EQUIPPING THE LAITY

“Christ Himself granted that some are apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ.”  (Ephesians 4:11-13 NRSV)

The Church, rightly conceived, is the whole covenant people called to serve in the world.  The clergy are also part of the laity, and their true function is to help equip the laity to be the Servant People.  If they turn aside to rule and to secure their own status, they have betrayed the calling of the special ministry.

-- Franklin H. Littell

#5431 

FACING THE STRUGGLES OF LIFE

“Therefore, since it is by God’s mercy that we are engaged in this ministry, we do not lose heart… But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;… So we do no lose heart.”  (2 Corinthians 4:1, 2-9,16a NRSV)

As I thought of Paul’s statement, I remembered a story that was told at a California graduation. The speaker told about a young man who had received his diploma… and ten years later the graduate sent his diploma back to the university saying that the degree had not helped him obtain employment in his chosen field of work. The speaker, who was the former chancellor of the university, said that he sent the diploma back to the young man and told him to keep it, that he earned it. He went on to explain that the purpose of the university was to develop students who will be self-sufficient and involved with society, but what stuck with me was his statement to the young man: “It is not the purpose of a university to guarantee victory in life, but to equip one for the struggles of life.”

That is the purpose of the church as well. It is not the purpose of the faith to guarantee us victory, success, or immunity from trouble. The purpose of the church is to equip us with the power to face the struggles of life. 

-- James W. Moore and Bob J. Moore in “Lord, Give Me Patience!... And Give It to Me Right Now!”

#4900

THE VOICE OF OUR GUIDE

“Your Word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.”  (Psalm 119:105 NLT)

My friend Danny went spelunking in the caves of Iowa.  The man guiding took him deep underground, then said he would lead Danny through a passageway into a spectacular chamber.  The passageway was small enough that Danny had to stoop at first.  Then as it grew still smaller, he had to get on his hands and knees.  Eventually the only way to go forward was to lay on his back and push his body forward with his feet.  Then the ceiling was so low that when he inhaled he could not move at all!  He had to stop, inhale, and exhale, and only then was his chest low enough to allow him to move.  By this point it was physically impossible to back out.  If the passageway had gotten any smaller they would have lain there and died in that cave.

Danny is a sky-diving, mountain-climbing, hang-gliding thrill-seeker, but there in that cave he felt sheer panic.  He was terrified.  He tried fighting his fear, but he kept picturing his dead body moldering in the cave.  Finally, he told his guide he was about to lose it, and the guide said, “Danny, close your eyes and listen to my voice.  I will keep talking, calmly, and guide you through this.  We will be okay.  I have been here before.  I will get you to the other side.  But you must listen to my voice.  It will not work for you to let your thoughts run wild.  Just focus on my voice.”

Danny did so.  What freed him from panic and fear was not trying hard to quit thinking fearful thoughts.  It was listening to another voice.

What voice do you listen to when you’re in the cave and it’s dark, when the ceiling is low and you can’t back out?  The Spirit longs to flow in our minds all the time.  One reason why people have found memorizing Scripture helpful is that it helps us listen to the voice of our guide when we are in the cave.  We set our minds on those thoughts that equip us for life.

-- John Ortberg in “The Me I Want To Be”


#4653

GOD'S POWER

The beauty of God's power is that it points people directly back to the source: God Himself. When Peter and John healed a lame man, and people stopped to gawk at them, the apostles were quick to remind the onlookers that the greatness they had seen was evidence of God's power, not their own. Peter responded: "Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this? Or why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?"

When people see human power revealed, they might be impressed. But the call of the gospel goes much too deep for anybody to be "impressed" into the kingdom. They have to be humbled, amazed, and awed at a power that comes from a completely different source, and only God's power, revealed in us, is up to the task.

God's power will liberate us from our weakness and equip us to do His will. It will also give us the strength to become like Christ.

-- Bill Hybels in The God You're Looking For


#3270

SHARING THE GOSPEL

If you are a Christ-follower, then you are called, equipped, and expected to share the gospel.  No exceptions!  Leighton Ford, a former vice president of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, summed it up this way: "A church which bottlenecks its specialists to do its witnessing is living in violation of both Jesus Christ and the consistent pattern of the early Christians.  Evangelism was the task of the whole church, not just the 'name characters'." 

-- Bill Hybels in Just Walk Across the Room


#3174