If the authors of the New Testament were correct (and I think they were), and if we should consider what they wrote to be important (and I think we should), then we should also recognize the importance and necessity of mutual edification whenever we get together with our brothers and sisters in Christ.
You can read Alan's full article 'Remembering the importance of mutual edification' on his blog 'Assembling of the church'.
What is Alan saying? - He's saying that when we meet together as church, what we do and how we do it are important. We would probably all agree with him on that.
But he is further saying that we don't always get it right and we should go back to the Bible to check our current practice against what we find written there. And he's saying that mutual edification comes into it. But you can read all that for yourself.
How is he saying it? - The other point I want to make is that Alan writes in a most gentle and inoffensive way. And he's right to do that. We can hardly edify one another while beating each other up with the big sticks of disagreement!
We can all learn a lesson here, perhaps me more than most. Gentleness and wisdom often go hand in hand. We are called to have the fruit of the Spirit in our lives, things like peace, patience, kindness, and gentleness. There is, Paul assures us, no law against such things as these. (1 Corinthians 13:1-13). And all of them are underpinned by love, the greatest thing in the world.
Questions:
- How do you react to gentle persuasion and a reasoned argument?
- How are you likely to respond to anything that seems like criticism?
- What do you understand the Bible to say about the way we meet?
See also:
- Clergy and laity - Journeys of heart and mind
- Importance of mutual edification - Assembling of the church
- Love and other things - Journeys of heart and mind
- Story of encouragement - Journeys of heart and mind
