Ephesians4:1 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, 2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, 3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism;6 one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. 7 But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift. 8 Therefore He says: "When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men." 9 (Now this, "He ascended"--what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 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;
If something is alive it grows. Pretty simple equation.
On the doorpost of my son’s room there are some pencil marks. It is probably the one place in the entire house where pencil marks on the wall are acceptable. Each mark denotes the growth of my son, and there is a steady progress demonstrated throughout his young life. The spaces between the marks may not be equal increments, but they are steady, and they are higher all the time. (In fact, the marks have become so high they are starting to scare me a little.) How can I pay for the food and clothing for such an expansion?
And here we see that growth never comes without some pain. It will either be the literal physical growth pains which science has recently suggested are real, or it will be the pains of seeking to afford the expansion of the size of the growth.
But if something is alive, it grows. It cannot be stopped. Growth is not to be feared, it is to be expected and planned for.
How then do we apply this as a principle in our Christian lives? Do we expect Spiritual growth? Do we plan for it? Or do we shy away from it and neglect the process entirely? (Maybe I’ll grow – and maybe I won’t.)
Paul beseeches us to Spiritual growth ALL THE WAY to the measure of the FULLNESS of Christ. Can you imagine what the church would be like if all were growing together as they grew up into the fullness of Christ? I can too. This is why Paul encourages us so strongly. It is everything the church is to be about: Spiritual growth in the discipleship of Jesus Christ. Growth indicates life.
- Pastor Bill
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