EQUIPMENT
Above: Here is my son Elisha Titus fully equipped for battle! Are you equipped?
EQUIPMENT was written in 2009 as a team/Sunday school curriculum that I now preach quite a bit in local churches. Many have found it helpful so I’m going to make it available on the blog:
This is a nine session series following this acronym E.Q.U.I.P.M.E.N.T and beginning with five sessions for the equipping of the saints. It is like taking a Christianity 201 course, where the Alpha course is more like Christianity 101. It is for the sake of those who are called by Jesus into the next step from salvation into service. Jesus called 12 persons to be his disciples that they might be leaders once they had been through three years of training with Him. He also called 72 persons out of the crowds to join the twelve in ministry. This course is for those who may not be called to leadership, but are nonetheless called to ministry. Leadership is not superiority, but only a different calling. Leaders will be judged more strictly by God, people and angels of light and darkness. If people are interested in leadership they should speak to those who have already been appointed leaders by elders in the church and elders/servant leaders should decide if they are ready, not the persons themselves. The first give sessions are focused on who we are in Christ, our being in Christ. The last four sessions are focused on our practice of ministry, our doing for Christ. Each session build on the previous session, thus they must be taken successively.
The first session of the series is Exalt, to exalt Christ with a lifestyle of worshipping Him. This will help disciples minister out of an overflow rather than out of a “drained pipe” so to speak. This is the purpose of life itself and vital to any minister’s success.
The second session is on Qualifications, particularly for ministry/service of Christ. 1st Timothy 3 has a list for the qualifications of a deacon/deaconess. Now this series is not set up to make someone into a deacon, but the word does simply mean “servant” and so the qualifications are something any disciple can benefit from observing. The list of nine qualifications will be read, and those involved will pray for whatever character traits they desire the Holy Spirit to grow in them.
The third session is Understanding, particularly understanding Grace and Truth. If a disciple understands deeply, not just as a matter of head knowledge, that he or she had nothing good in and of themselves, but God gave all people a measure of goodness and then especially eternal righteousness in Jesus to those who believe, they will have Grace for themselves and others.
The fourth session concerns Intimacy with Christ. To be intimate with Christ Jesus one must learn to receive His love and this is absolutely vital for success in ministry. Our service must flow out of our intimacy with Christ.
Perseverance is the subject of the fifth session in the EQUIP acronym. Once a disciple has learned to live a lifestyle of worship, prayed for the character of Jesus, understood Grace and Truth, and begun to grow daily in intimacy with Christ, he or she can have patience for God, themselves, and others. A disciple must learn to persevere in faith and in relationships with others. There are nine fruits of the Spirit and patience is one of them.
Once a disciple has been equipped, he or she is ready to take on the Equipment for the practice of ministry. Thus Ministry is the sixth session and the first of the equipMENT aspect of the acronym. In this the disciple learns to discern his or her most important gift of the Spirit and then put it into practice that week. There are nine gifts of the Spirit.
The seventh session is to Enfold one other person and be enfolded by someone else, or in very small groups. Discipleship is about walking along-side each other and pointed each other to Christ. A disciple must find someone not as far along in that journey as ourselves and intentionally walk alongside them in genuine friendship to point them to Jesus. A disciple must also find someone further along in the journey, at least in some way, to point them to Jesus also.
From this the disciples’ New calling will emerge, which is the eighth session. Using the gifts and skills the Spirit has given us and putting them into practice a group of disciples will help one another discern their calling in prayer. This involves new horizons and one must never say never when it comes to where or how God will call him or her.
Finally the disciple must learn to Testify in the ninth session. Disciples will testify to what the LORD has taught them and done for them not only in this session but also in their lives. Disciples will then be encouraged to keep on testifying to those they meet with it is appropriate.
So next week I’ll start with the 1st lesson- to Exalt Christ as a lifestyle of worship.