First Baptist Church
March 1, 2026
  • How Deep The Father's Love For Us
  • Oh How Good It Is
  • Yet Not I But Through Christ In Me

      • 1 Peter 2.25ESV

  • Jesus The Shepherd Of My Soul (Psalm 23)

  • Introduction:

    Scripture once again reminds the people of God to submit to and obey your leaders, those keeping watch over your souls.
    Hebrews 13:17 ESV
    Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.
    But we are also told to watch out for false teachers and men that lead people astray. Blind submission isn’t Biblical submission. Just because a leader said it doesn’t necessarily mean we obey it without question. All men are subject to the curse of sin (even Christian leaders)… meaning that they can be influenced by their own wrong desires and thoughts. So what should we do about it.... Good bereans know that we ought to search the scriptures for ourselves as well to see whether these are so. That doesn’t mean our attitudes are always sour and skeptical towards our leaders… never-trusting them. But hopefully our shepherds are doing a good job at giving us sound doctrine that points us all to knowing and understanding scripture. A good shepherd doesn’t cause people to be ultimately reliant on him the leader, but to be ultimately reliant and equipped with the ability to know God’s Word and how to use it.
    So this series is meant to be a double-edge sword. On one side, it’s to help you know how you should submit and obey yours leaders that God has given to you by knowing what tasks God asks of them and therefore are required to submit to. The other side of this series is to protect you from submitting to things that perhaps aren’t Biblical. If a leader calls you to submit to something that isn’t within God’s tasks for a shepherd to do, then it shouldn’t be done.
    On top of that, shepherds are sheep too and do need accountability to continue in the right path. This should always be done in gentleness, in meekness, and humility as we should with every single Christian. Meaning we don’t first assume and accuse, but we first ask and understand. Then we follow thru with Biblical thoughts.
    So to make the Shepherd’s task more readily rememberable, I sought to create an acronym for the word “pastor” that entails what he is required to do, picking all the most relevant scriptures on the task.
    P- Preaching (2 Tim. 4:1-2- “preach the word”)
    A- Alerting (Acts 20:29-31- “fierce wolves will come...be alert”)
    S- Shielding (Acts 20:28- “guard yourselves & God’s people”, Titus 1:9-14- “Hold firm...sound doctrine, rebuke those that contradict it”)
    T- Training (Ephesians 4:

    I. Pastor’s Train? What Does That Mean?

    “...Equip...”
    The Greek verb katartismos, translated as “equipping” in Ephesians 4:12 (NKJV), conveys the idea of making someone complete (perfect and adequate in every respect) and fit for a particular purpose. In classical Greek, the word can also refer to setting a bone or mending a net—essentially, making what is broken useful again (e.g. Matthew 4:21). Elsewhere in the New Testament, corresponding forms of this verb are used to describe the restoring of spiritual health to someone who has fallen (e.g. Galatians 6:1). It may also be used of supplying what is lacking in a believer’s faith (e.g. 1 Thessalonians 3:10; Hebrews 13:21; 1 Peter 5:10). Thus, Paul’s language implies a process of repairing people’s lives, uniting and training believers (or “the saints”) to work cooperatively and peacefully, while modeling Christlike behavior.
    The word for "equip" in verse 12 also referred to a fisherman repairing his net, and to a first-century physician who reset a broken limb. It meant to repair, to restore, to prepare for greater usefulness.

    II. Training, Who Need’s It?

    - Future Leaders

    2 Timothy 2:2 ESV
    and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.
    Titus 1:5 ESV
    This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you—

    - All the Saints

    “Equip the saints...”
    In the New Testament, “the saints” refers not to an elite class of Christians, but to all believers—those set apart or made holy by faith in Jesus Christ (see 1 Corinthians 1:2; 1 Peter 2:9). Thus, Paul is speaking of the preparation of every member of the church. There are not meant to be spiritual megastars in God’s kingdom who have superior faith and knowledge. At the same time, no member of Christ’s body should be left to stagnate in infancy (see Hebrews 5:12–14). We are all called to grow up and develop together.

    III. What Good Does That Do?

    The Goal
    Ephesians 4:12–13 ESV
    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, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,

    -Christian Maturity

    What is Christian maturity
    growing in Christlikeness- to look like Christ…
    2 Corinthians 5:9 ESV
    So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him.
    1 Corinthians 11:1 ESV
    Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.
    Philippians 3:7–8 ESV
    But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ
    through the ongoing development of knowing God (increasing our relationship to Him) and living out our faith thru obedience
    In other words, Christian maturity results itself into christian service...

