11 He gave some apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers. 12 His purpose was to equip God’s people for the work of serving and building up the body of Christ 13 until we all reach the unity of faith and knowledge of God’s Son. God’s goal is for us to become mature adults—to be fully grown, measured by the standard of the fullness of Christ.
Reflection
You would never dream of going diving without SCUBA tanks and a mask. And you’d never go climbing a mountain without ropes and crampons and cold-weather gear. If you want to do something, you have to have the right equipment for it.
There’s something about this word “equip” that appeals to me. I like the idea of being properly equipped to do the task before me. That trip to Lowe’s in advance of the DIY project is always so satisfying, because I finally have a solid reason to buy that tool that I’ve been eyeing for a while. It’s about being totally prepared to do what needs doing.
The reason why we in the church are so variously and wonderfully gifted by the Spirit is so that we should lack nothing – organizationally or spiritually – to do the ministry Christ has called us to do. In every church I’ve served, there have been saints who have surprised me by stepping forward at just the right time with just the right gift to fill in a gap, a need within the community.
I will never forget how we first formed the praise band at one of my former churches. I played guitar but I didn’t have any idea who else might step forward. Well, I found out one guy was just learning guitar, and so he and I got together every week and rehearsed. At first, I thought, “This is going to take a looong time.” (BTW, he is now a phenomenal guitarist!) After a month or two, we saw another guy picking up his daughter from daycare in the church, and my friend said, “He plays, I know. We’ve got to ask him.” Suddenly, there were three of us. Then we had another guitarist step up, so now I could switch over to bass – which I had never played but wanted to learn. Then our drummer showed up…his wife poked her head in my office one day to tell me that he played and that his kit didn’t fit in the apartment (!!) anyway. Then two of our faithful choir members stepped up to be our lead vocalists. Pretty soon we had a consistent six-member band, and it was wonderful. Christ’s church was blessed.
I’ve had this experience again and again. The Spirit equips the Church for the work Christ has given the Church by moving people to share their gifts with the Church!
by Joe Monahan
For Pondering & Prayer
Is there a way that your gifts might equip the church to do something new in the name of Jesus? What might you offer to strengthen what we already are doing? Consider in prayer how God might use your gifts “to equip the church for the work of serving and building up the body of Christ.”
Prayer: God, you have given each of us a gift for serving, a piece of the puzzle whose beauty is only revealed when we all work together for the building up of the Church. Thank you for the calling and the gifting that allows each of us to offer our contribution to your mission in the world in Jesus’ name. Amen.
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