Equipping In The Local Church
God places individuals in local churches so that they can submit to their leaders and learn from them. Spiritual development seldom takes place outside the institution of the church.
Becoming skilled in the things of God is not a destination, but a journey of learning. Fundamental to growth is a commitment to a lifelong journey of learning. Training brings you into contact with people who are on the same journey as you. You can encourage each other, share ideas, and use your gift of prophecy.
1 Kings 19:19-21 - So he departed from there, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he was with the twelfth. Then Elijah passed by him and threw his mantle on him. And he left the oxen and ran after Elijah, and said, "Please let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you." And he said to him, "Go back again, for what have I done to you?" So Elisha turned back from him, and took a yoke of oxen and slaughtered them and boiled their flesh, using the oxen's equipment, and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he arose and followed Elijah, and became his servant.
Elisha was not only Elijah’s spiritual apprentice, but he was the only one who caught a double portion of his spirit. Elijah made three attempts to separate himself from Elisha, but Elisha remained obstinately close to him and followed Elijah wherever he went. These actions must have hurt Elisha, but he was never offended and never became angry.
Too many church members are easily offended with leaders who limit their opportunity for personal growth and development. They leave the church when they feel unnoticed or overlooked. Whenever you move into new areas of your Christian walk, God will bring new people into your life who can help you and impart knowledge. You may have to find a new church to take your gifting further if your current church discourages the apostolic and prophetic anointing.
If you want to prepare yourself for the coming anointing, prayerfully consider which church God wants you to submit to and then make a long-term commitment to that church and its leadership so that you can be equipped and mentored. Doing so is a part of being in submission to God. People who cannot submit to earthly leaders may discover that they are unable to submit to God. But make sure you are growing in a local church environment that allows the anointing to flow freely.
Mentoring involves a relationship in which one person helps develop and empower another.
Younger Christians need models of spiritual maturity. If they want to grow spiritually, they will profit immensely from being able to rub shoulders with people who have Godly character and who have built a lifestyle centered on serving the Lord. Having seasoned persons investing in your life will pay huge dividends in your development. It is important to take the initiative to build long-lasting relationships with those that can impart wisdom, knowledge, and experience into your life.
A good mentor can help you grow in your gifting. This could be a pastor in your local church or a mature person who functions in the anointing. Anything you are going to go through has been experienced by someone else. The best teachers are those who are not afraid to share their own experiences and failures. Learn from others who are gifted and experienced in your area of ministry. They have a wealth of knowledge, wisdom, and experience to impart to you.
Build the right relationships
Relationships are important and the people we choose to surround ourselves with should be done with much prayer and consideration. It is important to surround ourselves with people who are like-minded and who love the Lord and who encourage us to pursue and fulfill our calling.
The enemy will try his best to corrupt the good relationship we have with other brothers and sisters in the Lord. We need to do everything possible to preserve the righteous relationships we have, especially with those who build spiritual values into our lives. This includes the relationship with our church and spiritual leaders.
We need to look after our marriages and make sure that it is protected and maintained. We need to encourage our children so that they can grow in their relationship with the Lord. It is our responsibility to prepare the next generation to love the Lord and to be full of faith. It is important to look after our children and to ensure that they are not caught up in the world. Our children will fulfill our own Godly purpose one day so be aware that the devil will try and corrupt them with temptation and sin.
Proverbs 22:6 - Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.
There are people that do not belong in our lives and we should consider putting distance between ourselves and them, especially if they are not Godly.
2 Corinthians 6:14 - Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?
Submit
I am a firm believer of that simple saying “there is safety in numbers.” Christians who are in fellowship with other believers and who are submitted under spiritual mentorship or oversight are more protected from destructive prophecies.
1 Peter 5:8 - Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
A lion focuses on its prey and then separates it from the rest of the herd. Once he succeeds in doing that, he goes in and kills his prey. The devil operates in the same destructive manner.
There will always be those who are new in the faith or who are still maturing in their relationship with the Lord and leaders must do everything I their power to implement an equipping program for them.
