As long as
This is from Dave Black:
As long as there is a strong emphasis on church membership rather than on Christian witness and sacrifice…
As long as the book of Acts is ignored in favor of books on church growth and mission strategy…
As long as worship is something we attend rather than something we do…
As long as the focus is on “missionaries†rather than on the whole people of God…
As long as the gathered church refuses to be the scattered church…
As long as Christians believe that church is a place of solace rather than a place of work…
As long as planning and decision-making is entrusted solely to the leadership…
As long as interest in humanity and the world is replaced by self-interest…
As long as we identify “minister†with clergy status…
As long as the pastor remains “the answer manâ€â€¦
As long as we refuse to acknowledge that the Old Testament distinction between priest and people has come to an end…
As long as we love our churches and our organizations more than we love Jesus…
As long as we go to church in the mood of a spectator and not a participant…
…the church will never be a freed and freeing Body, equipping all believers to be agents of the kingdom of God.
Developing a Biblical Ecclesiology Lecture
Yesterday, I had the awesome opportunity to present a lecture on ecclesiology. Dave Black asked me to speak to one of his New Testament classes on the topic “How has my view of the church and issues related to the church changed in the last few years?”
Besides being honored by the opportunity to speak, I was also thrilled to be able to present a more complete view of my understanding of the church. Here on my blog and in occasional conversations, I usually talk about one or two specific issues related to the church, but I rarely have the opportunity to present an overview of my ecclesiology. I used this lecture as an opportunity to present a more complete explanation of my ecclesiology, as well as an explanation of why I began looking into issues related to the church.
I started the lecture by looking at a few issues of hermeneutics, and asking the following question: When it comes to ecclesiology, do we start with our practices and justify our practices from Scripture; or do we start with Scripture and allow Scripture to both inform and form our ecclesiology? I think the results of these two ways of approaching ecclesiology will lead to vastly different understandings of the church. I also discuss the nature of the church, the meeting of the church, the leaders of the church, and the work of the church.
If you are interested in hearing this lecture (and seeing the PowerPoint presentation that went along with the lecture). you will find links here: www.alanknox.net/resources. Please, pay no attention to the web site. I am not ready to make this site public, but I needed a location to store these files. If you have a comment concerning the lecture or the notes, feel free to leave the comment here.
House Church Workshop – Session 2
This weekend, my son Jeremy and I are attending a House Church Workshop put on by New Testament Restoration Fellowship. Our friend, Lew from “The Pursuit” was able to attend the conference this morning. We also talked for a few minutes with Dusty from “Grace in the Triad” and Les from “Joining God in His Work“.
The notes below are from the second session called “Participatory Church Meetings” which was led by Steve Atkerson. These thoughts are primarily Steve’s, and not my own. I’ll be glad to interact with any of the information below in the comments.
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Session 2 – Participatory Church Meetings
(Steve Atkerson)
Key passage is 1 Corinthians 14:26
What was this church meeting like? Diverse, spontaneous (not scripted), significant participation. The typical modern church removes the phrase “each one†and replaces them with the phrase “only oneâ€. This is not to be critical, but to demonstrate the contrast between what normally happens when the church meets and what is described in Scripture. Even if 1 Cor 14:26 is a criticism of what is happening in Corinth, his solution in the verses that follow do not do away with this standard. Instead, Paul’s instructions that follow vs. 26 reinforces this verse.
Acts 13:14-15
When Paul went to the synagogue in Pisidian Antioch, he spoke during the meeting in spite of the fact that he was a complete stranger to them?
Acts 14:1ff.
A great multitude spoke during their synagogue meeting.
Acts 17:1-2
It was customary for Paul to go to the synagogue and reason with them during their meeting.
See also Acts 17:10-11, 17; Acts 18:4; Acts 19:8
The custom for these early Christian believers was to meet together in a way that was more participatory. Many people were allowed to speak and discuss issues in the synagogue – even strangers.
Activities in the early church:
– Singing
1 Corinthians 14:26; Colossians 3:16; Ephesians 5:19
Each person chose songs to sing when the church met. One person did not choose all the songs. Gifted musicians are a great blessing to the church, but they should facilitate the singing; they should not dominate the meeting. Singing was part of the early church meeting (1 Cor 14:26), but it did not dominate the early church meeting.
