Edify Each Other at Church
In a courtroom during a legal proceeding there will be person off to the side typing non-stop, this is the court reporter. The job of a court reporter is to record every word spoken during the legal proceeding. The church has something similar, we record the audio of almost every sermon preached. It is downloaded then put out on the internet so the sermon can be heard and lives edified by the preaching of God’s truth.
What if the recording did not stop after the pastor finished his sermon? What if we had 100 church reporters that went out to record every conversation when the sermon was concluded? What would we be recorded? Men talking of their football team and disappointing season, back pain, and their job? Mom’s talking about their kids or about their busy schedule? Kids debating over who is faster? The court reporters download the conversations and put them on Apple Podcast labeled as “The Christian Conversation.”
If you were to listen to the recording it would sound more like the food court at a mall or the break room at work, rather than church. How can this edify? It is possible that the sermon preached has little to no effect of our speech after it is preached. How much more excited do we get talking about our recent vacation than God’s truth that was just preached?
You can look in your Bible for “thou shalt only talk about Jesus and thy pastor’s proclamation when the body of believers gather.” But you will not find it. I am not saying we are breaking any Bible rules or that you should feel guilty by talking about your kitchen remodel, but I am challenging the culture of our conversation at church. We often miss the opportunity to discuss of the most important things we just heard that can spiritually edify each other.
Consider the words of John Owen:
“Believers, in their ordinary daily discourse, ought to be continually mentioning the Lord in helpful, profitable conversation, and not waste opportunities with foolish, light, frothy words that are out of place [I will add especially after a sermon].”
As a consumer we gather and hear the ordinary means of grace through the preacher’s sermon, but we can contribute to that means of grace even after the sermon with our speech. How much more edified would the church be and glorified would Christ be if we ALL spoke edifying words to each other and not just the pastor to us? Let us not have a culture where we hear and leave it all until next time, but have a culture where we take what we hear to speak into each others lives.
Before we gather, pray Ephesians 4:29, purpose to edify with your words, that you may minister grace to each other.
What if the recording did not stop after the pastor finished his sermon? What if we had 100 church reporters that went out to record every conversation when the sermon was concluded? What would we be recorded? Men talking of their football team and disappointing season, back pain, and their job? Mom’s talking about their kids or about their busy schedule? Kids debating over who is faster? The court reporters download the conversations and put them on Apple Podcast labeled as “The Christian Conversation.”
If you were to listen to the recording it would sound more like the food court at a mall or the break room at work, rather than church. How can this edify? It is possible that the sermon preached has little to no effect of our speech after it is preached. How much more excited do we get talking about our recent vacation than God’s truth that was just preached?
You can look in your Bible for “thou shalt only talk about Jesus and thy pastor’s proclamation when the body of believers gather.” But you will not find it. I am not saying we are breaking any Bible rules or that you should feel guilty by talking about your kitchen remodel, but I am challenging the culture of our conversation at church. We often miss the opportunity to discuss of the most important things we just heard that can spiritually edify each other.
Consider the words of John Owen:
“Believers, in their ordinary daily discourse, ought to be continually mentioning the Lord in helpful, profitable conversation, and not waste opportunities with foolish, light, frothy words that are out of place [I will add especially after a sermon].”
As a consumer we gather and hear the ordinary means of grace through the preacher’s sermon, but we can contribute to that means of grace even after the sermon with our speech. How much more edified would the church be and glorified would Christ be if we ALL spoke edifying words to each other and not just the pastor to us? Let us not have a culture where we hear and leave it all until next time, but have a culture where we take what we hear to speak into each others lives.
Before we gather, pray Ephesians 4:29, purpose to edify with your words, that you may minister grace to each other.
Recent
Archive
2024
July
August
September
October
December
No Comments