    -Christian Service

    “for the work of the ministry.… work of service.”
    Illustration of the spinning plates.
    The performer comes out with a stack of plates and begins spinning them on sticks stationed on the floor. By the time the tenth plate is up and spinning, the first is beginning to wobble.
    The performer races back to the first and revs up every stick until all are safely in motion again, allowing him to set plates eleven through twenty spinning. From that point on he frantically runs from plate to plate giving each stick just enough attention to keep the whole arrangement spinning.
    That can well represent an American view of church and what Pastors are doing.
    American evangelicals have developed a rather unhelpful way of speaking about vocational gospel work. We use idioms like “going into the ministry” to describe full-time pastoral employment — as if “ministry” were reserved only for pastors or other full-time gospel workers.
    These idioms can mirror a larger problem among evangelicals — an obsession with professionalization. Many Christians often, even unconsciously, live as if ministry is best left to the professionals.
    Does a new convert need discipling? Call the church staff. Does a sister need counseling? Find someone with a license. Does your neighbor need to hear the gospel? Call the pastor over. Despite how many times pastors remind one another, “Brothers, we are not professionals,” they may yet have a way to go in convincing their congregations of the same thing. Church members often view the leadership as those doing real gospel work. “Ministry” belongs to them.
    But that’s just not the case.
    Consider, for instance, the well-known “one another” passages. Service doesn’t belong exclusively to deacons; members also are to “serve one another” (Galatians 5:13). Pastors aren’t the only ones who teach; members also “instruct one another” (Romans 15:14). The church music leader isn’t the only one blessing others with musical praise; members also sing to one another (Colossians 3:12–16). Certified counselors aren’t the only ones who help us through life’s problems; members also “encourage one another” (1 Thessalonians 5:11). Church leaders aren’t the only ones required to call out sin in others, but if “anyone is caught in a transgression”, we all, as “brothers” in Christ, are required to “restore him with gentleness… and bear one another’s burdens”. (Galatians 6:1-4)
    Even during our corporate gatherings, a time many Christians view as focused exclusively on the “Pastor’s ministry day”, the author of Hebrews underscores the role members play in serving and encouraging one another. We must stir up one another to love and good works, and encourage one another so that we will not neglect to meet together (Hebrews 10:24–25).
    So there’s a real danger to all of this. Consider once more the realities of what might happen if Pastors fail to equip using the plate spinning illustration. Dangers and problems wait in this model.
    First if pastors do all the work of the ministry… Ministries cannot become self sustaining, and they can’t reproduce themselves. They eventually limit the pastor to what he can do because he’s bouncing back and forth from ministry to ministry. That’s an issue. Further, the issue compounds when all of a sudden, he’s gone for various urgent matters… what happens to the spinning plates. They all collapse. Because of that Pastors feel stuck and burn out and ministries fall and shatter those involved. This doesn’t work because this isn’t the biblical way. Ephesians tells us what pastors ought to do. They must equip so that life in the church can survive and thrive amongst all members.
    Application to all of this...
    How then should we respond to Paul’s teaching in Ephesians 4:11–12? If you’re a member of this local church (and I hope you are), don’t wait for pastors or program directors to ask you to do something. Don’t wait to serve by looking for a church-sponsored program where you can exercise your gifts.
    The apostles don’t tell pastors how to establish exact programs or instruct them in how to farm out problems to the “right people.” Instead, the Bible tells Pastors to encourage church members to do the ministry.
    People do not need to wait for Pastors to create a new ministry in the church for people to serve.
    Just look at the rest of Paul’s letter in Ephesians as an example. What does the church’s teaching ministry prepare us to do? It equips us to
    put away slander, falsehood, and white lies, and speak truth from a heart of love- Ephesians 4:15, 25
    work hard at our jobs - Ephesians 4:28, 6:5–8
    put to death stinginess and share what we have with others- Ephesians 4:28
    refrain from dirty jokes, profanity, and other “corrupting talk”- Ephesians 4:29, 5:4
    be kind and forgive one another- Ephesians 4:32
    avoid being deceived by false doctrine- Ephesians 5:6
    love our wives and submit to our husbands- Ephesians 5:22–33
    raise our children in a way that honors the Lord- Ephesians 6:4
    treat employees equitably and justly- Ephesians 6:9
    So therefore, what does “real” ministry look like for Paul? It looks like two young moms putting aside rivalry and comparison to love and serve one another. It looks like a young man refusing to tell a dirty joke for a cheap laugh and instead choosing words that build up. It looks like cheerfully punching numbers into a spreadsheet from 9 to 5 as an act of devotion to the Lord.
    It looks like a man laboring to help his wife spiritually thrive, even as he overlooks her unfair criticism. It looks like a wife choosing to honor her husband, even when given the opportunity to speak disrespectfully about him. It looks like inviting members to a meal after church, sharing the gospel with a neighbor, or sending an email to a discouraged brother.
    None of these actions, of course, looks glamorous. But for Paul, these things are real ministry.
    The church is a family. If you see a need, fill it. If someone needs encouragement, encourage them. Open your home, share what you have with others, and invite unbelievers into your life. The Bible portrays the church not as a religious club brimming with ministry programs, but as a family brimming with servants.
    No circumstance in life can shut down people from doing the work of the ministry. When COVID-19 took place, so church designed activities had to be shut down, but ministry to one another didn’t have to stop. But brothers and sisters committed to Christ and to each other still texted, called, and Zoomed fellow members to discuss spiritual matters and pray. Members found new, creative ways to serve their communities and reach their neighbors with the gospel. That’s true of Christians living in third world countries that can’t do the big ministry activities. The can’t do the VBS, or the wild game dinners, or the elaborate Christmas dramas… you don’t hear of them doing any of those things, yet they are still very much active in doing the work of the ministry, work of service to their fellow brother and sister in Christ.
    Example scripture:
    Titus 2:1–6 ESV
    But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine. Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled. Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled.
    Recap again… the goal is Christian maturity, evident by Christian service, and much Christian fruit.

