Lecture # 314:
Ministry as Edification (oikodome)

Copyright © 2006-2008 Robert D. Hosken, M.Min., D.Min.

Our goal is wholeness, but how do we get there? The answer is edification, and the central passage concerning edification (oikodome) is Ephesians chapter 4, which directly links ministry (diakonia) with edification. The Good News Bible makes very clear in v. 12 what the purpose is for God giving various kinds of leadership gifts: "He did this to prepare all God's people for the work of Christian service (diakonia), in order to build up (oikodome) the body of Christ."¹ The purpose for doing ministry (diakonia) is in order to build up the Church, the Body of Christ! The word "edification" seems rather abstract and lofty, but actually has a very concrete meaning: according to Strong's Dictionaries it is "architecture, that is, (concretely) a structure; figuratively confirmation: building, edify (-ication, -ing)"² as when an architect plans and builds an edifice. What are your design plans for using diakonia in order to make the church grow?

As we will see, this edification or building up of the Body of Christ is both quantitative and qualitative. Paul writes - "Under his [Christ's] control all the different parts of the body fit together, and the whole body is held together by every joint with which it is provided. So when each separate part works as it should, the whole body grows and builds itself up (oikodomeo) through love"³ (v. 16, GNB). In both of these verses we notice that the church grows and is built up when all of God's people, the saints, do their works of diakonia. The third place in this text that mentions oikodomeo is v. 29 (GNB) - "Do not use harmful words, but only helpful words, the kind that build up (oikodomeo) and provide what is needed, so that what you say will do good to those who hear you."⁴ This is qualitative church growth, literally "bringing grace to those who hear." This doesn't mean using sugar-coated words to avoid dealing with real problems, but rather "speaking truth in love, [so that] we may grow up in all things into him, who is the head, Christ" (v. 15). The way that we speak the truth is just as important as the truth we speak! As we notice in v. 15, the ultimate goal of edification (oikodome) is wholeness, maturity, growing up into the image and likeness of Christ. Maturity means being able to take care of oneself, to carry one's own burdens.

Question:
1. How can you attain maturity (teliosis-wholeness), according to what word in Eph. 4:12-29?

But as Paul writes in Gal. 6:1-5, getting there requires mutual help -

"Brothers, even if a man is caught in some fault, you who are spiritual must restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; looking to yourself so that you also aren't tempted. Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if a man thinks himself to be something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let each man test his own work, and then he will take pride in himself and not in his neighbor. For each man will bear his own burden."

When we rehabilitate a person from an illness, injury or from addiction to carbohydrates, sugar, caffeine, alcohol, drugs, sex, computer games, etc., we must be careful to build up (oikodomeo) that person by using loving but firm and true words and actions. Being rough verbally in psychological rehabilitation can repel the person and is often a projection of our own guilt onto the other person. Also, being rough in physical rehabilitation can injure that person and ourselves. The correct positioning of one's own body when lifting another person can avoid back and shoulder injuries to the one doing the lifting. Likewise, the position of our body - our body language - sets the tone and communicates our message at least as much as our words do. The goal of all this is to enable the other person to "bear his own burden," to become a mature, responsible member of the church and of society in general.

Question:
2. How does the success of our attempts to build up another person (Gal. 6:1-5) depend on our physical position and our emotional attitude?

It becomes evident that the Apostles clearly understood and made use of the dual meaning of "edify" (oikodomeo) and "edification" (oikodome) as we look at several texts. First, let us look at Mat. 16:16 and 18 (ISV) - "Simon Peter answered, 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!' … I tell you that you are Peter, and it is on this rock that I will build (oikodomeo) my church, and the powers of hell will not conquer it."⁵ Peter (petros, a little piece of rock) confessed Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God, and this is the petra, the massive foundation stone on which Christ will build His church (Acts 4:11; 1 Pet. 2:6). Thus Matthew combines both the concrete and figurative meanings by referring to "rock" and "church" in the same sentence.

