To be balanced in our core as a church, we need to focus on our vision, which is to grow healthy.
When the waves of trials come, we need to be rooted and grounded in our faith.
Growing healthy is the theme of Sunday’s sermon on October 12, 2025, based on Ephesians 4:11-16.
We have a need in our church to have momentum backed by maturity.
Verses 11-13 state, “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds, and teachers to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,”
To get to this maturity, everyone in our membership needs to be growing in Christ because a fragile faith keeps us from advancing forward.
To grow in Christ, we can focus on bowing, bonding, and building.
First, we can bow to God in worship. The early church gathered together when they worshipped.
Coming to church on Sunday morning to meet together to worship is a way that we can participate in bowing to God. Giving everything we have, bowing in praise, will enrich our lives and the lives of the people around us. We can also worship as we work, play, and engage in community.
Second, we can bond with others in discipleship. Practicing the “one anothers” of scripture will help us bond together in friendship.
Some of these “one anothers” are to bear the burdens of one another (Gal 6:2), be at peace with one another (Mk 9:50), be kind to one another (Eph 4:32), care for one another (I Cor 12:25), comfort one another (2 Cor 13:11), and encourage one another (Heb 10:25).
Finally, we can build up the church by using our gifts and abilities.
Verses 15 - 16 state, “Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.”
In other words, we are co-laborers with Christ to build His kingdom. Building His kingdom will bring strength to our faith.
In summary, moving forward in bowing, bonding, and building will give us stability when the waves of adversity try to knock us down.
In aiming for maturity, we can ask for grace, and remember that Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matt 11:29-30)
If we receive bowing, bonding, and building as an opportunity to minister in grace and not as just an obligation, we can build a strong foundation to unite us in maturity.
How steady and stable is your maturity?
Let us work alongside with God and each other to strengthen our core, so we can offer our hearts to Him in faith.
—Ann Elizabeth Yeager