Intro to SHAPED

This New Year, I’m excited to share a series of blog posts focused on getting into the best spiritual shape possible. The reflections come from a book I wrote some time ago - one I never pursued publishing, sadly - but revisiting it now has reignited my desire to see it become a full-fledged book. In the meantime, I hope this series encourages and strengthens you as we work out our spiritual muscles together. And if you have experience with self-publishing and would like to help, I’d love to hear from you at john@johnhickman.com. Until then, enjoy the journey!

INTRO:

I recently watched a video of myself preaching and I couldn’t help but notice how out of shape I am. If the camera adds 10 pounds then I must have had 10 cameras recording me*. As the old joke goes…I’m in shape, it’s just the shape of a pear. This was not always the case. When I was a teenager, I was in the shape of a stick. I was so skinny I heard many jokes like, “I brought you a cheerio John. I thought you might want to hula hoop.” Nowadays, people are more likely to hand me a tire.

There is good news though. Despite the ageing process, I possess a certain amount of authority and power over my physical health. I can choose, change, add, subtract specific elements from my life and reap a better physical shape. I can eliminate certain unhealthy habits and partake in healthier choices that would with certainty result in an enhanced physical body.

I’m eager to achieve this because I have a recollection of a time in my life when I was in better shape. I can vividly remember at one point in my life being able to look down from a standing position and see my feet. I can recall wearing a “smedium” more than a “marge.” I have a memory of running and not having to stop after 10 seconds to catch my breath. Those might be fading memories because they are from an era long ago, but I have not hidden them too far in the recesses of my mind. I’m confident that a better physical shape is within the realm of possibility, thus I want to put forth the effort to get in shape!

Many people have a similar desire. Last I checked, gyms and exercise classes, whether online or in-person, are still packed full of patrons and diets are still in vogue. Getting in physical shape is considered a positive and admirable activity. January is typically a time where people consider their health and well-being more. Gyms will tell you that a peak time is the first of the year. The fresh beginnings of a new year inspire the non-regulars to set and act upon new health goals. Physically, we need to take care of ourselves. That is important.

We all understand that our physical health largely comes down to two important issues: what we eat and how we exercise. We, of course, can try to cheat the system, but what we pour into our body and how we use our body will largely determine our physical shape.

How’s your shape? Are you satisfied with your current condition? However, I’m not actually asking about your physical well-being. I’m more concerned with your spiritual shape. Paul wrote, “Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.” – I Tim 4:8

We all possess power over our spiritual shape like we do with our physical shape. The very words that precede I Tim 4:8 are “…Instead, train yourself to be godly.” – I Tim 4:7b. We can change, add, subtract from our spiritual life and reap a healthier spiritual life. We are told under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to train ourselves to be godly. No matter what season of the year it may be, we need to understand how important it is to take responsibility for our own spiritual health.

We can and should train ourselves to be the godliest person we can be. We must work out to get in spiritual shape, or inevitably, we deteriorate. Paul also wrote, “Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing.  I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified. - 1 Cor 9:24-27

Most of us would just prefer a magic pill that would get us in excellent spiritual shape, but that does not exist. It really comes down to a choice. Do we really want to follow Jesus or not? If we follow Him, there will be energy and effort spent. There will be sacrifices to make. Jesus said to a crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me.” – Luke 9:23 Giving up your own way, picking up a cross, following Jesus, is not for the faint of heart. But it is for those with a new heart.

There is no way around the fact that it will take effort to be all that we can be in Jesus. However, I want to be extremely clear, this effort doesn’t join you in a relationship with Jesus. We know that is a gift from God to us. ^“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” – Rom 6:23

You don’t get in shape to get to Jesus. He takes us as we are. We just receive the gift. But once we have the gift, we realize what an incredible gift we were given. We should now want to see our relationship with Jesus grow and flourish. To grow and flourish, it’s going to take good ol’ fashioned hard work and effort through spiritual disciplines. Dallas Willard wrote, “Grace is not opposed to effort, it is opposed to earning. Earning is an attitude. Effort is an action.”

