When most Christians think of attending church, they usually think of sitting silently in their pews and observing the ministry of a select and highly privileged few (i.e., the pastor and his ministerial staff). They know that very little is expected of them--the "laity."
In fact, the very idea of coming to church to mutually edify and minister to the saints is foreign to the thinking of most evangelicals. And, yet, the New Testament knows nothing of an inert, believer-priesthood whose only function is to passively absorb sermons and pass the offering plate! But isn't such passivity on the part of the members the most obvious thing within our church meetings?
In contrast to our man-made traditions, the New Testament teaches that gathering with the brethren is a participating event where each believer is allowed to contribute his or her spiritual gift for the common good (1 Corinthians 12:7; 14:26). Please consider the following passages and ask yourself, "Is my church allowing me to contribute in this way?":
"And since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let each exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness" (Romans 12:6-8).
"Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. And there are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good" (1 Corinthians 12:4-7; cf. vv. 8-14).
"So also you, since you are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek to abound for the edification of the church" (1 Corinthians 14:12).
"What is the outcome then, brethren? When you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification" (1 Corinthians 14:26; cf. vv. 27-32).
"Bear one another's burdens, and thus fulfill the law of Christ" (Galatians 6:2).
" ... but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him, who is the Head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by that which every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love" (Ephesians 4:15-16).
"Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God" (Colossians 3:16; cf. Ephesians 5:19).
"Let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more, as you see the day drawing near" (Hebrews 10:24-25; cf. 1 Thessalonians 5:11,14).
"As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. Whoever speaks, let him speak, as it were, the utterances of God; whoever serves, let him do so as by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ ..." (1 Peter 4:10-11).
In light of the above texts, were the early church gatherings marked by mutual ministry and edification--or--were they marked by silent saints who passively sat in their pews? Did their meetings focus on the gifts and contribution of each believer who was present--or--did it focus on one man and his illustrious sermon?
If the New Testament teaches that the gathering of the saints is to be marked by multiple participation and the exercising of our spiritual gifts, why do most of us come to church and not say or do anything? Why aren't pastors encouraging their members to minister and edify one another on Sunday mornings? How can we continue to justify placing our responsibility of mutual edification and ministry into the hands of professional clergymen? One brother has said it well: "We have centered all our ministry in our paid professionals and thereby sold our birthright for a padded pew."
The truth is, our traditional and contemporary ways of having church with its passive "laity" and overworked "clergy" doing the entire task of ministry simply has no basis in the New Testament. Edward Schweizer, in his description of early Christian worship, writes:
The togetherness of the church and its services is not that of a theater audience, where one or several paid actors act on the stage while everybody else is looking on. Each one takes part with his special gift ... . the body of Christ is not a body of soldiers in which one sees at best the neck of the preceding man ... it is a body consisting of members living in their mutual addressing, asking, challenging, comforting, sharing of Christ and His gifts ("The Service of Worship," Neotestamentica [Zwingli: Zurich, 1963] pp. 335-336).
The late D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, pastor of Westminster Chapel in London, has said:
Are we giving the members of the church an adequate opportunity to exercise their gifts? Are our churches corresponding to the life of the New Testament church? Or is there too much concentration in the hands of ministers and clergy? You say, "We provide opportunity for the gifts of others in week-night activities." But I still ask, Do we manifest the freedom of the New Testament church? ... When one looks at the New Testament church and contrasts the church today, even our churches, with that church, one is appalled at the difference. In the New Testament church one sees vigor and activity; one sees a living community, conscious of its glory and of its responsibility, with the whole church, as it were, an evangelistic force. The notion of people belonging to the church in order to come to sit down and fold their arms and listen, with just two or three doing everything, is quite foreign to the New Testament, and it seems to me it is foreign to what has always been the characteristic of the church in times of revival and of reawakening (Knowing the Times [Carlisle, PA: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1989] pp. 195-196).
If the ideas contained in this paper are true, is it not obvious, then, that we have seriously departed from the teaching of Scripture? Does it bother you that most of what we associate with "church" has little to do with the New Testament (e.g., church buildings, one man alone who is elevated as "pastor," the Lord's Supper as a token meal, pastoral search committees)?
How can we claim to take the New Testament seriously as our "rule of faith and practice," and yet turn a deaf ear to clear, undeniable patterns of multiple participation which marked the early apostolic churches? If our current practice contradicts the New Testament, why do we keep affirming it as our infallible guide? Why don't we just admit that we do not really care what the New Testament says, and that we prefer our inherited way of doing things? What are YOU prepared to do about this?
