A Life Giving Recipe: How to Build Up Your Church
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Here is a step-by-step recipe I have seen work successfully over and over again throughout the course of my life. I share this amazing recipe today so that when you identify these lifegiving ingredients at work in your life, you will know what you may are stirring up:
1. Prepare your heart to speak words of life.
Psalm 45:1 “My tongue is the pen of a ready writer.” A writer carefully weighs his words. There is thoughtfulness and discretion. It takes work to write well, and it takes work to speak well. Having the right meditations is the key, “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things” (Phil 4:8).
2. Speak the Word of God.
Psalm 119:172: “My tongue shall speak of Your word, For all Your commandments are righteousness.”
3. Speak with intentionality for edification.
Ephesians 4:29: “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.”
4. Impart grace to your hearers.
Ephesians 4:29: “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.”
5. Cover over the transgressions of others in your speech.
Proverbs 10:12: “Love covers all offenses.”
6. Speak wisdom.
Psalm 37:30: “The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom, And his tongue talks of justice.”
7. Speak for the health of the other person.
Proverbs 12:18: “But the tongue of the wise promotes health.”
8. Talk of the praises of the Lord.
Psalm 35:28: “And my tongue shall speak of Your righteousness And of Your praise all the day long.”
Psalm 71:24: “My tongue also shall talk of Your righteousness all the day long.”
9. Speak with laughter.
Psalm 126:2: “Then our mouth was filled with laughter, And our tongue with singing. Then they said among the nations, “The LORD has done great things for them.”
10. Speak the truth in love.
Proverbs 12:19: “The truthful lip shall be established forever.”
11. Guard your tongue.
Proverbs 21:23: “Whoever guards his mouth and tongue Keeps his soul from troubles.”
12. Speak words of encouragement to the weary.
Isaiah 50:4: “The Lord GOD has given Me The tongue of the learned, That I should know how to speak a word in season to him who is weary. He awakens Me morning by morning, He awakens My ear To hear as the learned.”
13. Fill your heart with kindness.
Proverbs 31:26: “She opens her mouth with wisdom, and on her tongue is the law of kindness.”
14. When there is a problem, talk with your neighbor not about him.
15. Stop evil speaking in its tracks.
Proverbs 26:22: “Without wood a fire goes out; without gossip a quarrel dies down.”
16. Remember how much you were forgiven.
Matthew 18:21-35: “Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you.”
It is an abiding inner awareness of the gospel that teaches us how to feel and think and speak words of grace. His grace towards us teaches us to have grace towards others. How could we take the place of the devil as the accuser of the brethren when we have been forgiven so much? How could we think ourselves better than our brothers, when we know that the enormity of our sins required the killing of the perfect Lamb of God in our place? So, it turns out that the gospel itself is the greatest antidote for the poisons of gossip and slander and evil speaking. As we embrace and apply the gospel, our accusations fall to the ground, and the captive is set free. The same way we were set free – by a work of grace.
Be encouraged. I have seen first hand how following this recipe brings the blessing of God down on the heads of those who use it. I have seen some of the most hardened lives softened by this recipe. It makes for satisfied hearts, joyful homes, and happy churches.
