First Baptist Church
March 8, 2026
  • Savior Like A Shepherd Lead Us
  • Good Shepherd Of My Soul
  • Give Us Clean Hands

      • 1 Peter 2.25ESV

  • Jesus The Shepherd Of My Soul (Psalm 23)
  • Introduction:
    P- Preaching
    A- Alerting
    S- Shielding (Protecting)
    T- Training (Equipping)
    Goal of our Equipping:
    Christlikeness = Christian Maturity = Fruitfulness = Every Member Ministry
    Each member doing it’s part (v.16)

    How Should Training Be Accomplished?

    Teaching is important. Therefore, good training and equipping will always have the imparting of knowledge as its first essential element.
    And that’s again exactly what we are given clue to in this passage.… God gifted the church shepherd-teachers… emphasizing the important role teaching plays in the equipping of saints. So how or what are some of the ways shepherds teach in order to equip and train.

    1. Remind Them of Who They Are

    Christians are daily having identity crisis's
    2 Peter 1:9 ESV
    For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.
    “Our greatest need is to become who we already are in Christ.”- Martyn Lloyd-Jones
    When Paul spoke to the immature Corinthian believer, it was vitally important that Paul reminded them of who they are in Christ.
    1 Corinthians 6:9–11 ESV
    Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
    Or when Paul began his letter to the church in Ephesus, he began with a list of what things are true of themselves. By the way, these were not likely new information. These were truths that in some sense were already known to some degree or another. But Paul begins a very practical, very doctrine book to the church at Ephesus with truths about the identities of every born again follower of Christ, and there is a lesson to be learned from this approach.
    We as people who are sometimes very driven have instincts to teach people to just do. Just read the Bible, just attend church, just become part of our prayer gatherings, just disciple someone one, just give, just serve. These are all very important and all very Biblical, but it’s very true that we have missed a critical first step. We must first help them understand and remind each and everyone of them/us that we all have identities in Christ by his mercy to empower us to all live out his commands.
    I’d like to share a few of them today as examples of things we often should be reminded of.

    - Priesthood of the Believers

    I’m reading thru the book of Leviticus & Numbers. It’s fascinating seeing how specific God was with the ministry involved in the tabernacle. Firstly note, that no one volunteered to serve in the tabernacle, they were voluntold. Aaron and his sons were called to serve as priests, but to aid in the massive duty, God appointed the tribe of the levities to also serve as priests in the tabernacle, and only priests were allowed to serve there. They had term limits, age restrictions, and specific responsibilities. As well of these duties, the tribe of Levi were the only ones permitted to camp nearest and around the tabernacle. When it came time to move (because at that time, the Israelites were in the wilderness 40 years, and btw they moved close to once every year), the Levities were the only ones to touch and carry the tabernacle. It was a massive undertaking. In fact, the tribe of levi was separated into three smaller groups to accomplish the task… each given their own specific responsibilities, The Kohathites- sacred objects, Gershonites- certains, covering, hangings, and The Merarites- structural components polls, crossbars, bases, frames.
    In total, over 8,000 Levities were tasked with the responsibility to serve, but critical was this… Only the levities were allowed to serve God in this way as priests. No one else could.
    But the time of the Old Testament priest has expired because the Great High Priest has offered a sacrifice so great to atonement for sins that there is no need for the old testaments like priests to do those once required task. Christ’s payment was sufficient.
    But there are still sacrifices to be made for God. The Old Testament priest offered many sacrifices. Sin offering to atone for intentional sin and the trespass offering for unintentional sins. In addition to theses, there was the burnt offering- a commitment to God, grain offering to express thankfulness to God for His provisions and overall goodness to them, peace offering was another type of thanksgiving offering, sin offering to atone for intentional sin and the trespass offering for unintentional sins.
    God has revealed to us that he still desires of people to offer up sacrifices. Not the sacrifice of bulls, and goats, and lambs. But a different kind of sacrifice that is pleasing to him. What is this sacrifice and who does it?
    1 Peter 2:5 ESV
    you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
    You yourselves are built up..… to be a holy priesthood.… ALL CHRISTIANS...
    Let me emphasis this point.… what a PRIVILEDGE THAT IS!
    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.
    We are a chosen people.… a special possession of God. Just as the Levities were selected from all the tribes of Israel to serve God as priests, we now have been selected by God to serve in this way.
    That’s a massive privilege. Only the priests were allowed in the tabernacle to serve God and His people. Now we all are given the beautiful privileged task of serving God directly. Only the high priests were allowed in the holy of holies where God’s presence was said to dwell. But we now as priests have direct access to God thru Jesus . 1 Peter 2:10 says we were once a people who had not received mercy but now because of God’s undeserved favor, we now receive a special position that we could never have received otherwise that allows us all these esteemed roles.
    But understand that we are called to be priests for a purpose. To offer up sacrifices. Our sacrifices we offer are spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God.
    The greatest sacrifice we can give that is acceptable to God for such a privilege as we have received is our own lives.
    Romans 12:1 ESV
    I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
    We give up our lives as sacrifices to serve God and by default serve one another. To not do these things is to have forgotten who we are as priests.

