Responsibility for Growth

And He 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; 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. Ephesians 4:11-16

God gave the body of Christ the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. They are not appointed by man but given by God to equip believers and the edifying of the body.

When I think about equipping I think of training and making sure that one has all the needed materials to do the work. When I think of edifying, I think about the lifting up of others, helping them to see their true identity in Christ. I’m not sure that I have this in my life.

Although I am not tossed around, am I still growing? What areas of my life have I changed in the past three years? I know in some areas, like obedience and stepping out that I have grown. I am pouring into other people’s lives on a consistent basis and deeper level. Other areas like praying intentionally and corporately, as well as praying in tongues, there has been a decrease. Yet, I know that is something that I know builds me up and edifies, and that I can do it regardless of who else is around.

The goal is to increase the unity of faith as well as the knowledge of the Son of God so that I grow into a mature Christian. God wants me to mature, to have a firm understanding of His Word, so that I am not tossed around by the doctrine of men.

Growth is a personal choice. Those given by God to equip and edify are responsible for their actions. But I am also responsible for receiving from them. I am responsible for letting it take root and for applying it actively to my life. I am responsible for understanding what I am learning and using what God has grown in me to help the body also.

If I don’t make the choice to grow and mature, I may end up being the weakest link in the body of Christ. I may be the one that holds back things. A weakened part of the body impacts the whole body. When my immune system is weak, my whole body is fatigued. When my skeletal or muscular system is weakened the other parts of my body compensate to make up for the weakness. Even the smallest chromosome impacts the whole body when it is weakened.

Lord, I don’t want to be the weakest link in Your body. My part may be small, but I want to do it to the best of my ability. Lord help me to receive from those teachers, pastors, evangelists, apostles and prophets that You have given. Surround me with those who will equip and edify me to grow in You, knit me together with them and leave no loose strings. Help me to grow and build up others in You.