11. And He personally gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers,
12. for the training of the saints in the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ,
13. until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God’s Son, growing into a mature man with a stature measured by Christ’s fullness.
14. Then we will no longer be little children, tossed by the waves and blown around by every wind of teaching, by human cunning with cleverness in the techniques of deceit.
15. But speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into Him who is the head — Christ.
16. From Him the whole body, fitted and knit together by every supporting ligament, promotes the growth of the body for building up itself in love by the proper working of each individual part.
17. Therefore, I say this and testify in the Lord: You should no longer walk as the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their thoughts.
18. They are darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them and because of the hardness of their hearts.
19. They became callous and gave themselves over to promiscuity for the practice of every kind of impurity with a desire for more and more.
20. But that is not how you learned about the Messiah,
21. assuming you heard about Him and were taught by Him, because the truth is in Jesus.
22. You took off your former way of life, the old self that is corrupted by deceitful desires;