To better understand our hopes for Lent 2025, it may help to read Ephesians 4:1-16 in reverse. Using the analogy of the body, Paul ultimately pictures a growing church filled with love, with each person fully playing their part. Verse 15 sums this up as growing, …to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.

A church whose combined ministry looks and loves like Jesus. A church whose members aren’t ‘tossed back and forth by the waves” of life’s challenges and circumstances, or “blown here and there” by the winds of false or deceptive teaching. You may well ask, how do we get even close to that?

The Bible shows us that God has given gifts to us to equip us to become more and more like that ideal. These are the fivefold gifts of Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Shepherd (Pastor) and Teacher of Ephesians 4. 5Q is your five-fold intelligence or capacity, referring to the calling of every Disciple to grow in the gifting that is theirs

A measure of one of these gifts has been given to each one of us but needs the right environment to grow.

During our five week series, we want to discover the grace planted in each of us, so that we can produce much fruit for Jesus.