Prepare

Eph. 4:11 - 12 (NIV)

It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.

We get the word prepare from the french pre(before) and Parare meaning, acording to Webster to "trim off an outside, excess, or irregular part of " In the original sense this word, "artee-os" in the Greek, carries the idea of refreshing, or of making ready every part. It is highly similar in its origin for the Greek word "artos"for bread. The thoughts seems to be that the role of the leadership of the church is to develop people. This may include ideas of trimming excess and irregular parts from people's lives so that they are more fit for ministry, or carefully kneading them and allowing them to rise to the challenge. All in all today, we must realize that the job description given here is secondary to the job that it represents. The purpose of leadership is arriving at a destination. Therefore the purpose of preparation is for works of service. Today I will prepare in such a was as to not just to know more about God, but to be better able, and more likely to serve God.