Serving in the strength that God provides…
After a busy week and a busy Saturday, we were able to spend a couple of hours at the home of some of our friends. As we ate, read Scripture, and prayed, we were renewed and refreshed by the Spirit.
One of our friends was praying for another family. This family is dealing with a loved one with cancer. Soon, the wife will be travelling to take care of him. As another friend was praying for them, he asked God to help them to serve in God’s strength and not in their own strength.
This simple prayer led to a wonderful discussion of relying completely on God and not trying to rely on ourselves and our own abilities. I admit that many times when I see something that should be done, I am tempted to jump in and do it, even though I know that God has not provided me with the opportunities nor the resources to do it. What happens then? I end up doing something in my own strength, getting tired and angry, and failing to obey God in what he wanted me to do in the first place. Why? Because I am attempting to serve God and others our of my own strength instead of the strength that God provides.
In 1 Peter 4:11, Peter says that those who serve should do so “as one who serves by the strength that God supplies” (ESV). This is difficult. This means that I must trust God. When I see something that is not being done, and God has not provided me with the opportunities nor the strength to do it, then I must trust God that he has provided someone else to take care of that need.
We had several other very uplifting and challenging discussions, both as a group and one-on-one with other believers. It is amazing how the Spirit uses other believers to stir us up to love and good works.
But I have perfect attendance…
I’ve read several blog posts lately that have stated that believers are commanded to assemble with one another. Usually, these posts reference Hebrews 10:25 as proof that Scripture commands believers to assemble with one another:
And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. (Hebrews 10:24-25 ESV)
I’ve discussed this passage in detail previously (see the post “Not forsaking, but encouraging…“); however, I thought it would be beneficial to look into this again. Specifically, what are believers required to do according to this verse?
The command in this passage (actually, an imperatival use of the subjunctive) is “let us consider”. The purpose of “considering one another” is to stir up love and good works. Thus, the author of Hebrews expects believers who have the freedom to enter the presence of God (Heb 10:19) and who have Jesus as their high priest (Heb 10:21) to demonstrate that by thinking of ways to exhort others toward love and good works in their lives. This is the command, not “assembling”.
So, what part does “assembling” play in this passage. It plays a secondary role. The author of Hebrews recognizes that we cannot exhort one another towards love and good works if we never meet with one another. Similarly, we cannot stir up one another towards love and good works if we do not encourage one another. The two participles (“not forsaking” and “encouraging”) play an important, but secondary, role in the requirement of considering one another in order to provoke love and good works in each other’s lives.
So what? We’re still supposed to assemble together, right? Yes, in fact, according to Scripture, believers will want to meet together with other believers. Assembling together is not required in Scripture, but it is expected. However, attendance alone does not meet any scriptural requirements. It is possible to meet together with other believers and never fulfill the purpose of thinking about how to spur one another on towards love and good works, and then exhorting them towards that goal. A “perfect attendance” award means nothing to a believer.
If we meet together in a way that precludes us from encouraging one another toward love and good works, then we are not meeting in a way that Scripture prescribes or describes. Similarly, if we require attendance, but do not allow believers opportunities to exhort one another toward maturity, then we are not helping people to follow the teachings of Scripture.
Instead of someone saying, “I don’t think I’ve seen you around here in the last few weeks”, what if they said, “I noticed that you haven’t encouraged anyone around here in the last few weeks”.
Yes, I know. It is much easier to count noses. It makes us feel better to have a “full house”. But, attendance means nothing if people are not exhorting one another toward maturity in Christ.
Yes, I know. In our mega-gatherings we cannot possibly know whether or not people are encouraging or being encouraged. But, is the answer to the situation to change the scriptural responsibilities of believers?
Yes, I know. Some will suggest that we have “small groups” in order to encourage one another. The only problem with this answer is that Scripture only gives one reason for believers to gather together, whether there are a large number of people or a small number of people: edification.
