The Backdrop
Ponder how ludicrous church can sound: Nowhere else do we gather with other people to sing, listen to other people sing, hear one person talk—and give money…voluntarily!
This is church. It may seem ludicrous, but it’s unlike anything else on earth. Here’s why.
The What
The passage below is a well-known Bible passage that describes what the church is. As you read these verses, look for these things. (You may want to write your responses or type them into a document):
1. Who are the leaders mentioned in this passage?
2. What do these leaders do?
3. What happens to the people when the leaders do what they’re supposed to do? (This is a pretty full list, by the way.)
“So Christ Himself gave the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers, to equip His people for works of service, so the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of Him who is the head, that is, Christ. From Him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work” (
The So What
The things you just saw in Ephesians 4 are things we all want in our personal walks and in our churches: a deepening of our faith, experiencing Christ to the fullest, unity, strength against temptations, knowledge to battle deceptive teaching, a desire to serve others and so much more.
The thing is, there is only one place on this earth where you can get all of this at once: the church.
In fact, there are certain elements of the Christian faith that can be experienced only through the church. If we want the full-meal deal of the Christian faith (to experience “the whole measure of the fullness of Christ”), we must be actively connected to a group of people who follow Jesus. If we’re not actively connected, we pretty much can count on experiencing the opposite of the results listed in these verses.
In fact, as a thought exercise, read Ephesians 4:14-16 and jot down a few things that would be the opposite of what’s promised. For example, if we’re not actively connected to a body of believers we will be infants, tossed back and forth by every wind of teaching. This is not good.
Seal the Deal
Are you getting everything you can out of your experience with church? Are you seeking to contribute your giftedness to the works of service? Here’s a mind-blowing question: Could God be calling you to be one of the leaders (as mentioned in Eph. 4:11), either as a student leader in your youth ministry or as a leader later in your adult life?
Finish your time in this devotional with this thought exercise: If someone were to ask you, “What is the church and why is it important?” how would you answer? Use the information from Ephesians 4 to write a thoughtful response.
