“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
Anytime I read a Scripture, it is important to meditate on it to get the full meaning (Joshua 1:8; Psalms 1:2; 119:97). In Isaiah 55:9, the Lord declares, “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” For the purposes of this article, this means a short sentence from God can mean much more than I realize at first glance. So, let’s meditate on what the Holy Spirit says here through Paul about building up the body.
What is the context? Paul is describing the work of church leaders. Christ has given men and women certain gifts (Romans 12:3-8; Ephesians 4:7-13). These gifts have the purpose of edifying the church.
At this point, it is always helpful to remember the church is people. The thing being build up is individual Christians. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. We must be careful of thinking of the church purely as a group. We can overlook the individual and that is where growth starts. The weak need strengthening. The downcast need encouraging. The helpless need help. Those who lead need those who will willingly follow.
Paul continually reminds us of our connection to Jesus. The maturity we are to achieve is to be like Christ the head of the body. If we love, serve, and live like our Lord we will become a kind of perpetual growth machine. Leaders and teachers lovingly building up one generation leads to a second generation doing the same. Or as Paul puts it, “when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.”-Ephesians 4:16.
What does it not mean? This may seem like a silly question, but it is very telling. It means not to tear down! Primum non nocere is a Latin phrase used by doctors that means, “first, do no harm.” If I am to understand what it means to build up a person, the first thing I need to realize is tearing them down is wrong. Sometimes through rivalry or jealousy we feel the need to bring someone down in the mistaken idea it will make us look better. What a childish, carnal, and immature thought (I Corinthians 3:1-3; Hebrews 5:12-14). Repent!
Remember this phrase is designed for the mature. The Spirit-minded Christian realizes another light shining in the world does not diminish their own. We should hope and pray for more strong Christians growing toward the Son. The first step in building up is to stop tearing down. Do not diminish your brother or sister. They may be weak and their faith easily destroyed.
How can I do it? God is the ultimate source of our growth. But we have a part in the process. Paul says, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.”-I Corinthians 3:6. We need to make sure new Christians are firmly planted in the word of God. The need teaching and attention to have the truth firmly embedded in their hearts. And they need love, words of encouragement, pats on the back, smiles, cards, and invitations to be in our homes. These are the godly waters of Christian growth.
Remember we are dealing with individual Christians who need edifying. Never tear down. The best way to build up is to do it today.
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