In this series: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6
The third duty that assembly-members have is to edify one another. You have the obligation to edify, uplift, and encourage your brothers and sisters.
Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers (Ephesians 4:29)
Therefore comfort each other and edify one another…pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all (1 Thessalonians 5:11, 15)
These verses teach that we are to build each other up. The Greek word for edify (oikodomé) means “to build.” It’s the same word for building a house. We build up the house – the assembly – through mutual edification.
The assembly is the place where you should be finding your encouragement and comfort, because the assembly is your spiritual family, your spiritual and heavenly house. Just as you share things with your families at home and you help one another, so it is to be in the assembly.
How do we edify one another? Edification can occur in many ways. It includes giving thanks to someone for things they do for the church. It includes complimenting each other, praising someone’s good works, or encouraging people in specific callings they have. Words like that impart grace. They let the person know that you care and that they are making a difference. It is important in any family unit to know that you are a valued member – no less than in the church family! Find ways to thank and compliment your assembly-members.
Edification includes lifting someone up when they are in despair. Imagine that you go to worship and ask someone, “How are you?” They respond honestly: “Things haven’t been so good.” In that moment, they need to be uplifted and you have the opportunity to speak words of comfort to them. How can you do that quickly and easily?
It’s tempting to ask what the problem is and give advice, but jumping to advice isn’t always helpful. Most immediately, the person needs words of life, not a lecture or a to-do list. They need a reminder of scripture, something that gives hope to the soul. Consider this response: “I’m really sorry to hear that. Be encouraged that God loves you, he loves you more than he loves the birds, and he’s working all things together for your good. May I pray with you right now?”
This is a basic example that everyone should be able to do. It’s not “cliché” – it’s God’s word. We edify by reminding each other of what God’s word says. Advice comes later. If time permits, consider praying for the person right then and there, instead of saying, “OK, I’ll be praying about that. Have a good day!” How often do we say we’ll pray about something, but never do? Praying on the spot is uplifting. The Holy Spirit uses those times to give the peace which passes all understanding (Philippians 4:6-7).
Objections
You might be thinking, “I know what God’s word says, so why do I need to hear it from others? I don’t need to go to church for that.” I have three responses to that. First, even if you’ve “heard it all before,” even if you know the Bible through and through, it’s still good to hear it from someone else. Listening to the sound of your own voice, in isolation from others, relegates yourself to the realm of subjectivity. But when an assembly-member says it, you’re hearing it from outside of yourself. You receive confirmation (or a double witness) to what you’ve already believed to be true. This provides a level of objectivity that isolation cannot. You will be benefited as a result.
Second, do you really “know it all”? Do you really know the Bible through and through? Don’t we forget a lot of what’s in the Bible? Don’t we forget about certain stories or parables or proverbs? Yes, we do. We need to be reminded by others. Within the assembly, one member will recall something that another member didn’t. We all forget different things, but that means we remember different things. It’s those things that we can share. We learn from each other and are built up by each other in that way.
Third, are you really spending time in the Bible during the week? I hope you do, but be honest. Do you always make it a priority? For most people, gathering with the assembly is when they hear the most Bible for their entire week. You can’t say, “I can be edified just by reading my Bible at home,” when you aren’t actually reading your Bible. You are required to assemble, and one reason is so that you hear the word of God spoken by other people (and for them to hear it from you!).
Not tearing down
If we are commanded to edify one another, we are forbidden from doing the opposite. We are forbidden from tearing one another down.
Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another (Galatians 5:26)
Do not speak evil of one another (James 4:11)
Do not grumble against one another, lest you be condemned (James 5:9)
If you are putting your assembly-members down – speaking evil against them, harboring resentment, being rude – that doesn’t build up. That tears down, which is inappropriate and sinful. It puts you at risk of condemnation. Coming to the assembly with a bad attitude, being noticeably grumpy or distant, tears others down. It affects everyone. Your attitude in the assembly affects the whole assembly. It’s your responsibility to not be like that.
To clarify, if you come to worship grumpy but ready to be edified, that’s different. That’s great! Come grumpy! If your expectation is to be uplifted, then you’ll be happy to come. You’ll be happy to see your brothers and sisters, and your grumpiness won’t translate into rudeness. But when you come grumpy and refuse to be encouraged and refuse to interact, that’s when it’s sinful. Repent of that and avoid that.
Music and singing
Finally, I want to mention Ephesians 5:19 which says, “Speak to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.” The verse reinforces that we edify one another with the words of scripture, but also with music and singing. This has great implications for musical worship.
When you sing in church, it functions as a means of edification for everyone around you. You know this: When you hear beautiful and glorious singing to God, it’s captivating. It’s powerful. It’s emotional. It’s motivating. It’s uplifting. But when you walk into a church that mumbles through its music, that doesn’t edify.
Let that be a part of your thinking when it comes to edification. It includes adding your voice to the choir! Your singing is meant to be a source of edification for others, and no one can hear you singing alone at home.
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