Discussion in the synagogue
As part of my PhD studies at SEBTS, I have the opportunity (it’s a requirement, but I consider it an opportunity) to take part in a mentorship with my PhD mentor, Dr. Dave Black. The mentorship will cover two semesters. During the first semester, we will discuss books and topics that will help me prepare for my dissertation. During the second semester, we will discuss books and topics that will help me prepare for my comprehensive exams, which I should take next spring.
For our first mentorship meeting, I’m studying the topic of the meeting of the people of God in the Old Testament and inter-testamental time periods. Much of the material that I’m reading is concerned with synagogue meetings during the first century. One of the books that I’m reading is Reconstructing the First-Century Synagogue: A Critical Analysis of Current Research by Stephen K. Catto (New York: T&T Clark, 2007).
Catto finds that there were differences between the meetings of synagogues during the first century. Many of these differences were due to cultural and social influences. However, despite these differences, Catto says that there were also many similarities. For example, he says that synagogue meetings invariably included purity rights, reading and teaching from the Torah, prayer and hymn singing, and sacred meals.
When discussing the practice of reading and teaching from the Torah, Catto concludes:
What form the sermon took and to what extent there would have been similarities and differences between various communities is again difficult to substantiate. As will be argued below, there is evidence of a broad stream of biblically based material upon which different communities may well have built their construction of worship practices. How the sermon was received and whether there was a debate or discussion is clearer. Binder’s suggestion that Paul is presented as always arguing in the ‘synagogues’ is wrong: διαλÎγομαι [dialegomai] means simply ‘to address’. But there was disputation within the ‘synagogue’ [Acts 18:6]: Jesus’ teaching in his home town is greeted with disapproval by those who heard him, followed by a discussion among themselves [Mk 6.2-3]; and there is discussion between Jesus and the Jews in the ‘synagogue’ in Caperneum. [Jn 6.25-59] Philo also indicates that discussion took place, but generally presents the ‘synagogue’ gatherings as more orderly. [Philo, Somn., 2.127] While we have noted that Philo may have reason to present the Jewish gatherings as very sober and orderly affairs, here, nonetheless, the architecture may be suggestive. The Palestinian buildings we examined clearly have their focus in the centre of the building which facilitates an easy exchange between those assembled.
I disagree with Catto concerning the meaning of διαλÎγομαι (dialegomai); it does not always mean “simply ‘to address’.” Instead, the word διαλÎγομαι (dialegomai) can also connote disagreement, argument, or discussion as in Mark 9:34 – “But they kept silent, for on the way they had argued with [διαλÎγομαι – dialegomai] one another about who was the greatest.” This verse at least seems to indicate that the disciples did more than simply address one another.
However, even given Catto’s definition of διαλÎγομαι (dialegomai), his conclusion shows that teaching in the synagogue included discussion. Even Philo, who Catto says had a penchant for stressing the orderliness of Jewish synagogue meetings, admitted that discussion and disputation occurred during the teaching and explanation of the Torah.
It is also interesting that the synagogue buildings of the first century were designed to accommodate discussion – that is, the speaker or teacher stood in the middle while everyone else sat around them, given them a view of the speaker and the other people. Today, our church buildings are designed to help everyone look toward one person. We get a view of the speaker and the back of the person’s head in front of us. Perhaps, if we sat in such a way that we looked at one another, it would help facilitate the type of teaching that we find in the New Testament – that is, interactive and participatory teaching. I know that several churches have started doing this with very good results.
While I find the information about first century synagogues to be very interesting background information for my study of the meeting of the church, the scriptural account is much more important for me. In Scripture, it seems that discussion and even debate were a normal part of church meetings. When the early Christians began to meet together, their teaching included discussion and debate. In fact, it seems that they could discuss, debate, and dispute while remaining “decent and in order”.
Will you pray for me?
A few days, on my way home, I called a friend (I’ll call her T.) that we have been getting to know on Saturday mornings (see “Opportunities to Serve“). T. is a sister in Christ who has been struggling recently with several different problems. On Saturday mornings we have had the opportunity to talk with her, pray with her, listen to her, and even provide the Bible on CD and other helps for her.
When we go to her home, T. often thanks us for spending time with her, and we remind her that we need her as much as she needs us. Until recently, I don’t think she believed that last part. I do think she’s beginning to believe that we love her and care for her, but I don’t think she believed that we needed her as much as she needed us. (And, in a way, I’m still learning this as well.)
