Ephesians 4:11-14
11 It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12 to prepare (or equip in the NKJV) God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 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.
14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.
The word “prepare” (NIV) or “equip” (NKJV) in Eph 4:12 means: “to make fully ready”. In its root meaning, it communicates the following: “to repair; to restore; to make something fit (as in a frame); to adjust; to put a thing in its appropriate condition; to mend that which is broken; to set right that which is in error”. The same word is translated as “formed” or “framed” in Heb 11:3.
Equipping is not just the on-going generic teaching but it involves the following issues:
1) Equipping firstly involves discerning a God-ordained state, quality and functionality of the church in a particular season. That is, you can not even begin to equip until you have been able to prophetically discern a correct church configuration for a time in which we find ourselves (refer to 1 Chron 12:32).
2) Secondly, equipping also involves the development of appropriate systems of impartation (leadership, doctrine, development systems, teachings and training) required to bring the church to that prophetically discerned God-ordained state, quality and functionality.
Equipping is a Function of Sight
According to the definition provided above, when we equip the saints we are making them fit in God’s frame…we are establishing them in their appropriate condition…”
This process of equipping therefore involves having Sight into the spiritual dimensions of the frame of God. In equipping we are moving the church towards its pre-determined state (the frame). This frame represents certain mindsets, perspectives, character positions and competences that God wants to see functional in the lives of the saints at a particular point in time. The frame is actually Christ Himself. So equipping begins with accessing the Mind of God.
Equipping is a Function of Sight: Ezekiel’s Vision
Ezekiel 40:1-4
1 In the twenty-fifth year of our exile, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth of the month, in the fourteenth year after the fall of the city-on that very day the hand of the LORD was upon me and he took me there. 2 In visions of God he took me to the land of Israel and set me on a very high mountain, on whose south side were some buildings that looked like a city. 3 He took me there, and I saw a man whose appearance was like bronze; he was standing in the gateway with a linen cord and a measuring rod in his hand. 4 The man said to me, "Son of man, look with your eyes and hear with your ears and pay attention to everything I am going to show you, for that is why you have been brought here. Tell the house of Israel everything you see." NIV
There are certain processes that need to take place inside leaders if they are to effectively equip the saints:
· Firstly, it is important to state that equipping is not based on one’s organisational ability. Pastors sometimes can function in a high level organisational ability which makes them able to mobilise masses of people to the point where they establish huge (physical) building structures as shelter for their big membership. Now, we obviously need organisational ability to build anything for God but this is not the first competence we need at least in terms of building priorities. Unfortunately this organisational ability has been mistaken for “anointing” and in most cases becomes the main validation of one’s leadership and calling. If building church demanded organisational ability as a first priority then we could fail the test when compared with some cultic leaders and or even business leaders who have managed to establish multi-national companies. Let me mention again that we do need organisational ability to construct anything for God but this is not the first competence we need. Really, if building was all about mobilising people for Sunday morning and mid-week home-cell, organising a group of talented musicians to lead worship during the week and doing sermons weekly then I think all we would need to be pastors is truly a high-level organisational competence. We do these things (weekly meetings, singing and worship etc.) but leading a church is much more than just putting together an appealing weekly programme.
· The thing that separates between mere organisational ability and the call of God is this thing called Sight. Paul says “…it pleased God to reveal His Son in me that I might preach Him…” (Gal 1:15&16). The word “reveal” that Paul uses is the Greek word “apokalupto”, it’s related to the word “apokalupsis” which means “revelation” – the English word “apocalypse” is derived from this Greek word “apokalupsis”. So we have the Book of Revelation (apokalupsis). The very first verse of the Book of Revelation says, “The Revelation (apokalupsis) of Jesus Christ…” (Rev 1:1). Doing a word analysis is always important for us (disciples or learners of Christ) because we have a Book (the Bible) full of words that have particular meanings that God Himself intended for us. As the Word commands, we have to study to show ourselves approved, rightly dividing the word of truth (2 Tim 2:15); we have to learn and understand things, principles and concepts that God gives us in His Book (Matt 13:19). So the word “apokalupto” means: “to take off the cover; to remove a veil or covering exposing to open view what was before hidden; to make manifest or reveal a thing previously secret or unknown; to disclose; to unveil”. The Book of Revelation can be said to be a Book of unveiling of Christ (it is the Revelation of Jesus Christ). It is neither a Book of Revelation of future events (although it does deal with events) nor a Book of Revelation of anti-Christ (although it does reflect the enemy’s activities). The main theme of the Book of Revelation is Christ. So Paul says in Galatians 1:16 that God unveiled something in his heart and mind concerning Christ. Paul is not simply referring to the message of salvation but he is referring to principles and concepts of life he saw in God through the revelation of Christ in his life. Paul is not referring to a situation where somebody gets saved and starts preaching about the love and salvation we have in Christ (although this important truth was part of Paul’s preaching). Paul preached an entire system of life to Jews and Gentiles (which included but wasn’t limited the message of salvation). Paul talked about his insight to the Ephesians (Eph 3:4). The word “insight” is the word “sunesis” and it denotes “the ability to understand concepts and see relationships between them”. What was Paul’s insight or sunesis? Paul’s insight was that the Jews and Gentiles were co-heirs, members together of one body, fellow citizens in Christ and sharers together in the promise in Christ (see Eph 3:6, Eph 2:14-20, Gal 3:26-29). This was Paul’s revelation. You can note that this message from Paul was not just a religious sermon that was preached ceremonially but it had serious political, social and economic implications. Through his message, Paul literally created a new world order (back in his day) in which there would be co-existence of various ethnic, tribal and racial groups. Remember that in this deformed world system, there are laws and cultural positions that forbid people from different racial and ethnic backgrounds from entering into Community. If Paul lived in South Africa today, his message would have spoken directly into issues of racial integration of Black, White, Indian and Coloured communities. So therefore we can say that Paul saw a system of life in Christ. He actually saw how life works and how life could be lived in Christ.
