New Century Version NCV
New International Version NIV
11 And Christ gave gifts to people -- he made some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to go and tell the Good News, and some to have the work of caring for and teaching God's people.
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So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers,
12 Christ gave those gifts to prepare God's holy people for the work of serving, to make the body of Christ stronger.
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to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up
13 This work must continue until we are all joined together in the same faith and in the same knowledge of the Son of God. We must become like a mature person, growing until we become like Christ and have his perfection.
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until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
14 Then we will no longer be babies. We will not be tossed about like a ship that the waves carry one way and then another. We will not be influenced by every new teaching we hear from people who are trying to fool us. They make plans and try any kind of trick to fool people into following the wrong path.
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Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.
15 No! Speaking the truth with love, we will grow up in every way into Christ, who is the head.
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Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.
16 The whole body depends on Christ, and all the parts of the body are joined and held together. Each part does its own work to make the whole body grow and be strong with love.
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From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
Scripture taken from the New Century Version. Copyright © 1987, 1988, 1991 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide.