Some may wonder why we, as an organization, are so passionate about prioritizing training of the church leaders in the Word of God, even, over doing the Work of God.
The story and passage below provide the answer:
The story is told of a church in Germany that was bombed during WWII. When the congregation returned they found that the roof had caved in. In the middle of church was a beautiful statue of Christ with his hands outstretched, which had been carved years before by a famous artist. The people were amazed to find that the statue remained standing; however, a beam had severed off Jesus’ hands. The parishioners hurried to a local sculptor, asking if he would be willing to replace the hands. To his credit, the artist indicated that he would do so for free. The proposal was taken to the church board. To the congregation’s surprise the board emerged from the meeting and announced that they had rejected the artist’s offer, as they felt the statue without the hands would be the greatest representation of the fact that God does His work through His people.
And how does He equip His people to do His work?
The answer is through His Word.
“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17)