Eph 4:11-16 11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head — Christ — 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. NKJV

Last week we looked at the fact that for our physical bodies to grow, we must eat the right kinds of foods and exercise. We saw how these same principles apply to our spiritual bodies as well. We cannot eat the thoughts and words of human philosophies and expect to grow spiritually. We cannot sit around and do nothing for the Lord and expect our spiritual bodies to grow as God would have us to. And these same principles apply to the church, the body of Christ.

Further, to get the body to grow and function as it should, things have to be done to help the body to grow. Paul stressed that God put certain men in the church to “equip the saints for the work of ministry.” One of the reasons why God gave these apostles, prophets, evangelists and teachers is to help the members in doing their work of serving and ministering. I compare this somewhat to a trainer in a gym. If a person goes to the gym to get exercise, he or she may work certain core muscle groups, but allow others to be neglected. A trainer will take the time to show you have to work certain muscle groups and thus have a “fit body.” Elders, preachers, and teachers are all to help the members grow fit and be able to use the talents God has given each one for the growth of the whole body.

As they do this, and as each member of the body grows, then the church grows as well. We need to be aware of the fact that we hinder or help the body of Christ to grow. Are we “edifying” or “encouraging” with our words and actions, or do we discourage and disappoint the body? Are we looking for ways to “build one another up” or “tear one another down”? It seems, again, that Satan has torn the body (the church) down by sickness due to lack of proper food and training, and also due to the mental discouragement that comes when some “grumbles and complains” contrary to Philippians 2:14. To build the body (our spiritual bodies as well as the church) we need encouragement, not discouragement; we need healing, not heckling; we need forgiveness, not fratricide. You owe it to the body to give it what you can. When “every joint is joined together”, and each one does its work, the NATURAL result is growth.

When we “build one another up” we need to realize that we are helping one another get to heaven. We will not make it to heaven by ourselves, and we need all the encouragement we can get to get there! Let me challenge you, this week, to determine in yourself not to discourage, but to encourage a brother or sister by your actions and words. This week do what you can to build up a weak member; encourage a sick brother or sister and let them know that you are thinking of them; visit a shut-in, write letters to those in the military. Let’s work together to build up the body of Christ!