Church Life #3
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.”)
Monday: I was able to have lunch with Jonathan today. Jonathan and I had lunch together several times during the summer. But, with his new work schedule and school schedule, we’ve had a hard time getting together. I think we’ll both be available on Mondays now! We talked about school and work and games and elders and Bible studies and missions and many, many other things.
Tuesday: My new friend Jeremiah had to take his van to the shop. So, he called and asked if I could pick up him and give him a ride home. I was able to spend a few minutes talking with him and one of his daughters. Once we got to his house, I think we talked longer than either of us intended… lots of good topics though.
Wednesday: After work, we went over to the Henry’s house. They had mentioned that they were painting their house that night, so we wanted to help them. They fed us some very delicious chili before we started painting! We were able to get the first coat on their living room and hallway before going home.
Thursday: A friend of mine (not a “member” of Messiah Baptist Church) was dealing with depression. He told me over the phone, so he and I got together for a few minutes to talk about his situation.
Thursday afternoon, a young man asked if he could meet with me. He had met with us one Sunday and had questions about the church. We talked for a while about elders and ministry (service) and other things. Usually, when I talk to someone like this, I end up saying “Well, we do things a little differently” several times.
Friday: Margaret and I went to New Bern, NC for the weekend to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary. Our anniversary was actually back in January, but Margaret’s dad had heart surgery then and she spent a month with him to take care of him. Some friends stayed at our house and took care of Jeremy and Miranda while we were out of town.
Saturday: Our good friends Kevin and Misty moved to the New Bern area last year. So, Saturday night we got together with them for dinner. Kevin is a football coach at a local public high school, and I am so excited about what God is doing through them there!
Sunday: Since we were out of town, we did not intend to meet with the church Sunday morning. However, it turns out that downtown New Bern closes Sunday morning. So, we ate breakfast and drove back home. We go to the meeting place around 1:00, and the church was still meeting. This was a very encouraging meeting because four men who had been nominated to be elders by the church were leading a discussion. The church was asking them questions as the church prepares to recognize some or all of them as elders.
Sunday night, Jeremy and I and Jeremy’s friend Jason went to Jeremiah and Kerri’s home for a bonfire. We had a great time getting to know them better and eating s’mores!
By watching Christians…
Yesterday, I read an excellent post by Joe (JR) at “More Than Cake” called “Daisy Cutter Doctrine.” Joe is interacting with Skye Jethani. But, I am posting this because of a quote that Joe uses to close his post. It is a quote by Phil Vischer, one of the founders of Big Idea Productions and VeggieTales:
I am growing increasingly convinced that if every one of these kids burning with passion to write that hit Christian song or make that hit Christian movie or start that hit Christian ministry to change the world would instead focus their passion on walking with God on a daily basis, the world would change… So why do I believe a thousand kids walking with God will have more impact on the world than one kid making a hit movie? Because the world learns about God not by watching Christian movies, but by watching Christians. – Phil Vischer, Me, Myself, and Bob, pg. 243
Church Life #2
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.”)
Monday: Monday was Labor Day. Sunday evening, our friends the Carpenters came to town to spend a couple of days with us. Eric was one of our original elders before his family moved to India. We went out for pizza for lunch, then to a local coffee house. While we were at the coffee house, we ran into Jonathan. We invited him to our house that evening for hamburgers and hot dogs. Jonathan said he would invite a neighbor who had met with us for the first time Sunday morning.
Monday evening, our friends the Henrys and Jonathan and his neighbor John joined us and the Carpenters at our house for dinner. We played games and talked until late.
Wednesday: In this series, I primarily list my interactions with other believers. But, there are many daily interactions among the church which neither I nor my family are involved with. For example, on Wednesday evening, a group of our friends get together for fellowship and Bible study. For the last month or two, this group has been spending their Wednesday evenings helping our friends the Disseaus work on their house. Since the Disseaus moved earlier in the week, this group resumed their normal Wednesday night get together. This week they started by talking about elders, since we are in the process of recognizing additional elders among the church. Then they spent the remainder of the evening playing games and enjoying ones another’s company.
