Has Church Built You Up Or Beat You Down?

            First Corinthians 14:26 says “Let all things be done unto edifying.” The word edify is the word oikodome in Greek and it means the act of building up, one who promotes the spiritual growth of another. And then we have the root word edify which means promoting the spiritual growth and development of character of believers, by teaching or by example, suggesting such spiritual progress as the result of patient labor.

  First Corinthians 14:12 indicates that spiritual gifts in operation should serve the purpose of edifying believers throughout the Body of Christ and we should excel in edifying. The word excel is perisseuo in Greek which means to superabound in quantity and quality, to furnish one richly so he has abundance. It is metaphoric of a flower going from a bud to full bloom.

            Now that we have a clear understanding on what it means to edify, can you evaluate many of the hundreds or thousands of church services you have attended throughout your lifetime concluding that the majority of those services you left built you up or beat you down? Of course, I am inclined to believe that your answer will lean more toward the latter than the former. I say that from a theological as well as an experiential standpoint. When you have spent most of your life in church hearing law based preaching that damns, dooms, judges and condemns, when you are told how terrible you are, worthless, and a good for nothing sinner, you are on your way to hell as a believer in Jesus Christ, I’m willing to bet my bottom dollar you left church services for years feeling beat down than built up. When preaching content isn’t biblically sound, repetitious and out of context, you become weaker not stronger, you feel hopeless than hopeful, you feel despondent than delightful, you feel excluded than included, you felt hated by God than loved by God and going to church was like arriving each week to take a beating by the angry preacher. This is in fact spiritual child abuse where you were verbally abused in the name of God!

            Paul the Apostle made a declaration in First Corinthians 10:23 that “…all things are lawful, but all things edify not.” There are messages that are preached and taught, songs that are sang, exhortations that are given, fellowship that has transpired, has not always been for your spiritual benefit that caused you to grow and develop as a believer in your walk with the Lord. You were given poor examples and therefore you had a spiritual regress than spiritual progress. There are some words spoken and deeds done in a worship service that are totally unnecessary that serves no benefit to those in attendance that needs to come to a screeching halt. Our focus must be on the spiritual essentials. Whenever we gather at a physical sanctuary or some other means of meeting whether it be virtual or just some fellowship where believers gather, there should be some building up! Your spirit, mind, and physical body should experience the effects of the Holy Spirit performing His transformative work in your life while you are receiving the truth of the Word of God, which is the Gospel of Grace, Acts 20:32 says “…the Word of His Grace, which is able to build you up.” Grace is a builder up of believers. Grace is like a Bounty Paper Towels, He’s a Quicker Picker Upper! Jesus is Grace and Grace is Jesus! Grace is the inexhaustible supply of the goodness of God where He does for us what we are absolutely incapable of doing for ourselves.

            Let all things be done unto edifying. Remember, the pulpit is not a judge’s bench neither is it the prosecuting attorney’s table in the courtroom, but rather the pulpit should be the defense attorney’s table with grace to defend the believer against the prosecution of the law against the judge and jury of religion. Grace is your public defender!