Scripture… As We Live It #77
This is the 77th installment of “Scripture… As We Live It“:
So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith members of our church. (Galatians 6:10 re-mix)
(Please read the first post for an explanation of this series.)
Breaking through man-made boundaries
I’ve noticed recently that some of my younger friends (teenagers especially) are better at breaking through the man-made boundaries of church organization.
I’m certain that you know what I mean by “man-made boundaries of church organization”? You know, those boundaries that say we should only attend meetings with a certain group of people, or we should only discuss spiritual things with “our church,” or we should only hang out with the right kind of Christians, or we only have responsibilities toward other “church members”.
But, I’ve noticed that my children and their friends do not have those same kinds of hangups. In fact, among their group of friends, there are people from many different church organizations. Yet, they all hang out together, and they all share in one another’s lives.
They often meet with one another’s churches, and even attend events put on by other churches. (Of course, the church organizations don’t always know what to do about this. I can’t tell you how many times we’ve been “visited” because our children attended some function. The assumption is that we’re not “happy” with our church and want to “join” their church. More indication of man-made boundaries…)
I’m encouraged at the way I see these young believers living and sharing their lives. Not only does it give me hope, but it also makes me wonder if us older folks could learn something from this teenagers.
Pick and Choose?
A couple of years ago, I wrote a post called “Pick and Choose?” In that post, I talked about how our hermeneutic – method of interpreting Scripture – often works differently, even within the same verse. I’ll admit, I still find myself picking and choosing which parts of Scripture is still pertinent. Is this valid?
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Hermeneutics is the study of interpretive methods. A person’s hermeneutic will determine how that person will interpret and apply a biblical text. There are many different hermeneutics, and, thus, many different interpretations. Certainly, some methods of interpretation seem to be more valid than others. I think the best hermeneutic is one that is consistent.
Consistent? Yes, consistent – meaning, the best hermeneutic is one that interprets and applies Scripture similarly across the same genre. A poor hermeneutic, then, would be a hermeneutic that picks and chooses how to interpret and apply the biblical text.
For example, most churches meet together on Sunday. Why? Because in Scripture, we see an example of the church in Troas meeting together on Sunday. In fact, this is the only instance where Scripture indicates the day of the meeting:
[I]n five days we came to them at Troas, where we stayed for seven days. On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his speech until midnight. (Acts 20:6-7 ESV)
According to this passage, the church in Troas met together on the first day of the week – Sunday. And, every possible reading of this passage should agree with this statement: when Paul visited Troas, the church met together on the first day of the week. Thus, if a church wants to model the example given by the church in Troas, then it would be valid to meet on Sunday, the first day of the week.
Most churches agree with this, and most churches meet together on Sundays. Sure, many will agree that it is not necessary to meet on Sundays, but this remains the common practice.
The question that I have is this: Why do we stop interpreting this verse as normative when we read, “On the first day of the week…” There is more to this passage. Specifically, Luke tells us why the church met together. He give us the purpose of their getting together.
The church in Troas met together for the purpose of breaking bread. They listened to Paul speak, but this was not the purpose of their meeting. Many other things may have taken place, but these were not the purpose of their meeting. The church in Troas met together on the first day of the week specifically to break bread.
The phrase “break bread” is used to indicate eating a meal. Perhaps this meal included the “Lord’s Supper” or perhaps there is no distinction between the Lord’s Supper and the meal, but these questions are beside the point. The point is, the church in Troas met together in order to share a meal together.
Why do we pick the first part of this passage to follow, but choose to ignore the later part of the passage? Why do we decide follow the example of Troas and meet together on Sunday, but ignore that the purpose of their meeting? Could we be missing something by focusing on the meeting day but ignoring the meeting purpose?
Is your hermeneutic consistent? Or, do you pick and choose which parts of Scripture to follow – even within the same verse?
