Scripture: Ephesians 4:1-16 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; 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 has been given as Christ apportioned it. This is why it says:
“When he ascended on high,
he took many captives
and gave gifts to his people.”
(What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
Devotional: As we seek unity amongst other believers and strive to foster unity with nonbelievers, it is helpful to know your spiritual gifts. Spiritual gifts are those gifts that are given to you when you give your life to Jesus. The Holy Spirit fans them into flame and helps you to use them to glorify God and further His Kingdom. Why is helpful to know what yours are in the context of unity? Because each of us, as a member of the body of Christ, has unique giftings. And each of those giftings helps contribute toward spreading the Gospel in a different way!
The thing that will unite this world above everything else is the Gospel. And the best way to help propel that into this world is by each of us using our spiritual gifts. There are people with gifts that communicate God’s Word, that educated His people, that demonstrate His love, that celebrate His presence, and those that support all the purposes of the Church. None of these are more important than the others. As our passage from today says, “Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work” (Ephesians 4:14-16).
Every part of the body of Christ plays a part in holding it together. When we are unified, we are able to better speak the truth in love. We are better able to share the hope and love that is found in Jesus because we are able to reach people in different ways. Just as we each have our own unique spiritual gifts, people are unique in what will relate to them. Praise God that He uses each of us in our own unique way for His greater purpose. Through each member of the body using the very gifts that God has given them, we are able to stand side by side in both truth and love, sharing the unifying message of the Gospel.
Reflect:
- How have you seen people use their spiritual gifts to minister to others?
- Who are some people that you have seen transformed by the Gospel?