The
Gifts
He Gave
But each of us was given grace according
to the measure of Christ's gift. Therefore it is said, "When he ascended
on high he made captivity itself a captive; he gave gifts to his people."
(When it says, "He ascended," what does it mean
but that he had also descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who
descended is the same one who ascended far above all the heavens, so that he
might fill all things.) The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles,
some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints
for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us
come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to
maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. We must no longer be
children, tossed to and fro and be blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people's trickery, by their craftiness in
deceitful scheming. But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every
way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and
knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is
working properly, promotes the body's growth in building itself up in love.
Ephesians 4:7-16
God builds His church to withstand the
ravages of time. The Bible pictures the
People with a variety of backgrounds,
abilities, interest, and needs make up Christ's church, so uniting in a common
purpose is not an easy process. Yet when we let the Lord do His work among us,
shaping us and assigning our place in the structure, we become part of a
strong, solid edifice.
We are all different. But God is building
an enduring church. It will last as Jesus will last, and God will last.
The performance
of the church
is based on the
character of the Builder.
Our
Daily Bread -