Thursday: I had lunch with my friend Geth on Thursday. Last Spring, Geth and I had lunch together almost every week. We got out of the habit over the summer because he decided to travel to Scotland without me. (I’m pouting, but only slightly.) We always have a great time together, talking about life and marriage and Scripture and faith and anything else that comes up. I also like to talk to Geth about his work teaching in prisons.
Thursday night, our family and the Henry family went to the Disseau’s house to clean. They left for Texas earlier in the week. We told them that we would clean their house so they wouldn’t have to do it and they could leave earlier. While we were there, two of our friends dropped by: Katie and Laurel. They had each worked hard over the last couple of months helping the Disseaus get their house ready.
Friday: Friday evening, we had one of the most fun times we’ve ever had in downtown Wake Forest, thanks to the Wake Forest Coffee Company and our friends Danny, Adam, and Jonathan (and Danny’s guitar student Sam). Danny, Adam, and Jonathan played together outside the coffee shop while many, many people milled around and talked while listening to the music. I’ve heard about several awesome conversations that went on during sets which included Joe Satriani and Stevie Ray Vaughn songs among others.
Saturday: Saturday morning, Margaret and Miranda volunteered to help at a rabies clinic put on by the Franklin County Humane Society. They were able to have lunch with other volunteers afterward, and Margaret even found out that her waitress had a medical need. We hope to go back to the restaurant to talk to her again.
While they were at the rabies clinic, Jeremy and I spent some time in “The Neighborhood.” It was a beautiful day, and we were able to talk to one of the neighbors outside. Unfortunately, one of the ladies who has been having health problems was taking her bath, so we were not able to talk to her. Also, when we went by the nursing home, Ms. Jennie was out with someone for the day. We’ve missed her two weeks in a row now.
Saturday afternoon, Jeremy, Miranda, and I went to the apartment of our friends Jason and Ryan. They were hosting a brother from South Africa. Several other brothers and sisters were there as well. After spending a couple of hours eating together and getting to know this brother, he told us about how he and his family serve some children in a neighboring village. He doesn’t run a huge ministry. They’re just a family serving God and others where they are.
Sunday: We met for our scheduled weekly meeting Sunday morning. This week, the songs that the church chose were more recent songs, but still very relevant to who we are as the children of God. “Ancient of Days” and “How Great is Our God” stands out. After we sang the latter song, several people praised God for his blessings during the previous week.
I was scheduled to teach that morning, so I taught from Matthew 22:15-22. (We are studying Matthew together.) We started by focusing on “giving back to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s”, but we ended by discussing how we can “give back to God the things that are God’s.” Again, there was a great discussion about this passage. I’m always encouraged when I’m scheduled the teach, but the church teaches me as well.
As normal, we ate lunch together. Jeremy wanted pizza, so we picked up some pizza, while other brothers and sisters picked up subs, and others had brought their food with them. At one point, I was greatly challenged by a brother who was talking about struggles and trials. I tend to get angry during trials, but James encourages us to “Rejoice!” I’m not there yet, and I thank God for brothers and sisters who can exhort me (and others) toward a life of joy in spite of our circumstances. (Oh… the pizza was good too.)
Put your money (and possessions) where your mouth is
Last week, in a post called “The Good Samaritan meets Health Care Reform,” I said the following concerning the early church:
They would take care of the poor, the orphans, the widows, those in prison, etc. And, they wouldn’t simply throw money at some program to care for “the poor,†they would take care of poor people.
The Roman world first noticed Christianity because of the way that Christians cared for other people.
If the church still acted in this way, there would be no reason for “health care reform.†In fact, if the church still acted in this way – the way that Jesus prescribed – we could do away with all of our “evangelism programs†as well.
It is easy to say that the church should take care of people. It is much more difficult to actually put this into action. Here are two recent examples of how the church is “putting its money (and possessions) where its mouth is.”
