“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” (Ephesians 4:12-13 ESV).
In the apostle Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, he described the church as being gifted for “building up the body of Christ.” For God has a goal for those who believe in His Son. What is this goal? His goal is that they grow up to spiritual maturity, so that Jesus is fully formed in them. In other words, believers are called to become like Jesus.
Achieving this goal is not about self-effort, but yielding to God’s Spirit in every area. It means following a spiritual diet that moves on from milk to meat (1 Cor. 3:1-4, Heb. 5:11-14). “For solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil” (Heb. 5:14).
The Greek word translated “trained” in Hebrews 5:14 is “γυμνάζω” (gymnazo). It is the origin of the English word, “gymnasium.” So the church is like God’s gym, a place where believers receive a solid diet of God’s Word and where they are built up or trained through constant practice and mutual edification to grow in Christlikeness. As Paul told the Philippians, believers are to “work out” what God is “working In” (Phil. 2:12-13).
The danger for many Christians is that they fail to thrive. They are born again, but they continue as infants, still not ready for solid spiritual food. Paul says they are like children, “tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine” (Eph. 4:14). So their lives are not significantly different from those of the world.
Are you growing spiritually? Or are you struggling with a kind of spiritual lethargy? It may be because you’re neglecting God’s gym. It may be because you’re trying to live life on your own.
PRAYER: Dear Father, we want to work out what You are working in us. We want to yield every area to Your Spirit. We want to grow up to maturity in Jesus. We surrender our lives to You afresh this day. Fill us with Your Spirit. May people see Jesus in us today. In His name, amen.