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Friday, October 22, 2010

Build Up One Another

"...build one another up..." - 1 Thessalonians 5:11
Building up is closely linked with encouraging one another. As previously written, this has to do with our hope of heaven and life in Christ. What a reminder that "whether we are awake or asleep we...live with Him" (5:10).

We are to "pursue what makes for...mutual upbuilding" (Romans 14:19). "Pursue" is an active verb that requires actually doing something. As the surrounding verses explain, we build each other up through acting selflessly and not putting hindrances in the way of a weaker Christian. In order to build up someone weaker, "let each of us please his neighbor for his good" (Romans 15:2).

Building up also relates to the use of spiritual gifts. Specifically regarding tongues, Paul writes that we should "strive to excel in building up the church" (1 Corinthians 14:12). How different would our churches look if we did exactly that?

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