Glorifying God Results in Edifying Believers

Because we are a biblically based ministry, we look to scripture as the only source for what we believe and what we do. Within scripture we acknowledge that the primary purpose of man is to glorify God. We glorify God by reflecting or declaring His character.

The final two aspects of our church’s purpose are edifying believers and testifying to the lost. Both aspects are byproducts of reflecting and declaring the character of God. We minister to others out of the overflow of our lives. As we personally reflect and declare God's character, we affect those around us. As we glorify God, we will edify believers and testify to the lost.

The edification of believers within the church flows from church members consistently glorifying God. As members reflect and declare God’s character, those around them are encouraged. It is this encouragement that Paul exhorts in 1 Thessalonians, “therefore encourage one another and build one another up . . . And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all” (, ; Cf. ; ).[1]

To build up or edify. To edify literally means to construct a house. When used figuratively, especially in the context of the preceding verses, it implies the “establishment and increase of a Christian community known as the house of God . . . the process of spiritual growth and development of the spiritual community and each member within it.”[2]

To encourage. The word encourage carries the idea of “coming close to someone’s side and speaking in a friendly manner” or “rousing up someone’s will about what ought to be done.”[3]

In looking at these two concepts, a few implications may be drawn. (1) That the work is good, it’s profitable. Edifying is not tearing down. (2) There is a bigger purpose outside the present moment. (3) It’s a process. Being built up doesn’t happen overnight. (4) There will be challenging times. This process is beneficial but will inevitably be hard at times.

So then, how do we edify one another in the context of the local church? To answer that question, we offer the acronym FEAST: (1) fellowship, (2) exaltation, (3) accountability, (4) service, and (5) teaching.[4]

Fellowship. The fostering of relationships in which all participants actively share Christ and His purposes in common.

Luke writes of the early church in that they “devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship.” According to the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary, “fellowship” refers to companionship, a company of equals, or membership and partnership.[5] There are three key ideas that come out of this. (1) Fellowship means being part of a group of people. Fellowship stands in opposition to isolation, solitude, loneliness, and our present-day independent individualism.[6] (2) Fellowship requires a sharing with others of certain things in common such as interests, goals, feelings, beliefs, activities, experiences, or concerns. (3) Fellowship can also refer to a partnership that involves working together and caring for one another as a company of people, like a company of soldiers or members of a family.

But what about Christian fellowship? The Greek word koinonia[7] carries similar meanings as the English word fellowship. The distinction between the two comes in the context. John offers us the simplest definition for Christian fellowship. “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin” (). Jesus Christ is the “source and fount for all spiritual communion. Only when rightly related to the Lord do we experience true fellowship with another Christian.”[8]

Scripture reveals that Christian fellowship is the fostering of relationships in which all participants actively share Christ and His purposes in common. (1) Relationship. We share a relationship with Christ and as a result a relationship with one another. The common thread that holds us together is Christ. (2) Partnership. We as well share Christ’s purpose. Therefore, we partner together to accomplish the goals Christ has set out for us, those being to care for one another and to bring the lost to Christ. To accomplish this purpose, we share our possessions, time, and money. (3) Companionship. As we share Christ and His purposes, we encourage and exhort one another along the path. We communicate with one another. We encourage one another. We hold each other accountable.

Exaltation (Corporate Worship). An acknowledgment of God’s greatness which is accompanied by a response of humility. Our opportunities to exalt the greatness of God are found in scripture reading, prayer, singing, and the ordinances.

For the sake of an acronym, we mention “exaltation,” but what we refer to specifically is corporate worship. Our corporate worship serves as one of the primary tools for encouragement. Corporate worship consists of many elements simply summarized in the following definition. Worship (or exaltation) is an acknowledgment of God’s greatness which is accompanied by a response of humility.

There are two elements to this definition: (1) an acknowledgment of God’s greatness, and (2) a humble response on the part of the worshipper. These elements are clearly seen throughout the Old Testament in context of worship. For instance, in , the author writes, “When all the people of Israel saw the fire come down and the glory of the LORD on the temple, they bowed down[9] with their faces to the ground on the pavement and worshiped[10] and gave thanks to the LORD.”

Two words draw our attention, bowed down and worshiped. Both root O.T. Hebrew words could be translated as “worshiped” in specific context. While both can refer to a physical act of bowing, the first word emphasizes the physical act of bowing, while the second tends to refer to the act of a beggar’s obeisance to a superior, more specifically through the act of “showing, telling, or making known.”

While five Greek words may be translated as worship, most instances involve the word proskuneo, meaning to bow down to or worship, “expressed concretely with falling face down.”[11] A study through the New Testament would provide several manners in which the Church is directed to display its external worship. (1) Scripture reading. “Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching” (). (2) Prayer. “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers” (). (3) Singing. “addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart” (). Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God” (). (4) Gathering together. “On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his speech until midnight” ().

