Teaching for Building

A senior brother has asked me a couple of times a very striking question, "Do you know how to build up the local church?" The first time I heard this question, I was awestruck, not knowing how to answer. For, at that time I did not understand what "building up of the church mean." Then, he began to fellowship along the line of building up the local church using the word of God and giving testimonies of his own and many other brothers who are actually building up the local churches for the Body of Christ. He has been doing these a good number of times whenever he visited us in North India. What a blessing to have such a brother and learn from him!

Today morning, during the training, when he asked me brother asked me to share, I shared beginning with this very question. My answer was, "Yes," on the one hand, I know and I am learning how to build up the local church. Otherwise, I would not have been in the local church serving all these while. Yet, on the other hand, my answer is still "No," as I am not too sure if I am truly building up the church as I should according to God that I may pass the test in Matthew 7

Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, will enter into the kingdom of the heavens, but he who does the will of My Father who is in the heavens. Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, was it not in Your name that we prophesied, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name did many works of power? And then I will declare to them: I never knew you. Depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness. Mattthew 7:21-23

The way to build up the church is by the word of God. Not the shallow doctrinal objective word, but the deep living subjective word of God. The New Testament believers, from the very beginning of the church life, has been teaching for building up of the Body of Christ. Teaching the word of God, ministering the word of God, ministering Christ as life is a crucial point in the practice for the building up of the church by the growth of the saints.

Acts 2:42 And they continued steadfastly in the teaching and the fellowship of the apostles, in the breaking of bread and the prayers.

Acts 6: 2 And the twelve called the multitude of the disciples to them and said, It is not fitting for us to forsake the word of God and serve tables.

Therefore, there is a need for proper and healthy teaching of the word of God all the time. But, the question is, "Who can teach the word of God in the way of the apostles for the building up of the Body of Christ?"

The book of Colossians reveals the way.

Colossians 125 Of which I became a minister according to the stewardship of God, which was given to me for you, to complete the word of God,26 The mystery which has been hidden from the ages and from the generations but now has been manifested to His saints;27 To whom God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory,28 Whom we announce, admonishing every man and teaching every man in all wisdom that we may present every man full-grown in Christ;

The word of God must discover Christ in the Bible when I read the Scripture. But this word of God is also Christ in my spirit as the Holy Spirit. When the Christ in my Spirit meets the Christ in the Bible, when the Holy Spirit and the word of God meets, the issue is life. Such life can minister life to others causing the growth in life for the building up of the Body of Christ. The word of God is also a mystery that is concerning Christ and the church, the Head and the Body, Who is in me. This discovered Christ through the word must be ministered in a way of announcing, admonishing, and teaching so that whoever has been taught would be presented full-grown in Christ. In this way, the church can be built up.

I must learn and be taught of the word of God properly with revelation that I may be constituted with Christ as life in me first and then be able to minister this very life to the saints. In this way, I can build up the local church, and in this way, I must build up the local church wherever the Lord has placed me. Therefore, with this basic learning, must with all good conscience be able to answer my brother's question if I were to be asked again.

Meanwhile, I must learn and teach, and teach and learn faithfully and build up the local church I am in, all for the building up of the Body of Christ. 

Lord, grace me, teach me, that I can teach for the growth of the saints.