Last week, a brother in North Carolina found out that a coworker in Pennsylvania was having car problems. When our brother talked to his coworker, he found out that it would be very expensive to fix the car. Our brother decided that he was going to drive his car Pennsylvania and leave it for this coworker to use as long as necessary. It turns out that some other coworkers checked the car out and found out that there was a simple, inexpensive problem. But, even though my brother did not give his car to someone else, he was willing to and ready to.
A few weeks ago, a young man was injured doing martial arts. Several of us know him, and he has helped many of our children work on their Tae Kwon Do skills. In fact, he was helping Jeremy (my son) when he was hurt. At the emergency room, we found out that his injury was not as serious as we thought, but as with all ER visits, there was still a substantial bill. This young man does not have health insurance.
I told the church about this need, and several people volunteered to help this young man pay his medical bill. He is not a “member” of Messiah Baptist Church. But, we know him, he is our brother, and we know of his need. So, we are responsible to help meet this need. More than knowing that we are responsible, we are acting on that responsibility.
While I write often about ecclesiology (the study of the church), I also like to move things out of the realm of theory and into reality. It is possible for the church to actually help people who are in need.
Moth Balls
Dave Black published this a few days ago on his blog:
I recall how one year, when we still lived in California, Becky and I dined at Sir Winston’s Restaurant aboard the Queen Mary, which is permanently docked in Long Beach Harbor. It’s sad to contemplate such a great ocean liner in moth balls, good for little more than weddings and parties. The book of Acts, which will be the focus of next week’s theology class, is the story of a church on the go. The same quality of church can be born in Nelson, Virginia, and in your town or city. The mark of a “moving” church is that it exists for others. Vitality, vibrancy, urgency, and involvement complement each other. Both our beliefs and our style of life testify to the life-changing power of Jesus. The church in America needs to rediscover the power of the Gospel. Unless the quality of our lives is a contrast to the dull drabness of the world, our churches deserve to be docked forever like the Queen Mary.
I have heard people talk about the “life” of their church as it relates to their Sunday and/or Wednesday meetings. It seems to me that those planned, weekly meetings are the “dock” for the church. For life to exist, it must exist outside of those planned, weekly meetings.
Perhaps many people think there is life in the church, but they are actually just seeing activity at the dock?
And they devoted themselves
Acts 2:42 is often called a summary verse concerning the early followers of Jesus Christ. Luke records:
And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. (Acts 2:42 ESV)
I think the ESV missed something in the translation here. The phrase “they devoted themselves” is a translation of the Greek verb phrase “ἠσαν προσκαρτεροῦντες“. For those who are familiar with Greek grammar, this is a periphrastic participial construction – a verb of being along with a participle. According to several Greek grammars, the periphrastic participle is the most marked verb form when it comes to verbal aspect. Thus, this verb phrase focuses on the continuous aspect of the verb. The NASB translation tries to bring out this continuous aspect by translating the phrase as “They were continually devoting themselves…”
Lexically, the verb προσκαρτερέω can mean “devoted to” which we see in both the ESV and NASB translations. According to BDAG (the standard Greek lexicon), in Acts 2:42 it carries a meaning of “hold fast to, continue or persevere in”. The context should help us understand what Luke is communicating to us about these early followers of Jesus Christ.
Luke says that the believers were devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayers. This does not mean that they were “devoted” to listening to what the apostles were teaching. Instead, it means that these early Christians were continually persevering in living according to the message that the apostles taught, as well as continuing to fellowship (share life) break bread (eat together), and pray.
Think about it this way: If the phrase “they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching” conjures up an image of people sitting around listening to the apostles teach, then the translation is NOT communicating the image to you properly.
On the other hand, if you read that phrase and picture the early believers attempting to live their lives in accordance with the message that the apostles taught, then you’re understanding what Luke wrote.
We see that Luke helps us understand what he means in the following verses:
And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. (Acts 2:43-47 ESV)
This passage demonstrates how those early believers lived according to the gospel (the apostles’ teaching), and how they shared their lives and their meals with one another. On the day of Pentecost, God did not create individuals who loved to sit and listen to teaching. Instead, God created a new community who now lived new lives – lives that were not lived for themselves any longer. Instead, they lived their lives for God by sharing their lives with one another and with the world around them.
