More And More Like Christ

Meditations on the Book of Ephesians

May 29, 2020

More And More Like Christ

He 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.

Ephesians 4:16

Read: Ephesians 4:11-16

Natural Church Development (NCD) is a movement seeking to renew the churches of Jesus Christ. NCD identified eight components of the church that govern its healthy development and growth: Empowering Leadership; Gift-Oriented Ministry; Passionate Spirituality; Functional Structures; Inspiring Worship Services; Holistic Small Groups; Need-Oriented Evangelism; and Loving Relationships. These components are used by Jesus to make “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” (Ephesians 4:16).

As the strength of a chain is measured by its weakest link, so the strength of a church is measured by its weakest functioning component. Christ has given the gift of five-fold leadership to the local church to equip the congregation members to fully develop each component as they build one another up in love. (Five-fold ministry – Ephesians 4:11 apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers.) Jesus intends our church membership to be some of the hardest work we will ever undertake. When each church member accepts their assignment from Jesus, we will grow to that place envisioned by Paul where “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” (Ephesians 4:15).

My Takeaway: G. K. Chesterton noted, “The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried.” I recalled that quote as I read today’s passage. Unfortunately, we haven’t made it to the place Paul envisioned because church membership is very hard work. However, there is hope. When more and more members of the church submit their lives to Christ and to growing in every way more and more like Christ, the church will move closer to Paul’s vision for the church.

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription.

Copyright © 2020 by Alex M. Knight

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

• Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms has been published and is now available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

• The second edition of  First Think – Then Pray is available on Amazon Kindle.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.