Equip - Harvest Network

Introduction: What does it mean to Resource?

Ephesians 4:11–12 LEB

And he himself gave some as apostles and some as prophets and some as evangelists and some as pastors and teachers for the equipping of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for building up the body of Christ,

Let’s do a word study on that word Equip. When you think of the English word Equip what comes to your mind?

ED201 Empowering God’s People for Ministry Fix What’s Broken

In

Katartismos - The bringing of someone or something to completion (perfect and adequate in every respect) and fit for some purpose.

Katartizo. - Prepare, Restore, Mend

Kayle de Waal, PhD, is senior lecturer in New Testament studies at Avondale College of Higher Education, Cooranbong, Australia. in Ministry Journal for Pastors traces this greek word throught the LXX and New Testament for me.

The verb katartizō, found 17 times in the LXX, can mean “to establish” (Ps. 74:16); “to equip or restore” (Ps. 68:9); and “to complete and finish” (Ezra 4:12, 13). The word appears 13 times in the New Testament and can mean “to restore or mend” fishing nets (Matt. 4:21); “to restore a fallen brother” (Gal. 6:1); “to prepare” (Rom. 9:22; Heb. 10:5); and “to put into proper order, complete, furnish” (1 Thess. 3:10; 1 Cor. 1:10). The word suggests making something work the way it was designed to, to bring something from a place of ineffective­ness to effectiveness.3

Establish the Mission.

When Jesus found the Disciples Fishing and Mending their nets.

Their mission was to Catch fish.

Jesus established their new mission was to be fishers of men.

This mission required a different equipping, that just like in mending nets required the net to be in alignment with the fisherman.

Equipping involves aligning people to Jesus’ Established Mission.

Qualify Servants

An Unmended net full of holes will not catch fish.

2 Timothy 2:2 LEB

and the things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these things to faithful people who will be competent to teach others also.

Equipping is about filling in our competency holes - So Yes absolutely giving people the tools for effectiveness, but also healing and restoration.

ED201 Empowering God’s People for Ministry Properly Align

It says in

Usefulness

Equipping then is about making a fishing net serve its purpose.

Equipping is about enabling the body parts of Christ’s body to serve their purpose in the overall mission of Christ.

Invite to Connect

The Fishing Net has two types of connections in order to be useful. The connection to the Fisherman who casts for the fisherman’s purpose, and the network of connections between the netting fabric.

The first connection we are invited to is Jesus by which he says we can do nothing without him. So equipping involves the continual invitation to connect with Jesus.

The Lexham English Bible Chapter 5

10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you* have suffered for a short time, will himself

The second is the other parts of the Body of Christ. Fellow believers. When each person is doing their part in the body it equips us all.

We are called a Network and simply the relationships we build are vital to the equipping process.

Proclaim

And of course proclaiming the word, and teaching the word is involved in all of the above aspects of equipping, but is also effective in its own right.

The Lexham English Bible Chapter 3

16 All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness, 17 in order that the person of God may be competent,

In 2 Timothy - Exartizo - to be or become furneished or equipped with every necessary component for a task. - Logos

APEST

Now we can see how the 5 gifts equip.

Apostles establish the mission they are sent ones and the draw the church into Christ’s mission.

Prophets ensure we are connected vertically to the Lord to the head and his covenant. They bring alignment

Evangelists invite people outside of the body of Christ into the Body of Christ.

Shepherds bring healing and restoration in the body of Christ.

Teachers furnish the people with the Word of God in order that the people of God will be qualified for every good work.

Conclusion: This weekend, let’s be a resource to each other to Equip each other.