Let All Things Be Unto Edification

Date 15/07/2023

People of God GREETINGS! 

It is another week and we thank and rejoice in the Living God, the Father, through the Lord Jesus Christ for His provision, love, care, and his indwelling peace in us by the Divine Person of the Holy Spirit.  

Main Bible Scripture:

1 Corinthians 14 v 26

Other Associated Scriptures:

Ephesians 4 v 26, 1Corinthians 14 v 3 and so on.

Prayer:

Father God, in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we thank you for another week of divine health, divine peace, divine provision and divine wisdom and revelation of God, the Father. As we come in our own accord to feed our born-again spirit-beings with the rich nutrient of God’s Holy Word, we agree that your Word is the truth. We trust the Holy Spirit to bring the light of God’s Holy Word into our minds and the direction of that Word into our spirits. We trust you, the Lord Jesus Christ that we will be doers of your Word and not hearers, readers or speakers only.  In Jesus Name. Amen

 

Theme/Subject: “Let all things be done for edification”.

Our theme or subject is: “Let all things be done for edification”.

Our main text from the Holy Written Word of God is from 1 Corinthians 14 v 26 and it reads “How is it then, brethren (brothers & sisters)? Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification (building up).”

The word ‘brethren’ is an all-inclusive word meaning brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus. Brethren used in this context mean children of God. The Holy Spirit through our dear brother and apostle, Paul, wrote a Letter to born-again children of God in Corinth. Corinth is located eighty kilometres west of Athens, Greece. The same Holy Spirit writes to you, a born-again child of God, in Christ Jesus wherever you live today.

We note from the Holy text read earlier from 1Corinthians 14 v 26 that it is perfectly alright for born-again children of God to come together or to meet together. It reads How is it then, brethren (brothers & sisters)? Whenever you come together. But what is the essence of the saints coming or meeting together? It turns out that the purpose of the saints meeting together as children of God is to edify or build-up each and by so doing the Living God gets all the glory in the gathering. There are several ways the saints of God can meet together in the Name of Jesus. Today, the saints can physically and virtually gather together in the Name of Jesus. The physical gathering together of the saints is where the saints of God gather locally or elsewhere in the Name of Jesus. The virtual gathering together is where the saints of God gather together virtually in the Name of Jesus. For example, via Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Podbean, Skype, Facebook, WhatsApp and so on. Regardless of how the saints gather together, they must do so in the Name of Jesus to edify or build each other up for the glory of the Living God through the Holy Written Word of God by the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The centre figure in the gathering of the saints is Christ Jesus and not the main speaker. All the attention must be drawn to Christ Jesus in the gathering of the saints and not to man or a person.

Significantly, each child of God ought to worship the Living God alone; speaking to himself or herself from the INSIDE of him or her (see Ephesians 5 v 19). Speaking spiritual hymns, spiritual psalms, spiritual songs, singing and making spiritual melodies in your heart or in your spirit to Lord Jesus, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the Name of Jesus. Each born-again child of God ought to do this when he or she is alone so that when the saints gather together; he or she will have at least a hymn, a psalm, a teaching, a revelation, a tongue, an interpretation and so on to give to edify the saints.

When the saints gather together to edify each other by speaking words solely based on the Holy Written Word of God for the edification of each other Jesus said “He is there in the midst of them (see Matthew 18 v 20).” For where two or three are gathered together in His Name, He is in the midst of them.

We need to realise that for the gathering of the saints, each child of God is at least expected to edify one another other by speaking the Word of Christ which lives in them richly (see Colossians 3 v 16). No child of God can edify or build the other up spiritually and physically apart from the Holy Written Word of God. The word of God is already anointed and it is the primary source of spiritual and physical source of edification.  

In the gathering of the saints one person will speak a hymn to edify the other, the other person will speak a psalm to edify the other, the other person will teach from the Holy Word to edify the other, the other person will speak revelation (word of wisdom, word of knowledge and discerning of spirits) to edify the other, the other person will speak a tongue and the other will interpret to edify the other and so on.

