Ephesians: Week 10

What does it actually mean to be equipped for something greater than ourselves? Hear more on this topic from missionary Holli Blass, who serves in the Dominican Republic, with our Red Envelope Partner, Agape to the Nations. This message dives deep into Ephesians 4:11-13, where Paul lays out a vision for the church that challenges everything we might assume about who does the work of ministry. The passage makes clear that gifted leaders -- apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers -- are not given to the church to do everything for us, but to equip us to do the work ourselves. That distinction is everything. When we sit back and let a handful of people carry the full weight of ministry, we do not just limit what the church can accomplish -- we limit our own growth. The writer of Hebrews reminds us that there comes a point where milk is no longer enough, where we are meant to move into solid food, into maturity, into active participation. The image of trading a bib for a towel captures it perfectly. We have been fed. We have been nurtured. Now it is time to serve. And here is the beautiful thing -- when we step into that, when we stop spectating and start participating, we become harder to deceive, harder to shake, and more deeply rooted in truth. The body grows when each part does its work. That includes us.