– Teaching
1 Cor 14:26; Matt 28:19-20; Acts 2:42; Rom 12:7; 1 Cor 12:28; Eph 4:11; 1 Tim 1:3, 2:11-15; James 3:1
Again, teaching was part of the early church meeting, but it did not dominate the meeting. Any of the believers had an opportunity to teach each time the church met. It does not appear that the church meeting is the time for heavy, in depth teaching. Instead, it looks like it was better to have several people teach a little than to have one person to teach a lot.
– Preaching
Acts 20:7 (not “preached†but “discuss or dialogâ€)
To preach in Scripture is to be a herald of the gospel. In the NT, preaching did not occur during a church meeting. Instead, preaching is associated with evangelism.
– Various charismatic gifts
1 Cor 14:26 (“revelations, tongues, and interpretationsâ€)
– Other activities
Acts 2:42 – prayer
1 Tim 4:13 – public reading of Scripture
Acts 14:26-27 – reports from missionaries
Edification
What is the prerequisite for anything that is said or done in a church meeting? It must be edifying. To be edifying means that it must build up the church – to encourage them, to help mature them. Just because it is a participatory meeting does not mean that anyone can say anything that they want to say. Leaders are there to work “behind the scenes†with those who speak or act in ways that are not edifying.
Leaders tend to make the church into whatever their gifts are. Because of this, leaders must be careful to make sure that they allow all people to use their gifts, not just use gifts that are like the leaders’ gifts.
Hebrews 10:24-25
This famous passage about “church meetings†assumes that there is a lot of “one another’ing†going on. You can have a significant impact on a church meeting by considering how to stir one another up before hand. This type of church meeting requires a lot of work for each person before the actual church meeting.
A Worship Service
Romans 12:1-2; John 4:21-24
The NT never refers to a church meeting as a worship service. To call a church meeting a “worship service†is to imply that the purpose of the meeting is to worship God. You can be edified in a “worship serviceâ€, but the traditional “worship service†is not the way that the NT says the church should edify itself. Everything that we do in life should be worship to God.
Tongues
1 Cor 14:27-28
Speaking in tongues does not have to happen when the church meets. If speaking in tongues does happen, then interpretation must happen. Only two or three people should speak in tongues – and only one at a time. Tongues must be interpreted so that it will edify the church. You can have a legitimate gift from God that God does not want you to exercise when the church meets.
Prophecy
1 Cor 14:29-33; 1 Thess 5:19-22
Two or three prophets should speak and the prophecies must be tried (judged or tested). Only one prophet could speak at a time so that the people can be edified. Prophets must be silent when another prophet stands to speak a prophecy. Again, there may be times when God reveals something to a prophet, but God does not want the prophet to exercise his gift when the church meets.
The Role of Women
1 Cor 14:33b-35
You have to do something with this passage. This seems to say that women should not speak when the church meets. But, more than expressing that women should be silent, this is a command for the men to ask questions, either their own questions or questions that their wives raise. This creates a dynamic silence that forces the men to act; it compels the men into leadership. Women will normally talk first, but God wants the men to take the leadership.
Two Questions
1 Cor 14:36
Did the word of God come forth from you? (No) Did the word of God come only to you? (No) These questions function to get the readers to obey what God is telling them through Paul.
The Lord’s Command
1 Cor 14:37
Verse 37 continues by saying that the ones who are prophets or who are spiritual will recognize that what Paul says here is actually God’s commands. If you do not follow God’s command, then the burden is on you to explain why.
The Penalty
1 Cor 14:28
While the meaning of this verse is unclear, it indicates that there is some penalty for ignoring what Paul is teaching.
Three Imperatives
1 Cor 14:39-40
1) Desire earnestly to prophesy
2) Do not forbid speaking in tongues
3) Let all things be done properly and in an orderly manner
A meeting of a smaller group of believers is more conducive to Paul’s teachings in 1 Cor 14:26-40. When you have more people, it starts hurting what happens when the church meets together.
What conclusions can be drawn from 1 Corinthians 14 about the way God desires church meetings to be conducted?
– Participatory – different people exercising their gifts
– Fitting and orderly – one at a time
– Edifying
– Following the Lord’s Command
House Church Workshop
Session 1 – Apostolic Traditions
Session 2 – Participatory Church Meetings
Session 3 – Elder-Led Congregational Consensus
Session 4 – The Lord’s Supper
Summary Remarks
Living in the necessary
The second edition of Frank Viola’s book Pagan Christianity (with the addition of co-author George Barna) is making a huge splash in the blogosphere – perhaps a larger splash than the first edition. It seems that certain sectors of the church are seriously considering this book (whether they agree or disagree with the premise) while other sectors are ignoring it.
