My pastor tells us that God doesn’t call the equipped; He equips the called. One way He does it is through the work of the Elders of the church. Their responsibility is to build up the church by equipping the rest of us to do His work.
Apostles are eye witnesses of Jesus’ life on earth. We learn about Him by their witness in the New Testament.
Prophets speak a message from God. We not only read that message when we read the Bible, but our pastors speak His message every week.
Evangelists share the Good News of salvation. Missionaries aren’t the only ones who spread the gospel. We hear it in our churches every week.
Pastors care for the life of the flock like a shepherd. They visit us, admonish us and counsel us as we need it.
Teachers explain the Word and ways of God. They help us dig deep to understand the really complex things about God.
God created these positions to create unity in faith. The more our knowledge of Jesus grows, the more we will grow together. When the whole church is mature in the Lord, we’ll measure up to the full and complete standard of Christ.
In other words, Christians grow together. God has ordained leaders within the church to lead us, so if we’re not in a church, we don’t have anyone to guide us. We’ll likely lose our way.
I’m blessed to be in a church where I’m being equipped. The elders talk about what they’ve seen Jesus do. They speak messages from God, they share the Gospel and preach and teach the Word. They are concerned for my daily life. My church is growing and I think we are maturing. I‘m growing in the Lord and I see other members growing too.
My response, of course, is to do His work. That’s why He’s equipping me.
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