Ephesians 4:7-16 — The Enablement for Christian Unity

Ephesians 4:7-16 — The Enablement for Christian Unity

The fitness and bodybuilding industry is a $253 billion industry. Yes, that's a billion with a "B". It is projected that that number will almost double by 2028. We, Americans, are obsessed with fitness. Yet, ironically, our collective waistline continues to grow alongside our expenditure on fitness. The attention that our society gives to how one looks repudiates the biblical admonition that "Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing" (Proverbs 31:30).

Gwen Shamblin Lara, who was a fitness and nutrition expert, abused Scripture like 1 Corinthians 6:19–20 to build a cult insisting that every Christian must be fit, healthy, and strong. The self-proclaimed prophet, Lara declared that the full Gospel has not been taught yet, and her Church is the only one who teaches the full Gospel because some Christians are too fat for heaven. While as believers we ought not to abuse our bodies with substance abuse, over-indulgence, and laziness since "bodily exercise profits but a little", we are admonished to pursue godliness which is "profitable for all things, having the promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come" (1 Timothy 4:8).

Ephesians 4:7-16 says Christ gives the church spiritual gifts and gifted believers church so the Body of Christ may "grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—" (Ephesians 4:15). While talents are natural abilities, these spiritual gifts are supernatural. This passage also says that although the apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastors-teachers may minister outside the church, they have been given specifically to the church to equip the rest of the believers to do the work of ministry.  Still, all believers are called to ensure that only one collective Body is fit, healthy, and strong: the Body of Christ.