Thoroughly Equipped in Christ

They can't believe they're now fully equipped and empowered. This is the sorry condition of the church today--it wields the powerful Scripture but cannot believe it. Bible usage is just to legitimize their claim of being Christian. But church is a far cry from what Jesus was in the Gospel. [Image above by Todd Quackenbush @toddquackenbush].

So here's the ridiculous situation--pastors and church leaders believe they are not fully equipped for ministry so they attend all sorts of seminars. Seminars for this and that. Some seminars have become scams, charging people exorbitant fees in the guise of helping them succeed in ministry. But all these seminars do is enrich the organizers. I heard one leadership seminar charge P10K a participant. I hope I heard wrong.

God's supernatural equipping of saints. Click here.

The Unseen Gospel is unseen to the perishing. They can't see what Jesus did. He did the things he did so we can have all we need. Complete. Nothing missing--if we claim it and believe. For instance, just see what power this passage holds:

"...if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." [Matthew 17.20]

Let me cut that short: "If you believe...nothing will be impossible for you." You see the word NOTHING? Do you believe it? So where does "unequipped" fit in there? Nowhere. The words, "nothing will be impossible for you" give us everything we need and make us everything we need to be. It doesn't say, nothing is impossible for you if you attend this and that seminar. You don't need seminars. It's all in you if you're IN CHRIST.

His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. [2 Peter 1.3]

Everything we need. See that? It's not just fantasy or just my idea. It's God's Word. All we need to do is believe and operate in it. We are fully equipped to face anyone or anything because of the Spirit of Jesus in us. Here's what Jesus said about His Spirit:

"He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.” [John 16]

Jesus is glorified when the Holy Spirit declares or makes known to us what He received from Jesus. And what did he receive from Jesus? All that belongs to the Father! The Spirit will reveal to us "all that belongs to the Father." If that's not powerful, I don't know what is. You mean seminars are more powerful than this?

Pastors and church leaders attend all sorts of seminars. How to do this and that. How to evangelize, How to disciple. How to do missions. How to worship. How to manage church finances. How to do counseling. How to be a better parent. How to deliver the demon-possessed. I guess even how to scratch your head or tie your shoes.

But it's all in God's Word. Just meditate it day and night and Joshua says you will prosper and be successful. Look how Paul sees it:

16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. [2 Timothy 3]

God promises that you are already "thoroughly equipped" through the God-breathed Word. Just believe it and live it. But you have a ton of problems if you don't and instead seek refuge in man's seminars, seminaries and bible schools. The church has been inventing a lot of seminars for this and that, and yet the church remains the same--always craving the attention of the world. If it does not advertise, promote, lure, do gimmicks or force (or pester) people in, no one's going to pay attention to it. Powerless.

Even today, the church keeps rejecting the Stone that has become the Capstone.

“‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; 11 the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?” [Mark 12]

Jesus never attended seminars or required his disciples to attend them. Neither did he teach them how to do this or that in seminars. What he taught was how to move in the Holy Spirit (John 16 is an example) and trained his disciples how to do ministry hands on. He did it through his discipleship, not seminars.

That's what the church needs today--a Jesus type discipleship that demos Jesus' supernatural ministry and teaches about how to move in the Holy Spirit.

UNSEEN GOSPEL: And even if our gospel is unseen, it is unseen to those who are perishing. [2 Corinthians 4.3]