Bible Reading – 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 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
We clearly see from this text that the church is made up of many different parts. Not every part is the same, but each part is designed with God’s purposes in mind. Each person that is part of the body of Christ has a part to play in the overall growth or maturity of the church. So, what is the purpose of the church in the world? It is to complete itself, that it might mature. This is true for individual believers as well. We are called in Hebrews 6:1 to “go on to maturity.” God is in the business of transforming lives. He uses every person in the church to carry out His purpose of maturity. Each one of us has a unique role to play for the purpose of being built up and ministering to one another. So we can say that the church is a spiritual movement where God uses everyone to accomplish His purposes of growth, both corporately and personally.
The Big Question
What is your role in Christ’s church? How is the Holy Spirit using others to mature you in your faith? How is the Holy Spirit using you to impact the lives of others in the church? How are you living out God’s purposes in your life? How are you living out God’s Word today?
Spend some time in prayer meditating on what God revealed to you today.