Building God's Body

So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. (Ephesians 4:11-13 NIV)

In the beginning of our walk, we decide to walk with God and choose God for the very first time.  As we begin to grow, our faith in God removes all other gods before us.  Over time, we hold to God no matter what the circumstances and we begin serving God, which is obvious because we begin serving others in God's name as well.  As we progress, though, our faith becomes wisdom that we begin to share while we are serving.

Here is a trustworthy saying: Whoever aspires to be an overseer desires a noble task.  He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. (1 Timothy 3:1, 6 NIV)

This transition doesn't happen overnight.  It happens over time.  We walk with God first, then begin empowering one more to do the same.  This pattern repeats itself over and over again until we look around and realize that there are more and more people turning to us for wisdom about walking with God.  They see it in our lives.  They hear it in our words.  We find ourselves entrusted with a part of God's flock.  We are overseeing a part of God's flock, the Church.

He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it. (Titus 1:9 NIV)

These later roles in our walk are not elected positions.  They aren't even appointments because we hold the right political prowess or power.  These are roles that are built slowly over time.  People turn to us because our lives reflect the "trustworthy message as it has been taught."  Not only that, our words "encourage others with sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it."  Our lives reflect a walk together with God.  Not only that, we, time and time again, invite, empower, equip, and encourage one more.

For there are many rebellious people, full of meaningless talk and deception, especially those of the circumcision group. They must be silenced, because they are disrupting whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach--and that for the sake of dishonest gain. (Titus 1:10-11 NIV)

False teaching, bad doctrine, and sinful lives are not just outside the Church.  They are inside as well.  This is because we are all on a journey, walking the path one step at a time.  Sometimes we stray off the path.  Sometimes we were not on it to begin with.  The Church is a self-healing body that removes the infection without removing the vital part that God has placed there.  When we teach and refute well, the person is preserved and built up but the bad doctrine is stopped and removed.  The Body of Christ is healthy and growing and full of love.

Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. (Ephesians 4:14-15 NIV)

How about you?  Do you "hold firmly to the trustworthy message" you have been taught?  Do you "encourage others by sound doctrine?"  Do you "refute those who oppose it?"  Are you helping Christ's Body be healthy and growing and full of love?