The Ultimate Goal

He gave some apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, for the perfecting of the saints for the work of the Ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ……Till we all come in the unity of faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ (Ephesians 4:11-13)

In verses 11 and 12 emphasis is given to the importance of the contribution of all Christians to the growth of the church. The purpose of individual gifts is to equip Christians to serve the Lord so that the body of Christ is built up (verse 12).

It is clear that all of us as Christians

• • are commissioned to serve and

• • should work together towards the same goals of growth and expansion of the church.

We are called upon to grow spiritually, grow in grace and the knowledge of the truth while we are in this world so that we can be effective participants in the service. This prepares us for what is described in verse 13 as the ultimate goal of the process of our Christian growth: Till we all come to a state of

• • unity of faith - fully united in our beliefs

• • full knowledge of the Son of God –now we see darkly, but we will see Him as He is and understand the implications of His teachings

• • maturity- we will at this point achieve full spiritual growth as individuals and as the body of Christ, be like Christ

• • The measure and stature of the fullness of Christ- complete development, and fulfilment of God’s plan.

Let us all embrace the challenge to serve, commit ourselves to being equipped to serve, show thankfulness and humility for being called to serve, and boost our desire to strive constantly towards spiritual growth and perfection.

How blessed we are!!

Jeff Jones