An Equipped Church Pt. 2

Scripture

In the letter to the Ephesian church, Paul is writing to unite them in Christ. He wants them to be a church that is informed, and he wants them to be a church that is equipped. He spends the first three chapters supplying the doctrinal framework, and then he uses chapters 4-6 to apply those truths to their lives.

Ephesians 4:7 NKJV

But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.

Ephesians 4:11–16 NKJV

And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

Theme:

A church that functions according to God’s Word will be equipped for growth.

Introduction: All of Heaven Breaking Loose

Have you ever heard the expression, “if we do that all Hell will break lose?”

Well, what if I told you there was a way to function in the church where all Heaven would break loose?

That’s exactly what was happening in the book of Ephesians. All Heaven was breaking loose and Paul wasn’t prepared to slow down. So many make the mistake of getting comfortable. When we get comfortable, progress stops being made. When progress stops being made, then we begin to backslide. When we begin to backslide, then we just repeat the past over and over, and our church and its leadership is not prepared to go backwards, we are only interested in moving forwards.

When Paul hears of the revival happening in Ephesus, he writes this letter, and here is how he beings…in prayer.

Ephesians 1:15–17 NKJV

Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him,

Ephesians 3:14–21 NKJV

For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Paul is praying for them what I am praying for us, and what other pastors and leaders are praying for us, and that is continued revival. That we don’t miss that nothing that is happening here can be attributed to us, but that all the glory belongs to God.

But also that we don’t let the opportunity slip through our hands because we are too busy being distracted by things that don’t matter, or because we get lazy and comfortable and start backsliding to where we were instead of allowing God to bring us to the next stage of spiritual and numerical growth.

Recap

When it comes to church, if we don’t know what we are supposed to be doing and where we are supposed to be going, then we cannot grow and the church can never prosper.

“To share the good news of Jesus Christ as we grow together in His love.”

This is based on Matthew 28:19-20

And everything that we do as a church must pour out of this truth, that we are here to reach the lost by sharing the message of Jesus, and we are here to grow closer to Him. Anything that does not fit in those two categories doesn’t belong in our church.

To introduce this, we need to answer a question. “What is the church?”

A. The “Body” of Christ

Think of what kind of body you want to have:

1. A Body That is Organized

2. A Body That is Alive

This means that the church is more than an organization.

3. A Body That is Submissive

B. The Expression of Christ

I cannot physically see your spirit. But I can see your spirit by how you express yourself.

C. United in Christ

For there to be unity in the body (church), we have to be in submission to the Head (Christ).

How does Christ keep us unified?

1. His Appointed Shepherds

We have to always remember that Jesus Christ expresses His authority in the church through human leadership and practice

2. His Authoritative Word

To introduce this message, we answered the question “What is the church?” It is the “Body” of Christ, the Expression of Christ, and it is United in Christ.

To understand how this applies to us in the function and the operation of the church, there are some other things that we need to consider.

I. The People (Polity)

The Bible affirms that if a church wants to function according to God’s word and wants to be equipped to carry out the will of God, then that church must be:

Pastor-Led

Deacon-Served

Committee-Operated

Congregationally Affirmed

We need to understand all these roles and functions so that we are an equipped church.

A. Pastor-Led

1. Elder

The word Elder is not talking about age but about spiritual maturity.

2. Overseer (Bishop)

The word overseer literally means “superintendent” and is describing the ability to manage. That’s why the qualifications for a pastor is that he “manages” his household well. If he cannot manage his house, how can he oversee the church?

3. Shepherd

A pastor is to lead, feed, and protect the sheep.

Defining Pastoral Authority

I am not an authority within myself, but my authority comes from God and from His word.

If I go against the Spirit of God and His word, then I no longer have any authority.

What pastoral authority means is:

That God has called me to the office of pastor, not man.

The church has affirmed my calling to the office of pastor, but can relinquish me of my duties at any time they desire.

The church will allow me to have the authority that corresponds to my responsibility.

It is my pleasure to serve this church…but I can’t do it alone.

B. Deacon-Served

Ephesians 4:16 NKJV

from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share.

There is a vital part of our church and they fill the office of deacon.

The word deacon means “servant”. Sometimes it is used generally, sometimes it is used for the office…we are talking about the office of deacon, where a man is called, affirmed, and ordained.

What is a deacon?

1. Qualified for the Job

2. Willing to Serve

3. An Extension of My Love

I can’t be everyone’s pastor all at once. The men ordained to the office of deacon are to be there to care for those that I cannot be there for.

Our church is growing rapidly, and these men have been the solution to many problems that you never see. Because of their willingness, the church continues to grow, and we need more men and more deacons to step up, study the qualifications found in Scripture, and endeavor to live a life consistent with those things.

C. Committee (Team)-Operated

You’re not going to find the word “committee” in the Bible. So, committees are not a biblical command, nor are they something that we have to have.

However, they are vital to the operation and organization of the church.

Sometimes, we let the tail wag the dog and the committees start telling the church and the pastor what is and what isn’t going to take place. That’d be like the foot telling the mouth what to have for breakfast. Like the hand telling the mind and they eye what color car to buy.

