For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.

— Ephesians 4:12

The five-fold ministry was given so that a Christian could grow to a place of perfection or maturity.  When you were born again, you were born a spiritual child or baby in the kingdom of God.  The Bible tells you to “desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby” (I Peter 2:2).  As you sit under the Word of God and are taught the Truth of God, you will begin to grow up and mature in your thought-life.  Your spirit man (or the real you) was made perfect at the new birth, but your mind must now catch up with what has already been done in your spirit.  This growing time is to bring you to a place of working in the ministry. Through the Word and the anointing, you will find your place in the Body of Christ and begin to fulfill it.  You have a position in the Body of Christ, and it does matter if you take it or not.  Usher, singer, helper, edifier, marriage counselor, greeter, teacher, cleaner, musician, pray-er/intercessor–-whatever it may be, will bring a source of joy and satisfaction to your life!  When you start to mature you will suddenly be more aware of the needs of others rather than your own needs.  Soon you will be helping others to grow up and be what God created them to be–-in the Body of Christ.

Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.

— Ephesians 4:13

Can you believe or imagine what it would be like for the Church to reach the stature of the fullness of Christ?  When this happens, the devil will once again run into the resurrected Christ–-in the Church.  He will be forced to loose, let go, and come out of people’s lives.  Notice this:  we all can come into this position.  It is not just for a few.  We need to come into the unity of the faith.  How?  Through the knowledge of the Son of God, or knowledge of the Word of God.  The Word preached as the Word is written will stabilize a people to come to a place of corporately believing the Truth.  There will be no division or confusion in that local Body.  They will all believe in the anointing on them and in the Holy Ghost in them, as well as that healing is for today, the devil is defeated, and they are victorious.  They are mature.  As they understand that they are what the Word says they are and they have what the Word says they have, they will rise to a place where they “trust in the Lord (Word) with all their heart”–-no more to be led by natural circumstances or their feelings, but being built on the Word.  Make a decision to believe what you see in the Word and act upon it!  You will begin to grow up and take on the identity of Christ, little by little, in your life.

That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro.

— Ephesians 4:14

God desires that we go from a place of being a child to a place of becoming a mature son of God.  A child of God is a spiritual baby or a carnal man, whose mind has not been fully renewed to the Word of God.  What is the indication of being a child?  Tossed to and fro, or up today, down tomorrow--roller-coaster Christians.  They may be happy and excited and on fire one minute and then sad and dry the next.  Why?  They are circumstance-led rather than Word-led.  If things are going good in the natural, they are happy; if things go bad, they are sad.  If they feel good, they are healed; if not, they are sick.  They are the head one day and the tail the next.  If this is you, you are not believing and being led by the Word of God.  The Word is like Jesus:  the same yesterday, today, and forever!  It does not change with the circumstances.  Actually, you can change your circumstances and feelings by believing the Word.  In order to grow up in Him, you must give the Word first place in your life, so no matter what comes into your life contrary to the Word, you believe the Word–-if a symptom comes, a bill comes, and you do not feel blessed–-you are blessed, healed, and prosperous, because the Word says so.  Start to become stable, no more tossed to and fro, by putting the Word of God first in your life.

But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things,

— Ephesians 4:15

One way you can tell how much you are growing or have grown is by what you are speaking.  You can locate any Christian by listening to what they say, because when they believe, they will talk.  A baby in the natural causes much excitement when that first “da-da” or “ma-ma” comes forth out of his or her mouth.  A spiritual baby begins to grow when the Word of God starts to come out of their mouth.  Little by little they will begin to think and talk in line with God’s Word.  Their ideas of God and of themselves will start to change and they will begin to sound like the Bible.  Old phrases and words which are not godly will begin to leave their vocabulary and a whole new language will take over.  It will be a positive, edifying speech which will enable growth for themselves as well as for others around them.  Grumbling, complaining, and being critical are signs of childhood.  Praise and thanksgiving are signs of maturity!  Do you want to mature?  Work in the ministry?  Become a son rather than a child?  Be stable?  Then find and put the Truth in your mouth; weed out anything that is not in line with God’s Word, and watch yourself grow up into Him!