I read the original edition of the book a few years ago. At that time, I thought that Viola had some very important things to say, but that at times his message was lost behind his over-the-top rhetoric. I was hoping the rhetoric would be toned down in this new edition, but apparently this is not the case. (However, I would still recommend this book highly!)
As I read Pagan Christianity, I thought Viola’s purpose was to demonstrate that many of the practices that we consider necessary to the church today were not developed from Scripture but from pagan culture. He tackles things such as church buildings, paid professional pastors, sermons, order of service, etc. Again, his point is that we do not find the modern expression of these things in Scripture, but instead they were developed from pagan culture – primarily, Roman culture.
(Update: There is a very good interview with Frank Viola concerning the purpose of Pagan Christianity at Drew Marshall’s website. HT: Brother Maynard)
I think that Viola is correct in much of his history. But, what should we do with this information? If church buildings were developed from culture instead of from Scripture, does that make church buildings wrong? If paid professional pastors developed from pagan practices instead of from Scripture, does that make it wrong to have paid professional pastors? These are the questions that we must deal with, and in fact I think that each group of Christians – each church, if you will – should deal with them separately.
Why? Well, notice that Viola is starting with current practices and working backwards. He begins with various aspects of modern churches, and then he attempts to determine where those practices originated.
My desire is to work in the opposite direction. In my research, and on this blog, I am trying to begin with Scripture to determine what is necessary for the church to operate and grow as God prescribed and described in Scripture. If we know what is necessary, then we know what can be altered, added, or removed without affecting the working of the church.
For example, I believe that Scripture teaches us that the purpose of the church meeting is to build up all believers toward maturity in Christ. Notice that this says nothing about buildings, or pastors, or music styles, or carpet colors, or steeples with crosses, or choir robes, etc. However, if the purpose of the meeting of the church is edification, then this does say alot about how we relate to one another in order to know how best to encourage one another toward maturity (Heb 10:24-25).
I do believe that this has major implication to how we meet together. However, different groups of believers may decide that different context would be more beneficial for edification. The context – building, house, store front, school, etc – is not as important as the purpose of the meeting. Edification is necessary – buildings, houses, schools, etc. are not necessary.
Instead of determining whether or not we should have buildings, paid professional pastors, etc, I prefer to focus on determining what is necessary for us to live as the church. If we live in the necessary, the other aspects will fall into place based on our context. If we begin with the necessary, and we find something that distracts or hinders the necessary, then we know what needs to be changed or removed. If we attempt to live in the necessary but something is missing, then we will know what to add.
Let’s start with searching Scripture to determine what is necessary. Then, let’s live in the necessary.
Let’s all stand and worship
Over at “Hammer and Nail“, my friend Eric continues his series on “Church Reform” by looking at worship in his latest post called “Church Reform – Worship“. This post is primarily about the way that church leaders teach people that worship only occurs at certain times and in certain places. Primarily, this teaching occurs through the traditional use of language, with terms such as “worship center”, “worship service”, “worship leader”, etc.
Eric asks some great questions:
So what can we do to help our fellow Christians see that worship is not just singing on Sunday? What can we do to help our brothers and sisters in Christ realize that worship is not supposed to be isolated blips occurring here and there? Can we do anything to assist others is realizing that worship is a way of life?
He also has some good responses. He suggests first that all of us need to live our lives in worship to God. He also says that we should teach and remind people of the importance of recognize all of life as a response to God, and that worship should take place at all times. Finally, he says that we need to rename things. As Eric points out, the way we use words affects the way that we believe and act.
Take the time to read Eric’s post, and the entire series.
Sacred Times and Places
Phil at “Square No More” recently posted a blog called “The Christians and the Pagans Meet for Samhain” as part of the Halloween synchroblog. He says:
Sacred spaces, and sacred times are not terribly important to me. One day is like any other, and one place like another. Some of you reading this will be appalled to hear that the Vatican is no more holy to me than a dumpster. Now this does not mean that I do not appreciate fine Cathedrals, or beautiful Abbeys and Chapels. Rather it means that I believe God can manifest His gracious presence anywhere He so chooses, and He is not impressed by places and times, but instead by humble human hearts…
Yet, human hearts often attach greater importance to one place, or time over another, and I believe that there is a God in this universe Who loves people so desperately that the Divine presence of love, grace, and power will appear to those who yearn for it. Sometimes that search for God in sacred times and spaces yields results not because God honors the place, but the yearning hearts which go there.
