THE VESSEL — FOUR DEPTHS OF SERVICE =================================== Course: The Potter’s Wheel (Wheel) Lesson: 10 Scripture: 2 Timothy 2:1–2; 1 Kings 19:19–21; Acts 9:26–28; Numbers 27:15–23 Language: English URL: https://kgm-school-preview.netlify.app/lessons/en/wheel/10-the-vessel/ WhatsApp: WHEEL EN 10 LESSON TEN — THE VESSEL: FOUR DEPTHS OF SERVICE =============================================== BIG IDEA Service begins on the first day. No believer needs to finish a course before beginning to serve. Our service grows deeper step by step, as the river of Ezekiel grew deeper. There are four depths of service: the participant, the helper, the co-leader, and the lead. We go deeper by faithfulness and by invitation, not by ambition. And every graduate becomes a trainer. We entrust what we have heard to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others (2 Timothy 2:2). PART 1 — SCRIPTURE READING 2 Timothy 2:1–2 • 1 Kings 19:19–21 • Acts 9:26–28 • Numbers 27:15–23 Open your Bible and read slowly: 2 Timothy 2:1–2, 1 Kings 19:19–21, Acts 9:26–28, and Numbers 27:15–23. In 2 Timothy 2, Paul tells Timothy to be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. Timothy is to entrust what he has heard from Paul to reliable people. In 1 Kings 19, Elijah finds Elisha ploughing with oxen and throws his cloak around him. Elisha sets out to follow Elijah and becomes his servant. In Acts 9, the disciples in Jerusalem are afraid of Saul, but Barnabas takes him and brings him to the apostles. In Numbers 27, Moses asks the Lord to appoint someone over the community. The Lord answers. Moses is to lay his hand on Joshua and to commission him in the presence of the entire assembly. In Lesson Eight we began to look at the vision in practice. In Lesson Nine we walked the Potter’s pathway from surrender to sending, through five stations: the Clay, the Wheel, the Fire, the Table, and the Harvest. That is the track of formation. Today we come to the second track, the track of service. The book calls this track the vessel track. The two tracks run side by side from the first day. So we ask: how does a believer grow in serving? This lesson follows Chapter 10 of The Potter’s Wheel. KEY VERSE — 2 TIMOTHY 2:2 “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.” PART 2 — WALKING THROUGH THE LESSON A. Service from the First Day Service runs side by side with formation. Service is not a reward for finishing the classes. Service does not wait until formation is finished. Service begins on the first day. You do not need to complete any level of study before you begin to serve. The depth of our service grows together with the depth of our formation. Remember the river of Ezekiel in Lesson Two. The man with the measuring line led Ezekiel deeper, a thousand cubits at a time (Ezekiel 47:3–5). The water did not become deep all at once. Our service grows deeper in the same way, step by step. There are four depths of service: the participant, the helper, the co-leader, and the lead. B. Depth One — The Participant The participant comes, belongs, and enjoys the family. The participant has no task yet. To the participant we say: your presence is the ministry. This is not a lesser calling. It is the first calling. The family needs members who are simply there: at the meal, at the prayer meeting, at the table. Scripture gives us two pictures of presence. Think of Joshua, the young aide of Moses. The Lord would speak to Moses face to face. Then Moses would return to the camp, but Joshua did not leave the tent (Exodus 33:11). This was long before Joshua led Israel. Joshua stayed in the place where the Lord spoke with Moses. Think of the Twelve. Before they were sent anywhere, they were with Jesus. “He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach” (Mark 3:14). Presence comes first, and to be present is already to serve. You know this if you have sat in a gathering where the people around you were glad to see you. C. Depth Two — The Helper After a time of belonging, a leader invites the participant into one task. The participant becomes a helper. A helper may prepare the room, serve food, welcome people at the door, or join the intercessors. The task is clear. A leader watches over the helper. And the task is small on purpose, because faithfulness is proven in small things before a person is trusted with great things. Jesus said, “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much” (Luke 16:10). Notice how a believer enters this depth: by invitation. The church looks for people who are willing, and she calls them. Elisha was called in this way. “So Elijah went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat. He was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen, and he himself was driving the twelfth pair. Elijah went up to him and threw his cloak around him” (1 Kings 19:19). Elisha left his oxen and ran after Elijah (1 Kings 19:20). He set out to follow Elijah and became his servant (1 Kings 19:21). The Lord had already chosen Elisha to be the prophet after Elijah (1 Kings 19:16). Yet the first ministry of Elisha was not prophecy. His first ministry was to serve. Later, an officer of the king of Israel said that Elisha used to pour water on the hands of Elijah (2 Kings 3:11). Jesus Himself wrapped a towel around His waist, poured water into a basin, and washed His disciples’ feet (John 13:4–5). So the road to leadership goes through the basin and the towel. D. Depth Three — The Co-leader This depth, too, is entered by invitation. A mentor invites the faithful helper to lead one part of the work: one part of an event, or one part of a ministry. The mentor still watches over the work. The co-leader learns how to organize the work and how to take responsibility. Most important of all, the co-leader learns how to train others. At this depth a believer does more than carry out a task. The believer begins to carry responsibility for the work. The clearest picture in Scripture is Barnabas and Saul. Saul had persecuted the church (Acts 8:3). After he became a disciple, he went to Jerusalem and tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him (Acts 9:26). “But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus” (Acts 9:27). Later Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul and brought him to Antioch. For a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people (Acts 11:25–26). Then we read: “While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them’” (Acts 13:2). Notice the order of the names: Barnabas and Saul. Then, on their first journey, the order of the names changes. Saul was also called Paul (Acts 13:9). Now we read of Paul and Barnabas (Acts 13:43). Barnabas did not fight for the first place. He had been building up a man, not his own position. A good mentor steps back so that the co-leader can shine. E. Depth Four — The Lead The lead is responsible for a whole area of ministry or for a regular event. The book calls an area of ministry a sphere. The lead sets the vision for that area, manages the work, and solves the problems. And the lead deliberately trains the next generation of co-leaders and helpers. No one enters this depth by ambition, or only because of long years of service. There are two gates. The book calls them the Fire and the affirmation. 1. The first gate is prayer. The lead has learned to pray. This gate is the Fire that we met in Lesson Nine, the school of prayer. The first disciples all joined together constantly in prayer (Acts 1:14). A person who has not learned to kneel in prayer for a ministry should not lead that ministry. 2. The second gate is affirmation. The lead is affirmed in the open. Hands are laid on the lead before the church. The apostles did this for the seven men who were chosen in Acts 6. “They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them” (Acts 6:6). Long before, the Lord told Moses to do this for Joshua. “So the LORD said to Moses, ‘Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit of leadership, and lay your hand on him’” (Numbers 27:18). Public recognition is not flattery. It is protection, and it is commissioning. The church knows whom she has trusted. The lead knows that he or she does not serve alone. And the responsibility is given in the open. It is not taken in secret. Look at what Moses did: “Moses did as the LORD commanded him. He took Joshua and had him stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole assembly. Then he laid his hands on him and commissioned him, as the LORD instructed through Moses” (Numbers 27:22–23). The Four Depths of Service at a Glance - The depth: Participant · What it means: Comes, belongs, and enjoys the family; presence is the ministry · The picture in Scripture: Joshua, who did not leave the tent (Exodus 33:11); the Twelve with Jesus (Mark 3:14) - The depth: Helper · What it means: Invited by a leader into one small task · The picture in Scripture: Elisha, the servant of Elijah (1 Kings 19:19–21; 2 Kings 3:11) - The depth: Co-leader · What it means: Invited by a mentor to lead one part of the work; learns to train others · The picture in Scripture: Barnabas and Saul (Acts 11:25–26; Acts 13:2) - The depth: Lead · What it means: Responsible for a whole area of ministry; enters by two gates: prayer and affirmation · The picture in Scripture: The first disciples in prayer (Acts 1:14); the seven men (Acts 6:6); Joshua (Numbers 27:18) F. Multiplication — Every Graduate Becomes a Trainer Here is the rule that makes the four depths work: every graduate becomes a trainer. The believer who has finished the class on the foundations of the faith helps to teach that class to the next group. The helper who becomes a co-leader begins to train a helper. And the first duty of a lead is to train other leads, who will one day take his or her place. Paul wrote to Timothy, “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others” (2 Timothy 2:2). There are four generations in this one verse: Paul, Timothy, reliable people, and others. Without this rule, the work does not multiply. With this rule, the work does not stop. Every graduate becomes a trainer. G. The Pastor Is the Architect One last principle guards the whole pathway: the pastor is the architect, not the instructor of everything. Each level of training and each sphere of ministry is entrusted to a named leader, so that the pastor does not lead every part himself. The pastor designs the pathway. He trains the trainers. And he is present at the moments of commissioning, when hands are laid on a servant. Moses did not carry Israel alone after Jethro had spoken. Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses, told him to select capable men from all the people and to appoint them as officials (Exodus 18:21). These men would share the load, and the load of Moses would be lighter (Exodus 18:22). Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said (Exodus 18:24). Paul teaches the same thing in Ephesians 4. He wrote, “So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up” (Ephesians 4:11–12). Christ gave pastors and teachers to equip His people. His people do the works of service. So no pastor should carry a church alone. This is how the work continues for many years, and the workers do not grow tired and stop. H. The Lesson in One Sentence A servant begins with presence, goes deeper through faithfulness in small things, is affirmed in the open, and becomes a trainer of others (Mark 3:14; Luke 16:10; Acts 6:6; 2 Timothy 2:2). In Lesson Eleven we come to the five spheres, where each member finds a place in the body. PART 3 — KNOW THE WORD: TEACHING FOCUS #### 1. Four Generations in One Verse Read the key verse again (2 Timothy 2:2). Paul taught Timothy in the presence of many witnesses. Timothy was to entrust the same things to reliable people. Those people would be qualified to teach others. Remember Barnabas. On the first journey the name of Paul came before the name of Barnabas (Acts 13:43). So measure your own work by the measure of Barnabas. Whom are you training? Who will carry the work after you? A ministry whose leader trains no one will end when that leader leaves. #### 2. Faithfulness in Small Things Comes First Jesus said that whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much (Luke 16:10). Elisha began as the servant of Elijah (1 Kings 19:21). Name your depth: participant, helper, co-leader, or lead. Name your depth honestly. Do not be ashamed of the answer, and do not claim more than is true. Then look one depth deeper, and ask what is keeping you from that depth. Usually the answer is not talent. The answer is faithfulness in the depth where you are now. #### 3. Each Depth Is Entered in the Right Way Helpers are called by invitation. A list on which people write their own names is not enough. Elijah went up to Elisha and threw his cloak around him (1 Kings 19:19). Co-leaders are made by mentoring, and not because a place is empty. Barnabas brought Saul to Antioch, and for a whole year they met with the church and taught (Acts 11:25–26). Leads enter by two gates, and not because the need is urgent. First, the lead has learned to pray, as the first disciples joined together constantly in prayer (Acts 1:14). Second, the lead is affirmed in the open, as the apostles prayed and laid their hands on the seven men (Acts 6:6). PART 4 — TRUST THE SPIRIT: TEACHING FOCUS #### 1. The Spirit Calls Workers to the Work In the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers (Acts 13:1). As they worshipped the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit spoke. He said that Barnabas and Saul were to be set apart for the work to which He had called them (Acts 13:2). The call came from Him. Then, after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on the two men and sent them off (Acts 13:3). The call did not begin with the laying on of hands. When they laid their hands on the two men, they recognized what the Holy Spirit had already said. He is the One who calls workers to the work. #### 2. The Spirit Makes Overseers of the Flock Paul said to the elders of the church in Ephesus that the Holy Spirit had made them overseers of the flock (Acts 20:17, 28). These elders did not make themselves overseers. The Holy Spirit made them overseers. Remember the seven men of Acts 6 in Lesson Nine. They were known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom before the apostles laid their hands on them (Acts 6:3, 6). So ambition does not make a leader, and long years of service alone do not make a leader. The Holy Spirit makes overseers. He works in a person first, and then the church affirms His work in the open. #### 3. The Spirit Helps Us Guard What Is Entrusted to Us Look at two things that Paul told Timothy. First, Timothy was to guard what had been entrusted to him. “Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us” (2 Timothy 