Building Up the Body of Christ

“...to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for build­ing up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” Verses 12-13.

If the apostles, prophets, shepherds, teachers, and evangelists are not given the liberty to minister in the church, the saints will not be able to grow up in the knowledge of Him to mature man­hood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.

The reason that churches are in such a sorry state today is that, as a rule, one man tries to be a “jack-of-all-trades.” He wants to be apostle, prophet, teacher, shepherd, and evangelist, even though he can’t even be called an evangelist because he keeps aloof from the others whom God has appointed in the church. The attention and interest of the whole congregation is focused solely on saving sinners. As for themselves, they think that they are more than good enough as they are, though they don’t even know the first principles of the Word of God.

That’s why it is as the Scriptures testify: “But understand this, that in the last days, there will come times of stress. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobe­dient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, inhuman, implacable, slanderers, profligates, fierce, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding the form of godliness but denying the power of it ... who are always learning and can never arrive at a knowledge of the truth. As Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men of corrupt mind and counterfeit faith.” 2 Timothy 3:1-5; 7-8. “Avoid such people.” Verse 5. “But they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, as was that of those two men.” Verse 9.

If the people mentioned above had been outsiders from the world, then we couldn’t expect anything else. But the fact is, they are on the inside. They have a form of godliness, and they are al­ways learning without ever coming to the acknowledgment of the truth. If you test them, you will discover that they resist the truth just as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses. The Apostle wrote that such people would arise in the end times, and that we are to turn away from them. Is it not so that we are living in the end times, and do we not have every good reason to turn away from them?

Dear soul, obey the truth! Don’t be so squeamish about suffering in the flesh. If you have been reconciled by the death of Christ, you must now go on to be saved by His life. (Romans 5:10.)

Each member has his appointed activity, which works for the mutual profit of all within the body. If the whole body is to prosper and grow up to Jesus Christ, who is the Head, then those servants whom God has appointed in the church must be allowed to serve freely and develop in their ministry according to God’s will.