Ephesians 4:11-13 NIV
So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 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.
This scripture is the focal point of my Seedbed Daily Text online devotional today, July 24, 2021. As I listened to it being read, I was taken immediately to the remembrance of John 1:14-17 that is the revelation of Christ as the fullness of grace and truth. As I reflect on this devotional about the leadership roles given by Christ to the church through the power of his Holy Spirit, the realization came to me that all of those types of leaders are to operate according to their gifts, as are all followers of Christ, to manifest this- the Fullness of Grace and Truth. That is being “In Christ”, to the fullness of who we’re created to be.
“But the end game of these gifts is not to provide a stage or platform for the gifted; the end game of these gifts is to train us to do what they do, and to help us all become mature in our walk with Jesus. When we don’t equip others with and through our gift, we utterly miss the reason for which we have been gifted in the first place. These gifts call us to Christ, into Christ, and onward with Christ as we deepen in his character.”. -Dan Wilt