When the true worshippers’ or saints gather together, it is very rarely you hear them discussed or talked about sins. If there is broken fellowship with God or sin(s) committed, the child of God immediately confesses it to the Lord Jesus Christ right there and then. This child of God then needs to receive forgiveness from the Lord Jesus because He is righteous and just to forgive the child of God but this child of God needs to believe in his or her spirit that Jesus is indeed righteous and just to forgive him or her and moves on. This way, by the time the saints gather together because they had already received forgiveness of sins from the Lord Jesus Christ there wouldn’t be any need as they gather together to again confess sins.  Instead the gathering together of the saints’ focuses more on praises and thanksgiving to God in the Name of Jesus for sins forgiven and for the retention of their right standing with Him in Christ Jesus.  God’s Word teaches that when the saints meet together each should speak or sing more praises, more thanksgiving to the Living God and also to speak hymn, psalm, revelation (word of wisdom, word of knowledge and discerning of spirits), tongue, interpretation of tongue to each other for their edification. These sayings among the saint are spiritual utterances based on the truth, that is, based on the Holy Written Word of God (see John 17 v 17).  In this way, as a result of the saints together praising God, thanking Him in the Name of Jesus and building each other up with these spiritual utterances; a spiritual house is built (see 1Peter 2 v 4-5). And inside this spiritual house, Christ is presents. Inside this spiritual house, the Holy Spirit is presents and the Father of spirits is also present. At this point, the saints begin to perform their holy priesthood duty to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to the Living God through Christ Jesus (see 1 Peter 2 v 4-5). Hebrews 13 v 15 says this “Therefore, by Christ let us continually offer the sacrifices of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips, giving thanks to His Name.”

Therefore, the spiritual sacrifices that we offer in the spiritual house when we gather together to perform our holy priesthood duty is to offer the sacrifice of praise.

What is the sacrifice of praise? It is the fruit of lips from the saints of God giving thanks to His Name.

More than ever now, we can appreciate what Jesus taught the Samaritan woman. He said “The hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is [a] Spirit and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth (see John 4 v 23-24).” True worshippers offer spiritual sacrifices which are fruits of their lips giving thanks in His Name.

In the gathering together of the saints, we practice our holy priesthood duty by ministering to the Living God and to each other in the Name of Jesus to offer the sacrifice of praise; the fruit of lips to Him and to build-up each other up in psalm, hymn, teaching, spiritual song, revelation, interpretation and so on. In the true gathering together of the born-again children of God; we give to the Living God the fruit of our lips in the Name of Jesus.  At the same time, we edify or build each other up by speaking spiritual utterances to each other from the inside of us where the Word of God lives richly.

The true gathering together of the saints’ results in the ministering of the fruit of our lips to the Living God and also results in the edifying or building-up each other. The gathering together of the true worshippers the Father of spirits seeks always result in PRAISE and THANKSGIVING to the Living God in the Name of Jesus. The gathering of the true worshippers the Father of spirits seeks always result in the EDIFICATION of the saints. It always results in praise, thanksgiving to the Living God and building up of the saints in the Name of Jesus.

There is no shortage of praises and thanksgiving among the gathering together of true worshippers of God irrespective of the circumstance, challenge, trial or test. There is no shortage of praises and thanksgiving of a true worshipper or saint of God irrespective of the circumstance, challenge, trial or test. I heard it said that praises and thanksgiving to the Living God in the Name of Jesus is the highest form of prayer.

I remember, the enemy whispered in my ears from the outside, saying – Thomas, I do not know what I am going to do with you. I responded, what do you mean? He said “I have severely attacked your household, your businesses, your marriage, your finances yet upon all of these; you have never once stopped praising and thanking the Living God; you have never once stopped preaching, teaching and sharing the Holy Word of the Living God to both believers and unbelievers freely.” I laughed and responded to the devil, get behind me, Satan! You have not seen nothing yet. In case you do not know - the thicker the storms, the higher my praises to the Living God my creator through Christ Jesus. My praises and thanksgiving to God does not based on my circumstances. My praises and thanksgiving to the Living God in the Name of Jesus is based solely on who God has made me in Christ Jesus. Satan cannot last a micro second in an atmosphere of praises and thanksgiving. It is the atmosphere of praises and thanksgiving where the saints of God are edified or built-up.

Let all things be done for edification. Let all things be done to build each other up and not to tear each other down. Let no corrupt word come out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to your hearers (see Ephesians 4 v 29. Are your words edifying or tearing up? Speaking poverty or lack does not edify me so stop it. Speaking sickness and dis-ease does not edify me so stop. Speaking death or the things that the devil is doing does not edify me so stop.

Speak life, speak love, speak peace, speak joy, speak faith, speak Christ and speak who the Living God has made you in Christ.

Speak that you are a child of God. Speak that you are born of God. Speak that the very nature and life of God lives in you. Speak that the nature and life of God is working in you. Speak that the love of God is working in you. Speak about who you are in Christ – heir of God and joint-heir with the Lord Jesus Christ. Speak the Holy Written Word of God which reveals in you the Living Word, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Let all things be done for EDIFICATION!

Closing Prayer

To God be the glory forever and ever in Jesus Name by the power of the Holy Spirit. I know that you are edified, exalted and comforted by this teaching, why don’t you share it with others to edify, to exalt and to comfort them also? It is also important to get your feedback and how together, through the weekly teachings we are growing in faith in God’s Holy Written Word.  Amen

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By: Bro Thomas Boakye