Welcome back to our investigation into this thing called Praise Break. In the last post, we started to delve into the purpose of the church.
Let's continue shall we...
A lot of what goes on in the church today does not edify the body as a whole. A lot of the churches today have started to focus on the individual rather than the whole body. But the bible clearly says that when we come together, it’s not about the individual, but the body as a whole.
Leaders of the church have focused on very few people while the majority of the body suffers.
Romans 14:17-19
For the kingdom of God
For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men.
Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.
Notice what the kingdom of God is... righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost.
And notice what it says afterwards... follow after the things that cause peace and things that edify another.
Notice, it doesn't say to edify yourself, but someone else.
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.
Notice, we are allowed to do all things, but everything we do doesn't edify. And we should be about the business of edifying one another.
Romans 15:1-3
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. For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, ‘The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me’.
Do you see? This edification of one another, is our ministry, and causes us to become like Christ.
When it comes to things being done inside the congregation, the major test of whether or not it should be done is whether or not it edifies the body.
Even things that we know are gifts from God should only be used within the congregation if the body receives edification.
If the body can't receive edification from it, stop it, as the only person that is being edified is you, and that's not the purpose of the gathering of the saints.
1 Corinthians 14:1-28
Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy.
For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries. But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort.
He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself; but he that prophesieth edifieth the church.
I would that ye all spake with tongues, but rather that ye prophesied: for greater is he that prophesieth than he that speaketh with tongues, except he interpret, that the church may receive edifying.
Now, brethren, if I come unto you speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you, except I shall speak to you either by revelation, or by knowledge, or by prophesying, or by doctrine? And even things without life giving sound, whether pipe or harp, except they give a distinction in the sounds, how shall it be known what is piped or harped? For if the trumpet gives an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?
So likewise ye, except ye utter by the tongue words easy to be understood, how shall it be known what is spoken? For ye shall speak into the air.
There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of them is without signification.
Therefore if I know not the meaning of the voice, I shall be unto him that speaketh a barbarian, and he that speaketh shall be a barbarian unto me. Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church.
Wherefore let him that speaketh in an unknown tongue pray that he may interpret. For if I pray in an unknowntongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful.
What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.
Else when thou shalt bless with the spirit, how shall he that occupieth the room of the unlearned say Amen at thy giving of thanks, seeing he understandeth not what thou sayest?
For thou verily givest thanks well, but the other is not edified.
I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all: Yet in the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding, that by my voice I might teach others also, than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue.
Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men.
In the law it is written, ‘With men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for all that will they not hear me’, saith the Lord.
Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not: but prophesying servethnot for them that believe not, but for them which believe.
If therefore the whole church be come together into one place and all speak with tongues, and there come in those that are unlearned, or unbelievers, will they not say that ye are mad? But if all prophesy, and there come in one that believeth not, or oneunlearned, he is convinced of all, he is judged of all:
And thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest; and so falling down on his face he will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth.
How is it then, brethren? When ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, and hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying.
If any man speaks in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret. But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God.
Paul makes it ridiculously clear here.
He says that we know that the gift of tongues exists. He says that we know that God gives the gifts of tongues. He says that we know that the gift of tongues can be used in the congregation. But then he says only if there is an interpreter.
Why? Because if there is no interpreter, no one is being edified, and the purpose of the gathering of the saints is for the edification of the body, not one individual.
Notice, he says let all things be done unto edifying. This is edifying of the body, not the individual.
He even goes so far as to say that he would rather everybody prophesy, because then everybody would be edified by the prophesy.
Paul breaks it down for us even further by saying that when we come together, everyone has something to add, but the chief purpose is the edification of the body - so those things which don't edify the body should be left out.
Go do that at home in your closet between you and God, since the only one that is being edified is you. But in the congregation, the edification of the body is the focus.
Now, how many churches do this? Very few.
A lot of churches have the entire congregation speaking in "tongues" and nobody interprets. Who is being edified? Not the body.
Paul even compliments them, saying that they give thanks well, but nobody else is edified when they give thanks. No one is even able to say amen because they don't have a clue what is being said.
Using this example, we can clearly see that a lot of churches today have turned the focus on the individual.
They encourage talking in our "prayer language" while we're in the congregation. They encourage doing the exact things that Paul, under the inspiration of the
Holy Spirit, told us not to do.
This is sad.
It seems that we are actually going the opposite way. We are becoming less and less like Jesus. We are following less and less of His commands. And because of that, we are drifting away from perfection, ministry, and edification.
What happens if we don't do these things (strive for perfection, ministry, edification)?
Well, think about it. Edification is the building up of a believer in wisdom, knowledge, etc.
This enables and prepares them to do ministry and be better in doing it.
As you continue those two things, the person draws closer and closer to perfection (becoming more and more like Jesus).
So, if those things aren't in place, then the reverse happens.
The believer does not increase in wisdom, knowledge, etc.
The believer is less prepared for ministry, and the quality of ministry goes down.
The believer becomes less like Jesus (or is stagnant in their growth).
When you look at the church today, those things seem to fit very well don't they.
We have an example of this in the bible actually.
Hebrews 5:11-14
Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing.
For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
Here Paul says that these people should be teachers by now, but someone needs to teach to them again the first things of God. They are still on milk.
Now, in verse 11, Paul clearly says that it’s the people who are at fault and not their teachers.
So the perfection, ministry, edification is supposed to be done inside the gathering of the congregation and continued outside the gathering as well.
After all, if you only read your bible when the pastor says to turn to such and such, how do you think you're going to grow?
Do you only eat food once a week as well? Are you not hungry for the word of God?
Again, if the only book of the bible that you give the most attention to is Psalms, and are content to only read psalms, then you are a babe and are stagnant.
Look what Paul says... those who use milk are unskilful in the word of righteousness. They can't deal with heavy theological issues. All they want, and all they can actually receive are the most basic of doctrines - God is love, God is mercy, God has good thoughts towards you, God wants to help you, Jesus died on the cross for you.
Those are the most basic of the basics.
If you've been 10 years meeting with your church and all your hear from your pastor is the above, guess what? He (or in these unbiblical times, she) might be a babe too.
This is why when someone starts talking about deep theological issues, these people get offended, because they are babes.
You don't give a baby its milk and see how upset it gets.
God says your pastor should step down as He (or she), is not supposed to be in that position. 'Uh uh, my pastor is a man of God, and he's done this and he's done that, and he's blessed'.
You can quote scripture ‘til you're blue in the face and it won't matter, because babes can not understand. They can't take in meat.
Why do you think that the most unbiblical things come out of the biggest congregations? It’s because they are babes. Babes can not discern or understand. And a baby will fight you for an empty bottle because it’s comfortable with the bottle thinking there is milk in it.
It’s sad… really sad.
1 Corinthians 3:1-3
And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.
I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?
Those who can only receive milk, are carnal. They are not spiritually mature. They are selfish and only look out for and take care of themselves. They aren't concerned about others.
This comes back to the focus on the individual within the congregation. There is no desire to edify another. They don't consider that they shouldn't pray or speak in tongues in the congregation because nobody can understand them and say amen or learn anything from it. They only care about themselves. What they want and how they feel.
This is what happens when perfection, ministry, and edification are not sought after. People will come into the kingdom as babes in Christ, and stay as babes in Christ. They won't grow.
Let's end for today. Join us next time as we move onto the "main event" of our investigation.
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