{"id":654,"date":"2009-06-29T09:00:20","date_gmt":"2009-06-29T13:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mintools.com\/blog\/?p=654"},"modified":"2026-03-13T14:00:01","modified_gmt":"2026-03-13T18:00:01","slug":"ephesians4-16","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mintools.com\/blog\/ephesians4-16.htm","title":{"rendered":"Ephesians 4:16 – One Verse Says It All"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Ephesians<\/a>If I had to give a Scripture verse defining why I do what I do as director of Ministry Tools Resource Center, I would choose Ephesians 4:16. That one verse says it all about God’s intent and design for His Church.\u00a0 It has long been the passion of my heart to see the Body of Christ line up with God’s purpose and objective for the Church and to get there following His design.<\/span><\/p>\n

From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

How Ephesians 4:16, Just One Verse Says It All About God’s Intent for Church Life<\/h2>\n

This verse sums up God’s intent for the Church and how we need to function in accordance with His design:<\/p>\n

1)\u00a0 The Church’s Identity:\u00a0 the Body of Christ (“from him the whole body”)<\/p>\n

The church is a living organism made up of many different parts under the leadership of the Head, Jesus Christ.\u00a0 Out of this diversity comes unity.\u00a0 We are one in Him.<\/p>\n

—<\/strong>So, I had to develop a section just on Body Life<\/a>.<\/p>\n

2)\u00a0 The Church’s Objective:\u00a0 \u00a0“grows and builds itself up”<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Church should be growing numerically through new converts and qualitatively with one another\u00a0 –reaching out\u00a0but also building one another up …. both, not either\/or.<\/p>\n

—<\/strong>So, I knew ministry training had to include outreach ministry<\/a> but also shepherding<\/a>,\u00a0prayer<\/a>, worship<\/a>, teaching<\/a>, and more<\/a>.<\/p>\n

3)\u00a0 The Church’s Purpose:\u00a0 “in love”<\/p>\n

Love, the greatest commandment according to Jesus,\u00a0unites us (Col.2:2) and so over all the different virtues we can and should exhibit in our lives we must “put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity” (Col. 3:14).\u00a0 We “live a life of love, just as Christ loved us” (Eph. 5:1-2).\u00a0 We “do everything in love” (1 Cor. 16:14).\u00a0 We “serve one another in love” (Gal. 5:13) and “speak the truth in love” (Eph. 4:15).\u00a0 Above all, we are to “love each other deeply” (1 Peter. 4:8) and\u00a0 “increase and overflow” in that love (1 Thess. 3:12).<\/span><\/p>\n

—<\/strong>So, I wanted a section devoted solely to the Church’s Purpose<\/a> to love God and love people out of which the church ministries would flow.<\/p>\n

4)\u00a0 The Church’s Design:\u00a0 “as each part does its work”<\/p>\n

The Church was made to best function as an\u00a0interdependent unit.\u00a0 All parts are needed (1 Cor. 12:21-26).\u00a0 Every believer has something to contribute (1 Cor. 12:7).<\/span><\/p>\n

—<\/strong>So, with everybody doing their part as the means through which this all happens, I had to make teaching on Spiritual Gifts<\/a> a core value around which the site would be built.<\/p>\n

Here are some other articles on the MinTools.com site on Ephesians 4:16.\u00a0 Isn’t it amazing how much can come out of just one verse?<\/span><\/p>\n