Ephesians 4.11-16 (4)
Pray Psalm 103.1-4.
Bless the LORD, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits:
Who forgives all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases,
Who redeems your life from destruction,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies…
Sing Psalm 103.1-4.
(Old 100th: All Creatures That on Earth Do Dwell)
O my soul, bless the LORD’s great Name!
His many benefits proclaim:
He pardons sins and heals disease,
and from the pit grants us release.
Read Ephesians 4.11-16; meditate on verses 12.
What does “equipping” mean? Examples?
Preparation
1. Why has the Lord given pastors and teachers (v. 11) to His churches?
2. How can we know when they are fulfilling their calling?
Meditation
Paul continues to enlarge on the practical implications of our redemption in Jesus Christ. It turns out that God is no far-off deity when it comes to our fulfilling His purposes of a worthy walk and unity in the Spirit. He gives gifts to the church, spiritual gifts to every believer and gifts of office to some. This is how He intends to build His Church into a holy temple which will be the body of Christ in its community, boots on the ground working together with the gifts of God.
So the office of pastor and teacher being the most directly related to where the saints are as members of the body of Christ, we want to know what they do, or at least, what they should do. There’s a one-word answer to that question: Equip. The Greek word is καταρτισμός. katartismos, and it means, according to Louw and Nida, “to make someone completely adequate or sufficient for something – to make adequate, to furnish completely, to cause to be fully qualified, adequacy.” Hmmm.
The office of pastor/teacher is here defined in terms of an effort that produces an outcome. The effort is not specified; the outcome is clear: all the saints of God are to be furnished completely and fully qualified to do the work of ministry, that is, of serving others. Every member. All the saints. Fully equipped and ministering the grace of God to everyone in their path, so the church is “built-up”—language that directly recalls Jesus’ “I will build My Church.”
Not a word here about how to do this, just the instruction, get ’er done. Preaching, teaching classes (especially using some form of lecture), watching videos, ogling PowerPoint presentations, bringing in well-known speakers—these have been the preferred means of achieving that outcome for the past generation. Perhaps it’s time to reassess that preference?
Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
And while we’re reassessing let’s not forget what the Scriptures teach about those who take this calling:
“My brethren, let not many of you become teachers,
knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment” (Jms. 3.1).
Moses, our dear brother in the faith, was just such a teacher/leader.
Consider, for a moment, all the mayhem that the children of Israel created during their trek across the desert, their total lack of faith to conquer the Promised Land, their 40 years of wandering, and their perpetually terrible attitude. And then let’s contemplate dear Moses—his grueling and unappreciated work, his complete faith in God, his humility, his love, his determination to lead the people into God’s promises, and then this:
“‘Take the rod; you and your brother Aaron gather the congregation together.
Speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will yield its water;
thus you shall bring water for them out of the rock,
and give drink to the congregation and their animals.’
So Moses took the rod from before the LORD as He commanded him.
And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock; and he said to them,
‘Hear now, you rebels! Must we bring water for you out of this rock?’
Then Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod;
and water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their animals drank.
Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron,
‘Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel,
therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them’” (Num. 20.8-12).
Yes, he struck twice instead of speaking to the rock; but…see what I mean?
Neither Moses nor Aaron went into the Promised Land (Deut. 32.48-52).
We might be tempted to think of it as a double standard. And we would be correct in doing so.
The people went in; Moses and Aaron, the pastor/teacher/leaders, did not.
The job description for those called to receive the “stricter judgment” is:
For:
the equipping of the saints
For:
the work of ministry
For:
the edifying of the body (Eph. 4.12).
They need our prayers, our support, and our cooperation.
They also need to keep themselves pure before God:
“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and
renew a steadfast spirit within me” (Ps. 51.10).
“Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD?
Or who may stand in His holy place?
He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who has not lifted up his soul to an idol,
nor sworn deceitfully.
He shall receive blessing from the LORD, and
righteousness from the God of his salvation” (Ps. 24.3-5).
The holy, and strictly-judged, work of ministry.
Tread carefully.
Reflection
1. What “equipping” are you currently receiving?
2. In what areas of “the work of the ministry” are you currently involved?
3. Are there any areas of ministry where you would like to receive further equipping?
Three stages of growth are presented here: Gifted leaders are responsible for the equipping of the saints; the well-equipped saints do the work of ministry; and the result is that the body of Christ is built up. The final goal is maturity, truth, and love. Earl Radmacher (1933-2014) NKJV Study Bible Note on Ephesians 4.12
Pray Psalm 103.19-22.
Commit your “service” to the Lord for the day ahead. Praise God in advance for the opportunities for doing good works of ministry that He will lead you to today.
Sing Psalm 103.19-22.
(Old 100th: All Creatures That on Earth Do Dwell)
He rules upon His throne in heav’n;
His sovereign rule o’er all is giv’n.
You angels, bless the LORD, rejoice,
who live in strength to heed His voice.
All you who serve Him, bless the LORD,
all you who heed His righteous Word!
Let all throughout the cosmos whole
unite to praise Him, with my soul!
T. M. and Susie Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment to give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Other columns of interest: This week: In our ReVision series on “The Kingdom Economy” we continue looking at what the Scriptures say about justice. Our Read Moore podcast considers three brief books that could change your life, beginning with The Gospel of the Kingdom. Our Crosfigell teaching letter continues our study of the life of Brigit, a contemporary of Brendan. Click hereto see all the other columns and writers available to you.
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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