Accountability. A simple definition for accountability refers to an explanation of one’s actions and/or motives. We desire to foster accountability by building relationships which promote honest evaluation and obedience to God.

Primarily to God. The stark reality of Scripture is that every person, Christian and non-Christian, is accountable before a sovereign God, whether it’s on the day of judgment () or the judgment seat of God (), “the whole world [will] be held accountable to God” (), and will one day bow before Christ ().

To Leadership. Our accountability is primarily if not solely to God, yet this accountability extends beyond this divine vertical relationship to our horizontal relationships. We will be held accountable for our submission to our leaders and one another. The author of Hebrews writes, “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you” (). And Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians, “We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you” ().

These passages speak of accountability from two dimensions (1) Elders are held accountable to God for their handling of the truth and their leadership of the church they lead. (2) There is accountability or responsibility to the elders by those whom they lead. This is seen in the command to obey[12] and submit.[13]

To each other. “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” (). This accountability may look different depending on the circumstances. At times we may need to “admonish the idle” while at other times we may “encourage the fainthearted” or “help the weak” (, ; Cf. ).

Paul ends his statement in with “be patient with all.” Accountability within the church ought not be done with manipulation or coercion. It’s not an invasion of privacy, adherence to some form of legalism, or domination over others. Accountability is to be characterized by honesty, transparency, a non-judgmental spirit, experienced in the context of grace. By accountability we refer to the developing of “relationships with other Christians that help to promote spiritual reality, honesty, obedience to God, and genuine evaluations of one’s walk and relationship with God and with others. We are talking about relationships that help believers change by the Spirit of God and the truth of the Word of God through inward spiritual conviction and faith.”[14]

Service. A simple dictionary definition for service is “contributing to the welfare of others.”[15] Friberg offers a similar definition in his Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament, when he defines diakoneo as “services of any kind” or “supplying with life’s necessities, support, take care of, minister to.”[16] He goes on to reference the service of deacons within the church and their religious service of meeting the physical needs of believers. This additional caveat allows us to draw a little more specific definition of service for the context of the church. Service is the contributing to the spiritual and physical needs of others.

Christ is our example. “But Jesus called them to him and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them . . . It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” ().

Our natural tendency is to not serve. “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another” ().

Everyone serves something or someone. “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money” ().

We serve Christ when we serve others. “I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me . . . And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me” (, ).

Teaching. The formal and informal instruction of God’s Word whereby believers are equipped to do the work of ministry.[17]

We are to teach at all times. “And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise” (). “[P]reach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching” ().

We are to teach so that the truth is passed on to the next generation. “and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” ().

Teaching is a responsibility of every pastor. “And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil” ().

Every believer has the responsibility to hear teaching. “Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves” (; cf. ).

The Word of God is to be the content of our teaching. “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” (; cf. ).

Teaching is for the equipping of the saints to do the work of ministry. “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ” ().

[1] For you know how, like a father with his children, we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory. () to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ ().

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 ()

[2] Timothy Friberg, Barbara Friberg, and Neva F. Miller, eds., Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2000), 278. οἰκοδομέω impf. ᾠκοδόμουν; fut. οἰκοδομήσω; 1aor. ᾠκοδόμησα; 1aor. pass. ᾠκοδομήθην or οἰκοδομήθην (); 1fut. pass. οἰκοδομηθήσομαι; (1) literally; (a) as constructing houses, temples, tombs, etc. build, erect (); (b) absolutely erect buildings (); substantivally οἱ οἰκοδομοῦντες the builders (); (c) build again, restore (), opposite καταλύω (destroy, tear down); (2) figuratively; (a) of the establishment and increase of a Christian community known as the house of God build, establish (); (b) of the process of spiritual growth and development of the spiritual community and each member within it edify, make more able, strengthen (1C 14.4); (c) in a negative sense, as setting up (again) a wall of separation between Jews and Gentiles build (again), restore (); (d) as imparting strength and courage to someone to do what is right () or wrong (1C 8.10) strengthen, embolden

[3] Friberg, Friberg, and Miller, 296. παρακαλέω impf. παρεκάλουν; 1aor. παρεκάλεσα; pf. pass. παρακέκλημαι; 1aor. pass. παρεκλήθην; 1fut. pass. παρακληθήσομαι; from a basic meaning call someone to oneself; (1) call to (one’s side); (a) summon, call for (); (b) invite (); (c) call on (for help), summon to one’s aid (); (2) as speaking with persistence earnestly ask for, implore, beg (); (3) as speaking authoritatively exhort, urge, encourage (); (4) as speaking to relieve sorrow or distress comfort, cheer (up), encourage (2C 1.4)

[4] In the context of our discussion we could use the analogy of a pool of resources. We come to that pool with both a straw and a bucket. We suck from the resources with our straw and we replenish the resources with our bucket. We add to the pool of resources by means of 5 different buckets: fellowship, exaltation, accountability, service, and teaching.