It is very important for the children of God to be part of a local church. The objective in going to church is to build a relationship with God and others. The Christian life is not always an easy road. It is so easy to become discouraged. When believers separate themselves from other believers they become vulnerable and are an easy target for the devil.
Never before have people been confronted with so many voices and so many choices. God speaks to His people as a whole and He speaks to them individually, guiding them into truth and reminding them what is right and warning them what is wrong. His is a voice that tells the truth when so many other voices cannot be trusted.
Mark 1:17-18 - Then Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” They immediately left their nets and followed Him.
Mark 3:14 - Jesus chose the twelve that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach.
The leadership training principles that Jesus used were simple, logical, and full of wisdom. They are the principles that He passed on to the church.
The disciples that Jesus chose to be trained were not scholars or men with special talents. They were just ordinary men whom He could shape and mold into leaders. He devoted His time to them, even in the midst of His ministry to the masses. They were with him in all sorts of situations and were included in every aspect of His ministry. The disciples assisted Him as He ministered.
Effective leaders know their success is impacted by those who are closest to them. They select their leaders. He did not vote them in.
He chose them and taught them. He used the leadership principles of selection, impartation, delegation, supervision, and reproduction.
Jesus knew that the reason for choosing and mentoring potential leaders was for succession that would ensure His ministry would multiply for generations to come.
From the first day He was with them, Jesus told His followers that He would be with them only for a short time. From time to time they argued with Him about the limited tenure He described, but He continued to reiterate that it was right for Him to go. From the beginning,
He prepared them for life when He was gone. He taught them how to depend on the Holy Spirit and how to impact others. Any person aspiring to become a great leader, must search, recruit, and train a successor. Leadership succession must start immediately and must begin succession planning and selection as Jesus did. The moment Jesus announced His vision, He began to recruit men who would succeed Him.
Jesus demonstrated that this principle of succession and transfer of position of power works to the leader's advantage.
Two thousand years later, the Gospel is still being preached throughout the entire world and in every nation.
Choose a mentor
Mentoring involves a relationship in which one person helps develop and empower another.
Younger Christians need models of spiritual maturity. If they want to grow spiritually, they will profit immensely from being able to rub shoulders with people who have Godly character and who have built a lifestyle centered on serving the Lord. Having seasoned persons investing in your life will pay huge dividends in your development. It is important to take the initiative to build long-lasting relationships with those that can impart wisdom, knowledge, and experience into your life.
A good mentor can help you grow in your prophetic ministry. This could be a pastor in your local church or a mature person who functions in the prophetic anointing.
Anything you are going to go through has been experienced by someone else. The best teachers are those who are not afraid to share their own experiences and failures.
When you receive prophetic training, you are learning from instructors who are gifted and experienced in your area of ministry. They have a wealth of knowledge, wisdom, and experience to impart to you.
Kingdom partners
2 Corinthians 6:17 - Therefore "come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean and I will receive you."
God wants you to surround yourself with people who are spiritual and who are in submission to a local church and who can come alongside you and help you.
Abraham was given an assignment and he climbed up the mountain to carry out God’s instructions. He took others with him, but He came to a point in his journey where he told them to stay where they were and he moved on alone with his son Isaac. There are some people that you need in your life, but there are others that you need to exclude from your life too.
Isaiah 45:9-10 - "Woe to him who strives with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth! Shall the clay say to him who forms it, 'What are you making?' Or shall your handiwork say, 'He has no hands'? Woe to him who says to his father, 'What are you begetting?' Or to the woman, 'What have you brought forth?' "
Failure is an option. Our choices determine our final destination. We cannot have authority unless we are under authority. The church is the institution that God has designed for us as a vehicle that will take us into the future. In order to fulfill your purpose, you must be submitted to God’s earthly leaders. Most Christians fall away because they say that they are in submission to God, but they are not submitted under the authority of the church leadership. When strife comes into the church, they no longer trust their leaders and listen to those who having risen up in rebellion to the pastor.
