Acts of the Holy Apostles 20:16-18, 28-36
“To Build Up an Inheritance… among All Those Who are Sanctified.”
Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
St. Ambrose of Optina in his Sayings [quoted in the larger collection of Spiritual Counsels of the Holy Elders (Holy Trinity Publications, 2005)] writes,
“There are two kinds of beneficence: the first is to do good to your own soul by works of godliness with humility and non-judgment of others… ; the second is to do good to others, by external means, which is also beneficial to our souls… . The most useful thing to do is to do good and to believe without hesitation that we will receive the reward from the Lord for this, [for] according to the Prophet Daniel: The ransom of a man’s life are his riches (Prov 13:8).”
“Do good to others, by external means, which is also beneficial to our souls.”
Why, brethren, would a man dedicate himself to the priesthood, to monastic life, to service in the Church, to the care of orphans and widows, to regular almsgiving? According to St. Ambrose: for the sake of others, out of love for others, and as a secondary effect—if not the chief impetus—to save his own soul. In serving others, we help others, yes; and in serving others, in giving to others, a “character of charity” is formed in us. We do not serve others to save ourselves. This is a kind of gross objectification of our fellow man. But we serve others out of love, and the natural consequence of this service is a refinement of our own character. That is to say, it forms within us a habit of love, which is part and parcel of the image of Christ in us.
In today’s Epistle Reading, brethren, the Apostle confirms these words of St. Ambrose, telling the elders at Ephesus:
“I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. I have coveted no one’s silver or gold or apparel. Yes, you yourselves know that these hands have provided for my necessities, and for those who were with me. I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’” (Acts 20:32-35; italics mine).
It is God’s word and his grace at work in us that is able to “build… up and [to] give an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.” That word, “to build up,” in the Greek, oikodomēsai, “house-making” does not connote mere encouragement. It is most literally, “laying a foundation” and “edification”, that is, of a physical edifice! It is the same word employed by Christ in his comparison of discipleship with tower-building in St. Luke’s Gospel. In Christ’s holy Church, there will be living expenses, there will be repairs and maintenances, there will be capital investments—human capital investments; there will be expansion projects. These “expenses” can be viewed as either the “unwelcomed burdens of doing business as the Church” [ugh! What a terrible caricature!] or as opportunities for mutual edification: the building up of the body of Christ and the fortification of our own souls, with reference to St. Ambrose’s words, “There are two kinds of beneficence.”
It is my opinion, brethren, that the health of a Church can be well gauged by its external attempts to edify itself. What do I mean by this? Simply: a healthy Church is a growing Church. Ah, key word, and let’s be careful with it: growing. Numbers, numbers, brethren, mean very little. Rarely, if ever, has the Church encouraged or prioritized quantity of membership over quality of membership. But by growing, here, we mean it in the same vein of thought as St. Peter, in his Second Epistle, “growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord, Jesus Christ” (2 Pet 3:18), through the life of the Church, namely, a participation in her Mysteries and ministries. For what is more demonstrative of our growth in grace but the fruits of the Spirit of God: charity, meekness, faith, kindness (cf. Gal 5)?
In concrete terms, then, what are the various indicators of the Church’s self-edification—broadly and parochially? We may ask: (1) is she making disciples? (2) is she evangelical? (3) is she missional? (4) is she beautiful? (5) is she service-oriented? (6) is she abundant in gifts and offerings? (7) is she producing clergy? It is noteworthy, brethren, that St. Paul precedes his remarks to the elders at Ephesus, on the edification of the Church, with a warning against “savage wolves” who will attempt to compromise the gospel-integrity of and to mislead the flock of Jesus Christ. These “wolves” attack the body of Christ by introducing new doctrines and by convincing the flock that its edification is of a secondary importance. “Growth in grace; growth in beauty; growth in mission; growth in service is not necessary!” they say. This is a false gospel! This is the gospel of the prosperity preachers, who tell us that what is most indicative of our salvation is our own material edification; as well as the monergists, who would sideline man’s personal sanctity, and the edification of the Church through the cooperation of her members with the grace of the Holy Spirit of God, in lieu of a soteriological determinism.
Lest there be any confusion, for the Apostle does say, “I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up…” (Acts 20:32), we must ask, “Who is God to us, i.e., to the brethren, to the Church, but the same God who is at work in us?” Who speaks these words to us? Who gives these gifts, mysteria, this grace, kharisma, to us, but God in us, God with us, in the members of his universal Body? As Orthodox we confess with St. Paul that we:
“… continue to work out [our] salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, ‘children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.’ Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life” (Phil 2:12-16).
We work out our salvation, in cooperation with God, as we build up the Body, and as a consequence of this process, we are purified and hallowed to “shine like stars in the sky” amidst a dark and crooked world.
It is, brethren, imperative to each of us to contribute to this oikodomēsōn, this sacred “home-building.” How each of us does that, by the grace of God, will vary: some in preaching, like St. John Chrysostom; some in counsel, like St. Ambrose; some in beautifying, like St. Andrei Rublev; some in giving, like St. Nicholas; some in prayer and fasting, like St. Anthony; some in song, like St. Romanos; some in theologizing, like St. John Damascene; some in missionary zeal, like St. Innocent. This “house-building”, brethren, is both an obedience and a privilege. It is our gospel-mandate, and also, the means of our growth in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ.
“I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. … I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this… . [Now’ remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’” (Acts 20:23, 34-35).
And the same Apostle says elsewhere,
“By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light” (1 Cor 3:10-13).
Through the prayers of our holy fathers, especially the Fathers of the 1st Ecumenical Council, O Lord, Jesus Christ, our God, have mercy on us and save us. Amen.
Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!