Day 8 — Growing Together Into Christ

Day 8 — Growing Together Into Christ

Opening Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank you that you have joined us to Christ and given us to one another as his people. By your Spirit, help me to live with humility, patience and love. Keep us united in the truth of the gospel, and use each of us to help the whole church grow towards Christ. Amen.

Headline

Christian maturity is growing together towards Christ as each member serves the body in love.

Ephesians 4:1-16

4 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; 5 one Lord,one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

7 But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. 8 This is why it says:

“When he ascended on high,
    he took many captives
    and gave gifts to his people.”

9 (What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? 10 He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) 11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 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.

14 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. 15 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. 16 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.

Comment

How does Christ grow his people towards maturity?

Yesterday, Job’s friends reminded us how easily a confident explanation can fail to help someone who is suffering. Mature faith is humble before God and compassionate towards others. Today Paul shows us what that maturity looks like in the life of the church: people who belong to Christ learning to live together in love.

Paul urges Christians to live “a life worthy of the calling” they have received (v.1). This is not a call to earn God’s acceptance. In the first three chapters of Ephesians, Paul has described God’s grace: through Jesus, he brings sinners near, makes them his household and gives them his Spirit. The Christian life grows out of that gift. We seek to live in a way that reflects the grace we have received.

That life is marked by humility and gentleness, patience and bearing with one another in love (v.2). These qualities echo the way of Jesus we considered last week: he is the King who went to the cross and calls his disciples to follow him. Maturity is not simply knowing more or appearing strong. It includes learning to be patient with people, to listen, to forgive and to put another’s good ahead of our own preferences.

Paul says to “make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit” (v.3). Christian unity is a gift created by the Spirit, grounded in the one Lord, one faith and one God and Father (vv.4–6). We do not create this unity by pretending our differences do not matter. We protect it by holding together around the gospel and treating one another with the peace and patience that belong to Christ.

Unity does not mean that everyone has the same role. The risen Christ gives different people to his church to equip all God’s people for works of service (vv.7–12). Pastors and teachers are not meant to do all the ministry themselves; they serve by helping the whole church grow in its ministry. Each Christian has a part to play in building others up.

The goal is that we become mature, no longer easily unsettled by every new teaching or trick (vv.13–14). This maturity is not an individual achievement. Paul pictures the church as a body with Christ as its head. As we hold to the truth and speak it in love, each member contributes to the growth of the whole body (vv.15–16). Truth without love can wound; a claim to love that leaves truth behind cannot lead us towards Christ. He is the one who joins and directs his people.

This connects with Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 3, which we read on Day 6. He asks God to strengthen believers by the Spirit and help them grasp Christ’s love “together with all the Lord’s holy people” (3:18). We grow as Christ’s love takes deeper root in us, and as we help one another follow him. Christian maturity is both personal and shared: each of us is being changed, and the whole church is being built up.

At St Andrew’s, maturity cannot be measured only by attendance, programs or how busy we are. Those things may support ministry, but the question is whether we are becoming more like Jesus: growing in truth, patience, courage, humility and love. The new hall can provide space for people to meet and serve, but Christ is the head who gives his people life. Our task is to use our gifts to help one another grow and to welcome others into the life found in him.

Why does God want me to hear this today? Perhaps I have been treating Christian growth as a private project, or waiting for someone else to serve while I remain on the edge. Paul reminds me that Christ gives me a place among his people and a part in their growth. I can receive help from others, speak the truth with love, and take one practical step to strengthen someone else in faith.

Reflect

  • What qualities does Paul say should mark the way Christians treat one another?
  • How do truth and love work together as the church grows towards maturity?
  • What gift, encouragement or act of service could you offer to help another Christian grow?

Action

Choose one person in your church family whom you can encourage in faith. Pray for them by name, then contact them with a specific word of encouragement, offer practical help or even an invitation to catch up, pray and read the Bible together. Ask Christ to help you serve them with truth, humility and love.

Closing Prayer

Lord Jesus, thank you for being the head of your church and for joining us together as your people. Forgive us when pride, impatience or indifference weakens our life together. By your Spirit, help us hold to the truth in love, use our gifts to serve one another and grow towards maturity in you. Make St Andrew’s a church where every member is built up and your welcome is made known. Amen.

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