Ephesians 4:7-16

Christ gave each one of us a special gift. Everyone received what he wanted to give them. That is why the Scriptures say, “He went up high into the sky; he took prisoners with him, and he gave gifts to people.” When it says, “He went up,” what does it mean? It means that he first came down low to earth. So Christ came down, and he is the same one who went up. He went up above the highest heaven in order to fill everything with himself. 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. Then we will no longer be like babies. We will not be people who are always changing like a ship that the waves carry one way and then another. We will not be influenced by every new teaching we hear from people who are trying to deceive us—those who make clever plans and use every kind of trick to fool others into following the wrong way. No, we will speak the truth with love. We will grow to be like Christ in every way. He is the head, and the whole body depends on him. All the parts of the body are joined and held together, with each part doing its own work. This causes the whole body to grow and to be stronger in love.