“10. That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings,
being made conformable unto his death;”
Philippians 3:10 (KJV)
The bible calls the church the bride and body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:27, Ephesians 5:22-32); BRIDE meaning we are married into His estate of life and glory; BODY meaning we are expressions of His exact level of life and power. It is God’s intent that every church of His people be an expression of the full measure of attributes of the Spirit that is present in our Lord Jesus.
To this end, Ephesians 4 says He gave gifts to men, and Romans 8 says each man is a heir of God. We therefore encourage the spiritual growth of every person, knowing fully well that we are members fitly joined together to constitute the body of Christ, and thus the outflow of the Spirit from each person is necessary for the body to measure to the full stature of Christ.