1:14). Second, Timothy was to entrust what he had heard to reliable people (2 Timothy 2:2). The Holy Spirit lives in us, and He helps us to guard what has been entrusted to us. Then we entrust what we have heard to reliable people. Word and Spirit in Lesson Ten — Side by Side - Know the Word: Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much (Luke 16:10). · Trust the Spirit: The seven men were known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom (Acts 6:3). - Know the Word: Elijah went up to Elisha and threw his cloak around him (1 Kings 19:19). · Trust the Spirit: The Holy Spirit said that Barnabas and Saul were to be set apart for the work to which He had called them (Acts 13:2). - Know the Word: Moses laid his hands on Joshua before the whole assembly, and the apostles prayed and laid their hands on the seven men (Numbers 27:22–23; Acts 6:6). · Trust the Spirit: The Holy Spirit made the elders of Ephesus overseers of the flock (Acts 20:17, 28). - Know the Word: Entrust what you have heard to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others (2 Timothy 2:2). · Trust the Spirit: Guard the good deposit with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us (2 Timothy 1:14). PART 5 — FORMING CHRIST IN THE BELIEVER This lesson forms Christ in us in three ways: 1. Christ is formed in us when we are faithful in very little. Name your depth honestly, and be faithful there. Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much (Luke 16:10). The river grows deeper for those who keep walking. 2. Christ is formed in us when we take the basin and the towel. Elisha used to pour water on the hands of Elijah (2 Kings 3:11). Jesus Himself poured water into a basin and washed His disciples’ feet (John 13:5). Pour water on someone’s hands this week. 3. Christ is formed in us when we step back so that another can shine. Barnabas built up a man and did not fight for the first place. Train someone in the same way. Entrust what you have heard to reliable people (2 Timothy 2:2). PART 6 — DISCUSSION QUESTIONS Come prepared to answer. Come prepared to listen. 1. Name your depth: participant, helper, co-leader, or lead. Where are you serving today? Look one depth deeper. What is keeping you from that depth? 2. Your presence is the ministry. Think of the members of your church who have no task yet. How can your church show them that the family needs them? 3. Jesus said that whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much (Luke 16:10). Which small task is in your hands today? On whose hands could you pour water? 4. How does a believer enter each depth of service in your church? Helpers are invited. Co-leaders are mentored. Leads have learned to pray, and they are affirmed before the church with the laying on of hands. What would this look like in your church? 5. In Acts 13:2 the name of Saul comes after the name of Barnabas. Whose name comes after yours? Name one person you are training now. Which part of your work could you entrust to a reliable person this year, so that the load is shared (2 Timothy 2:2; Exodus 18:22)? PART 7 — WEEKLY ASSIGNMENT Before next class, take time with the following: - Read 1 Corinthians 12:4–27 and Acts 2:46–47 in preparation for Lesson Eleven. - Memorize 2 Timothy 2:2 or Luke 16:10. - Write the four depths on one page: participant, helper, co-leader, lead. Mark the depth where you serve today. Then write one sentence about what is keeping you from the next depth. - Pour water on someone’s hands this week. Choose one small task that serves another person, and do the task faithfully. - Write the name of one reliable person whom you will train. This week, invite that person into one small task, and stay beside that person while the task is done. CLOSING PRAYER A PRAYER TO PRAY OUT LOUD THIS WEEK Father, thank You that Your Son called the Twelve to be with Him before He sent them out. Thank You that each of us may serve in Your family from the first day. Teach us that our presence is already a ministry. Keep us faithful in very little. Give us willing hands, like the hands of Elisha, who poured water on the hands of Elijah. Give us the heart of Barnabas, who built up another man and did not fight for the first place. Teach us to kneel in prayer for the work that we lead. Let Your church lay hands on her leaders in the open, with prayer. Moses did this for Joshua, and the apostles did this for the seven men in Jerusalem. Let Your Holy Spirit call workers to the work, as He called Barnabas and Saul. By Your Holy Spirit, who lives in us, help us to guard the good deposit that has been entrusted to us. Help us to entrust what we have heard to reliable people who will also teach others. Raise up helpers, co-leaders, and leads in our church, in our town and across Tanzania, until every graduate becomes a trainer. In the Name of Jesus, amen. NEXT LESSON — Lesson Eleven — Five Spheres, One Family. 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