Accept the Call
The 5 Verbs of Learning: Risk
So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.
Ephesians 4:11-12
“Is it the pastor’s role to make disciples?” Hmmm. This is a trick question because isn’t it better to say, “It is the pastor’s role to equip God’s people to make disciples”? What is the difference?
Ephesians 4:11-12 says “So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip his people for works of service…” (We will use the word APEST as a shortform for these 5 gifts.) We need people with this gifting to help us do these works of service.
What is the difference between the APEST gifted people saying “We will do the ministry and you can help.” or “You can do the ministry and we will help”? We could mobilize millions of workers with the equipping that comes from the APEST gifts. As we pray that God will thrust workers into the harvest, how can we make our message: “You can do it and we can help”?
For Reflection:
- Why is investing in others risky?
- What help can you provide to those in Series 1?
Make Life Count:
- Tell someone what you need in order to make disciples and invite them to pray with you to make that happen.
- Do you feel you are getting the help you need to be able to do the ministry? What would help?
Thirsty for More?
- Take The APEST assessment. While this costs a fee, it can be very enlightening to a team to see how their gifts fit together. We would be happy to discuss the results with you.
Let’s help equip the saints for this work…..