So let’s continue meeting together – whether in large or small scheduled weekly meetings or in large or small spontaneous meetings. But, let’s come together for the right reason: not to count noses and record attendance, but to consider one another in order to stir up one another towards love and good works.
Any opportunity to "one another"…
A couple of weeks ago, we were able to spend time on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday with other believers. We love to get together with one another to share meals, to talk, to serve… really, any “excuse” to spend time with one another.
Last week, Margaret, my wife, was sick for a couple of days. Then, I caught the bug from her and was sick for a few more days. During that week, we didn’t spend much time with other believers. (Actually, Margaret was able to attend our regular Sunday meeting, and she was also able to have lunch with another couple on Sunday. But, that was all of the interaction that we had with other believers that week.)
So, when Monday rolled around – and we were both finally feeling better – we jumped at the chance to have dinner with some friends of ours. This time, we went to a restaurant, and not just any restaurant, one of our favorites! On the ride to the restaurant, during dinner, and on the way home we had a great conversation about many different topics – from spending time at the beach, to their influence in the lives of our children, to hearing and knowing and following the will of God, and many other topics that flowed naturally (supernaturally?) from our relationships with one another and from our mutual relationships with God.
Occasionally, when we think of church, it is easy to get stuck on the big things: big groups, big meetings, big projects, big results, big presentations, big themes, big sermons… But, if we continue in our life stuck on the idea that “church” is only in the big things, then we may miss some of the most important things that God has for us, those things that can only be found in the intimate relationships that God is building between us and other brothers and sisters in Christ.
Sometimes, God teaches us more from a few words from a friend than from a 30 minute sermon. Sometimes, God uses us more in a simple hug than in an afternoon of working hard with a large group. Sometimes, God reveals himself more in the tears of a friend that we’re consoling than in a large group of people that we do not know as well.
I like the big things. I like to gather with a large group of believers and hear about the many ways that God is working and changing and moving and teaching. I like singing with a large group of believers. I like the big things.
But, God is also – and at times even more – in the small things too. I hope this encourages you to take any opportunity to “one another”. Even “small” opportunities… you might just find God there.
Edification 6 – Simplicity
Paul makes a simple statement concerning the gathering of believers, “Let all things be done for edification (building up)”. (1 Corinthians 14:26) The purpose of this series of posts (See “Edification 1 – Introduction“, “Edification 2 – Definition“, “Edification 3 – Scope“, “Edification 4 – Responsibility“, and “Edification 5 – Activities“) is to examine the term “edification” in order to better understand Paul’s simple statement.
I started this series by stating that Paul makes a simple statement concerning the purpose for the church coming together, that is, edification. In unwrapping this term “edification”, I suggested that the Holy Spirit works through many different believers who carry out many different activities in order to bring the whole church to unity, to help them to know Christ more intimately, and to mature them toward being more like Christ.
Over the last two thousand years, the meeting of the church has been orchestrated and planned to the point that it is anything but simple. How would a “simple” understanding of edification play itself out in the lives of individuals believers and the church?
First, each believer seeks God on their own through prayer, reading Scripture, walking step by step trusting God, especially relying on God’s grace. In this way, the Spirit works to edify the individual believer. This step is important in the process of the mutual edification of the church. This is the preparation step in the process of mutual edification. While the individual is being edified by the Spirit – being drawn closer to God and to Christ-likeness – the Spirit is also preparing the believer to be used to edify the church.
When that believer comes together with other believers, the Spirit then prompts that believer to share what God has already shared with them. (Note: this does not preclude the Spirit from revealing something during the time that he or she is gathered with other believers.) This sharing could be in the form of a testimony about what God is doing in her life, or an instruction from Scripture that God has taught him, or a hymn that has been instrumental for them. There are a myriad of ways that God can work through one believer in order to impact the lives of many.
This is a dramatic change from what is normally expected when the church comes together. Many times, as believers think about meeting with the church, they wonder, “What is the teacher/preacher going to present today? What songs are the song leader going to choose?”
