I Want to Pump You Up!
By Elin Henderson
“Therefore, comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.”
1 Thessalonians 5:11 (NKJV)
Where is Arnold when we need him? Or was it those two funny weightlifter-wannabes that made this phrase so popular? Either way, you can’t open a magazine today without finding some article on weight lifting, or the great benefit of strength training. We know there are plenty of ways to physically gain strength and muscle, but how do we, as believers, pump ourselves and others up spiritually? By Elin Henderson
“Therefore, comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.”
1 Thessalonians 5:11 (NKJV)
The Greek word “edify,” found throughout the New Testament, really means “to build/bulk up.” 1 Paul was encouraging the believers to build each other up like they would build up their own bodies. It is an outward focus that Paul is encouraging them to take and not a “me”-centered philosophy that the believers of that time were stuck on.
So, how practically do we “build” each other up? What is the difference between edifying and educating? We can educate people, filling their heads with knowledge and imparting information, but edifying is different. I can have the head-knowledge of how to weight train…read many books and go to seminars and teaching sessions, but it isn’t until someone comes alongside of me that I’ll really grow. Like a personal trainer who says, “Let me show you how to do this correctly so that you can get the most benefit out of it.” And, not just once or twice, but repetition and time are all needed to see change.
The same is true in our spiritual lives. We need people to come alongside of us and help us one-to-one to grow in grace and truth. But, it doesn’t stop there, we need to seek out opportunities to build each other up…share what we have learned and help others bulk up. Are we seeking out opportunities to pump each other up? It requires a commitment into the life of another, not just a one-time session. Granted, we can’t invest deeply into the lives of every believer that we know, but the Lord is looking for personal spiritual trainers to come alongside His children and help them along…to the point of their being able to help someone else along! Let’s ask Him to show us who He would like us to pump up!
GOING DEEPER:
1. Who has spoken into your life as a spiritual personal trainer? Have you taken the time to thank that person? What areas of growth did you experience? How can you share this with others?
FURTHER READING:
Romans 14:19; 1 Corinthians 14:1-5
1 Wiersbe, Warren. The Bible Expository Commentary: Volume 1. Victor Books. Colorado Springs, CO. 1984. pg 612.
Oakwood’s missionaries Elin Henderson and her husband Phil serve as church planters with New Tribes in Mozambique, Africa. Elin is mother to ten-year-old Callie and seven-year-old Elias.