Peterson’s concluding remarks on edification
One of my favorite books is David Peterson’s Engaging with God: A Biblical Theology of Worship. This book was very influential in my decision to continue my eduction toward a PhD. Peterson was able to present a biblical theology on a topic (my own area of interest) in a manner that is both scholarly and accessible. Also, this book intersects my own interests because Peterson includes a chapter called “Serving God in the Assembly of His People.” One section of this chapter even deals with edification, the topic of my dissertation.
Peterson calls the conclusion of that section “Concluding remarks on edification.” You could say that Peterson’s concluding remarks are the jumping off point for my own studies. When I read through this section again as I was working on my prospectus, I decided that I would share these few paragraphs with my reader. I hope this except is an encouragement to those who already agree that edification is the purpose of the church assembly, and a challenge to those who disagree:
The apostle regularly, but not exclusively, employs the terminology of edification to oppose individualism, either in the ethical sphere or in the sphere of congregational ministry. Edification is first and foremost the work of Christ, ‘fashioning the whole life of the Church in its members in faith, hope and love’. (G. Delling, Worship in the New Testament, London: Darton, Longman and Todd, 1962, 40) As Christians utilize Christ’s gifts, made available through the Spirit, they participate in this divine activity and further God’s purpose for his people collectively. Although the edification of the church is a principle that should govern the thinking and behaviour of Christians in all circumstances, Paul normally employs this notion with reference to the activities of Christian assembly. When Christians gather together to minister to one another the truth of God in love, the church is manifested, maintained and advanced in God’s way.
The apostle’s teaching calls into question the validity and helpfulness of much contemporary thinking and practice in relation to church services. Mention has been made of the inappropriateness of designing out gatherings primarily to facilitate private communion with God. This can happen in Catholic, evangelical and charismatic traditions alike. Paul would urge us to meet in dependency on one another as the vehicles of God’s grace and to view the well-being and strengthening of the whole church as the primary aim of the gathering. There ought to be a real engagement with other believers in the context of mutual ministry, shared prayer and praise, not simply a friendly chat over a cup of coffee after church!
Again, 1 Corinthians 14 challenges the tendency of many Christian traditions to undervalue spontaneity and variety of input in the congregational gathering. Paul expected that members of the congregation would come with some contribution prepared for the occasion or that individuals might be prompted by the Spirit to offer prayer or praise or some other ministry on the spot. Ephesians 4 certainly indicates the importance of pastor-teachers in the equipment of God’s people for their work of building up the body of Christ, and the pastoral epistles highlight the teaching role of those identified as leaders in the congregation. However, as noted previously, there should be some public opportunity for spontaneous and informal ministries as well as for the ordered and prepared.
It is sometimes said that the size of our gatherings or the physical context makes it impossible to put such New Testament teaching into practice. People who argue this way show little imagination or willingness to reassess their traditions, even though others in the contemporary scene have found helpful solutions to these problems. It may be a matter of finding appropriate spots in the regular pattern of Sunday services where contributions can be made. It may be a matter of rearranging the furniture or encouraging people to gather together differently so that those who contribute can be more easily seen and heard.
Of course, it is equally possible to lose the vertical dimension and consider congregational meetings as little more than an occasion for human fellowship. The balance of Paul’s teaching suggests that we view mutual ministry as the context in which to engage with God. Edification and worship are different sides of the same coin. (pg 213-215)
To continue Peterson’s last paragraph (in my own words, not his), we worship God in our church gatherings when we mutually build up one another toward maturity in Christ. And what if we are not involved in mutual edification when the church assembles? What if we are not given that opportunity or if we do not take advantage of the opportunities that we are given? Are we worshiping?
A Chinese Proverb
Today, while on vacation in the World Showcase at EPCOT Center in Disney World, I saw this Chinese proverb:
Hearing something 100 times is not as good as seeing it once.
What do you think? True? Not true? Does this apply to the church? If so, how?
Church Life #7 – Sunday
This series is about our life with the church as we attempt to live together as brothers and sisters. (For a more detailed description of this series, see my post “Church Life – A New Series.”)
