Ready, Set, Go
“for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ” Ephesians 4:12
Equipping – Years ago I traveled to Corfu, one of the Greek islands. The blue Mediterranean sea lapped against the brilliant white stone. On most beaches, you could find a few old men repairing fishing nets, meticulously tying together broken lines. They had to job of equipping, making things ready to go. If I had spoken to them, they would have used the Greek verb kataritizo, the root behind the word in this verse. It’s all about repairing, mending and preparing. The imagery would have been comfortably at home in Jesus’ discussion of fishing. There is more to catching fish (or men) than simply casting out nets. A lot of time has to go into making the necessary repairs and preparation so that when the nets are dropped into the sea, the catch can be pulled into the boat.
Paul suggests that the roles God gives to individuals within the church have this common purpose: to make ready the saints for the task at hand. Is that how your church operates? Do you come away from the service feeling mended, ready to go back to fishing? Is your church teaching you the depths of God’s word so that you will be fully prepared to function in a hostile world? Or does your church really exist to offer you shelter, relief or entertainment? Is it a place of alignment training, heart mending and mind repair or is it a place dedicated to “feel good” isolation from the sins of the world?
Do you want to know why the church is so weak today? Why it seems to have so little impact of the culture? So little relevance? It’s not because of programming or productions. It’s not for lack of money or buildings or advertisement. The church is inept because it no longer considers equipping its number one purpose. The church never existed to protect us from the world. The church is boot camp. Its role is to prepare us to fight for the Kingdom in the world. The church must be the place where I am stretched, challenged, taught (that’s not the same as “preached to”), prepared and empowered to take Jesus to the marketplace. The church succeeds when it loses its members to God’s greater calling, not when it focuses on growing by accumulation. I am waiting for the day that the local congregation celebrates the members who are leaving to serve God beyond the walls instead of bemoaning the loss of a registered pew-sitter. The church was never intended to focus inwardly. It is the springboard to service outside its doors.
Is that the kind of church you attend? A place where you are filled to capacity so that you can leave ready to go do His will?
