THURSDAY, AUGUST 23
Scripture: Ephesians 4:14-16

Ephesians 4:14-16 states, “…that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.” The five-fold ministry is God’s assigned agent for development and maturity in the church so that we can love the way God loves. It is an issue of growth, it is an issue of development and it is an issue of impartation. Do we attend churches that are committed to bringing this level of impartation to us? It is the only way we can reach the fullness of God. It was not man’s idea, it was God’s idea. God is the One who instituted this and He is the One who parceled out His heart in five different pieces. Paul said he labored until Christ was formed in the Galatians initially and after the Judah-izers, he had to labor again! Each one of the five-fold ministry has a forming job to do in the church. Unless we have each member of the five-fold’s input in the area of mature love, we will not grow into the place God wants us to be.