So, I called T. to check on her. The last few weeks have been especially rough as she has dealt with some family issues on top of other things. I asked how she was doing, and she told me about her week. I encouraged her and told her that I was proud of some of the decisions she had made.
As I was beginning to end the phone conversation, T. asked if I would pray for her. I told her that I pray for her often, and that I would continue to pray for her. She said, “Will you pray for me now over the phone?” (Yes, I was dense and didn’t realize this was what she was asking.)
I agreed and prayed for her right then over the phone. When I finished praying, she thanked me. This was when God taught me something. I remembered the last time I had talked with T. – how I had told her that I needed her as much as she needed me. So, I asked her to pray for me. She also said that she prays for me often. And I said, “Will you pray for me now over the phone?”
At first she stopped… like I said, I think she still thought of me as the “minister” and her as the one being ministered to. But, then she prayed for me. And, in the middle of her prayer, as she was thanking God for me and my family, T. said, “And, God, I really think they needed to meet me as much as I needed to meet them!” And she said it with much more enthusiasm than my one exclamation point.
So, it seems that God is teaching both of us. We need one another. Yes, there are ways that I can help T. deal with some issues in her life. But, at the same time, I can learn from and be encouraged by T. as well.
Why? Because God works through his children to the benefit of his other children – whether they are young or old, rich or poor, male or female, novice or mature. We need one another.
The church at the beach
This week our church is not meeting in the Cotton Company reception room like we normally do on Sundays. Instead, we’re driving down to Wrightsville Beach, NC Sunday morning and spending the day at the beach together (August 24). This will not be the first time that we’ve met in an “unusual” location. We’ve met at a campground (after camping all weekend), at a lakeside pavilion, and in someone’s home. But, this will be our first trip to the beach.
I’m looking forward to hearing from my brothers and sisters in Christ that day. Something special often happens when we meet somewhere besides our “usual” location. I don’t know whether people are more comfortable with one another or whether they do not feel the setting is as “formal”. But, when we meet somewhere other than our usual place, people are normally more likely to exhort the group and share what God has been doing in their lives.
If you are near Wrightsville Beach, NC, and if you’d like to get together with us Sunday morning, send me an email (my email address is at the top right of this blog). I’d love to meet you there and get to know you better.
(I have to admit that I’m also looking forward to eating ribs at Sticky Fingers in Wilmington on the way home Sunday evening!)
Special Equippers?
A couple of days ago, in my post called “And he gave… (Ephesians 4:11)“, I suggested that the list of gifted individuals in Ephesians 4:11 (i.e. apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastors and teachers) was simply a sample of all gifted followers of Jesus Christ. These four (or five) types of giftings are not gifts that are necessary for the church above and beyond the other spiritual gifts.
However, the argument is often made that Scripture indicates that these gifted individuals are responsible for the special function of “equipping” which is not the responsibility of other believers – that is, those believers without the giftings listed in Ephesians 4:11. (And, now, David Rogers from “Love Each Stone” has asked a similar question in the comments of my post on Ephesians 4:11.) Since this post will deal mostly with Ephesians 4:11-12, I’ll include that passage of Scripture here:
And he [Jesus] gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ… (Ephesians 4:11-12 ESV)
I’ve written about previously in a post called “Ephesian 4:12 and Equipping Ministries“. The subject of this very long sentence (the sentence doesn’t end until the end of verse 16) is the pronoun “he” – referring to Jesus – which is emphasized both by its inclusion in the sentence (the pronoun “he” is not implicitly required) and by its prominent position in the sentence. Thus, Paul is emphasizing the fact that Jesus – and only Jesus – gives gifted individuals to the church for the equipment of the church. He gives these gifted individuals according to his grace (Eph 4:7), not according to our own abilities or talents.
The phrase translated “to equip” in the passage above is actually a prepositional phrase that is literally “for the equipping” or “toward the equipping”, with “equipping” being a rough translation of the noun καταÏτισμός (katartismos). The prepositional phrase works adverbially to describe the purpose of Jesus giving the gifted individuals.
The argument is often made that since καταÏτισμός (katartismos – “equipping”) is used only of these four (or five) gifted individuals, then only these individuals carry the responsibility of “equipping” the body. Thus, these are often called “equipping ministries”. I do not think it is valid to assign the responsibility of “equipping” only to these four (or five) gifted individuals based on the us of the noun καταÏτισμός (katartismos) for a couple of reasons.
