God has given Bible teachers a clear purpose in Ephesians 4:11-13, that of being an equipper. While teachers have other roles, Scripture clearly spells out this role in this passage, making it a unmistakable purpose.
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 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. (Eph. 4:11-13)
Significance of Our Purpose Being God-Given
These verses begin “So Christ himself gave …”, a very significant truth in relation to our purpose of equipping His people for works of service. Prior verses spoke of Christ so when we get to verse 11, we know it refers to Him. Think about what we know about Jesus. He is …
the Head of the Church. (Col. 1:18)
the one with all authority. (Matt. 28:18)
God Himself. (Matt. 1:23; Jn. 1:1; Heb. 1:3)
Our purpose to equip therefore goes beyond what we think we should do, or even what the leaders who recruited us expect. We have a divine purpose, not something contrived by human wisdom. What Christ gave teachers to do supersedes what we think because of His supremacy.
Also note that He “gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers” to do the equipping. These roles all have corresponding spiritual gifts. That too makes our purpose significant because gifts are special divine empowerments. We have a power outside of ourselves to accomplish this purpose.
Objective of Equipping
According to Ephesians 4, we “equip His people for works of service”. We therefore teach for more than head knowledge. Knowing what the Bible says is only the starting point. We equip people with the intent of them doing something constructive with what they learn.
“works” – Remember, God saves us by grace through faith, not by works (Eph. 2:8-9). Once in Christ, as as “God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus”, we’re to “to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Eph. 2:10).
“of service” – The work God intends for us to do benefits others, advancing His kingdom. We become “co-workers in God’s service” (1 Cor. 3:9).
How Bible Teachers Should View Themselves in Light of Ephesians 4:11-13
Notice that teachers aren’t the only ones to whom God gives this purpose of equipping. He “gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers” this same responsibility. As teachers, we must realize that we’re part of a bigger picture — one spoke in a network of equippers. That gives perspective, producing humility rather than pride in our role.
Since we aren’t the sole equippers in people’s lives, we should consider how we can coordinate with other ministries, welcoming their input. At minimum, let’s pray for not just our students but also for others who also invest into the equipping process in their lives.
For more about a teacher’s role as an equipper, check out the Bible Teachers Role resource. This training tool looks at what an equipper does based on the original Greek word for equip so it takes you beyond this post on equipping. (Please note that it does not include the content in this post.) The resource also looks at seven other biblical roles.
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