The importance of community learning
What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church. (1Corinthinans 14:26)
Hello Saints,
Have you ever wondered why we do church the way we do church? Why do we go to a building to hear a professional, trained orator expound a portion of scripture, assuming he (or she) has the correct interpretation of the passage, and has the ability, anointing, skill, call it what you want, to accurately explain and apply the word of God. As ‘church members’ we file into our pews, chairs or bleachers like fans into an arena and sit there to receive from the holy man who has ‘heard from God’. In many cases, the orator is regurgitating commentaries, writings and sermons from others, putting their own spin on it, and filling in the blanks with personal anecdotes or jokes to keep the audience interested. Honestly…am I wrong? Do we not choose churches based on ‘the preaching’? Many of us already have our own theology/belief of what scripture says, at least those of us who have been Christians a while, and church goers for years. We look for churches that confirm our theology based on the preaching of the pastor. Some of us, depending on our stage in life, choose churches based on ‘programs for my kids’, the ‘worship’, the ‘entertainment value’ - I’ve heard it all over the years. How did we get to this point in Christendom, where so much of Christianity, at least in my corner of the world, looks like a spectator sport? I don’t think this is the church Jesus came to build.
When I read my Bible and early church history, I see a different scenario. There were no professional, seminary trained entertainers to attract people to a building. There was a group of ‘apostles’, ordinary blokes who had been with Jesus, trained and equipped by Him, filled with Holy Spirit, charged with continuing what Jesus had started – the infiltration of the kingdom of God into planet Earth, starting at the arrival of Christ, ending at His return where the kingdom will be fully realized. The way into the kingdom was by repentance of sins and faith in and identification with the crucified and risen Messiah. The early church devoted themselves to the ‘apostle’s doctrine’ (Acts 2:42) which was what Christ taught the disciples recorded in the Gospels. His command to them was to declare the good news of everlasting life through Christ, teaching followers to obey the commands of Jesus, making disciples who teach others to continue the multiplication process (Matt. 28:18-20; 2Tim. 2:2). Seems like a simple strategy – Jesus teaches the apostles, the apostles teach others who teach others and so on till Jesus returns. By the way…the teaching also involved demonstrating the gospel of the kingdom with Holy Spirit empowered signs and wonders to confirm the truth of the message preached (Mark 16:16-20).
So what did ‘church’ gatherings look like? They were messy! But Simple! They met in house churches…often, they chose ‘elders’ from among themselves to lead, they lived life together in community, working through issues as they arose. From the New Testament writings, we know there were divisions, factions, false teachers and people with wrong motives. There were lots of practical issues to work out like transitioning from Jewish and Pagan religions to acceptable communal practices that reflected the teachings of Jesus. I can’t go into it all now, but what comes out clearly is that although there were preachers and teachers in the community it was much more interactive. My mind goes to the way Jesus taught, with a group of people around Him, and in true synagogue fashion, people were allowed to ask questions and discuss topics for clarification (See John 6). Friends, there were no bibles, no commentaries, no seminaries nor bible schools, just a redeemed people empowered by the Spirit of the living God, trying to live their new life in Christ together, in community, submitting to each other’s gifts. Am I oversimplifying? I don’t think so. The church at Corinth is a great example. They were a mix of pagans and Jews, trying to work it out together. It was sometimes ugly to the point where you would ask yourself if they were even Christians. Paul had to bring correction fast and hard, yet Holy Spirit was moving powerfully. We get a wonderful glimpse into church gatherings in chapters 12-14 of 1st Corinthians. Everyone participates – it’s not a spectator event: “Well, my brothers and sisters, let's summarize what I am saying. When you meet, one will sing, another will teach, another will tell some special revelation God has given, one will speak in an unknown language, while another will interpret what is said. But everything that is done must be useful to all and build them up in the Lord” (1Cor. 14:26 NLT). In other translations they use the words ‘each’ and ‘everyone’ implying many people contribute to the teaching, revelation, song, etc. What do we do with this verse: “you can all prophesy one by one, that all may learn and all may be encouraged” (1Cor. 14:31)? ‘Prophesy’ is to speak forth by divine inspiration. There was opportunity to correct and challenge and question what was said, which comes out clearly in 1Corinthians 14. In forming doctrine in the early church, there were councils where people would wrestle with issues to form standards and practices for living the faith, as we see in Acts 15. The whole church was present as they debated and discussed the issues (15:2-4) and later as consensus was reached, “the apostles and elders and the whole church in Jerusalem chose delegates, and they sent them to Antioch of Syria with Paul and Barnabas to report on this decision” (15:22). Likewise, the Bereans are praised for examining and discussing the teachings of Paul and coming to agreement and belief on what was being taught (Acts 17:11-12).
What is the point? Cults and heresies are started by people blindly following preachers and teachers who claim to be sent by God, and never challenged on what they teach. God has ordained, even commanded that the church be a place where dialogue, debates, questions, can be brought forth in a community so the Spirit of God who empowers all of us with discernment can lead people into all truth as Jesus said He would (John 16:13). In an age of false teaching and heretical prophets, is it not wise to allow the Spirit of God to work through the whole church to reveal truth. Should there not be a forum on Sunday morning to challenge and debate the preachers’ words to make sure they line up with the Word and the Spirit. I admit that there are many things in scripture I don’t know how to apply, and the church would be better served if we could corporately work it out under the leading of the Holy Spirit as each one operates in their gifting. We need each other to work out how we live our faith in an ever-changing world that is becoming more hostile to the Jesus way of life. I need my brothers and sisters in Christ, of all ages, to navigate the days ahead filled with lies and deception. Is it time we re-think the way we do church? What did John mean when he said,
“Dear children, the last hour is here. You have heard that the Antichrist is coming, and already many such antichrists have appeared. From this we know that the end of the world has come. These people left our churches because they never really belonged with us; otherwise they would have stayed with us. When they left us, it proved that they do not belong with us. But you are not like that, for the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and all of you know the truth. So I am writing to you not because you don't know the truth but because you know the difference between truth and falsehood. And who is the great liar? The one who says that Jesus is not the Christ. Such people are antichrists, for they have denied the Father and the Son. Anyone who denies the Son doesn't have the Father either. But anyone who confesses the Son has the Father also. So you must remain faithful to what you have been taught from the beginning. If you do, you will continue to live in fellowship with the Son and with the Father. And in this fellowship we enjoy the eternal life he promised us. I have written these things to you because you need to be aware of those who want to lead you astray. But you have received the Holy Spirit, and he lives within you, so you don't need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you all things, and what he teaches is true-- it is not a lie. So continue in what he has taught you, and continue to live in Christ. (1John 2:18-27)
Think and discuss,
Peace
"Advancing the Kingdom of God by releasing Spirit-filled followers to serve Jesus in freedom and joy."
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