The question is…do you want it? Do you want to put forth the effort to be healthy? If you do, keep reading. This book is for you. But like any manual on physical health, you have to put into practice what you learn. I’m believing God will use this book in your life to help you be all that you can be in Jesus.

In the immediacy of our culture, we need to hear this on the front end. Getting in shape takes time. No one who is “out of shape” wakes up after one work out suddenly in pristine health. Just as Rome wasn’t built in a day, neither was Mr. or Mrs. Universe. Consistent choices will bring change. Faithfulness over the long haul is what we are looking for.

The Christian life is not a sprint. The mission Jesus has for us isn’t for one moment, it is a lifetime journey. It is a spiritual journey of *26.2 miles. For us to be successful, it is going to take discipline one day at a time. The most successful people aren’t only successful in a singular situation. A follower of Christ does not reach his or her full potential by being obedient in one moment. A healthy follower of Jesus is obedient in consecutive small moments that link to produce a healthy life. We need our workouts to happen consistently to produce the result that we desire.

The ultimate goal of a disciple is to live a life worthy of our calling, not a moment worthy of our calling. Which begs the question, what does the life of a believer look like? I am a firm believer that not every follower of Christ’s journey will be the same. Each man and woman who puts his or her trust in Jesus is called to be a disciple, to be shaped into the image of Christ, but we will not all be a cookie cutter image of one another. God did not create us to look like the *Real Slim Shady video.

Discipleship is not linear, it’s messy. It’s not a step 1, then step 2, and then by step 10 you have it all figured out. However, there are proven principles that will make you more like Christ. We can find in Scripture a guaranteed track record of healthy discipleship. These 6 exercises will, without a doubt, shape you more into the image of the Son of God, Jesus Christ.

For the purposes of this book I will use Shaped as an acrostic portraying these principles.

Each letter represents a spiritual discipline that will help shape you and me to be more like Jesus.

S - Studies the Word (Bible reading)

H - Hangs with Believers (Community)

A - Abides in Christ (Praying and Fasting)

P - Provides for Others (Giving, serving)

E - Exalts the Lord (Worship)

D - Delivers the Gospel (evangelism).

I want us to know as we start this journey through this book. This effort isn’t a do-it-yourself effort. This effort is a group effort. Doctors and fitness experts tell us that having a workout partner helps us stay in better physical shape. There have been studies that show your workout becomes more effective with a partner because you burn more calories and the likelihood of quitting lessens. The same is true spiritually. This is how the first Christians got in shape…

All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer. A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity— all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved. – Acts 2:42-47

The first church was about 3000 people. I would have loved to plant my church with 3000 people. We had 12 on our launch team. Even with a small group of 12, we had a variety of personalities and preferences. Imagine the smorgasbord of opinions you would have with 3000 people. I’m sure there were a plethora of temperaments and tastes, but even through the diversity they experienced a togetherness that few of us have ever known.

Through the ups and downs of life, they stayed together and got in spiritual shape together. This idea will permeate each principle we cover - we are better together. It is crucial that every Christ follower doesn’t do life alone. So as you read this book, don’t forget that getting in the best shape of your life is a group effort.

If you have ever experienced the love and grace that Jesus has to offer, it transforms you and inspires you to take the journey. The journey to spiritual health was never promised to be smooth and effort-free. The journey can be hard, but oh, it is worth every drop of sweat along the way.

Paul wrote, “18 And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is. 19 May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.” - Eph 3:18-19

God loves you and has an incredible purpose for your life. You can trust that He is good and that He is for you. But to achieve a rich intimacy with God, it will take exercising our spiritual muscles to be all that Jesus wants us to be. We will have to decide. We will have to make choices.

For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters (emphasis mine). - Rom 8:29 Jesus was Mr. Universe in the spiritual health world. He is our ultimate goal. If we are to look like Him, we will need to get to work. We will need to be ready to put in the time.

Are you willing to work out? Are you ready to get in shape? Let’s get started, let’s work out together. Let’s get shaped into the image of Jesus Christ.

• * An old “Friends” joke.
• * Metaphorically speaking.
• * Old pop culture reference. Not an endorsement! Put down the pitchfork.