Sunday, July 29, 2012

Strengthen the Body


Again, we've all been called and all have a role in God's plan.

"Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all. But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift. Therefore it says,
"WHEN HE ASCENDED ON HIGH,
HE LED CAPTIVE A HOST OF CAPTIVES,
AND HE GAVE GIFTS TO MEN." And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love." (Ephesians 4:1-8, 11-16 NASB)

First of all, no one's role is to do nothing...
Secondly, "...until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ."
Because we are His body "being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part," it's our obligation to not only be an active joint but to supply what we've been given to the rest of the body ACCORDING TO THE PROPER WORKING.
When we're told to pursue love yet earnestly desire spiritual gifts, they're inseparable!
Love is what knits us together (and how the world knows we are His) and spiritual gifts are the empowerment we've been given to continually build up the body.
If we're not supplying, the body is weak and lacking.
It's our obligation to not only seek out our role in the body, but to seek out and build up the other parts.
If you have the gift of teaching, teach! If you SEE someone with the gift of teaching, LET them teach. Same with pastoral gifting, evangelism, prophetic gifts, etc.
Strengthen the body!

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