I believe that Phil is making a distinction that is very beneficial, and one that we should consider carefully. From Scripture, we know that God does not dwell in buildings and that God is not more present at certain times and days. Yet, we cannot neglect the fact that throughout history people have come into the presence of God in specific places on specific days at specific times. When these occurrences become regular (as in Sunday mornings, for example), it is easy to believe that this time (and certain places) are somehow more holy than others.
Since God’s presence is not limited to certain places and times, why do some people sense his presence or meet with him primarily at certain places and times? By Scripture, we know that this is not an indication of the limit of the presence or activity of God. Instead, as Phil points out in the quote above, finding God primarily at certain places and times is more of an indication of when and where people are actively seeking God.
Even though God is present in all locations, on all days, at all times, and in all situations, people are not always seeking God’s presence and they are not always listening to his voice. People are not always attempting to live by the Spirit of God, in spite of the fact that the Spirit of God is always present. Even those who are followers of Christ are intermittent in the desire to hear and heed the voice of God.
Thus, discipleship in the area of seeking God and following the Spirit of God should take a two-pronged approach. First, we should recognize that people are not always seeking God. Therefore, we should recognize when people are seeking God and encourage them during those times. If someone believes that God is especially present at a certain place, on a certain day, and at a certain time, then we should encourage them to focus on God in that situation. In reality, the person is admitting that they have finally tuned into God as he has been communicating with them. The communication from God did not begin in that moment, but the reception by the individual may have begun in that moment. We should be ready to encourage listening and obeying at that moment.
Second, however, encouraging someone to listen to God at special places and in special times should not be the extent of our discipleship in this respect. As people hear from God and begin to obey him during special occasions, we should teach and demonstrate that God also communicates at other times and in other places. Primarily, this discipleship takes the form of teaching people how to hear the God who is already communicating. Of course, in a person’s life, there are many voices vying for attention. So, in order to teach people how to hear from God at all times and in all places, we should help them recognize the various sources of interference, including the systems of this world, demonic forces, and even their own desires, lusts, pleasures, goals, dreams, etc.
So, there may be sacred times and places in the sense that there may be times and places where people are more likely to attempt to hear God. However, there are no sacred times and places in the sense that God is especially present or especially communicative. As we teach people who God is, as we disciple them as followers of Christ, we should include encouragement to listen for the voice of God at all times and in all places.
Distractions to Worship?
Saturday night, several friends met in our home for dinner and great conversation. We’ve been meeting together every week or so since last March (see the post called “Fellowship of Faith“). During the week before, I had the chance to talk to one of my neighbors who was struggling in her life. I had invited her to our Saturday evening get togethers, but she did not come. To be honest, I was disappointed. One of the purposes of our meeting together at our home on Saturday evenings has always been to have a safe environment to introduce our neighbors to the gospel and to other believers who are living out the implications of the gospel.
So, I was disappointed that my neighbor did not come to our house last Saturday evening. However, my disappointment did not last long. Soon, I could tell that God was doing a great work in the lives of the people who did gather together. There are so many things that we talked about, and so many ways that I was challenged and encouraged that it is difficult to decide what to write about. But, there is one thing in particular that stands out.
Several people brought up that they had been distracted from worshiping God by various things in their lives. Some people were distracted by strained relationships with other brothers and sisters in Christ. Others were hindered in their worship of God because of certain situations or circumstances that they were going through.
But, as we think through this issue, we must first ask what we mean by worship. If we are talking about singing songs or listening to a teacher or giving an offering or attending a meeting, then we are not talking about worship the way it is described in Scripture. Can these things be a part of worship? Certainly, but they do not constitute worship. In fact, worship – either personal or corporate – can occur without any of those activities taking place. Also, all of those activities can take place, but it does not mean that anyone is worshiping. Instead, worship is an attitude of the heart that is revealed in action. Worship is obedience to God. When we obey, we worship.
If we feel that we cannot worship because something is distracting us, then we are either misunderstanding what it means to worship, or there is sin in our own life. Usually, when we say that we are distracted from worship, we mean that we are interrupted while singing or can’t hear the preacher, or something to that effect. But, as I said previously, we are not limited to certain activities.
