The Five-Fold Gifts: Part 03 - Two Groups

As you read Ephesians 4:11-12 we find two groups of people: 1. Equippers and 2. Doers. Read these verses: “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ.” (Eph. 4:11-12)

The first group are equippers: apostles, prophets, teachers, etc. They equip the saints (church) with the tools, training, and so forth to d the work of the ministry. The second group is obviously the doers. They are not equippers: They are doers. They are busy doing the work that was given to the church.

Understanding this is game-changing because churches typically do not operate like this. As church leaders we have created cultures that make people dependent on us, rather then helping them become independent on us.

In the home, parents know they have done their job when their children have grown up and learned to become mature, independent, and go out on their own. If children are still living in the home with their parents at 50 years old, the parents did not do their job. Equipping should create independence in people.

In the same way, church leaders are given by Christ to equip their people to become mature disciples and make other disciples, thereby creating an impact in the world.

We must recognize the difference between equippers and doers. Not everyone is an equipper. And those equippers that spend all their tie doing and not maximizing their gift and impact.