    -Christian Fruit

    To Mature Manhood No Longer Children
    -Seek & Serve the Good of Other -Seek & Serve Only Self
    -Wise Discerners -Easily Carried Away
    -Initiate Bold & Compassionate Speech -Remain Silent or Speak Rashly
    -Work Hard in Doing Their Part Faithfully -Satisfied to Just Be Present
    -Unified with our Brethren in Faith -Divided from our Brethren in Opinion
    Initiate Bold & Compassionate Speech
    Equipped by the word, we echo that same word to one another, “[speak] the truth in love” so that we “grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ” (Ephesians 4:15).
    Ephesians: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary Authentic Loving Testimony

    speaking the truth, which means to speak, deal, or act truthfully. Some have translated it “truthing it,” while others say it conveys the idea of walking in a truthful way. The verb refers to being true in the widest sense and is hard to translate into English. Yet the only other place this greek word is found is in

    Ephesians: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary Authentic Loving Testimony

    God does not give us knowledge, understanding, gifts, and maturity to keep but to share. He does not equip us to stagnate but to serve. We are not gifted and edified in order to be complacent and self-satisfied but in order to do the Lord’s work of service in building up and expanding the Body of Christ.

    Unified with our Brethren in Faith
    “the unity of the faith”
    faith does not here refer to the act of belief or of obedience, but to the body of Christian truth, to Christian doctrine. Therefore it could be read the unity of sound doctrine.
    Sound doctrine therefore is the cure to divisiveness- when sound doctrine isn’t present, divisiveness is -
    Consider how Paul dealt with a divided church in Corinth. He gave them doctrine. see ch. 1:10, 13
    Unity is a critical part of this text.… it is perhaps the major theme of the first have of chapter 4. This unity is a unity which Christ purchased… gentile or Jew, slave or free, male or female.… it doesn’t matter. God has cast down the dividing walls of hostility and has shown no partiality in brining in people from all ethnities, all genders, all political backgrounds, all social status’, all of these though at times drastically difficult, one in Christ. Christ purchased and accomplished that unity at the cross. It’s a unity that we need to maintain.
    Just like our cars or anything else in life, without proper maintenance, it will fail.
    How do we maintain it, is it something we are on our own to do do.
    No, to grow us and keep us in unity the chapter goes on to describe how unity is maintained with the word but.… But Grace was given.… by God to give each member a unique spiritual gift that others have to rely on in order to grow. So our diversity of personalities, opinions, thoughts, abilities, all of these are necessary. Not intended to be an obstacle of unity, but a requirement for unity. But our carnal flesh looks at those who disagree with us as enemies and so God knew that mankind would need other Graces to maintain unity… Paul didn’t go on after that to list spiritual gifts… but listed offices… to some He gave apostles, prophets, evangelists, & shepherd-teachers…
    Shepherds were once again employed in this thought. If sheep don’t have a shepherd, what will they tend to do… roam aimless… wander off.… they will scatter. Jesus echoed that throughout the gospels. He looked on the people of the world and had compassion on them because they were … “like sheep without a shepherd.” Lost, divided, and in danger.
    Shepherds who work to equip the saints to do the work find sheep that are mature and as a result, stay unified as their lives look like Jesus.

