Tag: equipped

What Every Joint Supplies

Neal Pollard

We closed out the second annual Equipped workshop last night, walking through the gospel of John. It was encouraging and uplifting, even beyond the well-prepared, well-presented lessons. We had guests attend from New York to California, Florida to Indiana, and each was a delight! I could list many reasons for why it was so enjoyable, but I just want to mention my favorite one: Our members.

Last night, in expressing thanks to different groups, I mentioned tasks performed by the members of our congregation before and during the workshop. Volunteers, taking time off from works and school, spending how ever many hours, did these jobs with joy and enthusiasm. No job was small and each contributed to the overall success of the weekend. This included:

  • A/V tasks (Power Point, timers, audio, video, equipment, etc., etc.)
  • Registration (Set up, decorating, printing name tags and putting them in lanyards, keeping records, etc., etc.)
  • Making speaker packets
  • Mail-outs (inputting addresses, stuffing letters and envelopes, etc.)
  • Providing security (arranging it, volunteering)
  • Food trucks (contacting, coordinating, assisting)
  • Greeters
  • Transportation
  • Bookstore (set up, decorating, manning)
  • Babysitting
  • Lodging (contacting hotels, brokering discounts)
  • Restaurant discounts (contacting and arranging)
  • Hospitality Room (gathering items, stocking, and preparing)
  • Brochure design and production
  • Website management (for both the church site and the dedicated site)
  • Social media (promotion, posting)
  • Personal invitations to friends, family, coworkers, and classmates)
  • Taking photos and videos (as well as creating Google drive and uploading content)
  • Moving tables and chairs (several times)
  • Coordinating displayers and displays
  • Providing the coffee shop (brewing, creating, serving)
  • Decorating bulletin boards
  • Displaying warmth and friendliness

I’m certain I’m overlooking one or maybe several more tasks, all essential to the enormous success of this edifying event. Yet, it all is a reminder and an example of something Paul wrote long ago to the church in Ephesus. “…we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love” (Eph. 4:15b-16).

So many individual parts were working and the net result was and will be growth! Ironically, the name “Equipped” comes from this very context. The works planned and enacted by the local leadership is, in part, “for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ” (Eph. 4:11-12). God wants His people working, building, and growing. It is beautiful to see His wisdom proven when His people work His plan. Every single person is important and part of that plan!

Photo Credit: Eli Watson

“Self-Sufficient Study”

Wednesday’s Column: Third’s Words

Gary III

Gary Pollard

All gas internal combustion engines require three things to operate: fuel, spark, and compression. If one of the three is working improperly, a number of symptoms can arise. This is an oversimplification, of course, but those three systems must be mostly operable in order to be usable. 

Troubleshooting can be expensive if a person has little or no experience with this common engine type. Learning to maintain a vehicle and enact basic repairs saves an enormous amount of money! Relying on someone else to do it is often very costly. 

We fully understand that not everyone is equipped to be a scholar-level theologian. However, many Christians take this idea and swing the opposite direction. How many have been Christians for decades and have just a basic understanding of scripture? How many multi-generational Christians snore at the thought of advanced biblical studies? How many have only the knowledge they retain from a sermon? How many base their understanding and beliefs on the values held by respected friends or family? 

No one is perfect; the more a person learns through deep bible study, the more they are confronted with their own inadequacies. But a dedicated student of the scriptures also gains this: 

  1. A profound appreciation for grace and its role in our practical lives. 
  2. Mind-blowing discoveries and realizations about the nature of God and eternity that bullet-proof our faith. 
  3. The full emotional and intellectual impact of biblical principles. 
  4. A deeper understanding of the goals, message(s), meaning, and practical applications of a book. 
  5. A heartwarming and emotion-eliciting  appreciation for the role of The Word, Jesus, and His hand in creation, sustaining the genetic line that brought about His physical death, the timeless sacrifice He made by subjecting Himself eternally to the Father, and the role He plays today on our behalf.
  6. An ability to defend the faith, refute false doctrine, convert a lost soul, and build faith in others. 
  7. An ability to avoid sin more effectively. 
  8. A far lesser likelihood of accepting false doctrines or harmful practices.  
  9. Excitement, joy, and fulfillment about being a Christian! 
  10. A great disdain for arguments over petty issues that are weakening the church, and the ability to shut them down and refute them soundly. 

As a bonus, learning to read and translate Greek or Hebrew (at least with the help of a lexicon, a decent understanding of rules of each language, and their proper application in each context) will give even more profound insight into words and concepts we read in our native translations. 

Relying on what others tell us is not sufficient! We may find that the cost, eternally, is far steeper than what we would pay to the most expensive mechanic for repairs we could do at a fraction of the cost. Not only will we gain a great appreciation for what we know and live by becoming true Bible students, but it also greatly enhances our ability to live a faithful Christian life.