    - New Creation

    2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV
    Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
    If You are IN CHRIST.… critical words.… God says you are a very new person. With a new nature that comes with a new understanding and beliefs which means a new value system and new priorities which shows a new purpose and direction, but is strengthened by a new future and new hope.
    All and all, if you are IN CHRIST, you are very much different person than what you once were.
    But I have a question, if that is true, how much different are you than what you once were before Christ.
    Taking the newness we have, how much different are you in your
    Nature:
    Understanding/beliefs:
    Value System/Priorities:
    Purpose/directions:
    Certainties for today, Hopes for Tomorrow:
    Though the old things have passed, required is that the new things have come. What new things did Paul have in mind in this passage.
    2 Corinthians 5:18–20 ESV
    All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
    The ministry of reconciliation.
    That is the gospel work of proclaiming that Jesus is Lord and that He is reconciling us to God thru the Word and thru His Spirit by work of ambassadors that He has sent out, those ambassadors being all those that he has made His new creations.
    But yet we can still put off the work and the nature of our new created state. Just a few verses down, Paul pleads with the Corinthians to take part in this work as new creations, warning them that they could be neglecting their newly received nature and responsibility as ambassadors and therefore could be receiving God’s gift in vain.
    2 Corinthians 6:1 ESV
    Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain.
    If the carnal Corinthian believer were begged and pleaded with to do this, so should we be as well. No Christian is exempt from living according to their newly..... created..... nature.
    “YOU .… ARE..… MADE..… FOR...… THIS! You are already God’s craftmanship, created by him for this good work.” It is important that we remember that we are His new creations.

    - Child of God

    1 John 3:1 ESV
    See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.
    How many of you have ever said something to the effect of, “As long as you live under my roof, you will live by my rules.”
    We understand again, what a privilege it is to live in a home that provides for you, that loves you, that looks after you. It’s a wonderful reality that we often don’t appreciate as much as we should.
    I’ve appreciated seeing the pictures of the Buitenwerf’s over in Ethopia. What a great opportunity for Judah, but I can’t help but also think of what a great opportunity it is for their whole family. You see in the pictures how incredibly different those in Ethiopian families live. Small homes, mostly without basic comforts, like AC, comfy beds, missing basic appliances, but have to do things the manual way/often harder. I think each of us, if we spent any amount of time there would really appreciate how much we’ve been given living in the homes we do.
    How much more infinitely true is that of us living under the household of God. Once more considering where we used to live and who’s child we used to be. Where we started. We were children of the darkness. Lost and without answers/unable to find them, given to endless sinful addictions with the goal to find happiness but never able to be satisfied or find peace, given to much grief and sorrow without any rest or reassurance, without anything to secure our selves to that won’t eventually fail, pouring out constant energy to everything under the sun, wearied by the task and finding lack of strength to continue, without any real purpose or fruit, “what does it profit…” we would quickly come to say, uncertain of all our tomorrows, in constant state of worry and dread, but terrified most of all of what comes next after life. Ignorant of all physical, spiritual, emotional matters because in our depravity, we cannot understand the things of God including His creation, completely blind to these realities.
    But O what great luxurious we have in Christ. O what wonderful joys are given to us because we been adopted into His family.
    But the statement is true, that if we live under His roof, then we should live to follow His rules. It’s our reasonable service, spiritual service, our true service to God.

