GROW UP!

Eph. 4:11-13 He is the one who gave these gifts to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God's people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ, until we come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God's Son that we will be mature and full grown in the Lord, measuring up to the full stature of Christ.

No one who is called to serve the Lord gets to where they are going without the Lord leading them there. It is the Lord who places us where we need to be. It is the Lord who gives us gifts and abilities according to our uniqueness. It is the Lord who determines who needs to do what, where to do it, and when. We can take no credit for what the Lord does!

The Lord does not place us in positions of service without a reason. Each of us has an important role to play in the building up of the church body. Regardless of the visibility of our role, we are an essential part of what God is doing to raise up a people who are mature and fully grown in the Lord.

The Lord's agenda for the church is unchanging. He is working to make us one in Christ in our knowledge of Him. His agenda is to grow us up so that we can be at our best and do our best to reach our world for Him.

One of the greatest battles the Lord has to fight in the church is our resistance to what He is doing. We don't want to grow up. We like not having to assume the responsibility of spiritual adulthood. We like it when others have to carry the load we should be carrying. We take offense when it is suggested that we need to grow up. If this is you, all I have to say to you today is, GROW UP!