If the word committee isn’t found in the Bible, where do we get the idea of committees from?

In Exodus 18, Moses’s father-in-law comes to visit him. He sees that all day long Moses is sitting before the congregation and listening to all their problems and fixing all their issues, and he says, “That’s not good. You’re going to wear yourself and your people out!” He says, “Moses, your job is to seek God and teach the people what they are supposed to do and show them the work they are supposed to perform.” Then he gives Moses this solution:

Exodus 18:21–23 NKJV

Moreover you shall select from all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. And let them judge the people at all times. Then it will be that every great matter they shall bring to you, but every small matter they themselves shall judge. So it will be easier for you, for they will bear the burden with you. If you do this thing, and God so commands you, then you will be able to endure, and all this people will also go to their place in peace.”

Only if things are operating the way they should will we be able to endure this year of challenge…

Who Should Serve on a Team or Committee?

The Bible says that each Christian has a spiritual gift. 1 Cor 12; Romans 12

Not some Christians, not mature Christians, but every Christian has a supernatural gift.

We need to identify each other’s giftings and get to work serving on teams to ensure that our church is equipped for every good work.

Teaching/Leadership Gifts

These gifts are the most noticed gifts, and they are gifts that everyone wants. The problem churches run into is that some people only want the platform that the gifts provides with none of the responsibility that the gift requires. To be a good steward of these giftings in the church, it requires a selfless love for the people that make up the body.

Leadership (Romans 12:8)

A person with this gift isn’t arrogant and glory hungry. They are people with vision of God’s will and they possess the supernatural ability to align people with God’s will.

Prophecy (1 Cor 12:10; Romans 12:6)

This is the ability to speak for God, not just tell the future. In the Bible you will see this listed as both an office and a gift. The gift of prophecy is still here. The office of Prophet is no longer needed because we have the complete word of God.

Someone with the gift of prophesy is not an authority, but they are an encourager. They don’t walk around condemning and calling out sin, they walk around encouraging the saints and lifting them up.

1 Corinthians 14:3 NKJV

But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men.

Teaching (Romans 12:7)

These are people who have a supernatural desire to seek out truth. Someone who is using this gift properly won’t be a know-it-all. They won’t sit in judgement while another teaches and correct them. Someone who is using this gift correctly will be humble, they will internalize God’s word and live it out, and they will teach others from their hearts and their actions, not from their intellect.

Christianity is not primarily emotional or intellectual, it is spiritual.

Exhortation (Romans 12:8)

These kinds of people will be counselors, and disciplers. They will take the time to invest in personal relationships and they will have the supernatural ability to apply God’s word to the lives of people for their encouragement. People that have the gift of exhortation inspire you to love Jesus more and more!

Wisdom (1 Cor 12:8)

Wisdom in the Bible means to have the supernatural ability to see things from Heaven’s point of view. The wisdom of the Holy Spirit is both deeply spiritual and deeply practical. People with the gift of wisdom take the most complicated situations, untangle them, and lay them out in a straight line so that you can see the solution.

Discernment (1 Cor 12:10)

This means that they can supernaturally understand if something is from God or from a demonic spirit. They can’t say whether someone is saved or lost, but they can identify a false teaching.

These will be people with an intimate relationship with God’s word both in knowledge and application. They will also be those who can help you discern the will of God and help those with the gift of leading confirm that God is moving them in that direction.

I heard a pastor say that everyone on the cold-water committee thinks they have this gift. He said that every time God sets the church on fire for His glory that committee comes and pours cold-water on the flame.

People with the gift of discernment aren’t there to obstruct, they are there to counsel and help align those with the ability to lead with God’s word.

Service Gifts

These gifts are the ones that really bring us closer to Jesus. The Bible says that Jesus came to serve and not be served. We have too many people in the American church that think church is there to provide a service to them when in reality the church is a place where we go to serve other people.

Ministry (Romans 12:7)

Ministry is spelled W-O-R-K. This is the gift of service. These are the people that show up to set up and tear down for VBS. These are the people that drive the vans, love the babies in the nursery, run the sound, that come up here when no one else is here to clean, organize, and make ready to receive guests. These are people that have the heart of Jesus Christ.

Giving (Romans 12:8)

This is financial. Every Christian is called to give. But people with the gift of giving are motivated givers. The church cannot operate or run without finances, and those that have the gift of giving are solely motivated to give so that the Kingdom of God can keep going.

When we begin to fundraise to build out the student space, the givers in our congregation are going to give more than what is asked because they have a strong desire to see God continue His work here on earth.

Faith (1 Corinthians 12:9)

These are people that have a supernatural trust that God is going to accomplish the miraculous. They know that God does things that mere humans can’t, and they trust Him. They are the ones that tell mountains to move in the name of Jesus and then watch them move.

First Priority

Every year, an organization called First Priority hosts a prayer walk at our local schools to get them ready for the new year. This year, Providence has the honor of leading the prayer walk for Hatton High School.

The man that leads First Priority in our area is a man named Larry Franks. I’ve only heard Larry preach, I’ve never been personally acquainted with him, but I know that he has the gift of faith.