The world noticed… and the world found favor on this new community and new way of life. (2:47)
Church Life #1
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.”)
Tuesday: (It could have been Wednesday.) My friend Danny sent me an email Tuesday morning asking about Luther’s “The German Mass and Order of Divine Service.” We had talked about it some the Sunday before, and Danny wanted to read a copy. I had just finished writing another post about Luther’s essay (see “Luther on Making Decisions for the Church“) so I sent Danny a link and printed a copy for him. I also met him for lunch. We went through Luther’s essay and noticed how Luther wanted to meet together with those who were truly Christians (his words, not mine). It was great comparing Luther’s thoughts to our own thoughts about the church.
Wednesday: Wednesday night, Margaret made dinner for our friends the Disseaus. They were in the last few days of prepping their house so that they can move to Dallas. After dinner, we did some electrical work for them in order to help with their house. We were not the only people helping them. Several friends from the church came over to the Disseaus house that night to help.
Friday: I had lunch with a great couple (J. and C.) who wanted to talk to me about the church. We talked about the church as family, and how living as brothers and sisters should affect everything that we do – yes, Sunday morning, but not just on Sunday morning.
Friday night, we had dinner with our friends Jim and Kirstie. We talked for so long that the waitress had to tell us that the restaurant was closed.
Saturday: Margaret and I took our children to a birthday party, then the two of us went to visit our friends in “The Neighborhood.” We were able to give our friend T. a Bible that she could read. She had been having trouble reading (small print) and understanding (KJV) her Bible. (She called me the next day to say that she had read her new Bible and could understand it! She was so excited!)
Saturday afternoon, we all went back to the Disseaus house to help out a little more. I was able to finish some of the electrical work that needed to be done, and we started (continued?) saying goodbye to them.
On our way home from the Disseaus, we stopped by one of our favorite places: Wake Forest Coffee Company. Our friend Danny was playing guitar and singing. We were able to talk with him and J. and C. (from my lunch Friday) before his set.
Sunday: Sunday morning, the church started gathering together at our meeting place around 10:30 a.m. We talked with one another for about 15 minutes as more people arrived before we started our meeting. We sang the song “I (We) Exalt Thee” as everyone found a place to sit. (Our chairs are arranged in two circles, generally.)
I began by reading from Ephesians 4 and praying. Jason played guitar and led us in singing “You are Holy (Prince of Peace).” Later he also chose the hymn “Great is Thy Faithfulness.” He also asked the church to select songs that they wanted to sing. I remember that we sang “A Mighty Fortress” and “The Old Rugged Cross” among others.
Danny taught from Matthew 22:1-14 – the parable of the wedding banquet. Since the previous two weeks we studied two other parables that dealt with Jesus taking the kingdom from the Jews, Danny focused on the last few verses (11-14) which deal with the man without wedding clothes who the king kicked out. He compared this to the parable of the wheat and tares. We talked about how we will never knew who is actually part of the kingdom and who is not, but the king always knows, and he will separate us out in the end times. This led to a great discussion about how we treat two different types of people: 1) those who profess to be believers but live immoral lives, and 2) those who do not profess to be believers. Other passages we brought up, such as 1 Corinthians 5.
After our discussion about Matthew 22:1-14, several brothers and sisters shared prayer requests, and we prayed for them. We made a few announcements and dismissed. During this time, we talked with one another, and some left for home or other obligations. Others stayed and ate lunch together. Some brought their lunch while others went to local fast food restaurants to pick up something to eat.
That evening, our family returned to the Disseaus to help them one last time before they left for Texas. Some good friends of ours (the Carpenters) were coming into town to spend a couple of nights with us. So, when they arrived, we went to our house to talk for a little while before bed time. (I’ll tell more about our time with the Carpenters next week.)
