7However, he has given each one of us a special gifta through the generosity of Christ. 8That is why the Scriptures say,
“When he ascended to the heights,
he led a crowd of captives
and gave gifts to his people.”b
9Notice that it says “he ascended.” This clearly means that Christ also descended to our lowly world.c 10And the same one who descended is the one who ascended higher than all the heavens, so that he might fill the entire universe with himself.
11Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. 12Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.13This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.
14Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. 15Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.16He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.
This passage talks a lot about maturing in the Lord. It warns that when we are immature we are “tossed and blown about”. But when we are mature we instead “will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ”. Now we have chaotic descension, but then we will “fit together perfectly”. And as we speak the truth with love and unite with each other, we all do our part to grow so the “whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.”
Our your word spoken in truth and love?
Am I doing my part or work to unite us?
Am I helping the body of Christ to grow, be healthy and full of love?
How am I adding to the chaos of this current world and current life?
