Pray: for God’s help as you look and think on his word now.

Read: Ephesians 4:1–16
¹I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, ²with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, ³eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. ⁴There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— ⁵one Lord, one faith, one baptism, ⁶one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. ⁷But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift. ⁸Therefore it says, “When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.” ⁹(In saying, “He ascended”, what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? ¹⁰He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.) ¹¹And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, ¹²to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, ¹³until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, ¹⁴so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. ¹⁵Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, ¹⁶from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

Think: what does this passage show us about how Christ’s body (the church) is built now? Try to draw a picture/diagram/flow chart of the passage’s explanation of church building. How does this compare to how you think a church is built? Where does Ephesians 4 challenge your own personal involvement body (church) building (think confidence, motivation, and action)?

Pray: talk to God honestly about your own role in building his church. Ask him to help you be one who fully invests themselves in this task. Ask for opportunities to do more of this ministry in coming days and weeks.

Today: think about how it would look for you to ‘speak the truth in love’ to your church or Bible study group. Include some ideas about how you could do this outside of formal times together. Make a plan and get on with it!