Edification part 2
Ok, guys. Let's really hone in on the purpose of edification. It means to build, right? Either something or someone. Build people up in who they really are. Not by pointing out their wrongs, but by point out their rights. Not by going on a sin hunt, but by always being on a righteousness hunt. Look at Romans 14:17-19 (NLT), "For the Kingdom of Go dis no a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodnes sand peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. If you serve Christ with this attitude, you will please God, and others will approve of you, too. So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up." In the KJV it reads, "Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another." And what I'm getting at here is the connection between edification and the Kingdom. We build the Kingdom of God by building up each other. The Kingdom is not about eating and drinking. It is simply the realm where the King rules and reigns. And He (Jesus) rules and reigns... in us. We are IN the Kingdom because we ARE the Kingdom. Building a strong Kingdom is all about building strong kings. With Jesus as the head of the body. Jesus is the King of kings. He builds us up by showing us who we really are. Which He does by showing us who God is. Jesus told Phillip, "If you've seen me you've seen the Father." Jesus came to show us who we are. By showing us who He is. He came to shine the light of the world so that we might know that that same light shines on us, and in us, and through us! As He is, so are we in this world. When God looks at Jesus He sees us, and when He looks at us He sees Jesus. So, in all reality, we should be able to very easily build each other up. By simply pointing people to Jesus. When we look AT the mirror we see all of the surface stuff. All of our mistakes. All of the things that try to hold us back or drag us down. But when we look INTO the mirror... we see what's inside. We see Jesus. And when we see Him inside, we can let what's really inside come out. When we see Him inside ourselves, we can begin to see Him inside each other. The light in me WILL connect with the light in you. The deep calls out to the deep. And, listen, it's not about changing people. It's about loving people. People are going to be who they're going to be. People are going to live up to their beliefs. Both in themselves, and in God (which is really the same thing). So instead of hammering them to try to get them to look like what WE think they should look like, what we ought to do is just love the hell out of them. And I'm not saying you have to let people abuse you. I don't think you should ever put yourself, or keep yourself, in a bad situation. But I AM saying it's not your job to change people. If you can't accept what someone is doing... get out of the way. Set boundaries. Pray for them. Let God take care of it. But piling on is not going to help. Condemning them is not going to help. The Kingdom is built when we edify each other. When we build each other up. When we show each other Jesus--which means when we show each other love. It's the Kingdom of God--which means it's the Kingdom of love. How else could you build the Kingdom of Love but by loving people? How else could you edify someone but by loving them?