Objectives

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1.     The role of leadership in empowering and equipping

2.     Principles of mentoring and discipling

3.     Enlisting and training

4.     The need for teaching, training & equipping ministries

5.     A leadership that is meant to last

 

God’s Pattern of Ministry (Eph. 4:11-13)

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False ministry patterns abound in Christendom today. Eph.4:11-13 outlines the proper pattern of ministry (service) which God has established. This pattern follows a three-fold process:

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1.     Gifted leaders (Evangelists, pastors and teachers) are responsible for the equipping of the saints – shaping up the saints. The spiritual gifts Paul names here are those which are necessary and essential for all other gifts and ministries. The apostles and prophets have laid the foundation of the church and ministry by inscripturating the teaching and doctrine of our Lord (Eph.2:20; 3:5). Evangelists proclaim the Gospel defined by the apostles and prophets. Pastors and teachers shepherd, teach and guide the people of God. It is said that evangelists are the obstetricians of the faith and pastors and teachers are the pediatricians. All Christian ministries are dependent upon the operation of these gifts.

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2.     The well-equipped saints do the work of service.

 

3.     As a result the body of Christ is built up resulting in maturity, truth and love.

The gifting of Christ includes gifted leaders for the church (Eph.4:11). Evangelists, pastors and teachers are now in place for the advancement of God’s plan for the church. Their ministry is of high priority as they are the equippers of the saints. They are charged with the primary responsibility for the church’s spiritual health and direction.

 

The saints are the ones doing the work of service. They are equipped, prepared, and trained for this task by gifted men in leadership and shepherding roles. All Christians have spiritual gifts that should be used in serving one another. The diversity of gifts serves to bring about the unity of the body of Christ. The New Testament assumes that all Christians will share in the work of service. All are in the work of the Lord; in ministry.

 

Points to Ponder

 

·        Christianity is not a spectator sport. Saints are not called to watch the pastor do the ministry.  It is easy to fall into the pattern of hiring professionals and leaving God’s work to them. All Christians are called to do the work of service. At the same time, the place of gifted leaders in the assembly should be recognized and honored. They have a prominent role in the church in shaping up the saints.

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·        Spiritual leaders are equipping leaders.  This is their only ministry (equipping the saints) mentioned in Eph.4. It will be a fatal error if they fail in this role and responsibility.  In our zeal for anti-clericalism, we sometimes minimize or even neglect the importance of equipping leaders (have we taken things to the other extreme)? By ignoring God’s pattern of ministry, a claim for New Testament pattern has no real validity.

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·         It is important to know your spiritual gifts and find your place of service. You are called to serve. The contribution you personally make to the body of Christ through the exercise of your spiritual gifts is of immense value to the church.

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·        Spiritual gifts are given not for self-enjoyment or self-edification, but for the edification of the body of Christ; to facilitate the ministry of the church.

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·        Being equipped for ministry includes learning truth and gaining skills. It also includes a passion for service shaped by dependence on the Lord. We are here to carry on Christ’s work. The church needs more disciple makers. Are you a disciple maker?

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Discussion

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Do you feel that a keen sense of awareness of the Eph.4 pattern of equipping and edification is needed in your assembly? What action plans will you take to implement what you have learned from Eph.4?

 

The Goal of Equipping: Shaping Up the Saints (Eph.4:11-16)     

                                                  

The Three-fold Ministries of the Church:

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1.     Toward God - Exaltation (worship)

2.     Toward itself -  Edification

3.     Toward the world  -  Evangelization

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 The Process of Edification

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The main focus of Eph.4:11-16 is edification (building up). But the effect of edification will be reflected in worship and evangelization. Edification is primarily concerned with the building and developing of the community itself in the life of faith. Hence it is related to outward growth as well as inward growth.

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·        Equipping and Edifying are the key terms in this passage. Equipping leading to service and to building up is the progression of God’s pattern.

·        The work of edification is ultimately accomplished by the Lord of the Church.