The unhypocritcal church
A couple of years ago, I published three posts called “The unhypocritical church” (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3). The posts were based on a study of, meditation on, and comparison to Romans 12 (especially verses 9-21). Here are the three posts together:
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Most theologians comment about how “theological” the book of Romans is. This simply means that Paul speaks in terms that most closely resemble how modern theologians speak. Of course, Romans is far from a “systematic theology”. But Romans does include a good deal of theology – that is, Paul tells us what he things about God and people and salvation.
In fact, Chapters 1 through 11 are filled with theology. We learn that all people are sinful – all people are separated from God – all people deserve eternal separation from God. We also learn that the remedy is found in the person of Jesus Christ – his death, burial, and resurrection – and that the remedy is administered through the person and presence and power of the Holy Spirit. But, Paul doesn’t stop there.
In Chapter 12, Paul begins to show how his “theology” should work itself out in the lives of all followers of Jesus Christ. He begins by showing that a life sacrificed to God will lead to a life that is tranformed – changed – into a life that is acceptable to God. This life will demonstrate the gifts of the Spirit because it will be controlled by the Spirit. The Spirit will manifest himself differently in different people, but the manifestation of the Spirit’s gifts will always be for the same purpose. But, Paul doesn’t stop there.
In Romans 12:9-21, Paul lays down specific characteristics of the life that is led by the Spirit. This is what he says:
Let love be genuine (unhypocritical). Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be conceited. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:9-21 ESV)
Notice how the genuine (unhypocritical) love of Spirit-indwelled, Spirit-led believers is described:
- holding fast to good
- loving one another
- honoring one another
- serving the Lord fervently
- rejoicing
- patient
- praying
- giving to needy believers
- being hospitable (loving strangers)
- blessing
- living in harmony
- humble
- doing what is honorable
- living in peace with all
This is how the church of God should live. This is how the church of God should be described. In fact, the “theology” of the previous 11 chapters means little if the lives of believers are not being transformed by the indwelled Spirit.
So, where do you stop? Do you stop at discussing theology? Or, do you see the power of the Spirit at work in your life? How does a description of your life match up to Paul’s description of the Spirit-led, transformed life?
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“The unhypocritcal church – Part 2”
When I wrote the post “The unhypocritical church“, I did not plan for it to continue into a second part. However, as I have been meditating on Romans 12 for the last few days, there are a few more thoughts that I want to share.
Sunday morning, we gathered with the church like we do every week. After the formal part of our meeting concluded, people hung around talking for about an hour. At one point, my daughter and another girl her age stood by the door and, like good stewardesses, greeted those who left by saying, “Buh-bye. See you next week.” This was funny at first. Then I realized exactly what they were saying. They recognized that we would not see many of these people for seven days.
Sunday afternoon, as I published the post called “The unhypocritical church” and thought about the episode with my daughter and her friend, I realized that it would be impossible to carry out the teachings of Romans 12:9-21 if we only see one another once a week in a formal setting. Look at this list again:
- holding fast to good
- loving one another
- honoring one another
- serving the Lord fervently
- rejoicing
- patient
- praying
- giving to needy
- believers
- being hospitable (loving strangers)
- blessing
- living in harmony
- humble
- doing what is honorable
- living in peace with all
Sure, some of these we could probably do once a week, and pretend to have carried out Paul’s intention. But, can we have patience with one another if we only see each other once every seven days? Can we live in harmony with one another if we only see each other once every seven days? Similarly, we are to help one another live according to these descriptions. Can we help one another be hospitable toward strangers if we only see one another on Sunday?
This passage (Romans 12:9-21) is about community. Paul does not state, “Live as a community with your brothers and sisters in Christ”. However, he describes believers living together in such a way that they must recognize themselves as a Spirit-indwelled, Spirit-led community in order to see these descriptions carried out in their lives. There is no way to understand “church” as a once or twice a week event and have these characteristics. No, Paul is not describing an event, or a location, or an organization. Paul is describing a way-of-life for people who are following their Master together.
