Ephesians 4:11-16
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 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From Him the whole Body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
Devotion
In this passage of Scripture, Paul is making the point that Christ takes certain people who have been given gifts and He gifts them to the church. Now, notice the purpose for which these people are given to the church: “To prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the Body of Christ may be built up…and become mature.” These gifted people are given to the church so that it might be brought to full maturity. Paul goes on to list the offices that these persons might hold in the church: apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers.
We see in this text that the reason God gives these people to the church is so that the church will be equipped to carry out its purpose and to become mature in its faith and in the knowledge of Christ. Notice the words, “built up, mature, grow up, grows, and builds itself up.” These all imply growth or maturity. God gives spiritual gifts and spiritually gifted individuals to the church for the purpose of developing and maturing individual believers. Without these gifts, the church would remain immature and ineffective in its ministry and work. Of course, those who have been given authority to carry out the function of these offices must realize the heavy burden of responsibility that comes with the office. I am thankful that God bestows spiritual gifts upon His children and that He provides gifted individuals to lead His church on toward spiritual maturity.
The Big Question
What are the true marks of a church that is spiritually mature? How does God use gifted individuals to prepare the church for its work? What key attribute must be present in a spiritually mature church? What does Paul mean by “every supporting ligament”?
Spend some time in prayer meditating on what God revealed to you today.