The Danger Of Using The E-Word

There is a danger is using the E-word.  You probably didn’t know that, but there is.  First, though, you have to know what E-word I’m talking about.

I’m talking about Edification.

I believe that what we do as believers in Christ should be edifying.  We should be doing our best to build up our brother and sisters in Christ.

There is just one problem.

Once we lay it out there that we are trying to edify another, it breaks the whole thing down.

Jon Acuff mentions this in his book Quitter and in a recent excerpt on his blog.  Someone was buying his book Stuff Christians Like in a Christian bookstore.  The clerk told the person buying it that it was edifying.  I don’t know how that turned out, but since Jon mentioned it in his book, I can guess.

That clerk lost the buyer.

Why?

Because once we tell someone who we are trying to edify them (which is what that clerk did) we lose them.

We should simply go about our business edifying.  We don’t need to announce it.  Be like Bo Jackson.  Just do it.

Edifying others is a great thing to do.  We should be about the business of edifying each other in Christ.

What isn’t so great is to tell others that you are trying to edify them.  That is one of the quickest ways to shut them down.

Has anyone every tried to edify you and shut you down in the process?