Question:
3. What two meanings of the words oikodomeo and oikodome are found in Mat. 16:16-19?
(Only one of the following answers is correct.)
"rock" and "church'
concrete and abstract
"building" and "attitude"

Luke explains that the "rock" is Christ's teaching - "Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and don't do the things which I say? Everyone who comes to me, and hears my words, and does them, I will show you who he is like." It is extremely important to understand this: the point is not just to listen to sermons or study the Bible; it is to do what Jesus taught us to do. Jesus continues -

"He is like a man building (oikodomeo) a house, who dug and went deep, and laid a foundation on a rock (petra). When a flood arose, the stream broke against that house, and could not shake it, because it was founded on the rock. But he who hears, and doesn't do, is like a man who built (oikodomeo) a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream broke, and immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great" (Luke 6:46-49).

When we as co-laborers with Christ build His church on the rock by confessing Him before the world as the Son of God, and by doing what Jesus Christ taught His disciples to do - diakonia, practical ministry to the poor, lame, maimed and blind, that church will stand! Church growth fads and techniques will wither and fade, but the church that is built (oikodomeo) on this rock of confessing Christ and doing diakonia will not be shaken.

Question:
4. There are two opposite meanings of the word oikodomeo in Lk. 6:46-49: how does this relate to our diakonia-ministry?

Later, Luke chapter 14 records Jesus' call to discipleship that includes the risk of forsaking father, mother, wife, children, brothers and sisters, then in v. 28 Jesus says - "For which of you, desiring to build (oikodomeo) a tower, doesn't first sit down and count the cost, to see if he has enough to complete it?" This teaching concludes with Jesus' call to renounce our possessions if we want to be His disciples (v. 33). So the concrete meaning of building a tower is an analogy of building our lives on Christ and following Him regardless of the cost.

The structure itself isn't the most important thing, as we see in Mark 13:1-2 - "As he went out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, 'Teacher, see what kind of stones and what kind of buildings (oikodome)!' Jesus said to him, 'Do you see these great buildings (oikodome)? There will not be left here one stone on another, which will not be thrown down.'" Recall what Rick Warren wrote - "Winston Churchill once said, 'We shape our buildings, and then they shape us.' Too often a congregation is so anxious to have a nice building that the members spend more than they can afford. Paying for and maintaining the building becomes the biggest budget item. Funds needed to operate ministries must be diverted to pay the mortgage, and the actual ministry of the church suffers. The tail ends up wagging the dog."⁶ The edifice complex that seemed so glorious when the congregation held the first worship service in it later may become a boat anchor that pulls the congregation down from greater heights it might have reached with a more purposeful design. What is that purposeful design? The ministry driven church building should be designed specifically for the kind of diakonia-ministry that Jesus and His disciples did.

Question:
5. In Lk. 14:28 it is written that if a man wants to build (oikodomeo) a tower, he must count the costs. How does this relate to diakonia-ministry and to discipleship?
(Only one of the following answers is correct.)
He must plan how much his drawings will fulfil God's plans for diakonia-ministry, and not simply build a grandiose complex.
He must plan and build a grandiose complex, so that the tail will wag the dog.
He must build a tower where he can protect himself and his congregation from all the problems and temptations in the world.

Many churches today have a fine foundation, but it seems as if they are still holding all of their worship services and Sunday school classes on the foundation, in the basement -

"For we are God's fellow workers. You are God's farming, God's building (oikodome). According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder (architekton) I laid a foundation, and another builds on it. But let each man be careful how he builds on (epoikodomeo) it. For no one can lay any other foundation than that which has been laid, which is Jesus Christ. But if anyone builds on (epoikodomeo) the foundation with gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, or stubble; each man's work will be revealed. For the Day will declare it, because it is revealed in fire; and the fire itself will test what sort of work each man's work is. If any man's work remains which he built on (epoikodomeo) it, he will receive a reward. If any man's work is burned, he will suffer loss, but he himself will be saved, but as through fire" (1 Cor. 3:9-15).

