Ephesians 4:7-16 - Gifted Leaders Bring The Church To Maturity

⁷ Yet to each of us individually grace was given, measured out with the munificence of Christ. ⁸ For this reason Scripture says: "He re-ascended on high, He led captive a host of captives, and gave gifts to men."

⁹ (Now this "re-ascended" --what does it mean but that He had first descended into the lower regions of the earth? ¹⁰ He who descended is the same as He who ascended again far above all the Heavens in order to fill the universe.) ¹¹ And He Himself appointed some to be Apostles, some to be Prophets, some to be evangelists, some to be pastors and teachers, ¹² in order fully to equip His people for the work of serving--for the building up of Christ's body-- ¹³ till we all of us arrive at oneness in faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, and at mature manhood and the stature of full-grown men in Christ. ¹⁴ So we shall no longer be babes nor shall we resemble mariners tossed on the waves and carried about with every changing wind of doctrine according to men's cleverness and unscrupulous cunning, making use of every shifting device to mislead. ¹⁵ But we shall lovingly hold to the truth, and shall in all respects grow up into union with Him who is our Head, even Christ. ¹⁶ Dependent on Him, the whole body--its various parts closely fitting and firmly adhering to one another-- grows by the aid of every contributory link, with power proportioned to the need of each individual part, so as to build itself up in a spirit of love.