So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to
equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all
reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining
to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
Ephesians 4:11-13
The Bible is clear on the importance of training and equipping the saints. Apostle Paul states in
Ephesians 4 that the gifted roles of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers are
not given by Jesus for the purpose of building a religious tiered structure but, more importantly,
for equipping others to reach others! In Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus never instructed His followers
to 'make followers' but quite clearly to 'make disciples of all nations.' In a culture heavily driven
by social media, thriving from the empty need to gain more followers, I believe God is instead
looking for a people who will thrive on God's desire to make disciples that will release the
Kingdom of God into all avenues of life!
Follower of Christ, you are not called just to encounter God but to equip others! In Acts 9,
Apostle Paul had an extraordinary encounter with God on the road to Damascus that knocked
him to the ground! However, his encounter with the Holy Spirit was never meant to keep him
down but rather to become a catalyst that would empower him to take a stand to reach and
teach many others!
Today, we have an amazing opportunity to co-labour with the God of the universe to help make
disciples so that they can reach their full Kingdom potential! Apostle Paul put it like this in
Ephesians 4:11-13, that Christ's gifts to the church would help others' become mature,
attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ'. Wow, what an opportunity we have
before us to build others!
Today, what gifts and life experiences has God given you on your journey to help equip others
to bring them to unity in faith? What has God gifted in your life that could be the vital
ingredients God can use to teach and build the next generation of apostles, evangelists,
pastors, teachers, and prophets?
The Bible says in 1 Peter 4:10 that we are all ministers, "Each of you should use whatever gift
you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms."
Only some people are called to preach to large crowds and to have a global ministry. However,
we are all called to serve God with the people He places in front of us in our everyday lives, be
it our families, work colleagues, or our neighbours. Apostle Paul encouraged his spiritual son
Timothy, a young pastor with his charge to him to do the work of an evangelist. In 2 Timothy
4:5, Paul charged Timothy, "But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the
work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry."
I encourage you today to pray and ask the Lord to help you be a teacher in your sphere of
influence, to help play your part in further building the body of Christ!