We no longer depend on a priest to offer intercession and sacrifice for us. We now have a high priest (Jesus Christ) who is never distracted and never fails in his duties. Plus, he makes us priest, so that we can offer spiritual sacrifices ourselves, both individually and corporately.
We no longer need a temple in order to enter the presence of God. Now, the Spirit has made us – again individually and corporately – into the temple of God and God dwells within each of us through the presence of His Spirit. We do not require the work of another person in order to commune with God; God is already communing with us.
We no longer need certain rituals and activities in order to present ourselves before God. Jesus has already carried out the only ritual necessary to bring us into the presence of God: his death, burial, resurrection, and ascension. Now, since we are indwelled with the Spirit of God, we have direct access to God.
Thus, no one can do anything to prevent our worship (response in obedience) of God. No circumstance or situation can prevent us from worshiping God. God has provided everything that we need.
For example, consider the situation where you are sitting among a group of believers, listening to someone teach. The teaching is very inspiring and challenging. You are really enjoying it. Beside you, a baby starts crying. Can the crying baby distract you from worshiping God? If we assume that you can only worship by listening to the teacher, then the baby would be a distraction. If we assume instead that the way you respond to the crying baby and the baby’s mother reveals your obedience to God, then you can continue to worship – even if you cannot hear the teacher. Perhaps, in this situation, worship would require you to give up your seat and stop listening to the wonderful teaching in order to help out a weary, young mother by walking around with the crying baby. If, instead, we respond to the crying baby by becoming angry at the “distraction” and the loss of an opportunity to listen to Bible teaching, the baby is not truly a distraction – the baby is simply revealing the sin in your own life.
Once again, if we recognize that activities and rituals do not equal worship, then we should also recognized that we cannot be “distracted” from worship by outside interferences. Instead, the only thing that can “distract” us from worshiping God is sin.
I wish that I could say that I brought this up last Saturday night, but I didn’t. It was another very wise brother who started the conversation. But, as we talked about this, several people begin admitting that it was truly sin in their own life that was hindering their obedience to God. Thus, another person’s actions or atitudes were not distracting someone from worship. Instead it was his or her own pride and self-centeredness. Circumstances and situations do not hinder our worship. Instead, it is the person’s own selfish expectations that are hindering their relationship with God.
Can we admit that only our own sin can hinder or distract us from worshiping God?
Why do we care about the church?
A couple of days ago, I asked you, my readers, to introduce yourselves to me and to the other readers. I also asked you to answer this question: “Why are you interested in the church?” (By the way, it is not too late to introduce yourself and respond to this question. See “Please allow me to introduce myself“.) Several responded. Since the responses about the church encouraged and challenged me, I thought I would take this opportunity to compile an edited version here. I am not attempting to put words into anyone’s mouth with this post. Instead, I’m using the responses of my readers to help express my own thoughts. Feel free to continue adding your own thoughts as well.
So… why do we care about the church?
God has adopted us into his family. He adopted us completely by his grace and not because of anything that we have done or think or will do or will think. He demonstrated his love for his children by coming to earth as a human, teaching us how to relate to the Father and to one another, living a sinless life, dieing on behalf of our sins, rising from the dead, and continuing to make intercession for us.
We are now children of God, part of God’s family – a present family, as well as an eternal family. God has confirmed our relationship with him by indwelling us with his Holy Spirit. Through the Spirit we relate to God, to other members of God’s family, and with the world around us. The Spirit prompts us to move toward God in faith and obedience, and to move toward one another in love and unity.
Jesus gathers his followers (the Father’s children) together into an assembly of God’s family through the work of the Spirit. This Spirit-assembled group is the church. As the church lives and works and loves and cares and laughs and cries and learns and grows, it becomes a community – a people that share a common existence in God through Jesus Christ enabled by the Spirit.
The church sometimes operates within organizations and structures and models and methods and programs, but these are not the church. God’s children continually follow the Spirit so that organizations and structures and models and methods and programs do not displace the church.
We recognize differences in one another, but work to maintain the unity of the one body, one faith because their is only one Spirit, one Lord, and one Father. We do not criticize one another, but we do teach one another. We do not ridicule one another, but we do attempt to understand one another. We do not exclude one another, but we do accept one another. We are family.
