Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.” (Ephesians 4:15-16)
Our desire is that every member be equipped for service in the kingdom of God. In Ephesians 4:11-16, we have a picture of a healthy church. A church where “the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love” (vs. 16). Notice that the “whole body” is “equipped” for the purpose of up-building. We want to be more than comfortable Christians who are content to sit and stare. Rather, we want to be a church body that is alive and functioning faithfully in the work of serving God.
David did not go up against Goliath empty-handed. Rather, he took the tools and skills that were unique to him and used them to defeat a mighty enemy. He was equipped with just what was needed to accomplish the mission. Likewise, each member in the church is to take up their unique resources and skills with which God has equipped them. It is God who equips us with strength (Psalm 18:32) and Scripture so we “may be competent, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:17).
We want to be an equipping church. We want to be a church with unity that uses every resource and talent for God’s glory. We want to be a church with zeal that is eagerly engaged in the overall life of the congregation. We want to be a church with maturity that is able to effectively carry out the work of ministry. We implore every member of the church to take on the task of being equipped for faithfulness. “Now may the God of peace…equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight” (Hebrews 13:20-21).
Paul Merideth is the preacher of the Watterson Trail Church of Christ in Jeffersontown, KY