People told Larry that his area couldn’t be reached, but 15 years later, they are still winning high school students to Jesus Christ. In the 2025-2026 school year, his team saw 750 students come to know the Lord Jesus as their savior.

I am convinced he has the gift of faith. He knew what God could do, and He believed that God would do it, and God did it.

People that have the gift of faith dig the ditches before it rains because they trust in God and know what He’s going to do.

Mercy (Romans 12:8)

People like this bring comfort to the broken. They are so moved with compassion that they might be described as a bleeding heart. They cannot rest until those that are broken are served in a very practical way.

Sign Gifts

Gifts of signs and wonders in the New Testament are mostly seen in the book of Acts. This is because these gifts served as a sign that God was doing something new. We are in the church age, and we will be there until the return of Jesus, so God isn’t doing anything new, so these gifts are not helpful for us today.

I am not willing to say that these gifts don’t exist today, I am willing to say that they are far less common than we believe. So, I am going to list these gifts for us, but I am not going to expound on them.

Knowledge (God-given insight)

Healings (if someone had this gift today they should be making rounds at every cancer institute in the world. People who claim this gift today are frauds.)

Miracles

Tongues (not angelic, but a recognized language // for the lost)

Interpretation of Tongues (This was so everyone could be encouraged, not just the one speaking).

People who have certain giftings and talents from the Holy Spirit serve on various committees or teams. When the team has the right people on it, there won’t be any power grabbing, there won’t be any self-service…it will be a team of people that work together to serve the needs of others in the church and to reach the lost.

A committee is not a avenue for you to get your way, a committee is an avenue to serve the interest of the church, to reach the lost, and to support the pastor in the operations of the church.

I’ll use the example of our finance committee

I am so thankful for that committee! They take care of the tithes and offerings you give, they make sure we have the money going to the right places like missions and outreach, they ensure that the light bill gets paid and that the water stays on, and that the A/Cs run. Thank God for our finance committee taking the load off of our shoulders and for serving our church, making sure we are equipping the saints and reaching the lost.

One of the keys to a healthy and thriving church is having committees and teams that support the pastor and ensure the church is operating as it should. By the way…I haven’t recieved even one recommendation for our nominating committee.

D. Congregationally Affirmed

A pastor must have strong leadership, but not without accountability. If a pastor were to have an affair, not a rumor, but confirmed, it would be the responsibility of the congregation to vote him out.

A deacon is to serve the church at the pleasure of the church. If a deacon fails in this role, it would be the responsibility of the church to vote them out.

1. Congregationally Affirmed, Not Congregationally Ruled or Led

I used to say that churches should be congregationally ruled. Then I thought, “No, we’re ruled by God, the church ought to be congregationally governed.” Then, as I studied more, I thought, “That’s not right either. A church ought to be congregationally affirmed.” The reason that we say congregationally affirmed is because the congregation is not always right and can have limited insight into what God is doing.

Example: Moses was gone for forty days, the people got nervous because they could not see what God was doing, Aaron listened to the people, and Moses came back to find them worshipping a golden calf, a false god.

When I say that a church is to be congregationally affirmed, it means that the head cannot go where the body will not take it.

Example: In Numbers 13, God told them to take the Promised Land, they sent spies out to see the land, the spies came back and 10 of them said, “We cannot go.” Moses, Joshua, and Caleb said, “We can go and we must go because God has said.” Still, the congregation said, “We cannot go!” and so they didn’t, even though it was the will of God.

I can ask, but I cannot force. I am to lead the sheep, but I am not to get behind and push or whip the sheep. Whenever God gives the pastor a directive, he is to take it before the congregation. If the congregation affirms that, they move. If they don’t, the pastor needs to reevaluate what he believes God is telling Him. That is what it means to be congregationally affirmed.

2. Congregationally Gifted and Equipped for Every good Work

Ephesians 4:12 NKJV

for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,

Just like I cannot thrive without these deacons, just like we cannot complete the will of God without organized and effective committees, we cannot move in the direction God wants us to go unless the body, the people of God are equipped for the work of the ministry.

Just today was a wonderful example of that! Brother Shawn performed his first baptism! He now has a deep connection with those children and with their parents that will never leave because of what he did for them, encouraging them and discipling their children to follow Jesus through baptism.

There is more to a church that pastors, deacon, and committees. We are the people of God, and we are to be equipped for every good work!

Conclusion

A. Our Purpose

Our purpose is to share the good news of Jesus Christ as we grow together in His love.

B. Our Head

Our Head is Jesus Christ and we are here to serve Him, not for Him to serve us. He has equipped us with everything that we need to live in service to Him. We are His body, we are His expression, we are united in Him.

C. Our Governance

A church is to be pastor-led, deacon-served, committee operated, and congregationally affirmed. If we get those things out of order, then we’ve gotten away from the Word of God.

The next year or two is going to be riddled with challenges.

It is going to test our desire to function according to God’s word and our desire to grow both spiritually and numerically.

My question to the church is this: is the body willing to go where the head is leading?