The children of God do not simply meet together, but much more importantly, they live together as family. They spend time with one another and encourage one another to grow in maturity in Christ (since none of them are perfect) through their words and their deeds. They recognize that the Spirit is working in their midst and desire to see one another exhibiting the fruit of his presence through demonstrations of love and good works.
These demonstrations of love and good works are directed toward brothers and sisters in Christ, but also toward those outside of God’s family. The Spirit of God works through the Father’s children in order to carry out God’s mission on earth. This mission is the Spirit-led and Spirit-enabled responsibility of every child of God – individually and corporately.
Individually or together, in small groups or in large, we recognize only one Lord, one Master, one Shepherd. We belong to our Lord and submit as his servants and servants of one another. We do not promote ourselves, but humble ourselves. We accept that when we work and when we serve and when we teach and when we give and when we make disciples and when we get our hands dirty – when we are following our Master, we are simply servants doing the work of servants, and we desire and deserve nothing.
We go when our Master says, “Go.” We speak when our Master gives us the words. We serve when our Master provides the strength. At other times, we wait for our Master, recognizing that we are nothing and can do nothing apart from him. But, we also know that He loves us – not because of anything in us, but because of who he is.
Why do we care about the church? Because the people who gather together are our family. Because God loves them and cares about them. Because Jesus died for them. Because the Spirit indwells them. Because we need them.
Pliny, Trajan, and the Christians
About fifty years after Paul was executed in Rome and perhaps only 20 years after John penned the Revelation, Gaius Plinius Caecilius Secundus (Pliny) was appointed governor of the Roman province of Bithynia. During his travels through the region, Pliny often wrote letters to the Emperor Trajan. Many of these letters and the emperor’s responses have survived to the present day.
In one letter and response, Pliny and Trajan discuss the problem of Christians who were gathering in illegal “political associations”. (Note: The “persecution” listed below did not occur because the Christians worshiped Christ. In fact, other groups who associated together illegally were also arrested, tortured, and killed.) If you have never read this correspondence between Pliny and Trajan concerning Christians, please take the time to read this now. This gives us a unique view into the lives of the followers of Christ through the eyes of the Roman authorities:
Pliny the Younger to the Emperor Trajan
It is my practice, my lord, to refer to you all matters concerning which I am in doubt. For who can better give guidance to my hesitation or inform my ignorance? I have never participated in trials of Christians. I therefore do not know what offenses it is the practice to punish or investigate, and to what extent. And I have been not a little hesitant as to whether there should be any distinction on account of age or no difference between the very young and the more mature; whether pardon is to be granted for repentance, or, if a man has once been a Christian, it does him no good to have ceased to be one; whether the name itself, even without offenses, or only the offenses associated with the name are to be punished.
Meanwhile, in the case of those who were denounced to me as Christians, I have observed the following procedure: I interrogated these as to whether they were Christians; those who confessed I interrogated a second and a third time, threatening them with punishment; those who persisted I ordered executed. For I had no doubt that, whatever the nature of their creed, stubbornness and inflexible obstinacy surely deserve to be punished. There were others possessed of the same folly; but because they were Roman citizens, I signed an order for them to be transferred to Rome.
Soon accusations spread, as usually happens, because of the proceedings going on, and several incidents occurred. An anonymous document was published containing the names of many persons. Those who denied that they were or had been Christians, when they invoked the gods in words dictated by me, offered prayer with incense and wine to your image, which I had ordered to be brought for this purpose together with statues of the gods, and moreover cursed Christ–none of which those who are really Christians, it is said, can be forced to do–these I thought should be discharged. Others named by the informer declared that they were Christians, but then denied it, asserting that they had been but had ceased to be, some three years before, others many years, some as much as twenty-five years. They all worshipped your image and the statues of the gods, and cursed Christ.
They asserted, however, that the sum and substance of their fault or error had been that they were accustomed to meet on a fixed day before dawn and sing responsively a hymn to Christ as to a god, and to bind themselves by oath, not to some crime, but not to commit fraud, theft, or adultery, not falsify their trust, nor to refuse to return a trust when called upon to do so. When this was over, it was their custom to depart and to assemble again to partake of food–but ordinary and innocent food. Even this, they affirmed, they had ceased to do after my edict by which, in accordance with your instructions, I had forbidden political associations. Accordingly, I judged it all the more necessary to find out what the truth was by torturing two female slaves who were called deaconesses. But I discovered nothing else but depraved, excessive superstition.