In this post of my Church Life series, I want to talk about the Sunday (or weekly) church meeting. There are ways to modify the traditional method of meeting in order to foster community and fellowship. These are some of the things that we’ve done, but certainly not all of the changes that could be made. Similarly, some of these changes may not be helpful in your situation.
One of the first changes that we made to the traditional method of meeting (at least the tradition that we were all accustomed to) was in the area of teaching (preaching). In Scripture, it seems that multiple people had opportunity to speak, teach, exhort, etc. when the church met. So, we wanted more than one person to have the opportunity to teach.
To begin with, we maintain a teaching schedule. Any of the men can sign up to teach a passage (we teach through books of the Bible, and we currently do not allow women to sign up to teach). This means that from week to week, different people will be speaking as the main teacher (preacher).
Each person that teaches has the option of teaching in whatever method they choose, since people both teach differently and learn differently. More and more have recognized the value of discussion and have included discussion in their teaching method.
Also, besides the main teaching (through a book of the Bible), we also leave time in our meeting for anyone to speak, exhort, give a testimony, ask for prayer, etc. So, not only is the main teacher (preacher) changing from week to week, but there are also several people speaking during each meeting. Although several people speak, they always take turns so as not to be disorderly.
We’ve also changed the way we sing together. Each week, instead of having the same person or people choose songs for everyone to sing, there is a different person from week to week. Sometimes, this person chooses a few songs. Usually, there is also opportunity for anyone to choose a song for the church to sing. Also, anyone is allowed to take part by playing an instrument if they want to.
Another change that we’ve made is in the way we arrange our chairs. (Yes, this would be difficult for those with pews.) We typically arrange our chairs in consecutive circles. (If there is a presentation – slideshow, etc. – then we set the chairs up in a horseshoe pattern.) This arrangement allows much more interaction than is possible in rows of chairs. We’ve also found that we no longer need our sound system, since people are facing one another.
Finally, we eat together almost every Sunday. Usually, this is an informal meal. People bring food (or go to fast food restaurants to pick up food) for themselves. Occasionally, a few families will get together and decide to fix food together. For example, a few weeks ago, three families decided to fix soup. They emailed everyone and invited the church to join them.
All of these changes were not made for the sake of changing. Also, the changes were not forced on the church from the elders. Instead, the changes were made as the church recognized that something was hindering their meeting together.
Prayer and the ministry of the word
Acts 6 begins like this:
Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them. And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith. (Acts 6:1-7 ESV)
Elders (pastors) sometimes apply this passage to themselves, arguing that elders should focus on “preaching the word of God” or “prayer and the ministry of the word.” In this line of thinking, the elders should spend their time praying, studying, and preaching, while other people in the church carry out the other activities (such as waiting tables or caring for widows).
Now, to begin with, I think believers often have a wrong understanding of what it means to “preach the word of God.” As I’ve suggested in other posts (i.e. my series “Preaching in the Old Testament“), “preach the word” does not mean “give a sermon”, but to proclaim or announce the Gospel. Similarly, I’m not convinced that “the ministry of the word” means studying the Bible and commentaries and other books for 20+ hours per week in order to prepare a sermon.
However, beyond these points, I think there are at least two reasons why it is not valid for elders to apply this passage to themselves and their own responsibilities.
First, elders are not mentioned in this passage. Luke only mentions apostles. There is no indication in Scripture that the responsibilities of apostles are to be assumed by elders.
Second, and perhaps more important, the apostles seemed to have devoted themselves “to prayer and to the ministry of the word” for a limited amount of time. In other words, even the apostles did not continue this same type of devotion of time forever.
Within a short time, we see evidence in Scripture that the apostles were soon moving about from place to place. For example, Peter is traveling “from here to there” (Acts 9:32) and eventually spent some time in Joppa (Acts 9:36-10:22) and Caesarea (Acts 10:23-48) before returning to Jerusalem (Acts 11:2).
We know that Paul traveled throughout his work as an apostle. Also, when he wrote to the church in Corinth, he indicated that it was normal for apostles to travel (1 Corinthians 9:1-5). Paul also indicates that Peter has been in Corinth at some point (1 Corinthians 1:12). Paul tells us that his work as an apostles included serving people diligently (1 Thessalonians 2:7-10 among others).