God is calling His church to submit to their leaders. In these last days, God is going to give His leaders supernatural strategy and if you are not under submission, you will miss your part in God’s plan. It is as simple as that. That is the way God works and I have never seen Him work in any other way. When you are under submission, God will make you part of His great plan. That is why we cannot do church outside of the church. You cannot do church in front of a television screen because God anoints men and women to lead God’s people so that they can fulfill their Godly assignments.
You cannot be a king if you not under submission to earthly kings.
There is one vision in the house and when believers come into the house with their own vision, they bring confusion and division. The vision of the local church cannot be successful unless the people are in submission.
Do not waste your time
So many Christians are busy running everywhere but never really settle down. They live their lives trying so many things and if those things do not work out, they try something else. After a lifetime of fruitless searching, the best years of their lives have been wasted.
They live their life by experiment instead of by purpose.
We are all called by God. It is therefore important to find out from God what that call is. Find out where God wants you to live. Find out who He wants you to marry. Find out what He wants you to spend the rest of your life doing.
It takes time and effort to build something that lasts. It does not happen overnight. God gives us a few decades on earth and we should use that time producing fruit. We should use that time wisely and build equity for the Kingdom of God. If your life is drifting by aimlessly, something is wrong. Boredom is a good indication that something big is missing in your walk with God.
Depending on your call and ministry, God will place you under the authority of a pastor or a spiritual leader. Generally, God will not move you around. If you have moved to two or three churches in the past few years, there is something wrong. If you have moved out because of problems with the church leaders, you may need to be honest with yourself and find out why these problems persist.
You will probably never fulfill your God-given purpose unless you settle down and allow God to prepare you for your future. God has not placed you on this earth to live and die. Every step you take should be directed towards your spiritual goal. Do not take one step unless it is going to produce something positive.
A man’s doctrine
Acts 2:42 - And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine.
What I really love about this passage of the Word is that the writer did not refer to God’s doctrine or Jesus’ doctrine. God recognizes His earthly leaders who are heading His church. We cannot serve God if we do not serve an earthly leader.
What this passage means is that the people who are leading you and mentoring you have made the doctrine of heaven their own doctrine and this also implies discipleship. God has appointed them because Godly leaders have disciples.
Who are you following? Who is mentoring you? Are you with the right leader? Do not just follow anyone. I teach my people to ask their leaders hard questions before they follow them. There is nothing wrong with that because leaders can either take you to a good place or to a bad place, depending on the principles they apply in their own lives.
Look at the fruit they are producing in their lives as that is what they will produce in your life. For example, are they successful in their marriage and family? Are they blessed financially, or do they live in lack and failure? The apostolic anointing on a leader’s life will be in proportion to the measure they reflect Kingdom values and fruit.
You must be able to be inspired by the person you are following and have a desire to excel as much as they have excelled in all things. That way you will know if you are going to walk in an apostolic anointing.
The preaching of the gospel
Revelation 14:6 - Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people.
Matthew 24:14 - And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the entire world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.
Many believers today have submitted themselves to their local church and have been disciple, mentored, and equipped by their leaders. This is the preparation process that is so evident in the church today and we see this happening all over the world at this time.
God is going to use faithful men and women who are submitted to Christ’s earthly leaders and who have allowed themselves to be trained and equipped in the Word and having their “feet shod with the preparation of the gospel.”
Sons and daughters
God is going to use men and women who are filled with the Spirit of God and who are submitted under the authority of God’s earthly leaders. If we are not hearing from our earthly leaders, we cannot hear from God and therefore cannot be regarded as a son or daughter. To be a son or a daughter is a powerful concept that God is revealing more and more in this season.
We must follow leaders who are anointed and know the plans that God has for these times and who teach the truth.
Be a good soldier
2 Timothy 2:3 - You therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
Tough times are coming, but God’s people must be prepared and refreshed. Remove all the things that weigh you down and be ready to advance with God’s plans and strategies. Do not become bogged down, snagged up, and immobile. Be ready and able to move with God no matter what He tells you to do. We need to be spiritually fit in order to be a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
Be a follower
We need to follow anointed earthly leaders. Pray and ask God who you should follow and then stick with that person and that ministry for the long term.
