OIKODOME - EDIFICATION - BUILDING

He is the one who gave these gifts to the church: the Apostles, the Prophets,the Evangelists, the Pastors and Teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God's people to do His work and BUILD UP THE CHURCH, the body of Christ, UNTIL WE COME TO SUCH UNITY IN OUR FAITH and KNOWLEDGE OF GOD'S SON THAT WE WILL BE MATURE AND FULL GROWN IN THE LORD, MEASURING UP TO THE FULL STATURE OF CHRIST.
- Ephesians 4:11-13. The Living Bible.

I'd wish to discuss in this document the reason why God is giving GIFTS, GRACES AND CALLINGS in the Body of Christ. There has been much distortion and misuse of the rather sweet expression of the will of The Father in having these gifts in the corporate gathering. To begin with, the word used in this piece of scripture, "until", is of vital importance. It tells us for how long we are going to require the graces that have been a fore mentioned. It is until we have an end to the arguments about the nature of the God-head, church structure, eschatology etc. As long as these debates are in the corporate expression of the Body of Christ, we are going to have the Five - fold ministration.

Since you are so eager to have spiritual gifts, ASK GOD FOR THOSE THAT WILL BE OF REAL HELP TO THE ENTIRE CHURCH.
- 1 Corinthians 14:12. The Living Bible.
As I begin this study, I intend to examine principles which the Lord of Glory has put in place for the building of the Body of Christ, herein called the Church

The word Edification, Oikodome, simply means a structure, confirmation, establishing, building, edifying, to edify.

Why The Gift?

Considering the above scriptures, we discover that,though the Body of Christ is one, this does not destroy our individuality. A finger can only do what a finger can do. But that is done in the context of the body. A finger on its own is called DEAD. DISCONNECTEDNESS IS DEATH.

Therefore, what we have rather is that the Holy Spirit has given SOME GIFTS - Ephesians 4:11,and some special graces to certain individuals for the very purpose of building up the Body of Christ locally or universally. So whether you are part of the five fold ministry or that you have some specific gifts of the Holy Spirit, we are here to address the very singular reason why you are called or why the Lord permits you to have whatever gift you are endowed with.

Let us understand that SIN, harmatia in Greek, missing the mark, is simply a mistaken identity or leaving undone what you ought to have done. Therefore, if you are part of the five fold ministry or you have specific gifts such as speaking in tongues, word of knowledge, administration, singing etc and you fail to be focused and directed strictly to the reason why you are who you are, and that of course is to HELP BUILD THE BODY OF CHRIST, then you are sinning before the Lord who has called and endowed you with those gifts.

Sin as in the context of gifts and graces, is a negation of the reason for the granting of such gifts and graces which is BUILDING - OIKODOME. If you must put into consideration the very reason why you are called, then YOU SHOULD BE CAREFUL NOT TO ABUSE THAT PRIVILEGE THAT IS GIVEN TO YOU BY NOT EFFECTING THE CAUSE OF EDIFYING THE BODY OF CHRIST. Listen again.
...since you are eager and ambitious to possess spiritual gifts, endowments and manifestations of the Spirit, CONCENTRATE ON striving to excel and to abound IN THEM in ways that will build the Church.
1 Corinthians 14:12. Amplified Version.

WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU DON'T USE THE GIFT AND GRACE TO BUILD?
If you don't have this goal in focus when manifesting your gift, the following things will happen.

1. THE MIGHTY MAN OF GOD COMPLEX.
You may manifest your gift or grace or calling for SELF PROMOTION and RECOGNITION. But that is not the reason why you were called or given your graces and gifts. It is meant for the benefit of other people that they might mature in Christ. TO EVEN MANIFEST YOUR GIFT OR CALLING FOR THE PURPOSE OF MAKING YOUR SELF BETTER AS A FOCUS DOES NOT MEET UP WITH THE REQUIREMENT OF THE LORD - BUILDING THE PEOPLE.
Your gift,calling or grace is not for "self aggrandizement" and hoarding.

2. BEING DRAWN TOWARDS RECOGNITION.
If you desire to be either known or recognized based on your gift or calling, you will neglect the people, consider them of NO EQUAL WITH YOU and so instead of developing and helping the people drawn to you by the Lord for that purpose, you will be helping to destroy, confuse, and make them to lose hope in the Saving Grace of the Lord, leading to retardation, from maturing into the stature of Christ. Today's ministry icons have been placed and others placed themselves on pedestals of their own making to distinguish themselves from the rest of the people. The reason that God is drawing them to us is because BY YOURSELF, YOU CAN DO NOTHING...YOU CAN DRAW NO ONE. - JOHN 5:19,30; 15:5.

Again, in this you are failing as a GIFT CARRIER. You are a gift carrier or a grace carrier not an owner - 2 Corinthians 4:7. You are a MINISTER OF CHRIST. Minister is the Greek word, diakoneo. It has a picture of a waiter bringing food from the kitchen to the table. We do not cook the food. God is in the kitchen. He puts the constituent ingredients in the food to make the eater be like where the food comes from. We don't produce the menu. God does. Diakoneo therefore is a theocratic installation. He has to ascend to a dimension called heaven and bring heavens food. - JACOBS LADDER - Genesis 28:11-13.

3. IT MEANS, WE MUST FIRST OF ALL ASK AND SETTLE THE QUESTION OF "WHY DO WE CRY FOR THE GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT"?
Our inability to properly answer and have this question settled at the back of our mind BEFORE GOING TO MINISTRY and OPERATING IN THE GIFTS will result in the abuse of gifts and function in our calling, either by building for ourselves or the ministry will turn into a money making venture. Gifts are now being used as a money laundering schemes and tools to build personal empires. To understand laundering, it is to transfer money obtained illegally to foreign banks, respectable businesses etc. so as to disguise the source of it.

4. MUNDANE WAYS OF MINISTRY.
If people's lives and spiritual edification are not uppermost in your life and thought in your quest for spiritual gifts and calling, then you will not seek better ways to operate your gifts and callings in order to better the lot of the people. Much of these present uses and manifestations of these gifts and graces boarder voodoo magic and personality cults.

5. FAILURE TO EXAMINE OURSELVES.
It also tells us that if in our operations either in gifts or callings as ministers, the people are not just getting closer to Christ, neither are they becoming Christ like both in attitude and knowledge, then wisdom demands that we do a work of self examination whether we are truly instruments in the hands of the Lord or whether our mode of operation is right. If by any chance that, people depend and focus more on you rather than Christ, in the way you administer the gift or the grace, you have a personality cult, not a ministration of Christ. Accurate ministration grows the Christ icon in every man. The key is that, TILL WE ALL COME IN THE UNITY OF FAITH, AND OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE SON OF GOD...So we are talking of EVERYBODY FEATURING AT EQUAL LEVEL OF THE CHRIST STATURE - becoming sons, not having some as sons and others as slaves in the Father's house. Equalization of revelation...every mountain brought low, every valley lifted. This is why Paul talked of "TRAVAILING IN BIRTH PAINS UNTIL CHRIST BE FORMED IN YOU" - Galatians 4:19.