Edification 1

The topic of edification repeatedly comes up in regards to prophecy, in particular. The larger discussion, however, is also applicable to the telling of Truth. Which boils down to protection against deception.

edification /ĕd″ə-fĭ-kā′shən/ (noun from the Latin "aedificare," meaning "to build".... In Scripture, the Greek words oikodomeo, "to build," oikodome, "the act of building" are used)

1. The act or process of building; construction.

2. The thing built; a building; an edifice.

3. The act of edifying or instructing, or the state of being edified; improvement of the mind; enlightenment: most frequently used with reference to morals or religion.

4. Refers to the process of building up, strengthening, or improving, particularly in a moral, spiritual, or intellectual sense. In a biblical context, edification is the act of promoting spiritual growth and development within the body of Christ, the Church, and individual believers... used in the New Testament to describe the nurturing and strengthening of faith.

   (from wordnik and Bible Hub)

* Ephesians 4:15-16 (ESV) 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

1 Corinthians 14:26 What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up.

1 Corinthians 14:12 So with yourselves, since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church.

1 Corinthians 14:2-4 2 For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit. 3 On the other hand, the one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation. 4 The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church.

Ephesians 4:29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

1 Corinthians 13:1-3 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

In * Ephesians 4:15-16, Paul frames "speaking truth in love" as an act of (and an act towards) spiritual maturity. Spiritual maturity is growing into Christ. This is edification. It is loving to obey God to speak Truth as He Directs, and it is loving to desire that people not be deceived.

There's apparent confusion around delivering Truth and reactions of offense. The Truth can be uncomfortable if we're operating in some level of deception or rebellion. The Truth is often offensive, even when spoken in love, if we are misaligned to Truth. When people are walking in rebellion to God's Will, whether knowingly or unwittingly, and that Truth is Revealed through another human's mouth; the emotion of offense is often felt. It's so much easier to deal with the quiet internal convictions from God, isn't it?

Church, please hear this: the emotion of offense is not the tool by which we discern.

The heart is wicked above all else, is it not? Jeremiah 17:9-10 9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? 10 “I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.”

Discernment must come through The Word, prayer, and wise counsel. (By wise counsel, The Lord does not mean our close friends who will be immediately offended on our behalf.) Before we ever partner with a spirit of offense, we must go to prayer first. Go to The Word, too. Is the Correction Biblical?

Our God Confronts sin. God Confronts sin as an invitation. He Confronts sin as an invitation to come into deeper alignment with Him. If we are Saved, this is the process of Sanctification. If we are Saved, our hearts should desire this. If we are Saved, we must be willing to lay down our own understanding and renew our minds.

• Proverbs 3:5-6 5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

Sanctification is an act of God's Love, Grace, and Mercy to His Children. The saints' misalignments often come from deception to some degree. Not always big doctrinal deceptions (though sometimes), but often a deception around how we're viewing and/or processing something.

Are there false prophets out there that are speaking curses over people, and calling it prophecy? Or being weirdos attempting to publicly shame people? Sure. Just as there are false teachers and wolves posing as pastors. Are there immature prophets, learning to practice the spiritual gift? Sure. There's Grace for that. We are Commanded to test every spirit. And this extends beyond prophetic words, and touches into all exchanges where Truth is shared. We must discern with our hearts, minds, and spirits open to God. We must discern through God's Spirit alone. Again: if we feel the emotion of offense when presented with Truth (or what someone is claiming is Truth and you're not sure yet), that's a sign to press in to God ASAP.

This also applies when we're on the "giving" end of Truth, and the receiver is offended. There are times God Calls us to not speak, or to stop at a certain point. There are also times He Calls us to speak and the person is offended. The modern American culture is that if a person has a visceral emotional reaction, then we must have done something wrong to "trigger" that reaction. This thinking is not from God, as it is used as emotional coercion, weaponized to control exchanges...ultimately weaponized to coerce apparent agreement. This will increase as we draw closer to Jesus's Return (Matthew 24). Our words must be seasoned with salt, surely, and spoken with Wisdom. But a person's offense or even accusation does not automatically mean the word was spoken in error. We must "debrief" with God to get His Assessment of our delivery.

In part 2, God has Asked me to speak more into the "growing into Christ" aspect of edification. That should be posted within the next week.

In Jesus's name,

Christy Hale