One of the job descriptions for pastors that weighs heaviest on me comes from Ephesians 4
Equipping by Engaging God's Word
From Pastor Chris
One of the job descriptions for pastors that weighs heaviest on me comes from Ephesians 4—
“And [Christ] gave…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.” (Ephesians 4:11–13)
It is not my job to do all the work of ministry or to do all the building up of the church, but it is my job to equip you for such a work. And central to this work is helping you know God through his word so that you can build one another up by "speaking the truth in love" (15).
This is my heart behind the 3-week series we will begin on Sunday: Engaging God’s Word—Tools for Transformation. For many, this will be a refresher in how to understand and apply the Bible. For others, this may be entirely new. Hopefully this will simply reinforce what you are doing each week in your Adult Bible Fellowships as you gather around God’s word.
Our time together will move from Bible reading to Bible study to Bible meditation with the following goals:
The goal of Bible reading: Connect to God’s big story
The goal of Bible study: Trace the flow of thought
The goal of Bible meditation: Meditate for heart application
The aim is to better equip you in your daily Bible reading. Whether you are reading four chapters in 2 Chronicles, studying a Psalm, or pausing over a few verses in Galatians, I want to share some tools for understanding God’s word in a way that moves toward life transformation.
We will all gather together in the East Hall for this 3-week study. At the end of each session, we will also take time to get into small, same-gender groups to share something about our week and pray for one another. Our hope is to connect both with God and with one another during this time.
Parallel to this study, I will preach on 1 Corinthians 5 over the next three weeks using the same emphases of the Engaging God’s Word series. On the first week we will look at how 1 Corinthians 5 fits into the broader story of the Bible. The next week we will trace the flow of thought the Holy Spirit inspired when Paul wrote these words. Then we will pause over a single verse in the chapter and meditate together over what the Spirit is saying to us through this truth.
In all of this, my hope is that we will be a people of both head and heart as we engage God’s word. Paul commanded Timothy “Think over what I say...” reminding us that we must engage God’s truth with our minds. But Paul goes on to reminded him that we do not attain spiritual insight through sheer reason but through spiritual illumination: “...for the Lord will give you understanding in everything” (2 Timothy 2:7). So we will think and we will give the Spirit space to speak into our hearts the truth God wants us to hear.
I look forward to this time in God’s word with you!