In Ephesians 4:7-16, Paul described God’s plan for growth in His body. He set in church leaders to equip His saints. Verse 13 says, “Till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” Perfect in the Greek is telos which means mature or complete.

It reminds me of Philippians 1:6 which says, “Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” We are in the process of maturity.

Ephesians 4:16 helps us understand how this growth takes place within His body. It says, “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.”

Colossians 3:14 says, “But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.” Again it is the Greek word that means maturity or completeness.

In a nutshell: we need each other to grow. Christ’s body is designed to function in synergy. One part supplies the need of the other. I was in Costa Rica on a mission trip. Our pastor-guide took us into a rainforest. He explained how the tall trees got the sun, but the low shrubs were always in the shade. They each supplied the nutrients the other didn’t have.

Synergy means: a combined effect greater than the sum of their separate effects. 1 Corinthians 12:18 says, “But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased.” May we grow where He has planted us. May we, the church, wholly reflect Him to those who are outside and in need of a Savior.