Excerpted with permission from the Rhythms for Life Bible Study by Lifeway Adults. Copyright 2026, Lifeway Press.
"¹⁵But speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into him who is the head—Christ. ¹⁶From him the whole body, fitted and knit together by every supporting ligament, promotes the growth of the body for building itself up in love by the proper working of each individual part."
Ephesians 4:15-16 CSB
We need people. They will disappoint us at times. They will get it wrong at times. They will sin. Yet we need them, and that's by God's design. In fact, Paul's words in Ephesians 4:15-16 indicate that you can't grow in Christ unless you have people around you who can equip and encourage you in the growth process. God made the church to be the body of Christ and the means by which a person can be devoted to Christ. Relationships are for your sanctification.
Consider the original recipients of this letter—a diverse church seeking unity through faith in Jesus Christ. They needed healthy spiritual rhythms to pursue the Lord together. Paul explained that each individual believer in Christ is a part of a single body guided by Christ. As the head of the body, Jesus directs and sustains every other part. Jesus guides and holds the church together. We are built up into maturity as we establish and engage in consistent rhythms of learning and serving together.
Yet Paul still urged the church to grow—in every way—into him who is the head by speaking the truth in love (v. 15). To speak the truth, we must know about Christ, and to speak in love, we must know Christ personally. We must be familiar with both what is true of our salvation and the love of Christ.
You need people, and people need you. That means engaging in ongoing conversations where grace and truth intersect. God uses these rhythms to build us up together as one in the community of faith.