·        It takes place through the special ministries of the equipping leaders.

·        It is carried out through every equipped believer.

·        As each member receives edification through the pastoral ministry, he in turn passes it on to his fellow believer.

·        Thus “every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love” (4:16b).

·        Genuine edification can only be accomplished in love (Eph.4:16) and peace (Rom.14:19). “Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another (Rom.14:19).

·        Biblical church growth results from the responsible ministry (service) involvement of every member of the body fully using his/her spiritual gifts.

·        Edification should lead to maturity or completeness in Christ (Eph.4:13).

 

The Purpose of God’s Pattern & the Results of Edification

(Eph.4:13-16)

 

1.     Unity of the faith – doctrinal unity (v.13).

2.     Knowledge of the Son of God – deeper and intimate knowledge of Christ (v.13).

3.     Spiritual maturity – growth and maturity to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ (v.13).

4.     Doctrinal stability – knowledge and conviction of God’s truth (v.14).

5.     Loving testimony – speaking and acting truthfully reflecting the practice of the doctrine professed (v.15).

6.     Comprehensive Christlikeness – in attitudes and actions (v.15)

7.     Submission to the Lordship of Christ – completely yielded and obedient to the Lord (v.15).

8.     The ultimate growth of the body – spiritual growth in the church.

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Discipleship and Church Growth

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·        Personal discipleship

·        Corporate discipleship

Discipleship has both a personal dimension and a corporate dimension. On a personal level, discipleship means following Christ faithfully, sacrificially,  obediently, and learning to progressively bring all of one’s life under the  lordship of Jesus Christ.

In the corporate dimension, discipleship is a developmental process of the local church by which Christians are equipped and edified and are brought from spiritual infancy to spiritual maturity, so that they can reproduce the process with others. This results in the dynamic growth and blessing of the body of Christ. Thus the church will be able to effectively carry out the three-fold ministries of worship, edification, and evangelism. God has placed us in a body of people so that we can minister to the heart of God (worship), to one another (edification) and to the world (evangelism and missions).

 The concept of discipleship is so big that when we are obedient to God’s pattern of service as revealed in His Word, the church will Impact the world.

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Points to Ponder

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·        Consider all the one another statements in the New Testament and see how it helps you to edify others practically. Are you an edifier?

·        How does the principle of edification help in the three -fold ministries of the church?

·        Disciple-making is the distinctive mission of the church. How can you practically accomplish this mission in your context?

·        What will you and the leadership do differently in your assembly to accomplish edification on a consistent manner? How can you recognize a mature church?

·        “Be careful how you build!” A church can be weak and immature if built by wood, hay and stubble. Or it can be strong and mature – composed of gold, silver and precious stones (1 Cor.3: 12-15).

 

DISCIPLING AND MENTORING

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·        A mentor is a wise and trusted counselor. He is also a caregiver.

·        Mentoring is helping others succeed leadership through coaching. It is Intentional Shepherding.

·        Friendship with a VISION; friendship with a SPIRITUAL PERSPECTIVE.

·        A Secular Model: “Helping others succeed is a flexible process that incorporates exclusive feedback, analysis, planning and dialogue tools. It equips leaders at all levels to actively engage employees in individualized high-performance, engagement and career coaching.”

·        Discipling, Teaching, Training, Equipping.

·        We are called to live out a real, effectual, influential, impacted Christian life.

·        Love, Caring Concern, Guidance, Learning, Teaching, investing, training and Support in sharpening one another.

·        Encourage: The essence of mentoring.

·        Barnabas, the training of the Twelve by Jesus, Paul & Timothy, Barnabas & Paul (Case studies).

·        John describes meeting the greatest mentor (JN.1:14; 1JN.1:1-2).

 

The Training of the Twelve

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Robert Coleman in his book, The Master Plan of Evangelism, describes eight principles that Jesus implemented in his methodology of training the twelve. Coleman’s analysis of Jesus’ training methodology is very insightful.