Instead, as believers prepare to meet with other believers, their thoughts should be more along the lines of this: “What has God taught me that I can share with other believers? How has God matured me that he could possibly use to encourage others? What has happened in my life that God may use to help my friends?” Then, while the meeting is taking place, each believer should seek to discern if and when God would have them speak or act.
Notice that I am not suggesting that God cannot or will not work through the traditional model. In fact, we all know from experience that God does work when only one person or a small group of people are responsible for the content of the meeting. However, this is not the model that is presented in Scripture.
So, I’m suggesting that the purpose of the meeting of the church (edification) is simple. It does not require sophisticated planning, education, directors, professionals, or scripts. Instead, it requires believers who are indwelled by the Spirit of God and learning from the Spirit from day-to-day following the leading of the Spirit as they meet with other believers. The Spirit himself will take care of the hard work (unity, knowledge, maturity) as we allow ourselves to be used by him.
Edification is simple. Obedience, on the other hand, requires all the grace that God gives us.
“Whenever you come together… let everything be done for edification.” (1 Cor. 14:26)
Series on Edification:
1. Edification 1 – Introduction
2. Edification 2 – Definition
3. Edification 3 – Scope
4. Edification 4 – Responsibility
5. Edification 5 – Activities
6. Edification 6 – Simplicity
Edification 5 – Activities
Paul makes a simple statement concerning the gathering of believers, “Let all things be done for edification (building up)”. (1 Corinthians 14:26) The purpose of this series of posts (See “Edification 1 – Introduction“, “Edification 2 – Definition“, “Edification 3 – Scope“, and “Edification 4 – Responsibility“) is to examine the term “edification” in order to better understand Paul’s simple statement.
The purpose of the church coming together is to bring the entire church into unity, to strengthen their relationships with Jesus Christ (to know him), and to mature the church toward being more like Christ. The Holy Spirit is responsible for edifying the church – and, in fact, only He is capable of affecting the transformation necessary for the lives of believers. However, each believers is also responsible for obediently responding to the work of the Holy Spirit in their own lives and exercising spiritual gifts as He directs. But, what types of activities does the Holy Spirit use to edify the church?
In the same sentence where Paul commands the Corinthians that everything they do should be for the purpose of edification (1 Cor 14:26), he also lists several example activities: hymns, instructions (teachings), revelations (prophecies), speaking in tongues, interpreting tongues. We cannot assume, however, that Paul intends to give an exhaustive list. Previously in the same passage, Paul mentioned praying and how praying can edify either an individual or the church, depending on the nature of the prayer. While this could be an instance of tongues (i.e. praying in tongues with or without interpretation), it could also be a separate activity.
This brings up an issue that deserves consideration. In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul lists many different gifts of the Spirit. Later, when he is writing the section of the letter that we call Chapter 14, he primarily focuses on the gifts of speaking in tongues and prophecy. Many have suggested that the reason for Paul’s focus on these gifts is that the Corinthians were not exercising one or both of these gifts correctly. This is a possible interpretation. But, we should recognize that Paul does not state this in the text; instead, it is inferred from his focus on these two activities.
There is another explanation. Paul could be focusing on gifts of speaking in tongues and prophecy as example gifts of those which normal do or do not edify the church. The gift of speaking in tongues represents all gifts and activities that, on their own (i.e. without interpretation), does not edify the church but only edifies the individual. On the other hand, the gift of prophecy represents all gifts and activities that edify the church. In this case, then the guidelines listed for speaking in tongues (one at a time, with interpretation, etc.) would also be guidelines for other gifts and activities that normally would not edify the church. The guidelines that Paul gives for prophecy (one at a time, the first person stops if another starts, testing by the group, etc) would also be guidelines for other gifts and activities that normally would edify the church.
Also, there is no reason to suspect that Paul did not expect the Spirit to work through other gifts during the meeting of the church. For example, in 1 Corinthians 12, Paul also lists the gifts of wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, discernment, helping, and administration. Thus, the Spirit could also use these gifts in various activities in order to edify the church. However, it would seem that the guidelines offered for speaking in tongues and prophecy would apply to these activities as well, as mentioned above.
