Our Building Up Others is most essential to the Lord

[Vine Abider]

In our local fellowship we’ve been going through First Corinthians the last ten weeks. We’ve arrived at the end of chapter 4, so we decided to do an “overflow” where everyone shares what they’ve seen and enjoyed so far. The overall issue Paul is addressing in these first four chapters has to do with divisions in the body.  The cure is to realize our oneness already obtained in Christ and seek to build one another up.

The sharing yesterday included how, in chapter 3, Paul says in verse 2 they are not able to take solid food. He outlines that the reason is because they have fleshly and silly divisions among themselves.  Then he begins to speak about building up the temple of God properly, using the right building materials (gold, silver, precious stones) that will withstand the judging fire of Christ.

Building-up with proper, lasting materials equates to the solid food.  And if anyone builds in a lasting way (it remains through the judging fire), their work will remain and they will be rewarded*.  And building up in God’s temple means to build each other up.  Looking at Ephesians 2:19-22 it says we are built up together to form His temple, His dwelling place.  God loves His dwelling place, and if anyone destroys His temple, God will destroy him! (1 Cor 3:17)

* Regarding being rewarded - God says in Genesis 15:1, “I will be your . . . exceedingly great reward.”  Nothing can be better than having God as our reward!  So what is His dwelling place?  It’s His temple.  And what is the temple of God?  We are built up as His temple (1 Cor 3:9 & 15).  Therefore, if we build up one another properly, we will nourish the seed of life in us and help Christ grow in one another!  Bottom line is we will be rewarded for helping Christ develop in each other and as His building!  Do you get the connection here?

Lastly, I read this in The Supplied Life devotional about a week ago, and thought it aptly conveyed something of the importance of oneness and building up one another:

Christ as our relationship with each other is what the church is. In other words, the church is just Christ between us. If Christ is not our mutual fellowship, then the reality of the church is lost. So to know the church is to know Christ as our relationship with each other. It is not a matter of knowing each other in a natural way, according to race or background. Neither is it formally joining a church to become a member. No. We are joined to the Lord in one Body, and His relationship with all His members becomes our relationship with every member. So we freely receive one another the way Christ received us (Rom. 15:7). This is what the church is.

“Let all things be done for the building up of one another.”

“I resolve to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ . . .”

1 Cor 14:26 & 2:2

[NConly]

That is what I see in Matt 5

29 And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.

[WilliamL]

32 minutes ago, Vine Abider said:

The sharing yesterday included how, in chapter 3, Paul says in verse 2 they cannot take solid food. He outlines that the reason is because they have fleshly and silly divisions among themselves.  Then he begins to speak about building up the temple of God properly, using the right building materials (gold, silver, precious stones) that will withstand the judging fire of Christ.

Building-up with proper, lasting materials equates to the solid food.

That solid food is, biblically speaking, the Word of God. The same Word is represented in the Holy Tabernacle by the showbread:

3) חַג/Feast of Weeks/Pentecost; seven weeks from the first weekly Sabbath after the first Feast day of Unleavened Bread. (That Sabbath being the day of the “Firstfruits Wave Offering.”) Lev. 23:15-21 Bread with new leaven (= the establishment of new doctrine) is offered up in the Temple. Lev. 23:17 The Day that YHWH established in Israel His new doctrine from Mount Sinai: the Ten Commandments. Ex. 24:1-9

Temple parts: Holy Place, with its 1) Lampstand: Holy Spirit anointing; 2) Table of Showbread: the bread/doctrine/Gospel of Christ; and 3) Altar of Incense: sacrifices of praise and intercessory prayer.

-- https://www.worthychristianforums.com/blogs/entry/3807-israel’s-7-appointed-holy-assembly-days-part-2-spring-assemblies-–-representations-already-fulfilled-in-type/

Believers who do not make it a personal practice of regularly consuming the Word are ones who will most likely be found causing divisions in the body of Christ.

[TheBlade]

"speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord" Songs, singing.. YES AMEN.. 

[farouk]

A great exhortation:

"Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord." (1 Corinthians 15.58)

[Guest maddy07]

amen!! this is so true!!

