Growing: In Christ Copy

What are God’s plans for his church? This time of year, as a congregation, we like to take time to consider what are God’s plans for us, for Jerome Prairie. And in Ephesians 4 we can see the answer to that very clearly. His plan is for everyone who puts their faith in Christ to grow—to grow up in him. We are destined for maturity in Christ together, to grow together.

By growth, we aren’t talking about numerical growth. You say “growth” in church circles, and we’re tempted to think numbers, right? Attendance, budgets, programs, that sort of thing. But that isn’t the kind of growth that Ephesians 4 is talking about.

If you have a pile of bricks and you add more bricks to that pile, that is growth—numbers growth. But that pile of bricks is never going to do anything but be a pile of bricks. It doesn’t mature. They aren’t arranged or connected. It’s fundamentally different than the way a tree grows or the way a child grows—the way any living thing grows. Living things grow in increasingly interconnected, more and integrated together.

Spiritual growth, then, is who you are in Christ—what he has said is spiritually true of everyone who has put their faith in him. That truth about who you are now in him; we connect that to the way we live our lives.

Who we are as a body, as a church—not just a bunch of individuals, but a family—we are to grow up together in him as individuals and as a church. We want this kind of growth that’s being talked about here in Ephesians 4.

So, what does that look like? How does that work?

[Eph 4:1-16 CSB]
1 Therefore I, the prisoner in the Lord, urge you to walk worthy of the calling you have received, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit -- just as you were called to one hope at your calling -- 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.
7 Now grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift. 8 For it says: When he ascended on high, he took the captives captive; he gave gifts to people.
9 But what does "he ascended" mean except that he also descended to the lower parts of the earth? 10 The one who descended is also the one who ascended far above all the heavens, to fill all things. 11 And he himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ, 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God's Son, growing into maturity with a stature measured by Christ's fullness. 14 Then we will no longer be little children, tossed by the waves and blown around by every wind of teaching, by human cunning with cleverness in the techniques of deceit. 15 But speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into him who is the head -- Christ. 16 From him the whole body, fitted and knit together by every supporting ligament, promotes the growth of the body for building itself up in love by the proper working of each individual part.

GOING DEEPER 
Parallel, Related and Referenced Passages 
 

• Phil. 1:27 – “Live… worthy of the gospel of Christ” 
• Col. 1:9–10 – “walk worthy of the Lord” 
• 1 Thess. 2:11–12 – “walk worthy of God” 

 
1) UNITY 

• 1 Cor. 13 – Love’s character (humility, gentleness, patience) 
• Gal. 5:22–23 – Fruit of the Spirit (gentleness, patience, love) 
• Phil. 2:5–8 – Christ’s humility and servant role 
• Rom. 12:10 – Honor one another above yourselves 
• Col. 3:12–14 – Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, and love 
• 1 Pet. 3:8–9 – Unity, compassion, humility, harmony 
• John 17:20–23 – Unity of believers in Christ 

 
2) GIFTS 

• Psa. 68:18 – “When He ascended on high, He took captives captive; He gave gifts to people” 
• Phil. 2:6–11 – Christ’s descent and exaltation 
• Rom. 12:3–8 – Diversity of gifts in the body of Christ 
• 1 Cor. 12:4–31 – Spiritual gifts and the body analogy 
• 1 Cor. 1:2 – Saints as members of the body of Christ 
• 1 Pet. 4:10–11 – Serve others with gifts as faithful stewards of God’s grace

3) GROWTH

• Heb. 5:12–14 – Moving from spiritual infancy to maturity 
• Col. 3:16 – Teaching, admonishing, growing together in wisdom 
• 2 Pet. 3:18 – Grow in grace and knowledge of Jesus 
• Phil. 3:12–14 – Pressing toward maturity in Christ