Similarly, there may be other activities and gifts that the Spirit could use to edify the church that are not necessarily listed in 1 Corinthians 12. For example, Paul does not mention the reading of Scripture, but the Spirit does use Scripture to edify the church. Similarly, Paul does not mention singing, but singing can also be used to edify the church. (Yes, I know that Paul mentions “hymns”, but in two other passages, “hymns” are said to be spoken, not sung: Eph 5:19 and Col 3:16.) Thus, the activities are not limited to those mentioned. However, the guidelines should be followed regardless.
For me, that brings up the question of the number of people exercising their gifts or performing certain activities when the church comes together. For both prophecy and speaking in tongues, Paul says “two or three”. Does this carry over to other activities, such that two or three people may be allowed to teach, bring a hymn, help others, read Scripture, pray, or sing? This is not clear, though it would be beneficial to allow several believers to participate in that manner. What is clear is that Paul did not intend for one or two people to dominate the meeting.
So, in concluding a brief look at the various activities, the Spirit uses many different people who carry out many different activities to bring the church to unity, to help them to know Christ more, and to mature them toward Christ-likeness, that is, to edify the church.
Series on Edification:
1. Edification 1 – Introduction
2. Edification 2 – Definition
3. Edification 3 – Scope
4. Edification 4 – Responsibility
5. Edification 5 – Activities
6. Edification 6 – Simplicity
Edification 4 – Responsibility
Paul makes a simple statement concerning the gathering of believers, “Let all things be done for edification (building up)”. (1 Corinthians 14:26) The purpose of this series of posts (See “Edification 1 – Introduction“, “Edification 2 – Definition“, and “Edification 3 – Scope“) is to examine the term “edification” in order to better understand Paul’s simple statement.
The purpose of the church coming together is edification, that is, to bring the entire church into unity, to strengthen their relationships with Jesus Christ (to know him), and to mature the church toward being more like Christ. Now, who is responsible for edification? Is this the responsibility of leaders only, or all the gathered believers?
If we are to assign responsibility for edification to leaders only, then we are required to step outside the pages of Scripture for justification. In fact, leaders are not mentioned at all in 1 Corinthians or in many other books of the New Testament. When Paul commands that everything done when the church is assembled is to be for edification, he addresses this command to “you” (plural). This is the same “you” (plural) to whom the entire letter has been addressed, that is, “to the church of God which is at Corinth”. (1 Cor 1:2) There is no indication in the letter’s address or in the body of the letter that some of these commands are addressed specifically to leaders within the community of believers at Corinth.
Similarly, we should recognize that Paul has specifically spelled out that each believer within the church is gifted, important, and necessary for the proper functioning of the body. (1 Cor. 12:20-27; cf. Eph 4:16) Therefore, members of the body of Christ are not simply responsible for attending a meeting of the church. Instead, and much more, they are each responsible for edifying other believers when they assemble with them. (Heb 10:24-25) Just as with other responsibilities that God has given to believers (prayer, Scripture reading, abiding in Christ, walking in the Spirit, providing for needs, etc.), this responsibility cannot be delegated to others. If only one or a few accept their responsibility to edify the church, then the others are disobeying God in their meeting, regardless of the activities that take place.
However, in reality, it is incorrect to say that believers are responsible for edifying one another. In fact, if 1 Corinthians 12-14 are taken together, then it becomes clear that it is actually the presence and work of the Holy Spirit (through all believers) that actually transforms lives and edifies believers. The Spirit provides the gifts according to his will, by his empowerment, and for his direction. (1 Cor 12:4-11) But, as Paul reminded the Corinthians at the beginning of his letter (1 Cor 1:7), they were not lacking in specific spiritual gifts. Similarly, Paul tells them later that God chooses exactly who he wants (which includes their gifts) in the church. (1 Cor 12:18) So, if the Spirit is present and able to work among believers to edify them, why was it necessary for Paul to instruct them in this?
