In our series on Priorities, we come to “Equip the Saints.” Lots of passages in Scripture talk about the many different gifts Jesus gives to the body of Christ, emphasizing God’s design in the diversity of the body and our need for one another. However, that invites some questions: How does God train us to use those gifts? What is the church’s role in that? And to what degree – if any – is that equipping contingent on the individual’s efforts? Behind the scenes, most churches have healthy debate over pedagogy and best practices for spiritual formation, yet inevitably that discussion returns to Jesus and how he trained his followers. So this Sunday let’s consider this merry band of failures Jesus assembled to change the world. Let’s talk about how to “Equip the Saints” (Mark 14).
