Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers. Acts 9:31
In this single verse we are given a clear, beautiful blueprint of what the church is truly designed to be. Every institution, if it is to be effective, must understand its purpose. A school exists to educate, a grocery store to provide food, and a hospital to heal. When an institution forgets its core design, it drifts into confusion. Today, there is a great deal of criticism surrounding the church. Some of it is justified because local congregations stray, but much of it comes from a deep misunderstanding of what the church actually is. The church is not primarily a social institution, a political action committee, or a recreational country club. While we feed the hungry and enjoy sweet fellowship, those are secondary actions. At its core, the church is a spiritual institution founded by Jesus Christ to meet our deepest spiritual needs.
When we look closely at this passage, we see that the early church operated with a brilliant twofold function: it had an inward purpose and an outward purpose. If you were to draw a large circle representing the church, you would write the word edified on the inside, and the word multiplied on the outside. This perfectly matches the Great Commission, where Jesus tells us to go make disciples—which is outward multiplication—and then commands us to teach them to observe all things—which is inward edification. A healthy church must always balance both.
The word edify is actually an architectural term that means to build up; it is the root word from which we get edifice, a grand building. The scriptures tell us that our individual lives and our churches are God’s building. We all have a choice in this life: we can build a spiritual shack, or we can build a skyscraper for God. But before any building can rise, it must have a foundation. We cannot be fitly framed together or grow into a holy temple until we are firmly established on the chief cornerstone, Jesus Christ. Sometimes people struggle to grow or develop a real interest in spiritual things simply because they are trying to live a Christian life before experiencing the foundational reality of salvation. You cannot build up what has not yet been grounded.
Once that foundation is set, we are called to be part of God’s construction crew rather than the enemy’s destruction crew. Every message preached, every song sung, and every relationship forged within the church should aim toward building one another up. To help us do this, God has equipped us with a beautiful toolbox.
First, He gives us His Word, which Paul explicitly says is able to build us up. Second, He gives us faith, moving us to rely on the Holy Spirit rather than our own human strength. Third, He gives us love, which is the ultimate binding material for a lonely and hurting world. And finally, He gives us spiritual gifts. These gifts are not toys for our personal amusement; or weapons to destroy others, they are tools meant to strengthen the person sitting next to us. When we lean into the foundation of Christ and use these tools to build each other up on the inside, God faithfully takes care of the outside, bringing true spiritual rest, comfort, and kingdom multiplication.
As members of the church, we have a responsibility to contribute to the edification of one another, supporting and encouraging each other in our Christian journey. By prioritizing inward edification and outward multiplication, the church can effectively fulfill its role in advancing the kingdom of God and making disciples of all nations.
