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Sunday 05/25/25

Title: Outfitted for Good Works

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Outfitted for Good Works

Ephesians 2:8-10, “(8)For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God; (9) it is not from works, so that no one can boast. (10) For we are his creative work, having been created in Christ Jesus for good works that God prepared beforehand so we can do them.”

Last week we took it slow and went over the differences between:

The Gifts of the Spirit
The Ministries in the body of Christ
The Operations given by the Father

When we reached the operations given by the Father we spent our closing moments looking at their purpose, which is to:

Equip the saints for ministry work
To mature the saints into Christ’s likeness

The result of which is maturity in the body due to each part doing its share within its sphere of influence and being good stewards of the gifts given us by the Spirit. It also empowers our testimony as we are changed into Christ’s likeness to live Jesus before the world so as to be salt and light.

So, as I said last week you can easily see why training and equipping are important!

We also recognized that the means by which those placed AS gifts to the body accomplished their equipping work in us. It is by ministering the word of God to us.

We know this because 2 Timothy 3:16-17 tells us that it is the Word by the Spirit that actually does the equipping, even though it flows THROUGH these people who are given as gifts to the body.

The last thing 2 Timothy 3:17 says is that you are being equipped, outfitted and furnished for every good work.

Let’s read that again just to refresh our minds. 2 Timothy 3:14-17,

“(14) You, however, must continue in the things you have learned and are confident about. You know who taught you (15) and how from infancy you have known the holy scriptures, which are able to give you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

(16) ALL scripture is inspired by God and useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, (17) that the person dedicated to God may be capable and equipped for every good work.” – 2 Timothy 3:14-17

So as we closed last week I told you we would spend this week examining what these good works look like.

Good works include…

Your living testimony of a life ever changing – ever maturing into the likeness of Christ.
Your faithful use of the spiritual gifts invested in you by the Spirit
Your fidelity to your purpose in the body and your usefulness in your place.

In other words they are your stewardship over your minas given to you for doing the work of the kingdom until His return.

These “good works” are spoken of throughout the New Testament.

Jesus said,

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt should lose its taste, how can it be made salty? It’s no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled on by men.”

(14) “You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden. (15) No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house.”

“(16) IN THE SAME WAY, let your light shine before men, so that they may see your GOODWORKS and give glory to your Father in heaven.” – Mathew 5:13-16

Eph 2:10, “For we are His creation–created in Christ Jesus for GOOD WORKS, which God prepared ahead of time so that we should walk in them.”

Titus 2:14, “He gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to cleanse for Himself a special people, eager to do GOOD WORKS.”

1 Peter 2:12, “Conduct yourselves honorably among the Gentiles, so that in a case where they speak against you as those who do evil, they may, by observing your good works, glorify God in a day of visitation.”

What do these good works look like?

Well they are expressed in everyday living in the sphere in which God has placed you.

Let’s take a look at a few examples…

Good works for Christians in general:

Titus 3:1-15,

“(1) Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every GOOD WORK,

(2) to slander no one,

to avoid fighting, and to be kind,

always showing gentleness to all people.”

So far these are simple manifestations of the fruit of the spirit.

“(3) For we too were once foolish, disobedient, deceived, captives of various passions and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, detesting one another.

(4) But when the goodness and love for man appeared from God our Savior, (5) He saved us–not by works of righteousness that we had done, but according to His mercy, through the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit.

(6) This Spirit He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, (7) so that having been justified by His grace, we may become heirs with the hope of eternal life.

(8) This saying is trustworthy. I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed God might be careful to devote themselves to GOOD WORKS.

These are good and profitable for everyone!

(9) But avoid foolish debates, genealogies, quarrels, and disputes about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless.

(10) Reject a divisive person after a first and second warning, (11) knowing that such a person is perverted and sins, being self-condemned.”

Blessings!

Tri

Pastor Mark

View posts by Pastor Mark

Hi my name is Mark and though I am opposed to titles, I am currently the only Pastor (shepherd/elder) serving our assembly right now.

I have been Pastoring in one capacity or another for nearly 30 years now, though never quite like I am today.

Early in 2009 the Lord revealed to me that the way we had structured our assembly (church) was not scriptural in that it was out of sync with what Paul modeled for us in the New Testament. In truth, I (like many pastors I am sure) never even gave this fundamental issue of church structure the first thought. I had always assumed that church structure was largely the same everywhere and had been so from the beginning. While I knew Paul had some very stringent things to say about the local assembly of believers, the point of our gatherings together and who may or may not lead, I never even considered studying these issues but assumed we were all pretty much doing it right...safety in numbers right?! Boy, I couldn't have been more wrong!

So needless to say, my discovery that we had been doing it wrong for nearly two decades was a bit of a shock to me! Now, this "revelation" did not come about all at once but over the course of a few weeks. We were a traditional single pastor led congregation. It was a top-bottom model of ministry which is in part biblical, but not in the form of a monarchy.

The needed change did not come into focus until following 9 very intense months of study and discussions with those who were leaders in our church at the time.

We now understand and believe that the Bible teaches co-leadership with equal authority in each local assembly. Having multiple shepherds with God's heart and equal authority protects both Shepherds and sheep. Equal accountability keeps authority and doctrine in check. Multiple shepherds also provide teaching with various styles and giftings with leadership skills which are both different and complementary.

For a while we had two co-pastors (elders) (myself and one other man) who led the church with equal authority, but different giftings. We both taught in our own ways and styles, and our leadership skills were quite different, but complimentary. We were in complete submission to each other and worked side-by-side in the labor of shepherding the flock.

Our other Pastor has since moved on to other ministry which has left us with just myself. While we currently only have one Pastor/Elder, it is our desire that God, in His faithfulness and timing, may bring us more as we grow in maturity and even in numbers.

As to my home, I have been married since 1995 to my wonderful wife Terissa Woodson who is my closest friend and most trusted ally.

As far as my education goes, I grew up in a Christian home, but questioned everything I was ever taught.

I graduated from Bible college in 1990 and continued to question everything I was ever taught (I do not mention my college in order to avoid being labeled).

Perhaps my greatest preparation for ministry has been life and ministry itself. To quote an author I have come to enjoy namely Fredrick Buechner in his writing entitled, Now and Then, "If God speaks to us at all other than through such official channels as the Bible and the church, then I think that He speaks to us largely through what happens to us...if we keep our hearts open as well as our ears, if we listen with patience and hope, if we remember at all deeply and honestly, then I think we come to recognize beyond all doubt, that, however faintly we may hear Him, He is indeed speaking to us, and that, however little we may understand of it, His word to each of us is both recoverable and precious beyond telling." ~ Fredrick Buechner

Well that is about all there is of interest to tell you about me.

I hope our ministry here is a blessing to you and your family. I also hope that it is only a supplement to a local church where you are committed to other believers in a community of grace.

~God Bless!