First, while it is true that καταÏτισμός (katartismos) is only used in reference to these gifted individuals, it is also true that this noun is only used once in the entire New Testament. Thus, the noun καταÏτισμός (katartismos) is only found in Ephesians 4:12. It is not even used in the Septuagint (LXX – the Greek translation of the Old Testament). Can we argue from one use of a noun that only these gifted individuals are responsible for this result?
Paul uses a similar noun (κατάÏτισις – katartisis), which is also used only once in the NT in 2 Corinthians 13:9, when he says that he and his fellow workers pray for the “restoration” (“perfection”, “equipping”) of the Corinthian believers. I have never seen anyone suggest that only Paul and his companions are responsible for praying for κατάÏτισις, since the noun is only used in association with Paul and his fellow workers.
However, to me, there is an even more convincing reason to see καταÏτισμός (katartismos – “equipping”) as the responsibility of all believers. The verb form of the noun καταÏτισμός (katartismos) is καταÏτίζω (katartizÅ), which is translated (in the infinitive) “to put in order, restore, complete, fully train, prepare”… in other words, “to equip”. We have the advantage of having multiple instances of this verb in the New Testament and in the Septuagint.
For example, this is the verb used when Scripture tells us that James and John were “mending” their nets (Matt. 4:21). Luke uses this verb when Jesus says, “A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained (καταÏτίζω – katartizÅ) will be like his teacher” (Luke 6:40). At the end of the letter to the Hebrews, the author prays that God would “equip” the readers with everything good to do his will (Heb 13:20-21).
But, there are also instances where the verb καταÏτίζω (katartizÅ) is used of believers acting toward other believers.
For example, in 1 Corinthians, Paul wrote:
I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united (“perfected”, “restored”, “equipped”) in the same mind and the same judgment. (1 Corinthians 1:10 ESV)
Since Paul does not mention the work of “equipping ministers” in Corinthians, it would be difficult to argue that Paul was telling the believers in Corinth to allow the apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastors and teachers to “equip” or “restore” them to the proper way of thinking.
Similarly, consider this passage from Paul’s second letter to the church in Corinth:
Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration (“equipping”), comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. (2 Corinthians 13:11 ESV)
The command to “equip” is given in the context of the believers in Corinth working together. There is not a sense in this verse that some specially gifted believers are supposed to do the work of “restoring” while everyone is responsible for rejoicing, comforting, agreeing, and living in peace.
Finally, in Galatians, Paul says:
Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. (Galatians 6:1 ESV)
Again, in this verse, the work of καταÏτίζω (katartizÅ – “restoring”, “completing”, “equipping”) is the work of all who are “spiritual” not just certain specially gifted people.
In these three passages, we see that the work of καταÏτίζω (katartizÅ – “equpping”, “restoring”) is the work of all believers, and Paul in particular does not have any problem using this term in relation to all believers. This is not a term that Paul associates only with a special group of gifted individuals.
So, who is responsible for “equipping” the body of Christ? Jesus (Eph 4:11). He is the only one who can equip the body of Christ for the work of service. How does he do this? Well, one of the ways that Jesus equips his body is through the gifts that he gives to the church. He gives these gifts to the church according to his grace for the benefit of all members. As Paul explains in Ephesians 4:16, the church does not grow in love when the apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastors and teachers use their gifts to equip the body. Instead, the church grows in love when all parts of the body use their gifts to build up the body. And, as we’ve seen from other passages, all members of the body are also responsible for “equipping” the body.
And he gave… (Ephesians 4:11)
From talking with several people, reading many books on the subject, and perusing blog posts about leadership, I think I have a view of Ephesians 4:11 that is a minority view. As a reminder, Ephesians 4:11 says:
And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers… (Ephesians 4:11 ESV)
I’ve written about this passage previously in several blog posts, including “Ephesians 4:11 and the Five-Fold Ministry” (and the associate series on Ephesians 4:7-16, which continues to be one of my most read series) and “Spiritual Gifts – Ephesians 4:11” (and the associated series on spiritual gifts).
As we begin to think about this verse again, we should start by reading it in its context:
But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore it says, “When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.” (In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.) And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. (Ephesians 4:7-16 ESV)
In this passage, verses 7-10 point out that Jesus has gifted all of his followers according to his grace. Similarly, verses 13-16 point out that all of Jesus’ followers have the same goal – maturity in Christ – and all must exercise their gifts in order for the body to build itself up in love. Thus, except for verses 11-12, it appears that this passage is about the gifted of the entire body of Christ.
