Training wise master builders

1. Yeshua said ‘I will build My church’. He is the Rock of ages on which the church is being built. There can be no other foundation than that, which is already laid, and that is Yeshua Messiah. (Matt. 16:18; 1 Cor. 3:11; 1Pet. 2:4)

2. Paul called himself a wise master builder. Any believer can build on that foundation with gold, silver, precious stones or just wood and hay, but be ready to have your work tested with fire. (1Cor.3:10-14; Luke 6:46-49)

3. A master builder (architect) does not build according to his will but must know the will of the owner (God) and make a blueprint (plan) accordingly. Master builders (apostle/prophets) have a complete picture of the finished edifice (Kingdom of God), even before it is built.  Others like the evangelists, teachers and shepherds, have limited understanding. (Eph. 2:20-22; 3:5,6)

4. When there are  no prophets and apostles,  then the church builds brick and mortar buildings and sets up Roman administrative structure of CEO’s, presidents, secretaries and others. Yeshua is not looking for hired speakers and MCs but for wise master builders who have the big picture, the knowledge, the skills and the passion to finish the task of building His church. (1Pet. 2:5; Jer. 1:5,9,10)

5. Paul trained his disciples in the context of his ministry, while debating with hostile Jews in the synagogues or Gentiles in the Hall of Tyrranous. He did so while making tents with his hands, wearing a work apron. He also gave live demonstration of healing and deliverance to his trainee masterbuilders who then evangelized Asia. (Acts 19:8-12)

6. Modern systems of education tend to prioritize the efficient transfer of information and insights. Yeshua used a very different, interactive group process to train “unschooled, ordinary men” to obey all He commanded. As they adapted His model to train others in Spirit-led obedience, they produced skilled, confident and reproductive “fishers of men” who “turned the world upside down.” Today, small group training is again proving fruitful for producing generations of “fishers of men.”

7. Medical schools produce doctors to take care of the sick. Seminaries produce pastors, not for the sinners, but for the saved. Pastors from ‘two thirds world’, educated in Westernized colleges, are as irrelevant as Indians trained, out of Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, Dalit and Tribal context.

8. In a seminary, success indicators are knowledge based academic accreditation, while the biblical requirement of a master builder are not only knowledge and skills but also character and passion for making disciples and catalyzing Soul Saving Movements (SSM) with focus on reaping abundant harvest.

9. The church lost its soul, when it replaced master builders with qualified clergy. We need to choose as trainers those who are proven “movement catalysts” and have come up through the ranks by their fruitful work.

10. In the NT, the ‘fivefold ministry gifted men’ equip ‘faithful men’ who equip ‘others’, while they continue to be actively involved in discipling. The megashift requires a paradigm shift in the selection of both the teacher and the taught, the venue and the content, thus shifting from training “aquarium keepers” to fishers of men. (2Tim.2:2)