Edify the Church

 Eph.4:11,12
And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;  For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

As Christians, we are charged to spread the gospel of Jesus, and to share the grace of God to a lost world. It is the great commission given to us by Jesus before He ascended back to the Father. But, we have also been charged with edifying the church, the body of Christ to grow and learn to be more like Jesus. It is given to each one of us to ask God what we can do to help edify the church. It is not enough to just go to church and sing the hymns, lift our hands in praise, and soak in God’s presence. God calls each one of us to be a part of the ministry of building each other in Christ. The old days of looking out for self have been put away. God’s Spirit now pushes us forward to be partakers of this ministry. I believe that is why it is so important to be a part of a body of believers who are like-minded in heart and desire to live according to God’s word. Yes, the church is more than just a building or an organization, and the label on the church door is not so important as the label that God has stamped on our hearts. Edification, or the building up of faith and love, is not done in isolation. The Lord may call some to make the world their mission field, and spend their life sharing the good news, but their call is no greater than those He has called to serve in the local church to edify believers to live holy and learn to love. What this will look like is different for each of us. Find that calling, ask God, “What will you have me to do to help edify the body of Christ, the church.” 

He Is Precious

1 Peter 2:7a Unto you therefore which believe he is precious…

Precious: “something of great value, not to be wasted or treated carelessly” He is the main cornerstone of our spiritual life. A precious stone that we depend on and basic to living this Christian life. He is the solid rock, the foundation that is laid as we build our spiritual house. As the cornerstone, he holds our life together, fitly frames to stand during test of time. He is treasure of great pearls. Without Him, Christianity would be just another religion with some good moral teaching, but He bring religion to a whole new level. He is precious because he breathes new life into every believer. To those who believe that He is precious will not be led astray. Hold firm to the living stone as we build our spiritual house here on earth

Building the Kingdom

Nehemiah 3:2 And next unto him builded …

The building of the wall of Jerusalem was not done single handling by one person. Ezra and Nehemiah get a lot of attention and credit for the rebuilding of the wall and the temple, but it took the cooperation and contributions of many to make it happen. The work of the kingdom is not the job of only preachers and ministries of the gospel, but by everyone that names the Name of Jesus. We are workers together as we build the kingdom of God. Spreading the news that Jesus saves and wants all people of all nations to come together as one people. The world is made up of different cultures and speak different languages, but we all can be children of God, serving and loving Him. The church is more than just a building or a denomination, but a people, washed in the blood of Christ, working to build a better world by sharing the grace of God wherever they go.

The Church- One Body

1 Corinth 12:18 “But now hath God set the members, every one of them, in the body as it hath pleased Him.”- 

For church to be non functional, it must be able to work together without division. Because we all come from different backgrounds, with different ideas, it is not uncommon to have different opinion on how things are done. Every part of the work of God is important and God has given each member of His church a gift and talent to be used to create a church that will please Him. There is more than just one function of the church, and each one is important for a church to be health. The church is foremost a body of believers who have come together to worship God, they gather together to learn more about Jesus and to build and edify each other in the Lord. Thirdly, the church is place where people who need God can come and find Him. The church has a responsibility to reach out to those who are hurting and to those who don’t know God. The church is more than a hospital for the sick (sinners). We gather together as one to worship Him and encourage each other in the faith. Division often comes when we think one of these is more important than another. We are one body, we all are in Christ, and our purpose is to please Him.