By this I mean that they preach the Gospel of salvation only through faith in Jesus Christ. That is the only foundation on which the true Church can be built! They preach Christ, they teach their children about Jesus, they witness in public and to their friends and acquaintances, and they pass out millions of tracts and thousands of New Testaments. All this is very commendable, but we must be careful not to always live in the basement! Remember what Jesus said about sticking a candle under the bed or under a bushel basket: "Don't do that! Put it up high on a candlestick so that the light shines all around, then people will see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven!" The structure of the church building should be designed specifically for good works.

One more point on this passage: the "gold, silver and costly stones" are the good works of diakonia-ministry. If you design your church building to do diakonia, you'll receive a reward, but if you pour your capital resources and invest your time merely in stained glass, gothic spires and ding-a-ling handbell choirs, all of that will burn on the Day of Judgment, it's just "wood, hay and stubble," expensive kindling wood. You'll receive no reward; you may be saved, but with the smell of smoke on your white robe of Christ's righteousness.

Question:
6. How did St. Paul use oikodome in 1 Cor. 3:9-15, and how does it relate to "good works" in Mat. 5:16 and oikodome in Lk. 6:46-49?

In Rom. 2:5-10 the Apostle Paul tells us that our good works, not just belonging to the right church or the right race, are also a determining factor in whether or not we get to heaven -

"But according to your hardness and unrepentant heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath, revelation, and of the righteous judgment of God; who 'will pay back to everyone according to their works:' to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory, honor, and incorruptibility, eternal life; but to those who are self-seeking, and don't obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, will be wrath and indignation, oppression and anguish, on every soul of man who works evil, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. But glory, honor, and peace go to every man who works good, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek."

Keep in mind that any earthly temple is just a small, weak reflection of God's temple in heaven - "For we know that if the earthly house (oika) of our tent is dissolved, we have a building (oikodome) from God, a house (oika) not made with hands, eternal, in the heavens"⁷ (2 Cor. 5:1, ASV). It must never become the central focus of our attention; it is just a temporary tool to do the job. Our earthly buildings will burn, our physical bodies will be dissolved, but our diakonia will last forever. Paul writes in Eph. 2:19-22 that the church, the Body of Christ, should be a place where strangers and outcasts are welcomed and feel at home -

"So then you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household (oikeios) of God, being built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the chief cornerstone; in whom the whole building (oikodome), fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are built together (sunoikodomeo) for a habitation of God in the Spirit."

Question:
7. How does the Apostle Paul connect the oika-house with oikodome in 2 Cor. 5:1, and oikodome with sunoikodomeo in Eph. 2:19-22?
(Only one of the following answers is correct.)
He mixes incompatible concepts, because we must not think that the church is a building.
I have no idea how these words and concepts are connected.
He is speaking about a physical house, about our body and our buildings, and he transfers this idea to the spiritual level where God lives in the Spirit.

The design of our ministry building should be accessible to the poor, the lame, the maimed and the blind, which means that the apartments are financially within reach, all doorways are one meter (three feet) wide and without thresholds; there should be a ramp of no greater than 1:12 slope between floors (ramps are better than elevators because they help wheelchair-bound people get exercise and thus be healthier and more independent); all halls and rooms including bathrooms must have 1.5 meters (five feet) of free floor space at all places where a wheelchair might make a turn; and all shower stalls must have a minimal "lip" on the floor: no bathtubs.

What will be the result when we structure our ministry upon that of Jesus and His disciples? When we build up the Body of Christ in this way, the church multiplies! We read in Acts 9:31 (ISV) - "So the church throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria enjoyed peace. As it continued to be built up (oikodomeo) and to live in the fear of the Lord, it kept increasing in numbers through the encouragement of the Holy Spirit."⁸ What then should we do? "So then, let us follow after things which make for peace, and things by which we may build (oikodomeo) one another up" (Rom. 14:19). Specifically, we must make allowances for those who are weak, to build them up: "Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each one of us please his neighbor for that which is good, to be building (oikodomeo) him up" (Rom. 15:1-2).

How many church buildings or ministry centers are specifically designed to "bear the weaknesses of the weak"? Yes, traditional buildings let you hold worship services, and that is all fine and good, but do they build up the weak? "'All things are lawful for me,' but not all things are profitable. 'All things are lawful for me,' but not all things build (oikodomeo) up" (1 Cor. 10:23). The purpose of the building isn't the structure itself, rather - "You also, as living stones, are built (oikodomeo) up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ" (1 Pet. 2:5). How can a church building provide for ministry that builds up the weak, and at the same time virtually pay for itself?

Other people can be members of this church and not of its "housing cooperative," but the residents of this cooperative will be members of the church that requires all adult residents of sound mind to affirm the doctrines and practices of the church. This guarantees the building's perpetual Christian character by avoiding the problem of unbelievers in the second generation inheriting the units. A company that has built twenty-five such housing cooperatives in the Midwest U.S. for senior citizens, Realife, Inc., takes a similar approach. Here is what their website stated -

What is a Housing Cooperative?
Housing cooperatives are a form of multifamily homeownership. Shareholders or tenants join together to form a not-for-profit cooperative corporation which owns the building in which they live.
Residents buy a share (membership) in the co-op, but the cooperative owns the building, land, and any common areas. Residents are entitled to live in a housing unit as part of their membership benefits. Members pay a fixed amount each month that covers basic expenses, including mortgage, property taxes, and more. As owners, members exercise control over their housing situation by electing a board of directors made up of other residents. This varies from a condominium or town home, where residents each own their individual housing units and are responsible for their own mortgage.

What are the Advantages?
Ownership: Members actually own the cooperative through their share ownership of the not-for-profit cooperative corporation; there is no equity investor or landlord.
Control: Residents govern the cooperative with assistance from the managing agent.
Cost of Operation: Occupancy charges are equal to only the actual cost of owning and operating the property. In a rental, rent generally goes up faster than actual costs because most landlords are in business to make a profit.
Individuality: Initial members are able to customize their dwelling units, including a choice of floor coverings, cabinet colors, and various structural changes.
Homeowner Tax Advantages: Mortgage interest and real estate taxes are tax deductible in a housing cooperative.
Equity Growth Potential: In a Realife Cooperative, members earn limited equity on their unit based on the amount of time they live in their home. The earning of limited equity keeps it affordable for the first members and future members.
Overall Value: Expenses in a cooperative are spread across the entire membership proportionately, making the cost of living generally lower than a comparable single-family home.

Three Steps to Your Cooperative Home
1. Reservation: By making a $500 refundable deposit, you are assigned a reservation number. This determines the order we follow with home selection.
2. Subscription: This is the home selection process. It involves unit selection (including type and location in the building) as well as a review of the costs associated with membership in the cooperative (share price and monthly fee). There is a $4500 deposit that is required at this time to reserve the home you have selected.
3. Share Collection: We collect the shares prior to construction. This is similar to a down payment on a single family home. We are required to collect the shares before we begin construction in return for the FHA insurance on the mortgage. There is only one mortgage on the property and it is held by the cooperative.⁹

There are four stages needed to start such a housing cooperative: First, train a team of diakonia-ministers to visit and care for local disabled people in their homes. Second, invite their relatives and friends to come to the home of these disabled people to listen to what the Bible says about caring for the poor, lame, maimed and blind: they already know what you're doing, you just need to identify why you're doing it and they will believe! Third, when you have three or four of these home groups going (it may take a couple years to get to know and trust each other, so be patient!), introduce them to the idea of a housing cooperative. If you dump this idea on them before you've won their trust you could alienate them, and you need to be able to trust their sincerity as well. Fourth, when enough people are interested you will incorporate a non-profit housing cooperative, locate a piece of land and follow the three steps above: reservation, subscription and share collection. As you can see, this differs little from conventional church-planting, but it has the added plus of real, hands-on ministry integrated into it right from the start.