We need to follow someone we respect and we must also respect the vision they have for their church.
Know your rank
God places us in different positions. For example, some are administrators while others are teachers. We all have different gifts which are all powered by the same Spirit. We have different ranks in God’s Kingdom but we should know where we are in the pack.
Follow orders
In order to do our part in God’s Kingdom, we must receive instructions from our leaders and we must learn to carry them out obediently with a positive attitude no matter what those requirements are.
God wants us to follow His plans through His leaders without making an issue about everything. Just do it even if it does not make sense to you. God knows what He wants.
Be familiar with your commander’s voice
The people who followed David knew his voice and knew what he wanted. Learn to know your leaders and what they want. There are lots of voices in the world today which can cause confusion. Do not be influenced by all the others voices in the world, because they are not all from God.
Be familiar with your weapons
We have powerful tools. The weapons of our warfare are powerful and mighty for pulling down strongholds. We have the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. We have God’s Spirit which empowers us and ensures nothing and no one can come against us.
The weapons that God has given us are useless and ineffective if they are applied against flesh and blood. They are spiritual weapons and powerful in spiritual warfare. We do not have to be afraid of the devil because he is a defeated foe and is no match against God’s weapons.
2 Corinthian 10:4 - For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds.
Be familiar with the strategy of the enemy
The following passage of Scripture clearly summarizes the strategies of the devil:
John 10:10 - The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
What is the devils plan for you? It is to steal from you, to kill you, and to destroy your life. Do not allow him to do this to you. Only you can stop him.
Christian lives should not be in ruins. The devil has no right or authority to beat you up. You have the right and authority to stop him in the name of Jesus. Stand up, dust yourself off, learn from your mistakes, and be ready to win the next round.
1 Corinthians 15:58 - Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
Personal prophecies
There are prophetic words that are spoken over us which speaks of where we will be in the future. Do not rush in and try and do it until you are released to do it. Remember, David waited twenty years for his prophecy to come to pass. Adam was released premature and was not ready to take dominion and to subdue the earth.
Many Christians receive prophetic words about their future and miss their destiny because they pack up immediate and go and then find themselves on a road to nowhere.
1 Timothy 1:18 - This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare.
When we do not understand how the prophetic works, we can kill our dreams. Paul speaks to his son in the Lord and warns him about this. He acknowledges the prophetic word over Timothy, but does not tell him to make it happen. He told him to incorporate his prophecies into his prayers. Perhaps you know what God wants you to do prophetically, but do not do anything until the Holy Spirit speaks and reveals the time and season for your ministry.
When is it the right time to go? Only when the Holy Spirit speaks to His earthly leaders. Only make a major change in your life after God has spoken to you and confirmed it through His earthly leaders.
It is so important that we submit ourselves to God through His earthly leaders and allow God to train and prepare us for what lies ahead so that when the time is right, we will be ready to take on the world.
The calling and anointing on our lives extends to the ends of the earth. Many Christians come to church, but they do not want to be trained and when the time comes for them to be used, they have nothing to give.
There is a clear difference between the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven.
We cannot enjoy the Kingdom of Heaven unless the Kingdom of God is established in us.
Mentoring Christian leaders
One of the strongest desires all potential leaders express is to obtain more effective mentoring. Good mentoring helps potential leaders learn more successfully and this should be a core value of the church. The church needs to identify, pursue, and encourage strategies that enhance success and diversity in all facets of development.
A Christian leader is called by God and is called to serve. This is one who serves by leading. The vast majority of people are followers. Those who have been anointed and called to lead are most valuable to the body of believers, especially if they are willing to follow their call and do that which followers so desperately need. The most common design is for a church to expect leadership from their senior pastor. They may try to provide it, but most pastors are, by their own reckoning, trained and gifted as teachers and preachers. They try to lead by using their teaching and preaching gifts and abilities.
If the pastor fails as a leader, the church becomes disgruntled and havoc results. The need to raise up transforming leaders is matched by the opportunity. God in His sovereignty has always raised up leaders for His people.