· The thing that separates between mere organisational ability and the call of God is thing called Sight. In Ezekiel 40, the Prophet actually sees something. He sees structures in the Mind of God. He talks about “the hand of God being upon him”, which represents divine inspiration from the Holy Spirit. This is what we as leaders actually need. We need Christ to be revealed in us. We need to see structures and concepts of life in the mind of God. This is the basis upon which we begin to equip the saints in Christ. This is the basis upon which we can begin to “train believers in righteousness” or in correct living (2 Tim 3:16). Note that the Prophet sees “buildings that look like a city”. The prophet is therefore seeing structured human life; he is seeing an entire civilisation in the spirit that would need to be built in the earth. For this reason the Holy Spirit said, “pay attention to what you see and hear so that you may go and tell it to Israel” (or to the Church). Moses the Prophet also teaches us that the main duty of leaders is to see life in God. Moses saw laws that would govern human life (the Ten Commandments) and in fact these laws were Christ Himself (Matt 5:17). The main duty of leadership is to see. Leaders see and build. We cannot equip until we have seen life in the mind of God.
· “…in the fourteenth year after the fall of the city-on that very day the hand of the LORD was upon me and he took me there. 2 In visions of God he took me to the land of Israel and set me on a very high mountain, on whose south side were some buildings that looked like a city.” It is interesting that Ezekiel saw something in a day when the earthly city had collapsed. What does this earthly city represent for us? It represents a deficient system of life built contrary to the laws of Christ. We are witnessing a systemic collapse right across the nations of the earth in this 21st century, in the form of: humans (mentalities and values), marriages, families, economic systems, political systems, business systems etc. These are collapsing because they were constructed out of erroneous positions and principles. The main principle in Ezekiel is that in the day that the city (a man-made system of life) is collapsing is a day when church leadership needs to arise under divine inspiration to begin to point out and define a correct system of life. This is therefore not a day to simply build religious systems, programmes and organisations. This is not a day for church to be positioned simply as a place of Worship (even though we have to meet and worship our God). This is not a day to preach sermons that provide momentary motivation to a people who have been hard-pressed by issues of life. The idea of church as a place that people go to for worship and motivation is Biblically very limited. So I think a true and valid call of God is one built on this understanding that in the beginning God made human life (Gen 1:26, Acts 17:26). To be called is therefore to participate in the divine process of reconstruction of life back to its original order. We must be an “Elijah” who comes to restore all things (Matt 17:11). The word “restore” used in Matt 17:11 is the word “apokathistemi”, it means: “to put back into a former state; to reform; to restore; to reconstitute in health, home or organisation”. Peter said that Christ will remain in heaven (i.e. He will not come back) until the times of restitution (apokastasis: restoration, reformation) promised through the holy prophets (Acts 3:21). So therefore a spiritual season that has the power to usher Christ back is that of Restoration and Reformation.
In summary, equipping is not primarily based on:
- Our ability to organise people and programmes.
- Our ability to preach and articulate humanly “clever” sayings.
- Our education.
- Our spiritual gifts and charismatic personalities.
- Our finance and or material resources.
Equipping primarily requires Sight into God’s system of life. Church communities that mobilise people around programmes, events, false carnal identities (materialism) and false-superficial spirituality are dying out. God is provoking His people with truth. Eyes are opening to new spiritual realities. We can no longer keep people “bound” to false spiritual positions through ignorance and a false sense of obligation. We need a new generation of church communities in which people are organised around the pursuit of Christ and His system of life. It is in this dimension of building that we will see an emergence of a integrated Church in South Africa and not simply Black, White, Indian or Coloured churches – not “village”, “township” or “urban” churches. The new generation of churches will not be built around race or class but around Christ’s system of life. This system speaks into common issues of life that all humans (Rich and Poor, Black and White) have to face.
Here is God’s goal:
Ephesians 2:14-19
14 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15 by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, 16 and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. 17 He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. 19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, NIV
It’s a great day in God!