First, the Spirit does not force himself on any person, nor does the Spirit force anyone to exercise the gifts as they should be exercised. For example, it is possible for someone to speak even when the Spirit is not directing them to speak, or even when it is not the right time/context for them to speak. (1 Cor 14:27-30) Both the one speaking in tongues and the one prophesying (as well as other gifts) can control whether or not he or she utilizes that gift during the course of the church’s meeting. Thus, even though the Spirit is doing the work of edification through the believers, the believers are still responsible for exercising those gifts in obedience to the Spirit’s direction. As Paul tells the church in Ephesus, believers are still able to hinder the work of the Spirit through their own disobedience.
Also, just as some believers may speak or act even when the Spirit is not directing them to do so, other believers may remain silent even though the Spirit is directing them to exercise their gifts. This kind of silence is just as much an act of disobedience as speaking outside the direction of the Spirit. Thus, if the Spirit desires to use someone to edify the body, but that person refuses to obey, then the church will not be edified, even though everyone necessary is present, the gifts are available, and the Spirit is ready and willing to work through them.
So, the Holy Spirit is responsible for edifying the church when it comes together, and every believers is responsible for obeying the work of the Spirit in their own lives in order to realize the edification of the church. This cannot be controlled by leaders, but should remain under the sovereign control of God through His Spirit as he enables and guides each believer.
Series on Edification:
1. Edification 1 – Introduction
2. Edification 2 – Definition
3. Edification 3 – Scope
4. Edification 4 – Responsibility
5. Edification 5 – Activities
6. Edification 6 – Simplicity
Edification 3 – Scope
Paul makes a simple statement concerning the gathering of believers, “Let all things be done for edification (building up)”. (1 Corinthians 14:26) The purpose of this series of posts (See “Edification 1 – Introduction” and “Edification 2 – Definition“) is to examine the term “edification” in order to better understand Paul’s simple statement.
Once we begin to understand what edification is, we need to examine the scope of edification. When the church gathers, is the purpose of the gathering to edify the individual or to edify the group?
Paul recognizes that it is possible for believers to utilize the gifts of the Spirit to edify themselves. (i.e. 1 Corinthians 14:4, 28) While some suggest that Paul is being sarcastic with these statements, the text does not warrant this. In fact, 1 Corinthians 14:4 is a parallel statement: “The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church.” The same form is used to describe the actions and the results of “the one who speaks in a tongue” as the form that is used to describe the actions and the results of “the one who prophesies”. Textually, if one part of the verse is sarcastic, then the other should be taken as sarcastic as well. If one part of the verse is understood as serious, then the other should be seen as serious as well. Thus, Paul says that some spiritual gifts (such as speaking in a tongue without interpretation) can edify the individual. (Similarly, we know from experience that both prayer and Scripture reading can edify an individual as well.) This is not wrong in the correct context.
When we look at the context of 1 Corinthians 14:26, we see that Paul is specifically addressing the gathering of believers: “people” (1 Cor 14:3), “church” (1 Cor 14:4, 12, 19, 23), “other person” (1 Cor 14:17). Similarly, at the beginning of 1 Cor 14:26, Paul says, “When you (plural) come together…” Thus, when the church gathers together, the purpose shifts from the edification of the individual to the edification of the group. While individual and self-edification is not bad, it is not the focus when believers gather. In fact, Paul teaches that gifts which only edify the one exercising the gift should not be exercised when the church gathers together.
Therefore, in the context of this series – edification during the gathering of the church – the scope of edification is the gathered believers, that is, mutual edification. Paul’s instructions that everything is to be done for edification is only realized when each activity that is carried out during the meeting is carried out for the purpose of uniting the church, helping the church know Christ, and maturing the church toward being more like Christ.
It is in recognizing that the edification of the whole church is the purpose of the meeting that we also recognize that “edification” means much more than patting someone on the back, gazing inwardly to better know yourself, agreeing with the doctrines of the teaching, or even singing songs that express our praise to God. While each of these may be beneficial in certain contexts, if they do not lead toward unity, intimate knowledge of Christ, or maturity, then the purpose of the church coming together has not been reached.