[PATrobas]

Heb 10:24  And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works :25  Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

[Marilyn C]

9 hours ago, Vine Abider said:

In our local fellowship we’ve been going through First Corinthians the last ten weeks. We’ve arrived at the end of chapter 4, so we decided to do an “overflow” where everyone shares what they’ve seen and enjoyed so far. The overall issue Paul is addressing in these first four chapters has to do with divisions in the body.  The cure is to realize our oneness already obtained in Christ and seek to build one another up.

The sharing yesterday included how, in chapter 3, Paul says in verse 2 they are not able to take solid food. He outlines that the reason is because they have fleshly and silly divisions among themselves.  Then he begins to speak about building up the temple of God properly, using the right building materials (gold, silver, precious stones) that will withstand the judging fire of Christ.

Building-up with proper, lasting materials equates to the solid food.  And if anyone builds in a lasting way (it remains through the judging fire), their work will remain and they will be rewarded*.  And building up in God’s temple means to build each other up.  Looking at Ephesians 2:19-22 it says we are built up together to form His temple, His dwelling place.  God loves His dwelling place, and if anyone destroys His temple, God will destroy him! (1 Cor 3:17)

* Regarding being rewarded - God says in Genesis 15:1, “I will be your . . . exceedingly great reward.”  Nothing can be better than having God as our reward!  So what is His dwelling place?  It’s His temple.  And what is the temple of God?  We are built up as His temple (1 Cor 3:9 & 15).  Therefore, if we build up one another properly, we will nourish the seed of life in us and help Christ grow in one another!  Bottom line is we will be rewarded for helping Christ develop in each other and as His building!  Do you get the connection here?

Lastly, I read this in The Supplied Life devotional about a week ago, and thought it aptly conveyed something of the importance of oneness and building up one another:

Christ as our relationship with each other is what the church is. In other words, the church is just Christ between us. If Christ is not our mutual fellowship, then the reality of the church is lost. So to know the church is to know Christ as our relationship with each other. It is not a matter of knowing each other in a natural way, according to race or background. Neither is it formally joining a church to become a member. No. We are joined to the Lord in one Body, and His relationship with all His members becomes our relationship with every member. So we freely receive one another the way Christ received us (Rom. 15:7). This is what the church is.

“Let all things be done for the building up of one another.”

“I resolve to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ . . .”

1 Cor 14:26 & 2:2

So VA, how do you build up your brothers and sisters in the Lord? Be good to share how we all do this.

[AnOrangeCat]

One of the verses I had to memorize in the Christian school I attended was Galatians 6:2: "Bear ye one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ". I think it's an excellent companion to James giving an example of faith without works by seeing a brother or sister in need and telling them to be warm and filled (or maybe in modern terms giving them a "God bless you") while doing nothing to help out. Assisting each other seems part of the package, but from my experience and observation there's been a lot of what James talked about within the church. It highly reminds me as Jesus warning us that the love of many would wax cold. I do consider emotional support and hearing each other out as a valid method of support and building each other up. But it becomes problematic if it's all we do when our brothers and sisters have needs that we're able to meet, but don't.

17 hours ago, Vine Abider said:

Christ as our relationship with each other is what the church is. In other words, the church is just Christ between us. If Christ is not our mutual fellowship, then the reality of the church is lost. So to know the church is to know Christ as our relationship with each other. It is not a matter of knowing each other in a natural way, according to race or background. Neither is it formally joining a church to become a member. No. We are joined to the Lord in one Body, and His relationship with all His members becomes our relationship with every member. So we freely receive one another the way Christ received us (Rom. 15:7). This is what the church is.

This is really a great sentiment and right on target. It can be hard to live up to but the attitude is great to embrace. Going back to Galatians 2 the wording is important. Bearing each other's burdens is referred to as the "law of Christ". That says it all when it comes to stating the importance of this. Building each other up is part of the whole burden bearing thing. Something I like to keep in mind regarding this is when Jesus said as we do unto the least of these we effectively do (or don't do) unto Him.

[warrior12]

This verse has always struck me as a reminder of how the believer walk must be accompanied.  Have to keep it at the forefront all the time as we live in a complex world, with many troubled souls.

Matthew 10:

¹⁶ “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.