Who is building up the Church

Who is building up the Church?

1 Corinthians 14:11-13

11 Therefore if I know not the meaning of the voice, I shall be unto him that speaketh a barbarian, and he that speaketh shall be a barbarian unto me.

12 Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church.

13 Wherefore let him that speaketh in an unknown tongue pray that he may interpret.

The human voice is a tremendous tool. We use it for so many different activities. We have some folks here that can excel at America’s Got Talent, Sunday Best or any of the other searching for talent platforms.

In verse 7 of this same chapter Paul said even those things without life that can make a sound must have a distinction to be determined which it is. He uses the Harp and the pipe.

In setting up a choir it is very important to identify the meaning of the human voice. Tenor, sopranos, bass and altos should be grouped together and used based on the chords, notes and lyrics that are trying to be duplicated.

You can’t put a cow on the choir unless the sound called for a sound distinction that only a cow can make. Then we would have another problem and that being who was going to communicate to the cow on when to Mo

oo.

Paul commends the believers at Corinth for their desires to operate in spiritual gifts in verse 12. Because it could easily have been the other way around those believers at Corinth could have been satisfied with just showing up to the services. But instead they wanted to prophesy, they wanted to speak in tongue, they wanted to interpret what was spoken in tongue.

All of this was great but they were missing one important element. Yes they were all growing but sometimes if we are not careful we can grow in separate directions. I pruned a Crepe Myrtle and got the branches growing in a pot. Later I planted the small tree in a fertile place and it took off. In fact it grew so fast until it had branches growing everywhere. At that point I determined that I needed to do two things. 1) I had to remove a limb or two and 2) wrapped the entire thing together. After doing this, the plant looked better it did not look like something wild and growing all over the place looking more like a forest than a tree.

Sometimes people in the church find themselves in a pickle or between a rock and a hard place because they have grown beyond their peers in the church. Trust me this is not the first time and it will not be the last time any church has been in this position.

Zeal – means diligent, task and goal oriented, enthusiastic, devoted and always in pursuit.

The one thing that Christians leave out of their plan of attack is what the Apostle Paul said in verse 12 …seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church.

I thank God for Christians who catch the vision, those who understand the importance of studying the Word of God on a regular basis. I am overwhelmed with those who are faith walkers, I thank God for those who know their calling and are exercising the gift/s that God gave them.

But I still have one question WHO IS BUILDING UP THE CHURCH? Paul said make sure that after you have received an understanding share it with the body of Christ so that they can be edified.