However, verses 11-12 – and especially verse 11 – is usually interpreted to mean that only certain gifted individuals are given for the equipping of the body for works of service. That is, Jesus specifically gives apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastors and teachers to do a work that none others within the body can and a work that none other are supposed to do – equipping. This view leads to seeing these four (or five, depending on interpretation) types of gifted individuals as being “specially” gifted within the body. Sometimes, these four (or five) are even called “offices” in the church.
In this post, I’m going to suggest an alternate view – a view that I think better aligns with the context of this passage and with other teachings in Scripture about spiritual gifts and gifted individuals.
Instead of reading the four (or five) gifted individuals as a special type of gifting and the only ones who are called to “equip” the church, I read this list as a sample of listed individuals. Paul could have used any gifted individual in his list in Ephesians 4:11, because all gifted followers of Jesus are necessary for equipping and edifying the body of Christ. Thus, the following phrase would have been just as correct:
And he gave the servants, the healers, the givers, the tongues speakers and interpreters, to equip the saints for the work of ministry…
While this sounds strange to our ears – being accustomed to hearing the other gifts as special offices in the church – it seems completely in line with scriptural teaching about spiritual gifts.
For example, notice 1 Corinthians 12:28:
And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. (1 Corinthians 12:28 ESV)
First, Paul easily shifts from gifted individuals (apostles, prophets, teachers) to the gifts themselves (miracles, healing, helping, administrating, tongues). Paul easily makes this same shift in Romans 12:6-8, listing both gifts (prophecy, service) and gifted individuals (the one who teaches, the one who exhorts, the one who gives, the one who leads, the one who does acts of mercy).
Second, notice that Paul’s ordered list in 1 Corinthians 12:28 (above) does not include the same “necessary offices” as the list in Ephesians 4:11. Specifically, Paul does not mention evangelists (or the gift of evangelism) or pastors (or the gifts of shepherding) to the Corinthians at all. This seems strange if Paul thought these were two of the necessary spiritual gifts for the church to be equipped for service.
Also, consider the follow passage from 1 Corinthians 12:22-25:
On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. (1 Corinthians 12:22-25 ESV)
Here, instead of arguing that some “gifted officer” are necessary to equip the body, Paul does just the opposite. He says that those members of the body that seem weaker (less gifted?) are actually indispensable. Again, as in Ephesians 4:7-10 and 13-16, Paul emphasizes the importance for the entire body of Christ to work together to build itself up. Even more interesting, Paul says that God himself has given greater honor to those members of the body that seem to lack it. Could it be that in interpreting Ephesians 4:11 as a list of “offices” that we are honoring the wrong people – at least, not the ones that God honors?
Taking all of this evidence together, I believe that Ephesians 4:11 was not intended as a list of specially gifted individuals who alone can equip the church for service. Instead, I believe that Ephesians 4:11 represents a sample of gifted individuals, much like we see in Romans 12:6-8, 1 Corinthians 12:8-10, and 1 Corinthians 12:28-30, none of which include all of the gifts because they are all meant as samples of spiritual gifts.
Just as Jesus gives apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastors and teachers to the church to equip us for works of service, he also gives servants, helpers, givers, exhorters, healers, tongues speakers, and tongues interpreters (and ALL believers) to the church to equip us for works of service. The church is equipped for works of service and the church is built up toward maturity in Christ when every member of the church exercises the gifts given by Jesus through the Holy Spirit for the benefit of all.
Sharing in the Life
A few years ago, when our church started meeting together, we began to study through the book of 1 John. The first week we studied 1 John 1:1-4 –
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life – the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us – that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete. (1 John 1:1-4 ESV)
In this passage, John says that he is writing about what he has experienced concerning the word or message of life – and not just any kind of life, but the eternal life that had been revealed through Jesus Christ. This was real life, abundant life. The kind of life that cannot be manufactured, but must be birthed anew from above by the Holy Spirit of God.
John also says that he is proclaiming this life so that his readers can have fellowship with him which is actually fellowship with the Father and the Son. Fellowship encompasses many things, but at its foundation it represents sharing. Just as the early church shared their possessions with one another as a demonstration their fellowship, the God shares eternal, abundant, real life with his children, so that they can share that life together.