It is also in recognizing mutual edification as the purpose of the gathering of the church that we also recognize that specific activities or functions are not the purpose of the church. Thus, great teaching, praying, singing, giving, etc. may be greatly beneficial to individuals, but if the church is not edified, then the scriptural purpose for the church to gather has not been achieved.
It is further in recognizing edification of the group as the purpose of the church’s assembling that we also recognize our complete dependence upon the direction, working, and empowerment of the Holy Spirit. It is only the person of the Holy Spirit – divinely present in the lives of believers – that can move them in such a way that all are united, brought into closer relationship with Jesus Christ, and matured toward being more like him.
Individualism, human control, apathy, ritual, performance, traditionalism, etc. can hinder the work of the Spirit through the gathered believers in bringing about the mutual edification of the entire group.
When the church comes together, the purpose of everything that they do and say should be toward the edification of the entire group. This is the scope of edification during the meeting of the church.
Series on Edification:
1. Edification 1 – Introduction
2. Edification 2 – Definition
3. Edification 3 – Scope
4. Edification 4 – Responsibility
5. Edification 5 – Activities
6. Edification 6 – Simplicity
Edification 2 – Definition
Paul makes a simple statement concerning the gathering of believers, “Let all things be done for edification (building up)”. (1 Corinthians 14:26) The purpose of this series of posts (See “Edification 1 – Introduction“) is to examine the term “edification” in order to better understand Paul’s simple statement.
“Edification” or “building up” in 1 Corinthians 14:26 (as well as in many other passages of Scripture) is the English translation of the Greek noun οικοδομή (oikodomÄ“). The verbal forms (“to edify” or “to build up”) are οικοδομέω, ανοικοδομέω, εποικοδομέω, and συνοικοδομέω (oikodomeÅ, anoikodomeÅ, epoikodomeÅ, and synoikodomeÅ respectively). The Greek words have both literal and figurative meanings.
Literally, οικοδομή (oikodomÄ“) word groups point toward the process of constructing or the construction itself. The English words “build”, “building”, “edifice”, “construct”, and “construction” represent the literal forms of this word group.
There are at least two figurative meanings of the οικοδομή (oikodomÄ“) word groups. The first figurative meaning (according to BDAG, the standard Greek lexicon) carries the sense of “construct[ing] in a transcendant sense” or of “the building up of the Christian congregation or church”. A good example of this in the New Testament is found in Matthew 16:18 – “On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Thus, the term “build” is used literally of a figurative building (the church) – a transcendant form of building.
The second figurative use of the οικοδομή (oikodomÄ“) word groups is the one utilized by Paul in 1 Corinthians 14:26 and many other passages. BDAG explains this meaning as “to help improve ability to function in living responsibly and effectively, strengthen, build up, make more able”.
Thus, according to Paul, the purpose of gathering together with believers, and the purpose of the different activities that happen when believers gather, is to help improve the ability to function in living responsibly and effectively. In the context, we can assume that this means to live responsibly and effectively as a follower of Jesus Christ. In other words, this is similar to the concept of helping someone mature toward Christ-likeness.
This definition aligns well with Paul’s use of οικοδομή (oikodomÄ“) in Ephesians 4:12-13, where he explains the purpose of Christ’s giving gifted individuals to the church:
… to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ… (Ephesians 4:12-13 ESV)
Thus, “building up of” or “edification of” the body of Christ has as its purpose (1) unity of faith, (2) knowledge of Christ, and (3) maturity, all of which are measured against Christ himself.
So, according to Paul, when the church gathers, everything that is done should be done for the purpose of uniting believers in the faith, helping them to know Christ himself, and maturing them in Christ-likeness. This is edification.