 

·        Selection (Luke 6:13): Jesus did not choose everyone He met to be His disciples. He only chose twelve who would in turn reproduce in others. This selectivity was intentional.

·        Association (Matt.28:20): Jesus spent time with His disciples. He was intimately involved in the lives of His disciples.

·        Consecration (Matt.11:29): Jesus sought to create in His disciples a lifestyle of consecrated obedience and submission to His Lordship.

·        Impartation (John 20:22): Jesus imparted to His disciples all the spiritual resources that the Father had given Him. Above all he imparted Himself to His disciples.

·        Demonstration (John 13:15): Jesus lived the life that He wanted to reproduce in His disciples. He was the message and the method.

·        Delegation (Matt.4:19): Jesus trained and developed His disciples by delegating ministry responsibilities to them. On the job training and hands on experience was a vital part of the discipleship process.

·        Supervision (Mark 8:17): Jesus supervised His disciples. After every major ministry assignment, they would report to Him. Jesus would review and further instruct them in relation to their ministry.

·        Reproduction (John 15:16): The Great Commission was given to them so that they would reproduce themselves in others and make disciple s of all nations.

 

Paul and Timothy: 2 Tim. 2:1-2

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·        A ministry of spiritual reproduction

·        Passing on the truth, preparing and equipping the next generation.

·        Not only the preservation of the truth, but its transmission.

·        The transmission is in four stages – Paul, Timothy, faithful men, and others (4 groups, 4 stages, 4 time periods).

·        The truth is attested and confirmed by “many witnesses.”

·        The transmission of truth is not just passing on or giving, but it is to commit and entrust the truth

·        The truth must be entrusted to men who meet two qualifications – faithful & able.

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The Crisis of Character

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The greatest crisis today is the crisis of leadership. And the greatest crisis in leadership is the crisis of character. Character is the result of four things:

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1.     The choices you make

2.     The values you embrace

3.     The crisis you experience

4.     The mentor you choose

 (Howard Hendricks)

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Applications & Practical Tips to Consider

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1. Help others to run the race with you

2. Ask God to make you a channel of blessing to others.

3. Pray and ask God for a vision and a plan.

4. Develop a simple mentoring program that is practical, biblical and applicable (avoid technical theories & methodologies).

5. Seek the help of other mature believers in this process.

6. See what and how others are doing successfully in mentoring and discipling.

7. Develop ideas and goals and whatever else you need to get started.

8. Enlist supporters and prayer partners.

9. Write a program proposal including basic principles, strategy and goal.

10. Do not be afraid to start small.

11. Enlist accountability partners who can oversee and help you.

12. Be aware of the problems you may face. How will you solve them?

13. Where will the mentoring take place? Formal or Informal?

14. The local church should be supportive and affirming.

15. The “mentee” needs to commit to the program for a specified period of time and agree to participate and cooperate in the program.

16. A small training manual or a brief curriculum will be helpful (Lessons on Assurance & Security of Salvation Christian Growth & Maturity, Discipleship, Evangelism, Witnessing, Victorious Christian life, Spiritual Gifts, Church doctrine & practices, a survey of Bible doctrine etc. should be included in the curriculum. Follow a workable lesson plan.

17. What is the goal of discipleship/mentoring program? “Teaching them to OBEY….” It is through obedience/application that we develop character and conduct in following the Lord and doing His will.

18. Don’t just discuss or visualize a discipleship program, BUT DO IT. This is a mandate that is imperative. Yes, this is the most important thing Jesus asked us to do. Let us do it for His glory.

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Reflection & Discussion

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Read, Meditate, Understand & Apply. Highlight the major truths in these verses.    Discuss & make relevant applications to the topic.

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1.     Prov.18:24

2.     Prov.27:17

3.     Matt.28:19-20

4.     Rom.15:14

5.     Colo.1:28-29; 2:6-7

6.     Heb.10:24-25