Jesus Gives

“He [Christ] Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” [1]

Jesus Christ gives. That is what He does. In the case above, He gave to us workers to equip us saints for the work of ministry. These workers seek to edify the body, which means to build it up. The body is us who believe in Jesus. The building up of the body is characterized by 1) unity of faith, 2) knowledge of the Son of God, 3) perfection [or completeness] in Christ, and 4) fullness in Christ. The apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers of Christ work at making Christ-like disciples.

“That we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.” [2]

Windy doctrines, trickery, and cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting! These are the influences from which true servants of Christ seek to defend the people of God. How can the body of Christ get the Gospel out to the ends of the earth when the home base is constantly being blown apart by every wind of doctrine, meaning divisive teaching. Trickery and deceitful plotting are initiated by deceptive people who tear apart the body of Christ. They enthrone self and dethrone Christ.

Let us pray for Body of Christ. That we will remain knit together in Christ! That our leaders will remain focused on making Christ-like disciples! Pray for the Body of Christ to keep the main thing the main thing – namely being like Christ in this world so desperately needs to see Him working through our lives.

Jesus Christ has given so much to us, including His own life on the cross. Let us pray that we will likewise come to the place of maturity in Him where we are willing to lay down our life for the glory of God, and for the salvation of others.

[1] Ephesians 4:11-13
[2] Ephesians 4:14-16