WEDNESDAY May 29, 2024
The Unity of Faith
And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ....
Ephesians 4:11-13
The Apostle Paul had already explained to the Ephesian believers all about the purpose of the Church. He wanted them to know why the Church existed. He further stated that the body of Christ was made up of many different members who were equipped with different spiritual gifts of the Holy Spirit.
This is what is so unique about the Church. God gathers believers into one place, and every person receives spiritual gifts according to God’s will and purpose. Not everyone receives the same gifts. A believer’s gifts are used by the power of the Holy Spirit, in unity, so that the Church can do its effective work in a world that is so dark. Paul, in 1 Corinthians 12:12-14, spoke of the unity that must be found in the body of Christ:
For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. For in fact the body is not one member but many.
Paul explained the function of believers working together in unity with the analogy of an intricate human body (1 Corinthians 12:15-31). We are one body, with different members. God will place a person in the body of Christ where they can use their gifts and their talents most effectively.
Take heed often to come together to give thanks to God and show forth His praise. For when you assemble frequently in the same place, the powers of Satan are destroyed, and the destruction at which he aims is prevented by the unity of your faith.
~Ignatius of Antioch~
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