Series on Edification:
1. Edification 1 – Introduction
2. Edification 2 – Definition
3. Edification 3 – Scope
4. Edification 4 – Responsibility
5. Edification 5 – Activities
6. Edification 6 – Simplicity
Edification 1 – Introduction
Many (many) years ago, I was in the Boy Scouts. (Yes, the Boy Scouts existed back then.) One fall, our troop attended a Jamboree, which is a gathering of Boy Scouts from around the region. There were hundreds (maybe more than a thousand?) Boy Scouts in a large open field. During the day, there would be games and contests between the various troops.
I participated in one such contest – a fire building contest. Now, the rules of this contest were simple: using two matches (yes, I realize this is cheating to many real scouts) and whatever material the team can gather from the woods (we could not cut anything, it had to be on the ground already), each team was to build a fire that would burn a string that was stretched across the fire pit several feet (2-3?) above the ground. The team that burned the string in the least amount of time would win the contest.
Our team watched several groups go before us. Most of the teams divided the different tasks among team members. Some would gather pine straw; others would gather small sticks; still others would gather larger pieces of wood. Another member of the team would be responsible for placing the material in the fire pit – some teams made pyramids of wood, while other teams made boxes of wood. Finally, the teams would light their fire, blow carefully on the flame, and wait for the fire to burn the string. Some fires never started. Other fires blazed quickly and finally burned the string.
As we talked amongst ourselves, our team had an idea. It wouldn’t be pretty… but it just might work. When it was time for our team to compete, everyone ran into the woods and gathered as much pine straw as possible. We placed all the pine straw under, around, and over the string – the pine straw covered the string by at least 6 inches. Then, we carefully lit the pine straw and stood back. WOOOOOSH… In seconds, the pine straw and string were consumed. We won the competition.
The other groups complained. We didn’t build a real fire, some said. Our fire only burned for a few seconds, others complained. The pine straw fire didn’t produce any heat at all. Some suggested that we cheated by not using wood and not stacking the wood carefully into a pyramid or box. The other teams were mad… boy, were they mad.
But, and here’s the interesting part, after laughing for a few minutes, the judges awarded us the prize. Why? Because we followed the rules and completed the competition in the shortest amount of time. Remember, the rules were simple: burn the string. We did that. It wasn’t pretty. It didn’t provide much heat. It didn’t burn long. We couldn’t even roast a marshmallow. But, we burned the string. And that is what counted.
When the church gathers together, Paul gives us one simple rule: Let everything be done for edification. (1 Corinthians 14:26) While this is a simple command, it is often lost among many things that happen when the church gathers together. This week, I want to study “edification”. What does “edification” mean? How is a believer edified? Who is responsible for edification? There may be a few other questions that come up during this week’s post.
Like the scout teams that we beat in the fire building competition, you may think that I’m cheating because of the simplicity. You may think that I have left out too many things. You may think that my suggestions fail in some area. Please remember, the goal is simple: edification.
Series on Edification:
1. Edification 1 – Introduction
2. Edification 2 – Definition
3. Edification 3 – Scope
4. Edification 4 – Responsibility
5. Edification 5 – Activities
6. Edification 6 – Simplicity
A relaxing Saturday evening…
Saturday evening, several friends came over to our house again. Our family had an emotional and stressful week. Earlier in the week, the doctor thought that Margaret, my wife, was having heart problems. After a couple of days of tests and waiting, the doctor said that she was fine.
Anyway, we all needed to relax a little, and that’s just what we did Saturday evening. We were able to talk with some friends, share some good food, and hear about what God was doing in their lives. But, it was a different kind of meeting. We didn’t have any deep discussions. Instead, we had a relaxing and encouraging evening.
This is not to say that we did not challenge or exhort one another. In fact, since then I’ve been thinking about several statements that were made Saturday night. In particular, a few people talked about how God was leading them in their lives. We talked about the difference between making plans and acting on our plans, and waiting for God.
I’m not against planning. I know very few people who are against planning. The question is: do I act according to my plans, or do I allow God to direct me? Sometimes the two coincide. Sometimes they don’t. Like the psalmist, I want to be a person who waits patiently on the Lord.