I therefore postponed the investigation and hastened to consult you. For the matter seemed to me to warrant consulting you, especially because of the number involved. For many persons of every age, every rank, and also of both sexes are and will be endangered. For the contagion of this superstition has spread not only to the cities but also to the villages and farms. But it seems possible to check and cure it. It is certainly quite clear that the temples, which had been almost deserted, have begun to be frequented, that the established religious rites, long neglected, are being resumed, and that from everywhere sacrificial animals are coming, for which until now very few purchasers could be found. Hence it is easy to imagine what a multitude of people can be reformed if an opportunity for repentance is afforded.
Trajan to Pliny the Younger
You observed proper procedure, my dear Pliny, in sifting the cases of those who had been denounced to you as Christians. For it is not possible to lay down any general rule to serve as a kind of fixed standard. They are not to be sought out; if they are denounced and proved guilty, they are to be punished, with this reservation, that whoever denies that he is a Christian and really proves it–that is, by worshiping our gods–even though he was under suspicion in the past, shall obtain pardon through repentance. But anonymously posted accusations ought to have no place in any prosecution. For this is both a dangerous kind of precedent and out of keeping with the spirit of our age.
I think it is interesting to read these early accounts of the church. We can get a glimpse of how the early believers met together. We can also see that it had been reported that those who are “really Christians” will never reject their beliefs in Christ.
This is what Pliny had determined about the meetings of those early believers (Remember: this was his purpose – he wanted to determine if these were “illegal associations”):
[T]hey were accustomed to meet on a fixed day before dawn and sing responsively a hymn to Christ as to a god, and to bind themselves by oath, not to some crime, but not to commit fraud, theft, or adultery, not falsify their trust, nor to refuse to return a trust when called upon to do so. When this was over, it was their custom to depart and to assemble again to partake of food–but ordinary and innocent food.
It seems that these Bithynian believers are very interested in the divinity of Christ, the life (ethics) of those who follow Christ, and sharing life together especially through sharing a meal.
Here I am to worship (synchroblog)
This post is part of a synchroblog originally suggested by Glen Hager at “re-dreaming the dream“. Many bloggers are posting blogs around the topic of “Things I Learned From Church (That Didn’t Prove True And What I Am Learning Lately)”.
For as long as I can remember, I have been exhorted to come to church on Sundays in order to worship God. On Sundays, churches have “worship services” at certain “worship times” held in their “worship centers” during “corporate worship” to sing “worship songs” chosen by “worship leaders” accompanied by “worship bands”. I learned that I could participate in this “corporate worship” by attending the worship service, putting money in the offering plate, singing the songs, and listening to the preacher. This is what I was taught to do in order to worship God.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I was also taught that “personal worship” was important. I was supposed to read my Bible, pray, and journal (if I was very spiritual). But, though these were suggested as important, they always seemed to be less important somehow than “corporate worship”. When preachers talked about being “fed from the Word”, they always counted preaching times during a “worship service”, but they didn’t count personal Bible reading times during “personal worship”. Thus, we were told, we should all see how important it is to come to the Sunday evening “worship service” because we would then be getting twice the amount of Bible teaching and “worship”. Again, that “personal worship” seemed to be important, but it didn’t really count. I was supposed to worship God personally, but I REALLY worshiped God on Sunday mornings, Sunday evenings, and Wednesday evenings during “corporate worship”.
When I started seminary, this perception of “corporate worship” continued. The seminary held chapel services three days a week in which we were exhorted to “worship” God together as a seminary. I read articles about corporate worship, such as one where the author stated, “Corporate worship is the energizing center for all that the church is and does.” (G. Temp Sparkman, “Corporate Worship: The Experience and the Event”, Perspectives in Religious Studies 18 (Fall 1991), 241-48). Also, I was required to take a course called “The Ministry of Worship”.
It was in this class that I first began to seriously question the belief and practice concerning “corporate worship”, which led me to consider the topics of “worship” (in general) and ecclesiology. While much of the class dealt with music and the “worship service”, the professor did not allow us to limit our definitions of worship as I had been taught. We were encouraged to study what Scripture said about worship. This was eye-opening and life-changing for me.
The New Testament says nothing about believers gathering together for the purpose of “worship” as we see it today. In the NT, singing is rarely mentioned. In the NT, preaching is primarily for proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ to unbelievers. There is no teaching in the NT leading to a “worship leader”, and pastors are never seen as managing or even coordinating a meeting of believers. Sitting and listening quietly are never presented as a way to participate in “corporate worship”. These ideas, and many others that I had taken for granted, are nowhere to be found in the pages of the New Testament.