God is already raising up young men and women of vision throughout the world. These emerging leaders are eager to follow the call of Christ. The big question is whether those who are in senior leadership positions will have the vision to nurture them. If the goal is to help young leaders lead more like Jesus, leadership development must emphasize both character and competency.
Today, leaders must realize that change is coming faster than ever before and the future will not be what they expect. The rate of change is faster today than it was in the past. God places individuals in local churches so that they can submit to their leaders and learn from them. Spiritual development seldom takes place outside the institution of the church.
Elisha was not only Elijah’s spiritual apprentice, but he was the only one who caught a double portion of his anointing. Elijah made three attempts to separate himself from Elisha, but Elisha remained obstinately close to him and followed Elijah wherever he went. These actions must have hurt Elisha, but he never took offense and never became angry. Too many church members are easily offended with leaders who limit their opportunity for personal growth and development. They leave the church when they feel unnoticed or overlooked.
Believers should prayerfully consider which church God wants them to submit to and they should then make a long term commitment to the church and its leadership so that they can be equipped and mentored for God’s future plan for their lives.
Doing so is a part of being in submission to God. People who cannot submit to earthly leaders may discover that they are unable to submit to God. Believers should have an attitude of respect and be willing to follow their leaders. Following should be active and not passive. It is advisable to seek out leadership by submitting to them and being mentored by them.
Christian leaders are more successful when they know they are in God’s will and they are able to be more effective because of God’s power enabling them in their purpose. Without a foundation of inner character that is centered on Jesus Christ and formed by Biblical truth and the work of God’s Spirit, everything else a leader learns and does, will be of little lasting value.
A Christian leader is a person of Christ-like character. Because the central function of a leader is to enable people to know, love, and serve God with their entire hearts, mind, soul, and strength, the leader must possess the kind of personal attributes that reflect the nature of God.
Signs of a good leader
The following signs indicate that a person has likely been called to be a Christian leader.
1. They know they are called
They will feel the call of God in their lives and will sense a divine selection for the task and will have an inner conviction that God wants them to lead people for Him.
2. They seek God
True Christian leaders will spend time fasting and praying in order to be assured of the vision and strategy God wants them to implement.
3. They will be eager to lead
True Christian leaders are eager to lead because they simply cannot help it and because it is who they are. The urge to serve as a leader is undeniable.
4. They think differently
Leaders are people of vision and are focused on the future. They think about the long-term implications of today’s opportunities and choices. They are mindful of the big picture and are not satisfied with focusing only on the micro-level events of the day.
They are excited by change and want to shape it. They work hard, work smart, and are strategic thinkers.
5. They are fruitful
A true Christian leader is one whose life bears the fruit of effective leadership. The call of God manifests by a tangible evidence of a special gift to lead.
6. They associate with other leaders
People are most comfortable around others who are like themselves. Being in the presence of other leaders defines the comfort zone of one called to lead.
7. They are courageous
Few people have the internal strength to stand up for what is right. This is called courage.
God’s leaders are always people of great courage and are not intimidated by people who oppose them or work against their vision.
8. They never give up
Leading people is very challenging and leaders can become unmotivated and discouraged.
God’s leaders endure an incredible amount of heartache, controversy, and animosity.
Christian leaders who are likely to fail:
* Satisfied with doing the bare minimum but demand maximum benefit
* Settle for mediocrity and under-achieving
* Thrown around by the wind with no aim and purpose in life
* Self-centered and largely motivated by status and prestige
* Focus on their own security and do not bother about the needs of those around them
* Do not pray and spend time in personal devotions
* Are not connected to a local church
Fulfilling God’s will
God uses people who desire to do His will. Potential Christian leaders must want to do God’s will more than anything else if they are to be used effectively by Him. Everyone is born with a divine purpose but it is not automatic. A person must choose to cooperate with God’s purpose for their life or else the opportunity could be missed.
Younger Christians need models of relative spiritual maturity. If they want to grow spiritually, they will profit immensely from being able to rub shoulders with people who have Godly character and who have built a lifestyle centered on serving the Lord.
