Today in our society there are health coaches, fitness trainers, physical therapists, and many more professionals whose job is to equip you to learn how to develop a healthy lifestyle and keep your body in shape. Similarly, God has given church leaders the task of equipping you and building you up in Christ. This is the focus of the Explore The Bible Study: Walking Forward. 

In Paul’s continuing letter to the church at Ephesus, he explains the importance of becoming a healthy believer. Similar to a fitness center, health club, or even a physical therapy center, the church is a place where believers should go to become spiritually healthy.  In contrast to health coaches and physical therapists who might help someone physically, there are individuals in the church who help believers become spiritually healthy.

Paul previously emphasized both the importance of unity in the church because of who we are in Christ and the uniqueness of believers. We are all unique parts of the body of Christ (the church); therefore, we each have different roles, gifts, and functions, all of which are vital. Within this body (the church) the Holy Spirit gifts all believers in specific ways to enable the church to become a living picture of Christ to a lost world.

However, there are some who have specific roles to help the body of believers become and remain healthy. This doesn’t make them any more important than other parts, yet they are vital. Just like a body can’t survive without certain vital organs, neither can a church survive without these specific leaders.
Ephesians 4:11-16 is a pivotal passage for understanding the role these specific church leaders have within the church.

LOOK UP OPTIONS
I have provided several options for drawing your group into the discussion. One includes the following humorous video along with some discussion points.