Among the church where God has placed me, I recognize these characteristics in many of my brothers and sisters. On Sunday, I heard that several people are spending their Labor Day Monday helping some friends work on their houses. I heard about other friends who are donating furniture and delivering it to someone that they do not know, but who is in need of furniture. Other friends are spending their day off by working on cars for their brothers and sisters. In activities such as these (and probably many others that I do not know about), the love of Christ is manifest and proclaimed both to believers and to unbelievers alike.
A community… a kingdom community, ruled by the King, looking out for one another, serving one another and the world, proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ, and warmly welcoming those who accept his grace and mercy. This is the kind of church that Paul is describing. This is the church of unypocritical love. This is how I want to live my life.
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“The unhypocritical church – Part 3”
I think this will be my last post on Romans 12:9-21 for now. As a reminder, this is what Paul writes:
Let love be genuine (unhypocritical). Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be conceited. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:9-21 ESV)
Once again, notice how the genuine (unhypocritical) love of Spirit-indwelled, Spirit-led believers is described:
- holding fast to good
- loving one another
- honoring one another
- serving the Lord fervently
- rejoicing
- patient
- praying
- giving to needy believers
- being hospitable (loving strangers)
- blessing
- living in harmony
- humble
- doing what is honorable
- living in peace with all
This is how the church of God should live. This description should characterize each believer and each group of beleivers.
Over the last few days, I have been asking myself which of these characteristics are evident in my life and which characteristics are absent. I can look back over the last few years and see where God has grown me and changed me. But, I can also see where I am not living as God intends. Specifically, God is still teaching me how to show hospitality (that is, love for strangers as opposed to love for those who I already know and love) and how to give to those who are in need. Perhaps, most of all, this is showing me areas in my life where I am not submitting to the presence of God.
As Joel pointed out in a recent post, we must begin with a proper understanind of who we are in Christ. I would also add that we should also recognize the awesome power and presence of the Holy Spirit who indwells us and changes us from the inside out.
Beginning with this understanding, I am going to ask you the same question that I have been asking myself: Meditating on the description of the unhypocritical (genuine) love of Romans 12:9-21, where is God still working in your life? In what ways are you not submitting to God’s presence in your life?
Luther on Making Decisions for the Church
Previously, I’ve written a couple of posts concerning Luther’s “The German Mass and Order of Divine Service.” (See “Luther and the Church” and “Luther and the non-Christian ‘worship service’.”)
In this short essay, Luther describes three types of “divine services.” The first two – in Latin and German respectively – are designed for non-Christians. Concerning these two meetings, Luther says in his preface, “They [the people attending] are not yet believers or Christians.”
But, what about for those who are Christians? Luther describes a third type of meeting in his preface for those who “are desirous of being Christians in earnest.” This meeting would be less public and more discipleship oriented. While this type of meeting may appear to be a modern-day “Bible study,” Luther says that this is the time for Christians to practice the “sacraments.” For Luther, this third type of meeting is the church meeting.
Unfortunately, Luther says that he does not know enough believers to hold this type of meeting. He says, “But I cannot and would not order or arrange such a community or congregation at present. I have not the requisite persons for it, nor do I see many who are urgent for it.” So, the majority of the essay is spent describing the first two “divine services,” which are for non-Christians and after which most churches pattern their “worship service.”
As I was talking about Luther’s essay with a friend recently, a portion of Luther’s statement stood out to me. Concerning putting together the “third type” of church meeting (the one for people who are really Christians), Luther says:
In the meantime, I would abide by the two Orders aforesaid; and publicly among the people aid in the promotion of such Divine Service, besides preaching, as shall exercise the youth and call and incite others to faith, until those Christians who are most thoroughly in earnest shall discover each other and cleave together; to the end that there be no faction-forming, such as might ensue if I were to settle everything out of my own head.
Luther understands something that many Christian leaders today fail to recognize. When leaders make decisions for the church – instead of waiting for God to bring the church as a whole to make decisions – the leaders’ decisions will typically lead to “faction-forming.” Regardless of good intentions, God never intended Christian leaders (even elders) to “settle everything” for themselves.