And, yet, followers of Christ are to worship God. Also, believers are to gather together. How do we understand worship and believers gathering together if not in the traditional sense? Jesus tells us that the Father seeks those who will worship him in spirit (or is it Spirit?) and truth. Paul says that offering our entire lives to God as a sacrifice constitutes reasonable worship. He also exhorts us walking in love (following Christ’s example) is the type of offering that is pleasing to God and that we should discern what is pleasing to God – that is, ways to walk in love and in light. But, where are the instructions to get together and sing songs, put our money in an offering plate, and listen to a sermon?
Certainly, there are various activities described in Scripture that people do together. For example, Paul tells us how important it is for us to partake in the Lord’s Supper together. However, he also says that simply eating the bread and drinking the wine (or eating an entire meal) does not constitute participating in the Lord’s Supper. Similarly, we know that many people pray together, give money together, and sing songs together without worshiping God. It seems something more than mutual attendance and activity are necessary to worship God.
To me, the key seems to be recognizing that worship is not about activity – whether individual or corporate. Instead, worship is a life lived in obedience to God. We can sing about loving God forever, but if we are not demonstrating that love through our lives then we are not worshiping. We can give every penny, but if that giving is not in response to the love of God and the love of others, then our giving is worthless, not worship. We can listen to Bible sermons, preaching Bible sermons, or read the Bible on our own, but without a life that demonstrates dependence on God and obedience to Him, then we are not worshiping. We cannot worship God without obeying what he has revealed to us. We cannot obey on our own what God has revealed to us. We are completely dependent upon God (the grace that he provides through his Spirit) to be able to worship God. Worship is not as much about doing things for God (an audience of one?) as it is about being in God, abiding in Christ, walking in the Spirit.
If we worship individually as we abide in Christ, then how does this relate to the times when believers come together as the church? If abiding in Christ is related to obedience, then we recognize that we worship God together only as we obey him together. But, what did God tell us to do when we come together? Did God tell us to sing songs, take up an offering, and preach/listen to preaching? No. Instead, very simply and very clearly, we are told that whenever we come together everything should be done for the purpose of edifying (building up) one another. We worship God together as we mutually encourage one another toward maturity in Christ. In fact, we are told to consider (think deeply about) one another so that we will know how to spur on one another toward love and good works. When we come together we speak to one another and serve one another in a way that encourages us all not merely to think something, but to do something: love and good works.
Certainly, we would want to continue meeting with those who show us what it means to abide in Christ through their good works. So attendance at a meeting will not be required or commanded. Instead, meeting together will be a joy and a relief and a welcome opportunity for laughter and tears, comfort and admonishment, singing and praying, giving and getting, listening and speaking and serving.
This is not a “service” that is planned by a professional, but a gathering of God’s people that is choreographed by the Spirit. Similarly, it is not a time for one or two people to exercise the gifts of the Spirit in order to build up the church. We all speak and serve by each one exercising the gifts that the Spirit provides in the way that the Spirit wills in order to build up one another toward maturity in Christ and, in so doing, we bring glory to God.
As I’ve been learning about the church, as I’ve studied Scripture concerning the church and how believers meet together, I’ve found that God expects us to build one another up toward maturity in Christ when we meet together. This is a true “worship service” – obedience to God in service to one another.
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Synchrobloggers for the topic “Things I Learned From Church (That Didn’t Prove True And What I Am Learning Lately)”
Glenn Hager in Things I Learned from Church
Erin in A New Synchroblog
Lyn in Synchroblog
Heather in Things I Learned From Church (That Didn’t Prove True And What I Am Learning Lately)
Alan in Here I am to worship
Jim in Things I Learned from Church
Lew in Grace vs. Works
Paul in Things I Learned From Church (That Didn’t Prove True) and What I’m Learning Lately
Benjamin in Synchroblog – Things I learned from “Church”
Sonja in Things I Leaned From Church
Julie in Faith, Certainty, and Tom Cruise
Aaron in what i learned from the church: hope
Monte in What I learned from church that didn’t ring true
Cindy in i’m too late but here’s what I learned/unlearned about church
John in Syncroblog: Things I Learned From Church That Didn’t Prove True And What I Am Learning Lately – Meme