Eph 4:11-13 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some
pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the
body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to
a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; NKJV

¨      “... For the perfecting (blending, restoration, fitting together, and equipping) of the saints…
Consider the following verses that use the same root word as the one translated in our text as
“equipping.”  Look at the how the word is used and discuss how this could relate to the development
and maturing of Christians in the local church.  

o       Matt 4:21 Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee,
and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. And He
called them,  NKJV

v     They were doing to the nets what God wants the ministry to do to the church and
that is to restore their connection for the purpose of catching fish. 

v     The fisherman, Jesus, wants His net, the church, to be able to hold the fish, the
lost being brought into His church and discipled. 

v     No one person is the net.  Together we are the net.  A healthy blending is
meant to happen with believers in groups is that brings out the best in each other.    

§         Can you relate any testimony to being the net with a few other
Christians that God used to win someone to Christ?

o       Matt 21:16 and said to Him, "Do You hear what these are saying?" And Jesus said to them,
 "Yes. Have you never read, ‘Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have
perfected praise'?"  NKJV

v     The idea here is that simple jubilant praise is an appropriate response to the
revelation of Jesus Christ, and this response needs to be restored to the people
of God.  Think about how often someone does not like it when a person gets child
like enthused about Christ. 

§         Can you relate to a time when you responded to the revelation of the
Lord Jesus with child like enthusiastic praise? 

o       Luke 6:40 A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be
like his teacher.  NKJV

v     We are the body of Christ, and He is making us into a reflection of Himself in the
earth by our receiving all He gives. 

v     The idea of loving each other and the lost like He loves us is communicated in the
context of this verse. 

§         If you could choose how to more clearly reflect Christ what would
change?  

§         How does FFD corporately reflect the Christ’s presence and how do
you think God is working to perfectly train us? 

o       1 Cor 1:10 Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you
all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly
joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.  NKJV

v     For us to be an effective cooperative net for reaching the lost it is essential we have
unity.  In agreement with Eph4:13 God’s church can function in unity although this
 should not be taken as a call to think the same things. 

§         In light of perfectly joined together how would you guide one of your
disciples in solving a doctrinal disagreement with Elders? 

o       2 Cor 13:11 Finally brethren farewell. Become complete. Be of good comfort, be of one
mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.  NKJV

v     An appeal to fulfill their corporate calling while maintaining peace and unity is made
by the apostle.  FFD is a family in God that is raising up mothers and fathers in the faith
 to heal and restore others into healthy forward moving Christians.    

§         Do you see yourself having a role in the FFD family and how do you
think that role can be further developed?    

o       Gal 6:1 Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a
one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.  NKJV

v     It is the job of mature Christians to restore each other.  All of us to some degree
are called to be menders or healers.  The greatest single test to our true maturity in
Christ is our ability to mend a weaker brother. 

§         This verse could be applied individually and to a group.  If your
Christian friend brings someone back to the Lord, what important part
could play in their complete restoration? 

o       1 Thess 3:10 night and day praying exceedingly that we may see your face and perfect what
is lacking in your faith?  NKJV 

v     Paul desires to improve their effectiveness by adjusting their faith. 

§         How does a local church benefit from well placed adjustments from an apostolic or prophetic minister? 

o       1 Peter 5:8-10 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a
roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that
the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. But may the God of all
grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while,
 perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.  NKJV

v     A paraphrase of the underlined portion of the verse would be “…Fit you together, directionally set you, confirm you with the power and knowledge of God, and
give you peace.”  This is another summary statement of how God uses working
in the Body to provide victory over the powers of darkness. 

§         In your own words how would you describe the help to overcome that
comes from being knit together with others in the Body of Christ? 

© 2003  Rev. Paul Gmitter