And that same Christ gave these gifts to people: He made some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to go and tell the Good News, and some to care for and teach God’s people. Christ gave these gifts to prepare God’s holy people for the work of serving, to make the body of Christ stronger. This work must continue until we are all joined together in what we believe and in what we know about the Son of God. Our goal is to become like a full-grown man—to look just like Christ and have all his perfection.

Ephesians 4:11-13 (ERV)

 

The five-fold ministry, according to the Apostle Paul, is to strengthen, equip and mature us to be more like Christ with all His perfection. In other words, Christian maturity isn’t just the accumulation of knowledge of the Bible, it’s a deeper relationship with God. It is about having an intimate knowledge of Christ in our hearts that stirs us to love and act with spontaneous obedience.

The beauty of our union in Christ gives us the power to be unified as a church.

We converge as one people in Christ because each of us is joined to Christ. Our joining to Christ enables us to have real unity and community with other believers. Our expectations of the church may differ from person to person, and it is inevitable that no church community can live up to all our expectations. Thus, it is essential that we learn how to work together, resolve disagreements in a healthy manner, and extend grace to one another in the same way that grace has been extended to us.

A good and healthy community doesn't just happen.

It requires all of us to live the truth in love, and to share that truth with one another, as we are all members of the body of Christ. When we share a common love and commitment to one another, the experiences we have with our community can transform our grief and hardship into joys and jubilations.