We live in a very negative and pessimistic society. Doom and gloom permeate every aspect of culture. Unfortunately, that pessimism has also permeated the church. Many Christians will only look at the negatives of any given situation. They see how hard it is to resist sin, so they despair of ever being able to overcome their bad habits. They see how difficult evangelism is, so they start to think that the church can never grow...

In 1 Corinthians 13:1-3, Paul points out that we must do all things with love, and if we don’t have love then we are useless. We must be taught what Christian love looks like and how it acts. Again, having knowledge without the actions of love is useless.

Not only do the elders and evangelist help us grow, but each member of the body has a part in helping us mature.