"...From whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according
to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the
edifying of itself in love." (Eph. 4:16)
There is a very old illustration which shows that each one must do his part. There were four
brothers who once decided they would give a feast for their friends. Wine in those days was
expensive, and the boys decided that each one would buy a certain amount of wine, bring it to the
feast, pour it into a large container, and it would be served to their guests. One of the boys
thought that instead of buying wine he would just bring water and pour it into the large container.
He knew it would weaken the wine somewhat, but since the wine would only be one fourth water,
no one would know the difference. The story goes that when the wine was taken out of the large
container to be served to the guest, it was all water. None of the boys had done their part in
buying wine for their guests.
The growth and edification of the body of Christ depends on the effective working of each and every member.