Nisan 9
Built up
“…to the work of
service to a BUILDING UP of the body of the Messiah” (Eph 4:12 ISR, emphasis mine)
I always think of
an athlete when I read this portion of Scripture. The path to being a successful athlete
requires dedication and commitment, with no room for compromise. Many athletes will have one or more trainers,
assisting him, or her, to reach the goal that is aimed at. These trainers are, in effect, “building up”
the athlete, all in preparation to be the best that one could possibly be.
The Greek word
that is translated here is the word oikodomē (Strong’s #G3619), and is also translated as edifying, or
edification. Noah Webster, in his
wonderful Dictionary, defines “edification” as “a building up, in a moral and religious
sense; instruction; improvement and progress of the mind, in knowledge, in
morals, or in faith and holiness.”[1] It
would appear that the mission of those anointed and appointed to any of the
five-fold ministry gifts is that of instructing and improving all of us, in
order that we might progressively grow in knowledge and wisdom in the ways of
our Creator.
As stated by the
Apostle Paul – Rav Sha’ul – those of us who claim to belong to the Elohim of
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are all part and parcel of one another, and make up
what is called “the body of Messiah” (see Rom 12:4-21). A body cannot be a functioning body if its
members are all scattered off somewhere, playing Lone Ranger and running around
with Tonto. Only as we come together,
committed to the “building up” of one and another, will the body function as
our Father has intended.
“For indeed the body
is not one member but many … But now Elohim has set the members, each one of them, in the body, even
as He pleased
… Elohim blended
together the body, having given greater respect to that member which lacks it [honor, or seemliness], that there should
be no division in the body, but that the members should have the same concern
one for another.”
(1Cor 12:12, 18, 24-25 ISR, insert mine)
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