In modern parlance, the word church may be considered a place or an event attended. In Paul’s parlance, it was that and much more. He spoke of the church as the body of Christ, a body of people who were to live around each other and in the world in a certain way. They were to walk worthy as he put it. Jesus picked and interspersed among the members of the church a cadre of people (apostles, prophets, pastors, and teachers) and appointed them with a job. Note that in the following three verses.
Do you see it? This scattering of leaders was equipping the body of Christ toward good deeds.
Equipping is preparation.
In my clinical practice as an eye surgeon, I frequently meet patients who seek me out for symptoms they have from dryness of their eyes. The tack I have chosen in explaining their condition is to call myself a coach. I can tell them why the symptoms are present and how they may be managed. Those lessons are equipping. I am their eye-coach.
In our Sunday class, what do I do? I teach lessons that God gives me from his scriptures to the people God brings to the chairs in our classroom. Week by week practical applications are given. Life stories are divulged. The impact of God in and through my life is reviewed. This is me as a coach equipping, preparing people for things that will happen in their lives.
The scriptures that we cover are
If a patient presents to me complaining of blurry vision, but does not go fill the glasses prescription what good is it? If their eyes are inflammed, but they do not take their steroid drops they have wasted their trip to the clinic.
Spiritually things must never be viewed with any less practicality than a visit to the doctor. If you are sick and there is helpful medicine then by all means take it. Since you are spiritually sick and since there is helpful medicine by all means engage it.
The things taught in the doors of the church are useful and important. But, they are only an equipping. The teaching is not the point. Our living the teaching is. The things taught are only useful to the extent that one takes them up, goes and does likewise.