unity & maturity

…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.

Ephesians 4:13-14

The church exists to make disciples, and has been gifted with leaders and teachers who “equip the saints for the work of the ministry” in order to build up the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:12). What is the completion of this work? How do we know when we do it? What are the measurements of successful discipleship? This passages emphasizes two measurements.

1) Unity. We grow together. Believers should be unified around a common faith, a common gospel that draws us together. We should also unify around the mutual expression of being like Jesus… the gospel calls us all to know our Master and follow Him. Unity in Jesus focuses not on our differences, but on the powerful reality that we all have the same great Savior.

2) Maturity. The text says we are not to be children any longer, but are instead to grow into mature manhood. A contrast is between between childishness and maturity. Childish characteristics include instability in belief (tossed around by waves), easy influence of opinion (carried by winds of doctrine), and vulnerability to deception (prone to be swayed by human cunning, not holy truth). The text later describes characteristics of mature Christians. They speak truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). They serve in their unique spiritual giftedness, not trying to usurp or damage one another, and they build up other believers in love (Ephesians 4:16).

Lord,

Grant me Your wisdom and grace to live in unity and seek maturity in Your Church. May I grow and be used to help my brothers and sisters also grow more like the fullness of Jesus as You desire.

Amen