work involved, and the giftedness to excel in their vocational niche.
Now, I realize that the sermons preached by many pastors assert that God has a plan for each believer’s life. However, we conducted the first and only sustained research exploring human nature of the individual (1961-2015). We discovered that every one of the thousands of mainly professional and management employees we took through our process, one-at-a-time, had been innately endowed with a detailed action plan for their life, which enabled and governed their future. You can’t avoid being the person your designer had in mind. You can only experience meaning and happiness by working true to your plan. Some churches don’t want God to mix in with their attempts to assist parishioners in their spiritual growth.
Fortunately the courageous Bill Hybels (Willow Creek pioneer mega) insisted on rigorous surveys of many sizes and kinds of protestant churches to determine whether members continue to experience spiritual growth through church activities. The shocking answer to the question was that church activities do not
predict or drive long term spiritual growth. The reason for this result is that we only grow where our faith is tested and that’s not at church unless our job is in the church. Faith is tested at work. Members will grow spiritually when the church integrates faith and work (See Ch. 9 “How God Shapes our Lives).
So if you’re in a group at church, or in charge of personal development issues, or intrigued as a senior pastor, or as a youth pastor, or you’re worried about church finances and receding membership, contact us and we will respond post haste. Finding out what God had in mind for you will transform your life if you’ve gotten lost and need a course alignment. If you have participated in a Spiritual Gifts process to discover your vocation in life, I needn’t remind you that it loses its ability to provide the specific guidance required for life decisions. Besides the design necessary in a life plan can only be provided by the Holy Spirit. Didn’t you know that?
When we seek clues to the nature and intention of God through His design of individuals, much determinative theology about human affairs becomes history and autocratic theocracy becomes impossible to maintain, at least in love.
There is one God and that God has opted for the uniqueness of each creation. We have half a century of rigorous idiographic research in four continents consistently testifying to the fact of uniqueness, whatever the mechanism used by God to achieve that wonder.
What does Scripture have to say on the subject? In 1989 I gathered up 42 pages of Scripture related to our giftedness. In our collection there are a wealth of references about this supernatural, natural phenomena specially relevant to the issues being considered here. Consider these summaries of verses on the point.
We individually are God’s workmanship. Ephesians 2:10 / Exodus 4:11 / Isaiah 64:8 / Isaiah 44:2, 24 / Psalms 139:13 / Psalms 100:3 / Job 32:8-9 / 1 Corinthians 4:7
God’s design of our giftedness reveals His intention and purpose for our lives Ephesians 1:11 / Ephesians 4:7-8 / Psalms 139:15-16 / Romans 9:11-15 / Isaiah 26:12 / Jeremiah 1:5 / 1 Samuel 18:18 / 2 Timothy 1:9 / 1 Corinthians 12:4-5
God dwells in his gifts to us: Psalms 68: 18 / Psalms 90: 17 / Romans 5:5 / 1 Corinthians 2:12 / Ephesians 4:7 / Colossians 1:26-27
In his design of us, our Lord Jesus Christ has gifted us to be uniquely and passionately excellent at the tasks appropriate to that design: Romans 12:6-8 / Ephesians 4:7-8 / Titus 2:14 / 1 Peter 4:8, 10 / Ecclesiastes 2:10 / Galatians 4:18 / Colossians 1:29 / Job 32:18-20 / 1 Corinthians 9-16 / Exodus 26:1, 31, 36; 28:3, 6, 11, 15; 39:30-35
We can trust God to bless us in our work and life if we abide in Christ, and remain faithful to the giftedness we have been given and vocation to which we have been called: John 15:16 / Judges 9:8-15 / 1 Peter 4:10-11 / Ecclesiastes 5:18-21 / Romans 8:28 / Isaiah 26:12 / 1 Timothy 6:17-18 / Deuteronomy 33:11 / Isaiah 65:22 / Psalms 31:19 / Psalms 37:4-5 / Psalms 16:11 / Hebrews 11:6
All our life we must submit our gifts to the chastening of God who seeks to conform us to the image of Christ: Hebrews 12:1-2, 6, 10 / 2 Samuel 7:14-15 / Psalms 6:1 / 1 Corinthians 11:31-32 / 2 Timothy 2:20-21 / Lamentations 3:40
The gifts and calling of God are eternal: Ecclesiastes 3:14 / Romans 11:29 / Revelations 14:13 / Isaiah 65:17, 21-22 / Zechariah 14:20, 21 / Revelation 14:13
Two additional facts about our inheritance need special emphasis. One is a condition accompanying our endowment. The other is a sure way of satisfying that condition. Neither appear to be understood by the church, or if understood, has been effectively ignored.
We shall be held accountable for the fruits we have produced with our life: Jeremiah 17:1 / 2 Chronicles 6:30/ 1 Kings 8:39 / Job 34:11 / Jeremiah 32:19 / Ezekiel 18:30 / Psalms 62:11-12 / Proverbs 5:21 / Proverbs 24:12 / Matthew 16:27/ 2 Corinthians 11:14-15 / Revelations 20:12-13 / Ezekiel 33:20 / Revelation 2:23; 22:12
Even with the likelihood that most of us would do poorly at the bar of justice, our Lord is merciful and has provided a way we can be a good and faithful servant.God’s Holy Spirit will instruct and guide us in the nature and use of our gifts: Corinthians 2:12, 16 / Job 33:14-17 / Nehemiah 9:20 / Isaiah 40:27-31 / 1 Chronicles 28:9 / Romans 8:14 / John 14:26 / 2 Corinthians 3:17-18 / Ephesians 3:16-17 / Psalms 16:7
Question: As followers of Jesus Christ who seek to be led by the Holy Spirit …. Where do we work out our faith? Where do we pour out the pattern of giftedness with which we were endowed? Where do we follow God’s design and will for our life? Where do we fulfill the first and second commandment of love?
Answer: Mainly in your work and home, and church as you have time. The role of the church and its leaders in your life is first to love you and be concerned about your life in the world; to lead you in worshipping God; to build your knowledge of God; to urge you in following God; to examine your heart and hold you accountable for your actions; to stand with you and pray with you; to disciple you as you seek to be fully realized in Jesus Christ.
To folks who are dubious, or even antagonistic, about the reality of God, or even worse. Consider these steps:
Please realize that you have been designed by God to excel in a vocation which engages the giftedness and motivation you were given to achieve an outcome of unsurpassed value to you. Use of this Motivational Pattern at the heart of your work is required if you are to experience meaning and happiness in life. You don’t have to pay for it, or make a commitment, or promise you will stop exaggerating about your academic record.
If you can accept the rather overwhelming evidence that you are so designed, then you need to consider saying “thanks”. I guarantee you that before long, you will find yourself in a situation where you need some insight about the actions of others which impact on you, some decision making ability absent in your Pattern, some wisdom about a breach in a significant relationship, and some way to stop feeling ashamed about your tacky behavior regarding a coworker.
So at some point, maybe getting a promotion because of the brilliance of your research paper, or suddenly realizing that God really loves you and knows you by name, you would like to explore a tentative arrangement with God. So find a pastor or a lay counsellor in a church that integrates faith and work. If you’re stuck, write us and we will be in touch with some suggestions.
On the other hand, if you want to argue with me about the absence of any natural causes, and believe you have some compelling evidence for some other source, please use our Contact process and we will respond.