March 24 – Devotion on Ephesians

 March 24 – Devotion on Ephesians

 

Eph 4:16:  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.

   

     In Vs 16, Paul closes this thought with Christ as the one who builds the whole body.  The whole body is joined together and functions together.  Each part supporting and doing it part enables other parts of the body to function as they were designed by God.  The whole body then grows and continues to grow.  We grow in love.  Love is the foundation for all we do.  When we love God with every fiber of our being and in turn, we are healed and then show others the healing of Christ in the bonds of love.  Maturity is working together for the common good.  Paul says we support each other in love.   It is the tangible evidence that we are connected with Christ and it shows the world what true love is.  The fivefold ministry is essential in this process.  When one gift is neglected or over-emphasized then the body will not grow, mature, or function properly.  This may explain what is partially wrong with the church.  We have said that apostolic ministry ended with the disciples.  We say there are no more prophets and thus we focus on evangelism, teaching, and pastoring to the detriment of the whole.