He personally gave some to be . . .
. . . for the training of the
saints in the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:11-12, HCSB)
I love visiting the Florida Gulf Coast. I spent several
years of my ministry serving in Panama City, Florida. On one of my visits back
to that area, I was shown a church that started construction on a new complex
in a new location. As we approached the church it was exciting to see this
magnificent new structure standing proudly on the new property. Upon driving
closer the excitement faded to disappointment. The building was surrounded by
an unfinished parking lot. Upon further investigation, you could see that the
building that was so beautiful on the outside had not been completed on the
inside—it was just a shell.
This image broke my heart. Here was a church that made a
commitment to build but was never able to finish the project. Now, their
testimony to the community was an empty building with a beautiful façade and an
unfinished parking lot.
Equally heartbreaking are the leaders I have observed over
the years who have forgotten what it is they are called to do. As one who is called, we are not just to “be”
but to “do” as well. Our job is training
and building.
Our job as “one who is called” is TRAINING.
What exactly is training? It is a
picture of equipping, completely furnishing, or perfecting. In some cases it is
used to refer to mending or restoring. [HCSB STUDY BIBLE]. As
leaders, we are called to train—equip, mend, restore, perfect, furnish.
Training is a 24-7 process that requires sound Bible teaching and sincere
relationship building. The church body will not receive this solely from the
pulpit or by simply attending small groups or Sunday School. This is a valuable
part of the process of training but not the only element. Be careful not to
place training within the boundaries of an event that has an ending and
beginning; this might include someone presenting, others taking notes, or
discussing theological concepts. There is much more behind the meaning of the
word “training”. Training is an investment of time and energy. It is work!
Speaking of work, that is the
learning outcome—work. I’m speaking not
just of busy work but “the work of ministry!” So, does your training produce
the work of ministry in your church? If not, one would have to beg the
question, are you really training? Why not consider what you might need to do
to refocus your ministry so that all you do, whether you are, as Ephesians 4:11
describes, an apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor or teacher, is actually
leading to works of ministry.
Are you tired yet? Hopefully you
are energized to roll up your sleeves and continue to work. This verse is part
of a very long sentence that encompasses verses 11-16. We see another part of
our job in the last half of verse 12.
Our job as “one who is called” is BUILDING.
Verse 12 concludes with the words,
“to build up the body of Christ.” We are not only to train so the church can
expand outwardly, but we are to build so the church can grow upwardly. This is
a picture of building a structure. You start with a foundation and continue until
the entire structure is complete. This is a process as well that takes place
over time. Consider these thoughts about building:
- You can’t build if you don’t know what something is supposed to look like when it is finished. Do you have a clear picture of what a built up believer should look like?
- You need blueprints in order to build. What are the blueprints you are using to build up believers?
- You need additional help in order to build. Very few contractors can build a building from start to finish without the help of sub-contractors. Are you trying to build up believers without help? Look for others with the expertise you might not have.
- You have to work and stay focused in order to make sure the building is built correctly. How focused are you on the building and the building process? Are you adjusting in order to complete the building to specs?
At the end of your ministry, I hope someone will round the
corner and see your training and building testimony in the body of believers and say, “He knew how to train the saints in the work of ministry.
He helped build up the body of Christ.”