    2. Give Them What they Already Know

    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, which we use alot in illustration about training and equipping because I have many kids and that’s where I am at, but also because Paul often spoke of training in that way. His illusions also carried the same idea as a parent raises up a child in the way he should should. Anyway, if you’ve raised kids or been around someone who has, you’ve probably said or heard them say...
    “How many times do I have to tell you this...”
    Not always the most helpful way to address our kids in constructive ways, but it does carry a important component about how to raise children.
    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.
    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,
    Consider how Jesus trained and equipped His 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.
    After feeding the multitude
    Matthew 16:21–23 ESV
    From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”
    After the transfiguration
    Matthew 17:22–23 ESV
    As they were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day.” And they were greatly distressed.
    As they were heading to Jerusalem for Passover
    Matthew 20:17–19 ESV
    And as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside, and on the way he said to them, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day.”
    Following this event, John’s mother asks who would be the greatest in God’s kingdom. It’s mind boggling to witness the downward spiral of the disciples as Christ repeated His teaching
    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.

    3. Urge them to Continually Press Forward

    This idea of urging is clearly seen throughout scripture. The idea of urging is not merely giving them more reminders, but caries with it a persistence to persuade them to action, strong and severe recommendation even about things they already know.… so it’s more then just reminding, it’s a continual push to do right.
    Our passage last week contains a good example of this. We read that spiritually mature believers ought to speak the truth in love.
    But Paul didn’t stop there. He repeatedly urges his churches to use their words to build up those around them:
    “Speaking the truth in love, let us grow . . .”  (Eph. 4:15)
    But then he would repeat the same command only ten verses later.
    “Speak the truth, each one to his neighbor” (Eph. 4:25)
    Paul would do the same in his letters to the Thessalonians.
    “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”that they’re already doing. Why? Let me put it this way… i’ve heard it stated like this... words of urging are a God-given means by which believers start and continue to “speak the truth in love.”
    To start and continue....
    Part of the continuation in the work is for us to build upon what you already know. Doing so grants more motivation and more practical knowledge in how to do it better. No one understands perfectly, and therefore no one executes perfectly.
    Love is a common theme and action commanded in the Bible yet Paul prayed that the Philippians would grow in their love for one another through more understanding and more discernment.
    Philippians 1:9 ESV
    And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment,
    So take again for example speaking the truth in love.
    How much theological truth do believers need to know in order to start “speaking the truth in love”? Going back again to Romans 15:14 which we referenced last week, Paul affirms that the believers in Rome already had everything they needed, including sufficient knowledge, to engage in every-member-ministry.
    Romans 15:14 ESV
    I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another.
    (“you yourselves . . . are filled with all knowledge, and able to instruct one another”). So it seems that what Paul is saying is that how much gospel you know to become a Christian is the same amount necessary to “speak the truth in love” to another believer.
    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 written. Why? Paul’s letter to the Romans was a reminder (Rom. 15:15)
    Romans 15:15 ESV
    But on some points I have written to you very boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God
    with 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. 
    So how does this all apply to pastoral training and equipping. As shepherds, we constantly balance between reminding/urging and giving new information. If you hear things repeated often in our services (things you already know to do), note that it is our divine imperative to do just that. To continue to urge you along in your walk with Christ just as Paul did to his audiences, and Peter did to His.… to always as long as I am able.… stir you up by way of reminder!!! It’s very critical but we balance that by expanding upon and digging deeper into what you know already so as to grow you up into Christ.
    We do that with our kids. Maybe the frequency of the reminders is less, but we never stop reminding them of what is right to do. Even when they are doing what they are told, we continue to remind them and urge them. This is effective training of kids, and it’s effective training of the saints as well.
    Transitioning here a bit, as we continue to understand how shepherds train and equip the saints, it’s not merely just teaching. There is much more going how then simple instruction. Jesus modeled this ever so well with His disciples. Don’t simply just tell them what it is, show them.
    Show instead of tell
    We can see the difference between show and tell by looking at how 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.
    He equipped them.
    Teaching creates students and potential followers. Equipping prepares disciples- those who are ready to follow and obey the instructions of Christ. Consider how Jesus trained and instructed His disciples. These remaining one help us understand the equipping process.

