Edify One Another

Text: 1 Thessalonians 5:1–11

Introduction

In 1 Thessalonians 5, Paul is encouraging the church at Thessalonica because difficult days are coming.

The Day of the Lord is coming. It will be sudden. It will be severe. Those who are saying, “Peace and safety,” will experience sudden destruction.

But Paul doesn't merely warn them about what is coming. He tells them how Christians ought to live with one another while they wait for Christ to return.

And in verse 11 he says:

“Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.”

Notice the two commands:

Comfort one another.

Edify one another.

And notice the final phrase:

“even as also ye do.”

Paul is saying, Keep doing this. Continue building one another up.

That brings us to our subject:

Edification = Building Up

I. What Does “Edify” Mean?

The word edify comes from the Greek word oikodomeō, which means to build, to construct, or figuratively, to build up or strengthen.

It is the same basic word used of literal construction.

Jesus used this word when He spoke of the wise man who built his house upon a rock and the foolish man who built his house upon the sand.

Jesus also used this word in Matthew 16:18: “I will build my church…”

So the basic picture is simple:

Edification is construction.

When we edify another Christian, we are building them up.

We are strengthening them.

We are helping them stand.

We are contributing something to their spiritual stability and growth.

And when Paul tells Christians to edify one another, he is saying:

You are responsible to contribute to the spiritual strength of the people sitting around you.

The church is not merely a gathering of individuals.

The church is not made up of strangers who gather once a week to pay homage to their God.

It was never supposed to be a place where people punch their spiritual time clock and fulfill their weekly obligation to a deity or priest.

And it certainly isn't a place where some people come to boast about their abilities, knowledge, gifts, wealth, or anything else they possess.

The church is an assembly of Christians gathered around Christ.

We gather to worship Him.

We gather to proclaim His gospel.

We gather to serve Him.

And we gather to minister to one another.

That is why the New Testament is filled with “one another” commands.

And one of those commands is: “Edify one another.”

So the question becomes:

How do we do that?

II. Edify One Another in Our Liberties

Romans 14:19: “Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.”

Notice the connection:

Peace → edification.

Then Romans 15:1–2: “We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification.”

That is a powerful principle.

There will be times when the exercise of your Christian liberty clashes with the conscience or weakness of another believer.

You may be tempted to say: “But I'm free to do this.”

And perhaps you are.

But Paul asks a different question: “Will this build up my brother?”

1 Corinthians 10:23

“All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.”

Paul's concern is not merely: “Is this technically permissible?”

His concern is: “Does this edify?”

Something can be permissible and still be unwise.

Something can be lawful and still be unloving.

Something can be a legitimate liberty and still be something that I ought to surrender for the good of another believer.

And that gives us two questions to ask about our liberties:

Does this build me up?

There are things that may not technically be sinful, but that don't help me spiritually.

Does this build my brother up?

Something that strengthens me may be a stumbling block to someone else.

Consider a hypothetical example.

Suppose I have a particular style of clothing that I like. There's nothing inherently sinful about wearing it, and I have complete liberty to wear it.

But I know that my brother or sister is struggling with something, and I know that my choice is going to become a distraction or stumbling block to them.

I could insist, “It's not my fault what they think. I'm not doing anything wrong.”

But that's not the attitude Paul calls us to.

Christian maturity isn't demonstrated by how aggressively I defend my liberties.

Christian maturity is demonstrated by how willingly I surrender my liberties for the good of someone else.

Paul answers this in Romans 14:21: “It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak.”

Christian liberty is not primarily about what I am allowed to do.

Christian liberty is also about what I am willing to give up for the sake of someone else.

That is edification.

I don't merely ask, “Can I?” I ask, “Will this build up my brother?”

III. Edify One Another in Our Gifts

1 Corinthians 14:12:

“Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church.”

Paul's instruction is remarkably simple:

Use your spiritual gifts to build up the church.

Not to build up yourself.

Not to build your reputation.

Not to make people admire you.

Not to demonstrate how gifted you are.

Build up the church.

Ephesians 4:11–12 explains that Christ gave gifted ministers to the church:

“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.”

Notice the progression:

Christ gives ministers → ministers equip saints → saints do the work of ministry → the body is edified.

The ultimate goal is the building up of the body of Christ.

God has given gifts to His people for the good of His people.

That means every gift comes with a responsibility:

Use what God has given you for somebody else's good.

Don't use your gifts to elevate yourself.

I've heard people talk about using their gifts in ways that seem designed to elevate their status before other people.

Sometimes, if they want to sound especially spiritual, they will say: “I'm using my gift to bring glory to God.”

And certainly, God must receive the glory for everything we do.

1 Corinthians 10:31 says: “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.”

But Scripture also tells us how that glory is to be expressed in the church:

Through serving one another.

The preacher isn't supposed to preach so everyone knows how eloquent or intelligent he is.

The singer isn't supposed to sing so everyone knows how beautiful her voice is.

The person praying isn't supposed to pray so everyone knows how spiritual he is.

The Sunday school teacher isn't teaching so everyone can admire his knowledge.

The person who has the gift of evangelism isn't evangelizing so people will talk about how effective he is.

The purpose is:

Build up the body of Christ.

Whatever gift God has given you, ask: “How can I use this to strengthen somebody else?”

Because the church doesn't need more people displaying their gifts.

The church needs people using their gifts to build one another up.

IV. Edification Must Become the Culture of the Church

This brings us back to 1 Thessalonians 5:11: “Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.”

Paul isn't telling the Thessalonians to start caring about one another.

He is telling them to keep doing it.

This ought to be normal Christianity.

When we gather together, we should be asking:

“Who can I build up today?”

Not:

“What can I get today?”

Not:

“Who noticed me today?”

Not:

“Did I get what I wanted?”

But:

“Who can I encourage?”

“Who can I strengthen?”

“Who can I help?”

“Who needs to hear the truth?”

“Who needs a burden carried?”

“Who needs to be reminded of God's faithfulness?”

“How can I build up the body of Christ?”

That is what church is supposed to look like.

John MacArthur once said:

The church is a worshiping community, a witnessing community, and a working community. In other words, the church is to exalt the Lord, it is to evangelize the world, and it is to edify its members.

We serve one another and build one another up.

These things are not competing purposes.

We worship God, we proclaim Christ, and we build up His people.

Conclusion

Christ does not need you.

Christ does not need me.

He is perfectly sufficient in Himself.

But there are people sitting beside you who need you.

One another.

Your brother needs your encouragement.

Your sister needs your prayers.

The weak need the strong to bear with them.

The discouraged need comfort.

The immature need instruction.

The struggling need patience.

The lonely need fellowship.

The hurting need compassion.

And the entire body needs every member faithfully doing his or her part.

So when you come to church, don't merely ask:

“What am I going to get out of this?”

Ask:

“What am I going to contribute?”

Don't merely ask:

“Will I be encouraged?”

Ask:

“Who can I encourage?”

Don't merely ask:

“Will I be strengthened?”

Ask:

“Who can I strengthen?”

Don't merely ask:

“What are my liberties?”

Ask:

“How can I use my liberty in love?”

Don't merely ask:

“What are my gifts?”

Ask:

“How can I use my gifts to build up the church?”

Because this is the command:

“Edify one another.”

Build one another up.

Strengthen one another.

Encourage one another.

Serve one another.

Love one another.

And when the church does that, we become what Christ intended His church to be:

A body in which every member is helping the other members stand stronger in Christ.

Edification is building up.

And God has called every one of us to pick up the tools and get to work.