And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. (Ephesians 4:11-16 ESV)
Why did God give evangelists, pastors and teachers? In what way are Christians sometimes like children? When we say something that is true, how must we say it? Who is the head of the body? If we grow up in the right way, who shall we be like?
Each of God’s people has a gift from God – that means something that we can do well. God gives some gifts when we are born, for example a good voice for singing. Other gifts are given to us by the Holy Spirit after we become Christians, for example being able to pray with strong faith. All these gifts are given to us by God so that we can use them for the good of all. A gift is nothing to be proud of. It has been given to you by God to help people grow more like Christ.
We should not want the gifts of others, but thank God that they have these gifts. Each of us should ask for and use the gift(s) that God wants us to have. Every person has something that we can do to help people. Small things are important as well as big things, just like the small parts of our body. (If you want to know more about the gifts of God to the church, read 1 Corinthians, chapters 12-14. Not all Christians agree about everything in these chapters, but it is clear that we all need to grow in Christian love.) Read also Galatians 5:22-26.
Each of God’s people has a gift from God – that means something that we can do well. God gives some gifts when we are born, for example a good voice for singing. Other gifts are given to us by the Holy Spirit after we become Christians, for example being able to pray with strong faith. All these gifts are given to us by God so that we can use them for the good of all. A gift is nothing to be proud of. It has been given to you by God to help people grow more like Christ.
We should not want the gifts of others, but thank God that they have these gifts. Each of us should ask for and use the gift(s) that God wants us to have. Every person has something that we can do to help people. Small things are important as well as big things, just like the small parts of our body. (If you want to know more about the gifts of God to the church, read 1 Corinthians, chapters 12-14. Not all Christians agree about everything in these chapters, but it is clear that we all need to grow in Christian love.) Read also Galatians 5:22-26.
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