WHAT DOES EDIFICATION MEAN?

• Edification is a big fancy word for building others up. Sometimes people say or do things to tear each other down. Edification is the exact opposite.

• Our goal as Christians is to build each other up in a way that helps us to look more and more like Jesus.

How do the things we do in church (singing, praying, preaching, and reading Scripture) edify us?

• Singing helps us to learn and memorize truths about God that help us in our times of need (Praise your child for helping to build up the church in this way today).

• Frequently, the prayers in the service are offered to God for us. What a blessing! It also reminds us to depend on God for all things.

• Preaching helps us to understand God's Word and obey it from a heart of love for God.

• Reading Scripture helps us to know what God has revealed to us about himself and how we ought to relate to Him.

KEEP TALKING!

Want to keep the conversation going? Use the questions below to learn more about what the Bible says about edification!

READ

• As a family, consider reading 1 Corinthians 14 and count how many times Paul mentions the idea of "building up" or "edifying".

DISCUSS: What is paul’s primary emphasis in this chapter?

• Paul shares a lot of information with this church and packs a lot of theology into this chapter. There are many things that are difficult to understand that many faithful Christians will disagree over. However, the one constant throughout the chapter that all must agree on is that what we do in church must be for the building up of Christians. If something isn't edifying to the body, we shouldn't do it when we gather together!