- Ephesians 4:11-16 (NKJV): And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
How have we gotten away from building each other up in Christ? How have we walked away from what He called us to do? How have we neglected to visit with Jesus daily to hear where He leads?
it would appear that The Body of Christ is no longer concerned for more than themselves. Yes, there are those who are diligent in pursuing Him and reaching out to others to edify them. However, it appears that the majority has neglected to remember that we are to encourage each other until “we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ“ (Verse 13).
We live in a world where it seems that we are “too busy” to spend time together, to learn together, to pray together, to worship together. Sure, we may make our weekly or bi-weekly meetings at our churches. However, are we seeking more than this? Are we seeking others to meet regularly with to grow? I’m not just talking about teaching them but also learning from others?
Recently, talking to different people, the common thing said, when sharing their Faith Walks with others, if it gets too hard to continue because the ones they share with are seemingly rejecting what they talk about, they give up on them. Instead of thinking it’s too hard, maybe we need to start to focus on what the person we are talking to is dealing with. Maybe we need to stop “selling” Faith and start living it. Maybe in living our Faith and listening to others and “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. 16 Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.” (Romans 12:14-16 NKJV) we would actually guide them to Our Savior in A True Relationship. It has been said, “People won’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”
Spending time with those who are hurting and addressing their needs before teaching them about Faith seems to be the model Jesus gave us. He did rebuke the teachers for their doctrine. Why? Because they were more focused on teaching traditions rather than teaching on how God loved us and desires a Relationship with us.
Today’s charge is this, start looking for opportunities to spend time with others to grow together. Stop being so focused on trying to “convert” others but instead, help them truly in their needs. Start looking up, in prayer and study, for His Direction. Find time to spend time with other believers in more than just the weekly and bi-weekly meetings and grow together and learn to love each other.
It starts with Our Relationship with Jesus. If you don’t have a Relationship with Him or you need to rekindle that Relationship, do it now. Call out to Him and seek his Love and Forgiveness. It really is as hard or easy as you make it.
We should look to Him daily to seek a relationship with Him. I want to encourage you to seek Him today, if you haven’t already. If you need help, have questions or need direction in this regard, please, feel free to let me know.
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Any scripture referenced here is taken from New King James Version (NKJV) unless otherwise noted