Our earlier ARC-1 design was a 28- to 42-living unit cross-shaped building on about four acres: This cooperative would encourage twelve to twenty physically healthy families with an adopted or foster child to live in the center, along with twelve to twenty units for elderly or handicapped people and twelve to twenty units for trained diakonia-ministers. The larger church body should include mainly people who are capable of ministering, not just those who need to be ministered to. Having physically healthy younger families in this ministry center also greatly helps the rehabilitation of disabled and elderly people and their socialization, because they want and need to be part of larger society.

But to start small, we've come up with a more compact ARC-3 design that's about 1/4 the size of the earlier plans: see our four sketches for a 12-living-unit building on just one-half acre that has eight 1- or 2-bedroom living units, two 2-bedroom living units, and two 3-bedroom living units, a community room/chapel, all of them being wheelchair-accessible.

But we must now ask some serious questions: Why should you change your lifestyle and sell your own home that you are so comfortable in? Look at it from the other side: why should missionaries give up their comfortable living standards to live in cockroach-infested, run-down apartments in a foreign country, while the large majority of nominal Christians in the West live in luxurious homes far larger than they actually need? My wife and I can testify how convenient it is to be able to simply lock the doors of our condo and go to Russia without having to worry about mowing the lawn or shoveling the sidewalk. Think how you would be able to go away on a mission trip for a month or two... or six, without having to worry about such things. But living in a condominium like our present home is not nearly as good as living in a community such as a housing cooperative. We have witnessed the fellowship that is created when several families share common space together, enjoying the fellowship that comes from an architectural design that promotes this fellowship. "We shape our buildings, and then our buildings shape us!" Think of the possibilities created by such a building for outreach to the needy, the disabled, the elderly and the lonely - widows and orphans - that you could have right in your own city! You don't need to cross the ocean and learn another language to be a missionary; you can have a mission outreach right where you are just by crossing some socioeconomic barriers.

Please keep in mind that such a ministry center is not an assisted living center, nursing home or hospice: those require professional nursing staff to be on hand at all times. It is a residence for orphans and widows, elderly and disabled people who may have chronic conditions, but can live semi-independently in a specially-designed environment, perhaps with some supervision. In a Christian center like this, much of the supervision and care can be given by trained volunteers, perhaps “empty-nest” younger retired people who are called to this form of ministry. Working-age and “Young old” people ages 60 to 75 are generally healthy enough to minister to other “Middle old” or “Very old” people and those with disabilities, helping them with meal preparation, cleaning and/or supervision. They could also arrange for “Meals on Wheels” or other community services needed. But these costs should be considerably less than the $5,000 or more per month that many elderly people pay to live in an assisted living facility in the Midwest U.S., and they will have the benefit of ownership instead of renting, which is simply pouring money down the drain. The result is that large sums of money are freed up to be used for local and world-wide ministry. The community room will also be used to train people in diakonia as well as other courses of Christian instruction: outreach, youth and family ministry, theology, etc. So these “Agape Restoration Centers” (ARCs) will reach out to the community and to the whole world! Below are the sketches for our proposed ministry centers. You can also download or print these sketches at this webpage: www.agape-restoration-society.org/build.htm - take a look!

1. Good News Bible, (www.e-sword.net, 2004).

2. Strong's Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries, op. cit.

3. Good News Bible, op. cit.

4. Ibid.

5. International Standard Version of the Bible, op. cit.

6. Warren, Rick, The Purpose Driven Church, op. cit., 78-79.

7. American Standard Version, op. cit.

8. International Standard Version of the Bible, op. cit.

9. Realife Inc., "Cooperative Living," (www.realifeinc.com/cooperativeliving/what-is-a-housing-co-op/, 2006).