As we discussed this passage over the next few weeks, the idea of sharing eternal life together began to mold who we were as children of God. We were not simply coming together for a meeting on Sunday, but much more than that, we were sharing life with one another and with God. As John says, as we fellowship with one another, we are actually fellowshiping with the Father and with the Son. Why? Because true fellowship with one another is a work and manifestation of the Spirit of God.
From these early discussions, someone suggested the phrase “sharing in the life” as a description of who we are as a church. That simple phrase stuck, and we have been using it for the past several years. A few days ago, I was talking with some brothers and sisters who were not part of those early discussions. They did not know why we used the phrase “sharing in the life”. They encouraged me to share this story with the church. I think that’s a good idea, and since I’ve never shared this on my blog either, I thought I would share it here as well.
But, what does “sharing in the life” mean? It means that we experience fellowship with God as we fellowship with one another. We share in the eternal life we have with God as we share in the normal, everyday life with our brothers and sisters and Christ. I am convinced that we will not find fellowship and community if we only look for it in our special events and big activities. We will not find community if we only look in our weekly church meetings. Community may be expressed in those meetings and in other special events, but community will not be built or maintained there.
Instead, we “share in the life” with one another when we truly spend time with one another in the common, everyday events of our lives – at our homes, in our workplaces, at school, in the marketplace, at sporting events, everywhere at every time and in every way. We will not find community as long as we only show people our “best faces” in those times and places where we can control what is going on. Instead, we will find community when we allow people to see us as we normally are – day in and day out – and when we allow people to see us at our worst.
“Sharing in the life” is more than a motto or catch phrase. It is a truly scary proposition – a recognition that our fellowship with one another is founded on the grace of God, just like our fellowship with God is founded on his grace. We trust one another to share our lives – even the mundane – because we trust God.
Who is qualified and responsible to speak?
Not long after I started this blog, I wrote two posts that were probably my most substantial blog posts to that point. The posts concerned two questions that all believers should ask themselves when they gather together: “Who is qualified to speak during the meeting?” and “Who is responsible for speaking during the meeting?” Although I wrote these two posts over two years ago, I still agree with what I wrote. If the church – meaning all believers – recognizes that anyone indwelt by the Spirit, motivated by love, and with a desire to built up the church is qualified and responsible to speak during the meeting of the church, and if church leadership and structure allows this type of mutual participation in the meeting of the church, then I believe the church will mature far beyond what we currently see. I hope you enjoy these two posts – now combined for your reading pleasure. 😉
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Who is qualified to speak during the meeting?
“For you can all prophesy one by one, that all may learn and all may be encouraged.” (1 Corinthians 14:31)
Does Paul really mean “all”? Does he really mean that every believer in the meeting has the potential for speaking edifying words during the assembly of the church? Does he really expect that a new believer could speak words that would “teach” a pastor?
The answer to all of these questions must be “Yes!”
Consider the ones to whom Paul is writing. For the most part, they do not have a personal copy of the Scriptures. And yet, Paul expects all of them to be able to speak during the meeting. “Knowing” Scripture must not be a prerequisite for speaking during the assembly.
So, what qualifies someone to speak during the meeting? In the context of 1 Corinthians 12-14, Paul offers three different qualifications:
1) The person must be indwelt by the Spirit of God, and therefore gifted by the Spirit.
2) The person must speak from a motivation of love.
3) The person must speak in order to edify the body of Christ.
These are the only qualifications. Education is not a qualification. Experience is not a qualification. Speaking ability is not a qualification.
Who is allowed to speak in our assemblies? Perhaps there are times when those “qualified” should be silent in order to allow others to speak “that all may learn and all may be encouraged.”
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Who is responsible for speaking during the meeting?
Yesterday [previous post above], I asked the question, “Who is qualified to speak during the meeting?” Today, I want to take this farther: Whose responsibility is it to speak during the meeting? Within most groups of believers, this responsibility falls upon one man (or at most a few men). What does Scripture say?
1 Corinthians 12-14 teaches that every believer is gifted by the Holy Spirit, and during the assembly of the church, these gifts are to be exercised in order to build up (edify) the body of Christ (not the individual). So, all believers are qualified to speak during the meeting.
Furthermore, Ephesians 4:1-10 confirms this. Gifts are given to each believer by Christ (through the Spirit). Gifted individuals are given to the church (Eph. 4:11-12) to equip the body for works of service in order to edify the body towards maturity, which is measured by the stature of Christ himself.