[5] Inc Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster, Inc., 2003).

[6] Walter A. Elwell, ed., Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology (Grand Rapids, Mich. : Carlisle, Cumbria: Baker Pub Group, 1996), 255. “it is probably best not to use the word “community” as a synonym for “fellowship.” The reason for this is that in modern English “community” presupposes “individualism” and thus carries a meaning that is necessarily foreign to biblical presuppositions since individualism (i.e., the thinking of a human being as an “individual” and as the basic unity of society) is, technically speaking, a modern phenomenon. So “community” seemingly inevitably today usually refers to a group, body, or society that is formed by the coming together of “individuals” in a contractual way. The emphasis is on the initiative of the “individuals” and on the voluntary nature of the group thus formed.”

[7] Friberg, Friberg, and Miller, Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament, 233. κοινωνία, ας, ἡ (1) as a relationship characterized by sharing in common fellowship, participation () . . . (2) as giving so that others can share generosity, fellow feeling (2C 9.13; PH 2.1); more concretely willing contribution, gift ()

[8] Walter A Elwell and Barry J Beitzel, Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1988), 789.

[9] R. Laird Harris, “1044 כָרַע,” R. Laird Harris, Gleason L. Archer Jr, and Bruce K. Waltke, Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, New Edition edition (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2003), 456. כָרַע (kāraʿ) bow down, kneel, sink down to one’s knees, kneel down (to rest, of an animal), kneel in reverence, before God or a king (; ).

[10] William Lee Holladay and Ludwig Kohler, A Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament (Leiden: E.J. Brill and Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co, 2000), 97; Harris, Jr, and Waltke, Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, 914, 267. Holladay defines חָוָה (ḥāwâ) as “bow down deeply, do obeisance: to the ground . . . 1. profane usage, before a superior: beggar. . . 2. cultic usage: before constellations , holy mountain .” The TWOT defines it as “2360 שָׁחָה (šāḥâ) bow down” (pg. 914) and it comes from the root word “618 חָוָה (ḥāwâ) II, show, tell, make known.” (pg. 267)

[11] Friberg, Friberg, and Miller, Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament, 334. προσκυνέω (1) from a basic sense bow down to kiss someone’s feet, garment hem, or the ground in front of him; (2) in the NT of worship or veneration of a divine or supposedly divine object, expressed concretely with falling face down in front of someone (, , , )

[12] Obey . . . Pei,qesqe verb imperative present passive 2nd person plural . . . (1) active . . . (3) passive; . . . (a) be convinced or persuaded, believe (); (b) as an evaluative orienter believe (that) (); (c) obey, follow, with the dative of person or thing (); (d) perfect passive be convinced or certain of something ()

[13] Obey sounds like an active verb, and yet it is in the passive. We are commanded to allow something to be done to us. We are to allow our leaders to convince us. We are to yield to them. A stubborn and debative spirit finds no place in this kind of obedience. This can appear to be a self-serving exhortation by an elder, but they must always remember the sobering reality that they will be held accountable for how they lead.

[14] “Mark # 16: Accountability,” J. Hampton Keathley, “Marks of Maturity: Biblical Characteristics of a Christian Leader” (bible.org, February 2, 2009), http://bible.org/seriespage/mark-16-accountability.

[15] Inc Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary.

[16] Friberg, Friberg, and Miller, Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament, 109. διακονέω impf. διηκόνουν; fut. διακονήσω; 1aor. διηκόνησα; 1aor. pass. διηκονήθην; (1) generally, of services of any kind serve (); (2) of supplying with life’s necessities support, take care of, minister to (); (3) of table service wait on, serve (); (4) of religious service relating the physical needs of believers serve as deacon, perform duties of deacon (1T 3.10)

[17] On a couple of occasions, the NT writers use the analogy of food in reference to teaching. Paul writes, “I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it” (). The author of Hebrews writes, “everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature” ().

Consider a head of broccoli and a waffle bowl full of chocolate moose track ice cream. Which is healthy for you? Which one taste better? Often what we want does not equate to that which is best for us. That which is best for us is often not what is most desirable. In the context of spiritual food, the same is true. Teachers are often tempted to offer you what you want to hear, and not what you need to hear.

As teachers of God’s Word, it is important that we present the meat of the Word. The manner of presentation is presented by the garnish. We would be true to our calling as teachers if we were to simply present the truth, and yet we strive to present that truth in a way that makes it a bit more palatable – without sacrificing the truth. These garnishes are seen in illustrations, visual aids, style of dialogue, etc. We need to be careful that we don’t spend more time on the style of the presentation (i.e. the garnishes) and not the content/truth (i.e. the meat). We can at time lose the meat because all we did was focus on the presentation. Ideally, we will have the opportunity as teachers to present the truth in a refreshing and engaging manner.

Glorifying God Results in Edifying Believers

Edify Believers