The Equipping of the Saints

Ephesians 4:11-16 ESV

“And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.”

1. How are the saints of God to be equipped for ministry?

2. What is the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of Christ?

3. What is meant by “mature manhood”?

4. How are people being carried about by every wind of doctrine?

5. What does it mean to speak the truth in love? For what purpose?

God gave us the apostles and the prophets and the evangelists and the shepherds and teachers to equip the saints for the work of ministry. He gave us men and women of God who are gifted of God, both in times past and in times present, for the perfecting (equipping, preparing) of his called out ones so that we are working for the Lord in ministry according to the will and purpose of God for our lives and for those specific areas of ministry.

So this involves spiritual training and disciplines and discipleship and the teaching of God’s holy ones – different from the world because becoming like Jesus in character – the will and the word of God as to be applied to their daily lives so that they are ready for the work of the ministry, so that they are spiritually prepared for doing what God has called them to do. And the work of the ministry is according to God’s will and purpose, not man’s.

And these men and women of God whom God is using to disciple his saints for the work of the ministry – which we are all to be doing, by the way – are also being used of God for the encouragement (exhortation, urging, and provoking) of the saints to follow our Lord in obedience and in surrender to his will in the forsaking of our sins and in living godly, holy, morally pure, upright, honest, and faithful lives to the glory and praise of God.

Romans 12:1-8; Romans 15:14; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31; Galatians 6:1; Ephesians 4:1-16; Ephesians 5:15-21; Philippians 2:1-8; Colossians 3:16; Hebrews 3:13; Hebrews 10:23-25; James 5:19-20

And the goal of it all is that we all would attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, Jesus Christ, to full maturity in Christ Jesus, our Lord. And this unity (oneness) is the result of us all sharing in the likeness of the nature of Jesus Christ which comes from us separating ourselves from the ways of this sinful world and via us submitting to Christ as Lord, and via us walking in obedience to his commands (New Covenant).

And that faith is that which is authored by Jesus Christ, persuaded of God, and gifted to us by God, and is not of our own doing, not of the will nor of the flesh of man, but of God and of his divine will and purpose for our lives. So we don’t get to determine what that faith looks like. Only God does. And his word teaches us that by faith in Christ we die with him to sin so that we might live to him and to his righteousness in obedience to his commands.

Hebrews 12:1-2; Ephesians 2:8-10; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; 1 Peter 2:24

So, what is “mature manhood”? This isn’t just for men. This is for women, too. This has to do with spiritual maturity in Christ, i.e. until we are now walking daily according to the Spirit and not according to the flesh, and we are walking in holiness and in righteousness and in obedience to our Lord, and no longer in sin, as our daily practice. This has to do with full surrender to our Lord to do his will, listening to his voice, and then obeying him.

Therefore, we should not be like the immature and the childish who are easily persuaded by various winds of doctrine and who are double-minded because they keep going back and forth in matter of opinion and belief, because they are being easily persuaded and swayed by certain people in their human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. But we should be those who stand on the truth of God’s word and who are steadfast in faith.

And one of the ways in which this is accomplished is when the body of Christ, as being led by the Holy Spirit, begins speaking the truth of the gospel to one another and not the lies which are permeating the church here in America today. And they should be refuting the lies so that all God’s children can see the lies for what they are and so that they will reject the lies and now obey the truth, in practice, and continuously.

Sadly, far too many professing faith in Jesus Christ here in America have adopted the lies and are following the lies and are rejecting the truth. Even if you show them the truth biblically, they will refuse the truth and they will hold on to the lies, for the lies do not confront them in their sins, and the lies do not demand repentance and walks of obedience to the Lord, but they coddle them in their sins, and they give them license to continue in sin.

So, we need more followers of Christ willing to boldly speak the truth of the gospel that Jesus and his NT apostles taught and to refute the lies of the enemy so that more and more people will reject the lies and will follow the truth. For if we continue in deliberate and habitual sin, and not in walks of obedience to our Lord, we will not inherit eternal life with God, regardless of what faith in Christ we professed with our lips.

[Matt 7:21-23; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,24; Rom 12:1-2; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 1:5; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-17; 1 Pet 2:24; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 3:6,14-15; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15] 

My Sheep  

An Original Work / June 24, 2012  

Based off John 10:1-18 NIV

My sheep hear me. They know me.

They listen to my voice and obey.

I call them and lead them.

They know my voice, so they follow me.

They will never follow strangers.

They will run away from them.

The voice of a stranger they know not;

They do not follow him.

So, I tell you the truth that

I am the gate, so you enter in.

Whoever does enter

Will find forgiveness and will be saved.

Nonetheless whoever enters

Not by the gate; other way,

He is the thief and a robber.

Listen not, the sheep to him.

Oh, I am the Good Shepherd,

Who laid his own life down for the sheep.

I know them. They know me.

They will live with me eternally.

The thief only comes to steal and

Kill and to destroy the church.

I have come to give you life that

You may have it to the full… 

They know my voice, so they follow me.

https://vimeo.com/114938263