    IV. How Should Training Be Accomplished?

    Teaching is important. Therefore, good training and equipping will always have first the imparting of knowledge as an essential element.
    That’s how this passage started.… God gifted the church shepherd-teachers… emphasizing the important role teaching plays in the equipping of saints.

    - Remind Them of Who They Are

    Priesthood of the Believers
    1 Peter 2:9 ESV
    But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
    Revelation 1:5–6 ESV
    and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
    It’s an interesting assertion to call us all priests of the kingdom. In the Old Testament, ministry in the temple was reserved for the priestly class. Further, in the old covenant, the Spirit empowered extraordinary individuals such as kings and prophets to equip them for certain commissions (Exodus 31:3; 35:31; 1 Samuel 16:13; Ezekiel 2:2; 3:24).
    But now that same Spirit has come on all of God’s people, indwelling them and gifting them to serve the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:7, 12–13). The fact that we all minister says something about who we are — new covenant priests before God (1 Peter 2:9; Revelation 1:6). Our ability to minister to one another is rooted in our identity — an identity “given to each one of us” by grace (Ephesians 4:7).
    New Creation
    Consider with me how Paul interacted with the fairly young Roman church that he wrote to.
    Paul was confident that believers were, to some degree, already enabled by God to do “the work of ministry.” In Romans 15:14, he tells believers, whom he had just finished admonishing about their less-than-Christian interactions (Rom. 14:1–15:13), that “I myself am convinced about you that you also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, and able to instruct one another.” They were, as Jay Adams has paraphrased, “competent to counsel” one another. In another place, in 1 Thessalonians, Paul optimistically affirms that, even before he wrote to them, that the readers were already encouraging and edifying one another because they had been “taught by God to love” (1 Thess. 4:9, 5:11).
    But how much theological truth do believers need to know in order to “speak the truth in love”? Going back again to Romans 15:14, Paul affirms the believers in Rome already had everything they needed, including sufficient knowledge, to engage in every-member-ministry (“you yourselves . . . are filled with all knowledge, and able to admonish one another”). So it seems the amount of gospel knowledge necessary for an individual to become a Christian is the same amount necessary to “speak the truth in love” to another believer (see also: James 5:19–20).
    “You’re made for this. You are already God’s craftmanship, created by him for this good work.”

    - Give Them What they Already Know

    2 Peter 1:12–13 ESV
    Therefore I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have. I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of reminder,
    How many of us when we hear something for the first time, get it/understand it/believe it right away. How about the second time? Third time?
    Raising kids, we all understand these words and have probably spoken them a time or two...
    “How many times do I have to tell you this...”
    An important part about raising children is in the constant reminders.
    But that isn’t just necessary for kids. It’s also necessary for adults as well. Consider how Jesus trained and equipped with adult disciples. Did He ever have to remind them of things they already knew?
    -Example.… his teaching about his death in the book of Matthew
    Couple things we take away from this....
    Were Jesus’ disciples equipped for His death?
    Well, if we think about who trained them, we can’t say.… because that would imply that Jesus failed as the one who trained them.… yet, did they, the disciples, appear to be very ready when the crucifixion scene occurred. Where were they? Did they all gather round the cross and say… yah, we knew this was coming. Jesus’ told us about this a bunch. We aren’t worried though because He also told us that He’d be coming back. Nope… they didn’t do this at all.
    And this reminds us that no matter the perfection of the trainer, people still can and will fail to follow through. The results don’t always dictate the actions. One thing we shouldn’t take away from this is to say, well Jesus shouldn’t have wasted His breath on telling them about His death over and over again because it didn’t do anything anyways. In that moment, it appeared to do nothing, but His words were not wasted… even if it took awhile… the disciples would come to grasp the importance of it all. And that’s why we continue to remind people of things they already know.

