To Equip, to Serve,
to Become the Lord’s Body

The Will to Give Gifts

(Ephesians 4:12)

God has given each church a shepherd as a gift to equip saints, enable them to serve, and thereby solidly build up the church.

1. To Equip
Equipping involves “preparing someone to take on a certain role” and “restoring damaged parts to make something usable.” Transforming sinners into a state capable of carrying out God’s work is the role of a shepherd. The shepherd teaches the word, trains, and sometimes reproves based on the Bible. While some may listen to the word only to gain new knowledge, and others may disregard the shepherd’s authority, the shepherd must persist in these efforts, in season and out of season, to fully equip his people.

2. To Serve
Under the guidance of a shepherd, those who are equipped can serve in the church. Serving is not about engaging in activities to accumulate personal experiences or pursuing positions to earn spiritual merits. It is about serving; it is God’s way. While anyone in the world may view sacrificing and suffering loss for others as undesirable, in the church, it is considered a blessing.

3. To Become the Lord’s Body
When the service of those who are equipped settles in, the church, the body of the Lord, becomes firmly established. It’s not merely about an increase in members, but about becoming internally stronger. Those who have heard the word and changed their hearts through repentance, those who demonstrate their transformation through good deeds, those who grow to resemble Christ by receiving correction, exhortation, and reproach through the word, and those who serve with gratitude and joy — the church is the kingdom of God formed by these people. God’s plan for the church is still operating, and the plan will undoubtedly succeed. Let us join in this success by aligning with the Lord’s will in His way.

Overseer Sung-Hyun Kim