Our folks at The Gathering have heard me say quite often, “What God calls you to, He equips you for.” I thoroughly believe that. Ephesians 2: 10 affirms that “we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” So, He’s definitely called us. Jesus told His disciples in Acts 1:8 that we would “receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon [us]…”. Because that is followed by Jesus telling them that they would be His witnesses throughout the world, the power is what enables the witness. The writer of Hebrews gives a benediction in Hebrews 13, where in verses 20-21, he speaks a blessing that his readers might be equipped to accomplish God’s will:
Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, 21 equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
It seems pretty clear, then, that God really will equip us for everything He calls us to. The question that remains is, “how?”
We have to say, first of all, that we may not be able to determine every way in which God may equip us. Certainly, the act of the Holy Spirit abiding within the Believer means a supernatural and instantaneous equipping can happen at any moment He desires. We know that in Luke 12, Jesus told his disciples that, “when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself or what you should say, 12 for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.” Obviously, then, instant equipping can happen for specific tasks, but is that the primary method God uses? Probably not. I believe the way God’s equipping of His people happens most regularly and systematically is found in 2 Timothy 3.
In Paul’s instruction to his young son in the faith, he encourages him to “continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it 15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” So, Paul affirms that the systematic learning of Scripture over time leads to godly wisdom. Then, in verses 16-17, we get the famous affirmation of the inspiration and sufficiency of Scripture:
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
There it is! How are we equipped? Through the Word of God. By regularly engaging with the Word, which is adequate for shaping us into what God wants us to be, we become equipped for every good work. Whatever you are called to is wrapped up in that one little word, “every”.
Needed this. Thank you.