Bruce Wilkinson, 7 Laws of the Learner: Law 6a Equipping

The Law of Equipping
Pages 341-379
Tuesday 16 November 2010

The essence of the Law of
Equipping is these 3 words:
“Equip for service”
The teacher should train
students for a life of service
and ediﬁcation

The primary issues in this
chapter are:
1. What is the biblical job
description for a Christian
teacher?
2. Is the average teacher
fulﬁlling those
responsibilities or rebelling
against them?

Someday you will stand before
God and have to give an
account to him about what you
have done with your life.
God will be concerned about
what he wanted you to do -
not what you did!
Are you aiming at the right
target - is covering the content
the right target or a trap?
Equipping Mindset

Eph 4:11-12 So
Christ himself gave
the apostles, the
prophets, the
evangelists, the
pastors and teachers,
to equip his people
for works of service,
so that the body of
Christ may be built
up.
What is the job
description for a
Christian
teacher?
What Bible
passage do you
think sums it up?

Eph 4:11-12 So
Christ himself gave
the apostles, the
prophets, the
evangelists, the
pastors and teachers,
to equip his people
for works of service,
so that the body of
Christ may be built
up.

Principle 1: the primary purpose of
teachers is to equip
Equip not merely to explain - yet
explaining is what most classes
do.
You can have information,
education and entertainment
without ever being equipped to
do anything.
Katartizo = To equip means to
prepare, make ready, complete or
restore (for ministry and service)

Principle 2: the primary audience
of teachers is Christians
...for equipping the
saints
The church are busy
watching our pastors
and teachers preach
evangelistically whilst
they do not prepare
them to do the job.

Principle 3: the primary result of
equipping is Christians doing the work of
ministry and edifying the Body of Christ
The result of the teaching
is - Eph 4:16 - From him
the whole body, joined and
held together by every
supporting ligament,
grows and builds itself up
in love, as each part does
its work.

God’s job description for all teachers
The issues that will be on
our ﬁnal exam will
include:
1. The nature of the work
our students are involved
in - the ministry they are
doing.
2. The % of our class
who are ministering -
“every part”

3. The degree to which our
students are working at their
capacity - its work.
4. The quality and quantity of the
work done by our students - are
they effective?
5. The % growth in our class -
growth in the Body is a result of
equipping
6. Constant, normal, mutual
ministry between class members -
mutual ediﬁcation, body ministry

Is based upon this text
Eph 4:11-16 So Christ himself gave the
apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the
pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people
for works of service, so that the body of Christ
may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in
the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of
God and become mature, attaining to the
whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
Equipping Model

14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed
back and forth by the waves, and blown here
and there by every wind of teaching and by
the cunning and craftiness of people in their
deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the
truth in love, we will grow to become in every
respect the mature body of him who is the
head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole
body, joined and held together by every
supporting ligament, grows and builds itself
up in love, as each part does its work.

14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed
back and forth by the waves, and blown here
and there by every wind of teaching and by
the cunning and craftiness of people in their
deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the
truth in love, we will grow to become in every
respect the mature body of him who is the
head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole
body, joined and held together by every
supporting ligament, grows and builds itself
up in love, as each part does its work.
Analyse the text -
what conclusions,
about teachers and
teaching, can you
draw?

Work of Ministry
Ediﬁcation of Body
Speaker
Saints World
Equip Evangelise

Equipping Maxims

Teacher performance review:
Reﬂect on the teacher job
description we looked at earlier -
are you, the teacher, achieving
that?
Do you need a revolution to
change from being happy with
delivering content, asking a few
questions, having a good
discussion, do students like the
class to fulﬁlling Eph 4:11-16?
Do you tickle
peoples ears?
Is everyone
equipped in your
church?
Is everyone
involved in ministry
in your church?

Maxim 1: equipping is the
responsibility of the teacher
God equips for service
- we speak for
understanding.
Compare 2 Tim
3:16-17 and Eph
4:11-16 and you will
ﬁnd that they show that
the Bible and the
teacher are both: what
are the similarities?

Maxim 1: equipping is the
responsibility of the teacher
God equips for service
- we speak for
understanding.
Compare 2 Tim
3:16-17 and Eph
4:11-16 and you will
ﬁnd that they show that
the Bible and the
teacher are both: what
are the similarities?
By the way this
cartoon has no
relevance at all to
the teaching
material on this
page - I just liked it

A gift of God
For the Christian community
For the purpose of ediﬁcation and
equipping
Result in good works
Did Jesus really say, “If you love
me you will know my
commandments”?
“Those who have been called to
equip..frequently misuse the Bible
making it a book to be studied
rather than a book to be practiced”

Maxim 2: equipping occurs best when
the teacher assumes the biblical role
God has revealed his ﬁnal
exam for us - and it
involves not answers but
actions, fruit not facts,
disciples not data.
“Content is always the
servant of conduct”

We need to become coaches
helping the team to play
better and working on
improving each member.
Coaches only use information
to help the team play better.
Some teachers act like the
star payer not the coach.

Maxim 3: equipping is best evaluated
by what the student does after class
Most people do not care
about practice - they want
to see the match.
Christians spend all their
time at practice and pay
no attention to the real
“game”.
Real ministry is not at the
church but in the arena of
normal day to day life.

What questions should we ask to test the ministry
done by students?
1. Evangelism: What % of students shared the
gospel with someone this week - and how many
have led someone to the Lord in the last year?
2. Discipleship: What % of students are involved in
a regular discipling class - maturing, accountability,
growing others?
3. Spiritual vitality: What % of the students have a
regular quiet time, lead family devotions, tithe, have
a thriving spiritual life?

Maxim 4: equipping should impact
both character and conduct
Equip not only to do
ministry but to be a
minister. Conduct is a
result of character - we are
sons of God and that
shows in how we walk.
Elders are validated by
their character - 1 Tim,
Titus 1

Maxim 5: equipping should focus more
intensely on the most committed
Equippers carefully select the
people they work with.
Look at the example of Jesus.
You have limited resources -
steward them wisely.
Test the people you work with
- “meet me at 0530 with these
three verses memorised”

Maxim 6: equipping requires knowledge,
skill and long term commitment
Equipping is one of the
hardest things you will ever
do - it is one of the most
strategic investments you
will ever make - that is why
so few people do it.
The real test for church
or ministry comes when
the ‘minister’ cannot do
it all - have people
caught the vision, ethos,
values - then other
people become your
hands, feet and mouth

Beware of looking for the instant.
Year 1: Plant the seed. Water and
fertilise.
Year 2: water and fertilise.
Year 5: water and fertilise - within 90
days it grows 90 feet high.
Bamboo is the fastest growing woody
plant in the world. It can grow over
1m/day.

Maxim 7: the ultimate goal of
equipping is independent equippers
Independent equippers have
mastered a ministry skill and are
using it.
You are to train people who will
become trainers of others, who
train others, who...
Are you committed to teaching
or to reproduction?

Bruce Wilkinson, 7 Laws of the Learner: Law 6a Equipping

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