Notice what Luther says… even though he thinks this third form of meeting would be better for the church, he’s waiting “until those Christians who are most thoroughly in earnest shall discover each other and cleave together.” Luther is not willing to force the people to do something that they are not ready to do, even though Luther thinks it is best for them.
If you read a few lines before Luther’s statement, you’ll find something even more interesting. What happens to the “form and order” of this meeting once God has changed the hearts of the people so that they are ready for it? Does Luther then move ahead and “settle everything”? No, because at that point he won’t have to!
Luther says, “In one word, if we only had people who longed to be Christians in earnest, Form and Order would soon shape itself.” People who are earnestly attempting to follow Christ in their relationships with one another – including when they meet together as the church – do not have to be forced into a certain “form and order” by their leaders – not even a leader and important and impressive as Luther! Instead, we can safely trust God to handle the form and order as well!
Certainly, at times, there will be people in our meetings who are not following the Spirit and who are not concerned with edifying other believers. When these people become unruly, others can gently remind them of our purpose in meeting together.
But, overall, we do not have to force our methods of meeting on other people. We can teach and disciple and wait for God to change people’s hearts and minds in this area. Also, we do not have to force or design a certain type of meeting. Once again, we simply need to give God time and opportunity to work, and give people an opportunity to build up one another.
But they’re just kids
Last Friday evening, my family took part in “game night”. What is “game night”? Well, about once a month, some friends of ours invite people to their house for fun, food, and games. They started by inviting their daughter’s friends. They invited their daughter’s friends who meet with them together as the church, and they invited their daughter’s friends from Tae Kwon Do, and they invited their daughter’s friends from homeschool co-op. Then, their daughter’s friends invited other friends. And those friends invited other friends. Each month when the boys and girls (ages from around 8-9 through 17-18) get together, there are always new faces.
So, last Friday, it was time for another game night. Since adults are always invited and welcomed to stay and take part, we decided to hang out with the young people this time. We played outside games until it started raining – egg toss (the egg broke when I tried to catch it, but I think this particular egg must have had a thin shell), basketball, some kind of game where I think the purpose was to get wet – or to get other people wet.
When we went inside, we played other games. We played mafia (a new game for me, but I ended up being in the mafia… oh yeah), and signs, and a few other games. At one point, my friend called all the boys and girls and adults together to talk to them for a few minutes and to ask for prayer requests.
As I saw all the young people sitting around their living room, I realized something. Some of these boys and girls are followers of Jesus Christ… they are Christians. This means that these boys and girls are my brothers and sisters in Christ. They are part of the church. They are not half-brothers and half-sisters… they are not sub-members of the church. They are as much a part of the church as I am. (Yes, organizationally, these boys and girls and adults are part of many different church organizations. But, relationally, we are all part of the same church.)
This is very important for me, for other adults, and for the boys and girls to realize. As children of God, the boys and girls have been indwelled by the Holy Spirit, and they have been gifted by God to serve others and to build up the church. In fact, if we agree with Paul and if it is necessary for the whole church to work together in order for the church to grow (Eph 4:16), then it is necessary for these boys and girls to function as God has gifted them in order for the church to grow.
Every believer is indispensable for the growth of the church. Every believer. This includes young believers.
There are some very mature believers that God has brought into my life. I need these people. I need them to be part of my life. But, in the same way and not a less important way, I need the young brothers and sisters to be part of my life as well. The church needs them. Why? Because they are children of God given to the church by God. It is only in the eyes and minds of humans that these young people seem less important or less significant.
Unfortunately, I don’t think the church (in general) recognizes the importance of these young people. Similarly, because of the way they’ve been taught and the way they tend to be separated and set aside, I don’t think these young people recognize their importance to the growth and health of the church.
I’ve decided to make sure that I let these young people – and others that God brings into my life – know that I need them as much as I need other brothers and sisters of Christ. Then, of course, I plan to listen to them and learn from them to see how God may use them to help me and the church.