(According to tradition, all of the apostles traveled to different places in order to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ and to strengthen the churches.)
So, whatever it meant for the apostles to devote themselves “to prayer and to the ministry of the word”, it seems to have been a short-term devotion. Soon, they were no longer spending all of their time on this activity, but were traveling around proclaiming the gospel and serving people – the very thing they said that they did not have time to do in Acts 6.
Perhaps, the apostles recognized that there was a specific thing for them to do at that time. Instead of allowing other people’s responsibilities from hindering them, they exhorted the people to take care of their own responsibilities. In fact, this is exactly what they told those who were complaining: take care of this yourselves.
When this particular project was complete (whatever it was), the apostles continued with whatever God called them to do next. For most of the apostles, this seems to be traveling from place to place to proclaim the gospel and strengthen the churches.
This passage is not an exhortation for elders (pastors) to spend many hours praying and studying Scripture. Instead, this passage is an exhortation for all believers to not be distracted from whatever God has called us to do… even if that responsibility eventually ends and God then calls us to do something else.
I need squiggly lines
I realize now that I need squiggly lines in my life. In fact, looking back, I think my life would have been much better if I had had squiggly lines from the beginning.
You know what I mean by squiggly lines, right?
Have you ever been typing along and suddenly the word that you just finished typing is underlined with a red squiggly line? (Yes, I know some software now uses dotted lines.) When you right click on the word, the software gives you a few choices of correctly spelled words. You click on your choice, and instantly your typo has been corrected.
Or, have you ever been typing a sentence when suddenly the entire sentence is underlined by a green squiggly line? Again, when you right click on the sentence, the software tells you what grammatical error you’ve made. You can then click its suggested changes or you can make the changes yourself.
I need those squiggly lines in my life.
It’s true. Looking back, I can see that I made some terrible mistakes in my life. I wish that my life had been underlined by squiggly lines then so that I would know that something was wrong.
Just imagine… you make a decision, or you’re about to do something, or you choose not to do something, and suddenly a squiggly line appears in your life. You check out the squiggly line and you find out that you’ve made a mistake which can then be corrected before there is any more damage.
That’s what I need. I need those squiggly lines. There are too many times when I’ve gone in the wrong direction, or I’ve done the wrong thing, or I haven’t done something that I should have done. Yes, I know that God still loves me and that God still uses me and that I’m not a failure. That’s not the point. The point is that my life would have been more full, more abundant, more Christ-like, if I had squiggly lines to warn me about the upcoming mistakes.
Of course, I have something better than squiggly lines. I’m indwelled by the Holy Spirit. Sometimes those squiggly lines are wrong, but the Spirit is never wrong. God has promised to guide me into all truth by his Spirit. He has promised to empower me and serve other through me by his Spirit. He has promised to show me the way out of temptation by his Spirit. He has even promised to tell me what to say by his Spirit.
Now that I think about it, the Spirit is much better than squiggly lines… assuming that I pay attention to him.
Scripture… As We Live It #76
This is the 76th passage in “Scripture… As We Live It“:
But we will pastors should devote ourselves themselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word to studying the Bible, commentaries, and other books 20+ hours per week in preparation for delivering sermons.”
(Please read the first post for an explanation of this series.)
More about “obeying” leaders
Rick at “Dry Creek Chronicles” begins to discuss Hebrews 13:17 in his post “Word study: peithÅ.” Concerning the usage of the verb occasionally translated “obey”, Rick says:
There’s a lot in there about persuasion, trust, confidence, and good will, and even the one mention of obey comes wrapped in “listen to, obey, yield to, comply with.†It’s far afield from the understanding of obey I have in its usual English usage, e.g. obedience to a commander or a parent.
Rick is coming to the same conclusion that I’ve reached. (See my post “Obey and Submit – Hebrews 13:17.”)
Rick also lists every verse in the New Testament which includes this verb. Its a very interesting list, to say the least.