The increase

Saturday August 7, 2021

The increase

Ephesians 4:16 (BFC) - It is thanks to him that the body forms a solid whole, well united by all the joints with which it is provided. So when each part works as it should, the whole body grows and develops through love.

There is such richness in this verse ! Christ is the head of the Church which is his body. Each member, hear it, each member has a role to play. It means that you like me, we are participants in building the body !

I would like to take a few thoughts from this verse. First, each member derives its increase from Christ which goes with the increase of the Church. This means that we, as a member of the body, are expected to have a fulfilling relationship with our Lord. We cannot be content with the experience of others, we are invited to draw our maturity from this intimate relationship with the Lord.

Next, to form a solid whole, we need the joints. I see there the ministries, as well as the elders and deacons, who coordinate the progression of the body. They tirelessly work together so that the body is not disarticulated, but rather cohesive. This inevitably requires some form of structuring, with spheres of authority and management, not for personal benefit but for the good of the whole.

Finally, and this is for the leaders, every part has to be able to function properly. Each member has a potential, a gift, an aptitude, a talent... Stifling this potential is to condemn the member to vegetate but also the community to remain stunted. Too often, we have made the mistake of carrying out the work alone when the ministry is expected to be carried by the community !

In conclusion, I would like our eyes to be fixed on God's purposes. The vision of development for God is not at the numerical level, nor at the level of knowledge, nor even at the level of maturity but rather at the level of love. It is love for one another, growing more and more, that will allow us to become that adult body full of strength to resist the enemy of our souls.

Good reflection.

Source (Ezekiel 37 Ministries)