    - Urge them to Continually Press Forward

    Yet despite possessing enough knowledge of the gospel to speak truth to one another, Paul still thought it necessary to write the Roman church one of the most theologically significant letters ever penned. Why? Paul’s letter to the Romans was a reminder (Rom. 15:15), a significant expansion upon the core gospel knowledge the believers already possessed.
    Therefore, while all believers have enough gospel truth to engage in every-member-ministry, they still need additional teaching to further enhance and increase their “speaking the truth in love” to one another. 
    Paul repeatedly reminds his churches to use their words to build up those around them:
    “Speaking the truth in love, let us grow . . .”  (Eph. 4:15)
    “Speak the truth, each one to his neighbor” (Eph. 4:25)
    “Encourage one another with these words” (1 Thess. 4:18)
    “Encourage one another and build each other up” (1 Thess. 5:11)
    “We exhort you, brothers and sisters: warn those who are idle, comfort the discouraged, help the weak, be patient with everyone” (1 Thess. 5:14)
    “Don’t consider him as an enemy, but warn him” (2 Thess. 3:15)
    Even when believers are already “speaking the truth in love,” Paul still urges them to persevere in “the work of ministry” they’re already doing. Why? Because these words of urging are a God-given means by which believers start and continue to “speak the truth in love.”
    Show instead of tell
    The difference can be seen in the ways Jesus addressed a crowd, compared to how he addressed his disciples. The New Testament says he taught, scolded, and had compassion on crowds (Mark 10:1, Luke 11:29, Matt 9:36). But with the disciples, he did much more.
    -Equipping
    A teaching pastor to an equipping pastor. Teaching creates students. Equipping prepares disciples- those who are prepared to follow and obey the instructions of Christ. Consider how Jesus trained and instructed His disciples, the best sermons don’t just impart knowledge, they’re seen as just one element of many in a thorough discipling/equipping process.

    - Build Strong Relationships

    Helping people to look like Christ requires a relationship because equipping the saints is far more than just downloading information, it’s a willing surrender of a person’s life for the growth of their character and behavior.
    This is one of the reasons discipleship must be done in smaller groups, whether a small church, or small groups within a large church.
    Important for showing them that this is a life worthy investing time in.

    - Model Biblical Behavior and Actions

    Luke 6:40 ESV
    A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.
    Titus 2:7–8 ESV
    Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us.
    Consider shepherds once more.…
    Where do shepherds lead from.… the back or the front. Shepherd’s aren’t seen especially in older times, driving herds of sheep from the back. That’s perhaps more of a modern approach where sheep dogs push the sheep forward and coral them into places. Ancient shepherds lead from the front. The walked in front of the sheep showing them where to go.
    And that’s exactly what Jesus did.
    Jesus didn’t just want the disciples to know about him, he wanted them to know him and become like him. He wanted them to have the kind of relationship with him that he has with the Father. So he led by example to show them how to pray, how to love the Father, how to respond to criticism, how to live a holy life, how to love your enemies, and so much more.
    So you can understand why Paul in 1 Timothy 3 when giving qualifications for shepherds listed characteristics of a person’s life rather than awards/certificates won, speeches given, or deeds accomplished .… because who they are and what they model on a regular basis is a crucial part in their equipping ministry to others. If they don’t model Christlike maturity in both actions and deeds then the church will never be equipped.
    A congregation will rarely surpass that of it’s leaders. That’s true in many forms of leaders not just in the church. If the leadership is bad, so also is the rest of the group. If leadership is good, so usually is the rest of the group. That’s true of parents and kids, thats true of business’s, that’s true of life in the church.

    - Give Clear Assignments

    After Jesus walked with the disciples for a while, he sent 72 of them out with a very specific assignment to prepare the towns where he was heading to be ready for his arrival.
    He also sent them two-by-two for relationship, support, and accountability.

    - Follow Up With Assessments

    After the 72 returned they reported to Jesus what had happened. Jesus then assessed how well they had completed their task.
    People won’t know how well they’re doing or how to do better next time if we don’t give them a loving assessment of what they’ve done.
    An equipping process cannot be done without walking beside, living among, doing with, and assessing after.

        • Hebrews 13:17ESV

        • 2 Timothy 2:2ESV

        • Titus 1:5ESV

        • Ephesians 4:12–13ESV

        • 2 Corinthians 5:9ESV

        • 1 Corinthians 11:1ESV

        • Philippians 3:7–8ESV

        • Titus 2:1–6ESV

        • 1 Peter 2:9ESV

        • Revelation 1:5–6ESV

        • 2 Peter 1:12–13ESV

        • Luke 6:40ESV

        • Titus 2:7–8ESV

        • Oh How Good It Is
        First Baptist Church
        howardcitybaptist@gmail.com
        2319374809
        https://fbcohc-howard-city.faithlifesites.com
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