Ephesians 4:16 is an interesting verse. Removing the modifying phrases, the main clause is “the body… causes the growth of the body” (to soma … ten auxesin tou somatos poieitai…). Adding the modifying phrases, this body growth only happens when the body is in Christ, the head, and when each member of the body is doing his own part, which is “measured” by Christ.
Combining these two passages (1 Corinthians 12-14 and Ephesians 4), every member is instructed to take responsibility for the growth of the body.
Are pastors responsible for being filled with the Spirit and speaking during the meeting in order to edify the body? Yes! But, so is every other member. If one man (or a few men) dominates the meeting time, then he is not allowing the body to function as God desires it to function-he is usurping the responsibility given to every member of the body. If a group of people allows one man (or a few men) to dominate the meeting, then they are not fulfilling their God-given responsibility to edify the body.
Skipping Meals
Have you ever skipped a meal? Have you ever skipped two or three meals? Have you ever fasted for several days? What happens when you skip meals? If you are like me, then your body becomes weak.
When Jesus and his disciples at their last meal together, it was an actual meal (Matt. 26:20-21,26; Mark 14:22; Luke 22:14, 20; John 13:2,4). When the first believers came together after Pentecost, they ate meals together (Acts 2:42, 46 – see Acts 25:35-38 where “breaking bread” means eating a meal until satisfied). The believers in Troas came together for the purpose of sharing a meal (Acts 20:7). When the Corinthians believers come together, they ate a meal (1 Cor 11:20-21). When Paul corrected the Corinthians, he did not tell them to stop eating a meal together. Instead, Paul told them to make sure they are eating “together” because some were eating while others were going hungry (1 Cor 11:21). In fact, when Paul reminded the Corinthians of Jesus’ last supper with his disciples, he reminded them that it was a meal (1 Cor 11:24-25). (For more info on the Lord’s Supper as a meal, see “The Lord’s Supper as a meal“.)
Sharing meals was very important in the first century Greco-Roman culture, and sharing meals was very important for the early church. When Jesus called the lukewarm Laodicean church back to himself, he called them to a meal (Rev. 3:20). When the Lord gathers all of his children together in the end times, he calls us to a meal (Rev. 19:9).
Sometime in the early history of the church, it was decided that meals were not important any longer (For more info, see “Why just the bread and the cup?“). The meal was replaced with a piece of bread and a sip of wine, or sometimes a piece of bread dipped in wine, or sometime just a piece of bread. The meal became symbolic, and the symbols began to take on more significance.
Could it be that the church has become weak today – and few will suggest that the church is not weak – because the church has been skipping meals for hundreds of years? Believers have not benefited from the fellowship and edification that comes from sharing a table and meal with other believers.
Meals can be messy, time-consuming things. It can be much simpler to skip meals. But, I believe, it is devastating to the body of Christ when the church decides to skip meals.
Saturday Church
We met with the church several times last Saturday. Several times? Yes, several times. Saturday? Yes, Saturday. And, in a couple of instances, we were meeting as the church going into the world, instead of meeting as the church separated from the world. (See my post “The church meets here“.)
Saturday morning, our family and some friends went to a low income neighborhood where one of our friends lives. (See “Opportunities to serve” and “God works through my wife too“.) Did someone lead singing? No. Did someone “preach a sermon”? No. But, when the church met, we dealt with people’s physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. We only introduced ourselves to some people, and spent alot of time with other people. We helped people understand Scripture, and we prayed with people. Some people reacted with tears, some with smiles, some with gratitude, some with indifference. We attempted to demonstrate God’s love regardless of the people’s reactions.
Saturday afternoon, our family and some friends went to the nursing home to visit with Mrs. Jenny. (See “I think we’ve been adopted” and “She said, ‘I’m very close’“.) Again, no one led us in songs, and no one preached a sermon. But we all loved on her and listened to her talk about her week. After a few minutes, everyone left except Margaret and me. We talked to her a little longer, giving her the opportunity to ask us questions about Christ and faith. For the most part, she did not want to ask questions that day. However, she spent several minutes telling us how God had been drawing her to himself. It was almost as if she were evangelizing us!
Saturday evening, some friends invited us and another family to their house for a pancake dinner. Each family brought a griddle, and cooked piles of pancakes, sausage, and bacon. After everyone ate their fill, we sat around and talked about what’s going on in our lives. It is amazing to see how God is at work, in different way in the lives of different people. Again, there was no organized singing or preaching. But, this was certainly an edifying time.
