There’s so much in Ephesians that we can’t come close to getting it all, but we certainly don’t want to miss our marching orders – by “our” I mean church leaders:
And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 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 4.11 – 16, ESV, emphasis mine)
Last Tuesday we introduced a little template: A, B, C, D, E.
- A: Apathetic
- B: Beginning to seek
- C: Confessing Christian
- D: Developing disciple
- E: Excelling reproducer
Our goal is not merely to “get ’em saved and baptized” – helping them move from A to C. It’s not even enough to see all of them in small group Bible studies – helping them move to D. It’s to “equip them for the work of ministry” – an A -> E ministry. I started our year together by writing three blogs on this important topic, beginning January 9, 2022. I commend them to you. One of the main lessons is that while moving from A to E takes time and training, part of the training involves being on mission immediately.
Jesus sent people out on mission way sooner than we tend to do. I don’t know why churches are so slow to pick up on this. The lesson from the demon-possessed guy of Mark 5, Matthew the tax collector in Mark 2, and the woman at the well in John 4 is clear. New believers can start missional (“E”) right away. As motivational speaker Tony Robbins says:
When would now be a good time?
Then Jesus made a circuit of all the towns and villages. He taught in their meeting places, reported kingdom news, and healed their diseased bodies, healed their bruised and hurt lives. When he looked out over the crowds, his heart broke. So confused and aimless they were, like sheep with no shepherd. “What a huge harvest!” he said to his disciples. “How few workers! On your knees and pray for harvest hands!” The prayer was no sooner prayed than it was answered. Jesus called twelve of his followers and sent them into the ripe fields. (Matthew 9.35 – 10.1, MSG)