Wednesday, August 29, 2007

The Church is to Edify and Encourage

I've always loved going to church. My best friends have usually been fellow church goers, and I have always planned my life and activities around church. For me, church has always been my social network. These people understand me, and are my friends and confidants. I have heard a lot of people say they don't need to go to church, because they can worship God anywhere. That is true, and we should worship God everywhere and in everything we do, but worshipping God is not the only reason we should go to church. We should also go to church to be with other Christians, and it's hard to fellowship with other Christians all alone in the woods. It says in I Thessalonians 5:11, "Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, just as you also are doing." We should be uplifting each other and encouraging each other. We are also supposed to "edify" each other. Edify means to instruct or improve morally or intellectually. The old phrase, "if you can't find anything good to say, then say nothing at all." really comes to life here. It also says in I Corinthians 14:26 ". . . . When you come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done for the edification." When we come to church, we should leave feeling better than we came. One of the purposes of the meeting is to build up the members, strengthen them, and teach them how to live more moral lives. Church should not be demoralizing or depressing, or supporitive of sin. God is great and if we get together and share all the great things God has done and can do, we will then be encouraged to go out tell others of His greatness.

1 comment:

Dana said...

Amen. very true , by this we are building up the church. Ephesians is a wonderful book showing the love of Christ toward the Church.(eph 5) Christ as the Husband is preparing his Bride, the Church by washing with the water in the word. Church is not a building, but believers together who are saved by his blood . God s eyes are set on the Church and His greatest promise is that He will build his Church (matt 16:18) and the Gates of Hades will not prevail against the Church. we are only safe and secure if we are in the Church because alone we cannot defeat the enemy,but the Church can. If we are a Christian, and we are out from the fellowship with the Church, then we just missed the main purpose and the Goal. Because Gods eyes are set on the Church.
Eph. 5:25 - Husbands, love your wives even  as Christ also  loved the church and gave Himself up for her
Eph. 5:26 - That He might  sanctify her, cleansing her by the washing of the water in the  word,
Eph. 5:27 - That He might   present the  church to Himself   glorious, not having   spot or wrinkle or any such things, but that she would be  holy and   without blemish.


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