No singing… no preaching… and yet when we met together, we met as brothers and sisters in Christ, with a desire to build up one another toward maturity in Christ and with a desire to demonstrate the love of God toward each other and toward others. I came away from these Saturday meetings with a song in my heart and being taught by word and example how to better follow Jesus Christ – with a better understanding of the Scriptures and what it means to trust God – with a better understanding of what the Spirit of God is doing in my brothers and sisters and in the world around us.
“Whenever you come together… let everything be done for edification.” (1 Cor 14:26)
Messy Meetings
One of my favorite posts is one that I wrote about 18 months ago called “Messy Meetings“. People are messy; relationships are messy; and yet our church meetings are rarely messy. That tells me that our church meetings do not really reflect who we are. Instead, they are contrived and orchestrated and inauthentic. Even today, I think that messy meetings would be more beneficial to the body of Christ.
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Relationships can be messy. We all know this. We have experienced “messy” relationships, and Scripture tells us that relating to people will not be easy. If relationships were easy and maintenance free, then we would not need “Spirit power” in order to love people. If relationships were not messy, then we would not need “Spirit power” in order to bear with one another with patience. In fact, one of the amazing things about our new life in Christ is that we can now – finally – relate to people who we would not naturally be able to relate to. We can now relate to them supernaturally, because we can now relate to God.
Of course, we do not always live in the supernatural. We do not always walk in a worthy manner. We do not always follow the Spirit. We have seen what happens in our lives and in the lives of others when this happens. Things get messy. But, we all know – or at least, we all SHOULD know – that we do not turn our backs on people when their lives get messy.
But, what about during times when the church gathers together? I believe that Scripture teaches that all believers should have the opportunity to interact with one another when the church gathers. This interaction should always be led by the Spirit, motivated by love, and for the purpose of edifying (building up to maturity) other followers of Jesus Christ. I believe God works through the gifts of all in order to grow the entire body of Christ into maturity in Christ Jesus, and I believe that this should happen anytime the church gathers.
But, what happens when one of those “participants” speaks when not led by the Spirit? What happens when someone is not motivated by love, but contributes anyway? What happens when someone acts, but their purpose is not to build up the body? What happens when someone is hurting, and they let the church know about their hurt? What happens when someone is afraid, and they voice their fear? What happens when someone disagrees?
In other words, what happens when things get messy during the meeting of the church?
There are several options in this scenario. The first option – and the one usually taken throughout most of church history, whether people realize it or not – is to limit the amount of participation during the meeting of the church. If only certain people are allowed to speak or sing or pray or contribute, then there is less chance for things to get messy. This is usually done in the name of “order”. However, I think there is an inherent problem with this solution. For one thing, this solution suggests – even inaudibly – that only certain people are qualified to contribute and only certain people are necessary for the proper functioning of the church. Also, this solution suggests – even inaudibly – that the event of the meeting is more important than the people who are meeting. This option also suggests that “messy” relationships between people are equivalent to disorder, and are thus not proper for times when the church gathers.
Another option is to allow the mess to occur, then trust the Spirit of God to use the people of God to lovingly care for the “messy” people – which, can be me or you at times, if we are honest. Thus, even when the church meets, there is a need for “Spirit empowered” love and “Spirit empowered” patience.
What are the implications of this option? Well, first of all, we have to admit that we do not know what will happen when the church gathers together. Things may not go “as planned”. Thus, we have to admit to ourselves and to others that our plan – if we have one – is not the most important thing. Instead, the people become more important than the event. We also must – truly – trust the Holy Spirit to work in and through his people, even during the meeting of the church. We must admit that we do not have all the answer, and that God may not choose to work through us during this meeting (regardless of our title, position, role, function, gifting, etc.). God may choose to work through someone else. He may even choose to work through someone’s mess – if we allow him to.
This is very difficult to do – it is even difficult to think. Even after thinking through this idea of “church” for several years, I still have this habitual understanding that I should be quiet (thus, reverent) when I come together with the church (unless, of course, I have been scheduled to speak). There is also this traditional idea that “order” means “according to plan”.
So, what are we going to do with “messy” people and “messy” meetings? Can we trust God enough to allow him to work through us and others during the meeting, even when things are out of our hands? Can we allow people to hurt, cry, doubt, complain, disagree, etc. while the church meets without rushing them off to a back room or asking them to leave altogether? Can we allow the church to be the church to one another even when the church is meeting?