Category Archives: Building

Two men in historical robes walking on a stone path through a mountainous rural area
Bible, Building, Encouragement, Peace, Romans, Scripture

BUILDING UP OTHERS

ROMANS 14:19

“So then we pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another.”

When I read today’s verse, I immediately thought of Barnabas, one of Paul’s early traveling companions in his missionary journeys. Barnabas means “Son of Encouragement.” Barnabas left Paul to prevent a fracture in their mission to reach the Gentiles for Christ. His focus was on building up the body, not tearing it down.

In verse 19 today, Paul reminds us to be about making peace and building each other up. He knew that judging each other and speaking unkind words to them and about them would only serve to hurt the young Christian church. He also knew that only Satan would be pleased by such behavior. This is not the only place where Paul wrote on this subject. Let’s look at some others.

APPLICATION

Psalm 19:14 comes to mind when I think about my mouth. “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in Your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.” Paul may have had this on his mind when he wrote in Ephesians 4:29, “Let no unwholesome word come out of your mouth, but if there is any good word for edification according to the need of the moment, say that, so that it will give grace to those who hear.” Our words can be swords for good or evil. Choose your words carefully as you talk to a brother or sister with whom you disagree.

And God had it in his plan for the early church to structure its leadership in such a way to focus on this skill of building each other up. In Ephesians 4:11-13 Paul writes, “11 And He gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, some as pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ; 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.” The whole reason we strive to build each other up is contained in that last verse. Read it again.

We also focus on building each other up to avoid confusion in the body. Paul addresses this in 1 Corinthians 14:26. “What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a psalm or a teaching, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. All of these must be done to build up the church.” There has to be order in the body of Christ. Otherwise, no one is built up, no one is encouraged. And if there are unbelievers present, they will be totally confused. They need to see a united body.

So, let’s focus on building and not tearing down, on peace and not warring against each other. This we know pleases the Father. Amen?

Guard my lips, O Lord, for any unfruitful words against a brother or sister.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Abiding, Building, Church, Dwelling, God's Will, Holy Spirit, Home, Indwelling, Kingdom, Scripture

GOD’S DWELLING PLACE

EPHESIANS 2:22

“in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.”

My wife and I recently bought a new bed for our guest room. It is nothing fancy, just a metal headboard and footboard with side rails and middle support braces. When I finally got around to putting it together, I opened the box, laid out all the pieces and checked them off against the parts list (how many times have you come up short a piece without doing this?). Then I brought all the pieces inside, laid them on the bedroom floor and began the tedious process of trying to figure out from the drawing what part went where. In the end, I achieved my goal. We now have a bed someone can rest on when they visit.

Why do I use that illustration? Because the phrase “being built together” is exactly that. God has taken all the “pieces” and put them together to make His “bed,” His dwelling place. Once again, this Greek word has the preposition sun which is that permanent “with.” We are being built up together with other believers into a place where God says He will dwell here on this earth until one day we will dwell with Him in His kingdom in heaven.

APPLICATION

I love what Ellicott’s Commentary says here. “This verse seems primarily intended simply to emphasize the truth already enunciated in Ephesians 2:20, that the Ephesians themselves are now being made part of the Church of Christ, ‘being built up together in Christ.’ But it may also illustrate to us the character of the unity of the Church, as, primarily, a direct individual unity with Christ—each stone being itself a complete and living stone—and, secondarily and indirectly, a unity with others and with the whole.”

Did you get that? We are individually the dwelling of God through His Holy Spirit, and we are part of the corporate dwelling of God as part of His church. Ain’t God good? Two houses in one. Only God can do that. And God’s house has no flaws. There are no plumbing leaks or cracks in the foundation. His building warranty is eternal.

Okay, enough building metaphors. Simply put – we are God’s dwelling here on earth. He chooses to live in and through us. What an honor! Are you keeping His dwelling presentable? Can others see Him in you? As the cliché goes, “You may be the only Jesus some people ever see.”

Live in me, Lord. Shine Your eternal light through my eyes so that others are drawn into Your dwelling.

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