Tuesday, May 7

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Ephesians 4:14-16

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 men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into 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.

Several years ago, while on vacation, my wife and I took our four boys to a “Ripley’s Believe It or Not” museum. Ripley’s museums, as you probably know, are filled with all kinds of strange and unusual exhibits; from three-legged chickens to the guy who could lift weights with his eye-lids. And one of the exhibits was a life-sized wax model of the tallest man in the world. Robert Wadlow was born in Alton, Illinois in 1918 and, due to an abnormality in his pituitary gland, he was 6 feet tall by the time he was 6 years old. By the time he was 12 he stood 7’2” tall and still he grew taller. By his 22^nd birthday, Robert was 8 feet and 11 inches tall. Unfortunately, his great size began to take its toll and he had to begin to use leg braces in order to stand and walk. Eventually, one of the braces caused a blister on his ankle, which caused an infection which was complicated by his other health issues and he passed away in 1940 at the age of 22.

As parents we all want our children to grow, and we are glad to see the little marks on the doorframe move ever upwards during their formative years. But we want our children to grow in more ways than just their physical height. We want them to grow emotionally, intellectually, relationally and spiritually. We know that it would actually be quite tragic for a child to grow in only one dimension of his or her life.

The same is true in spiritual life, and in the church. 

In Ephesians Paul refers to our personal spiritual growth:

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 men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is Christ.

Here Paul is teaching us that in order to “grow up” spiritually we must be taught the truth. He’s referring, of course, to the truth of the gospel; the truth of God’s word. But notice that he also says we are to in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is Christ.

What does he mean by “in all things grow up”? I think he is referring to all the dimensions of spiritual life. I think he means worship, prayer, and scripture study; the classic elements of spiritual learning and growth. But I also think he means that we are to grow in generosity (what he calls the “grace of giving” in 2 Corinthians 8:6-7), in compassionate service, in the “fruit of the Spirit” (see Galatians 5:22); in fellowship with other believers; in love for non-believers, etc., etc.

In other words, I think Paul is saying that as individual followers of Christ, we are to be more than one-dimensional Christians! We are to grow in multiple spiritual dimensions at the same time.

Then he turns his attention to the church as a whole:

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.

Here Paul talks about the church, as he often does, as if it is a living organism, a living body. Just as our physical bodies must grow and develop in a balanced way to be healthy, so it is with the church. In order to grow properly our physical bodies need a healthy skeletal structure to support the body; healthy muscles that allow that skeleton to move; strong tendons and ligaments to hold everything together; a strong heart and vascular system to circulate the blood; a healthy respiratory system; healthy organs, etc., etc.

In the same way, the church needs each of its parts to be functioning in order for the whole body to be healthy. That means that each individual believer is to see him or herself as a vital and significant part of the whole. Just as there are no insignificant parts of our physical bodies (just think for a moment about how significant your little toe is when you stub it against a rock; or how important your appendix is when it is inflamed!) there are no insignificant members of the church.

But I think Paul is also saying that the church as a whole must grow in multiple dimensions in order to be healthy. That is, if the church is to grow larger in numbers, it must also grow deeper in maturity. As it grows larger and deeper it must also grow stronger in its organizational structure and leadership. And as the church grows larger it also needs more “exercise” – it needs to use the gifts, abilities and resources God has given to reach and serve others. 

Simply put, just as our physical bodies cannot survive and thrive if they grow in only one dimension, so we as individual Christians must grow in multiple dimensions in our spiritual lives; and the church, as a living body, must also grow in multiple dimensions at the same time. As the church of Jesus Christ we must grow larger while we simultaneously grow deeper. We must grow stronger in our internal fellowship while simultaneously reaching outside our walls. We must grow in our desire to worship God and we must grow in our compassion for others. We must grow in our understanding of the gospel as well as in our expression of the gospel. 

May we as individual Christians, and may we as a whole church family, continue to “in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is Christ.”

Pastor Brian Coffey