    4. Build Strong Relationships

    Jesus spent much time building a relationship with His disciples. How time did Jesus spend with them. Night and day for how many years. How do friendships grow and build trust. Usually thru shared experiences, and great dialogue. Think about the ways Jesus build relationships with His disciples… He spoke with them. Kindly, harshly, intently, I would be pretty confident in saying that no one had ever spoken to them the way Jesus did, His words were very precious to them.… but then also think about the activities they did together. Feeding multitudes, healing the sick, loving on people, rebuking religious leaders, calming storms, traveling thru hostile terrorities… there was so many meaningful moments shared together. So much so that when you open the gospels, you don’t just see written sermons that Jesus taught, you see activities done. That’s important because those 2 of those gospel writers were with Jesus. His actions spoke to them just as much as his teachings did. And that’s why they wrote them down.
    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 we stress that discipleship must be done in smaller groups, one on one or in groups of a few because relationship building with anyone takes much time, but it’s important. Important for showing them that this is a life/relationship worth investing time in. And that’s exactly what this next point emphasizes.

    5. 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 leadership not just in the church. If the leadership is bad, so also is the rest of the group. If leadership is good, so often is the rest of the group. That’s true of parents and kids, thats true of business’s, that’s true of governments, and that’s true of life in the church.

    6. 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.
    Let’s quickly look at a passage in Mark 6:7-13
    Mark 6:7–13 ESV
    And he called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. He charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in their belts— but to wear sandals and not put on two tunics. And he said to them, “Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you depart from there. And if any place will not receive you and they will not listen to you, when you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.” So they went out and proclaimed that people should repent. And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them.
    With specific guideliness, and clear assignments…
    by two for mutual support, credible witness, complementary strength, and just practical travel benefits (like efficiency and such).
    Jesus didn’t merely give vague concepts about Christian living. He didn’t merely teach christian doctrine. He also gave very specific tasks to help equip them.
    This was a regular practice. He later sent out 72 disciples by the same method… by 2’s… for the purpose of preparing people to hear His message. You can see that in Luke 10:1-24.
    And that practice by the way would continue even into the early church. How many did the church send out when mission effort was done or when churches sent people to aid other churches. Often the practice was to send out at least 2 people.

    7. 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.
    Luke 10:17–20 ESV
    The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!” And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
    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.
    That is how we must equip. It’s the model Jesus laid down for us and it’s the model that Pastor’s must walk in. Of course, it’s a model that Pastor’s cannot do all alone. That is why He equips others to caring on that work in more people’s lives. He can teach the crowds, but then He spends his time equipping a few so that they can do the same.
    Ephesians 4:16 ESV
    from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
    Conclusion:
    So where are you at in the being equipped process?

        • 2 Peter 1:9ESV

        • 1 Corinthians 6:9–11ESV

        • 1 Peter 2:5ESV

        • 1 Peter 2:9ESV

        • Romans 12:1ESV

        • 2 Corinthians 5:17ESV

        • 2 Corinthians 5:18–20ESV

        • 2 Corinthians 6:1ESV

        • 1 John 3:1ESV

        • 2 Peter 1:12–13ESV

        • Matthew 16:21–23ESV

        • Matthew 17:22–23ESV

        • Matthew 20:17–19ESV

        • Philippians 1:9ESV

        • Romans 15:14ESV

        • Romans 15:15ESV

        • Luke 6:40ESV

        • Titus 2:7–8ESV

        • Mark 6:7–13ESV

        • Luke 10:17–20ESV

        • Ephesians 4:16ESV

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