If we are to see genuine church renewal, we must begin to speak out against false ecclesiastical traditions and practices. We must rethink our views of the local church, its ministry, and its form of church leadership--and seek to conform all that we say and do in light of New Testament patterns. As John Stott has said: "The hallmark of an authentic evangelicalism is not the uncritical repetition of old traditions, but the willingness to submit every tradition, however ancient, to fresh Biblical scrutiny and, if necessary, reform" ("Basic Stott," Christianity Today [Jan. 8, 1996]).
"Before the Word everyone must give way"-- Martin Luther
I often wonder the same thing. It's one of the reasons I don't like to go to Sunday morning services. I believe I have two very wonderful and powerful gifts but there doesn't seem to be a place for me in any church. I am often viewed as a threat to the leadership even though I simply talk about what I have learned and sometimes have words of knowledge or wisdom for some people.
I take advantage of opportunities to teach classes or participate in groups that will allow people to ask questions and share a different point of view.
I don't believe in evangelizing while the church is meeting. Church is for Christians. Well, that's redundant, but you know what I mean. We've already been evangelized. Evangelism needs to take place outside of the church building. Many Christians are so apathetic most of the time that they expect the pastor to preach salvation to their friends they bring to church on Sunday rather than do it themselves. Really? I am appalled. "Go ye therefore into all the world and bring lost people to church so the preacher can can preach the good news to them and lead them to Jesus." ????
Of course part of the problem is that the Church for the most part preaches an incomplete and distorted view of what the Gospel really is. Most of it is left out and they have camped on the idea that Jesus died for our sins. There's way more to it than that but if it can be reduced to four spiritual laws or a message on a bookmark then it will be so much easier to share. But I'm getting off track.
Anyway, I'd like very much to see a church that doesn't have sermons on Sundays but has people teaching and healing, and preaching, and speaking in tongues, the foreign language kind anyway, and being real participants rather than spectators. Well, I don't think we'll see that until the Millennium!
I love serving in the church, as there are many needs , not just on Sundays, but EVERY day.
There are both believers and unbelievers in the local church.
So, while we ,as believers, are being edified, built up and being equipped, there are those who are in the process of being called by
The Lord and have not yet responded or may respond that very day.
Though the church is not put here for unbeliever's, we have to be sensitive that every week there ARE unbelievers present and watching and listening.
There are many venues for believers outside of Sunday morning in most every church I know, which truly are only for believers and are still a part of that local church.
I have been involved in prison ministry,(only me and one other person ,) so it wasn't a huge church production, small groups, women's ministry, ministry to teens, ministry to homosexuals and Lesbians, and lots of music ministry.
The way The Lord seems to use me most is to keep my eyes open and my mouth shut until I know He is giving me opportunity to open it and not put my foot directly into it, before I know what He wants me to say.
One of the homosexual men I know, accepted Christ to be his Lord and savior. That man and his partner have since died of AIDS. One went to be with The Lord, the other didn't want to hear. The saved man did not get saved IN the church, but as a result of my benefiting in the blessing of being equipped and built up and edified in my home church, but ALL of it because of God's call on that man's life and his acknowledgment of his need to be saved. Had I not been saved in the local church, I would have been somewhere else besides talking to those two men who were painters in the construction business.
One gay man I am currently visiting is a 57 year old diabetic, double amputee who is homosexual and a devout atheist. I don't believe anyone is an Atheist, but that's a whole other topic, isn't it?
I don't know if this man will ever be saved, but then again, that's not up to me. God knows. If he gets save, it could be in his home, my car, or he could miraculously, some Sunday, go to church with me, hear The Gospel again and actually come to his Savior there.
A Lesbian couple got saved in my church the second Sunday they attended, and they had been in The Metropolitan church for some years. They only came to church with me as a courtesy, because I was helping them with some difficulties in their lives and they felt they owed it to me. (They told me this later).
They RAN to the altar the second week. They were just waiting for the pastor to offer, though I had talked to them many times about it. The Lord did not use me for the Harvest, but to plant the seed and to come up beside these women and help them in a time of need.
Two years later, one of them died from breast cancer, and praise God she is with The Lord this very day.
I have so many stories of God's grace and mercy to other unbelievers I have met and come to know. Not all people will hear and not all will be saved. Not even all are willing to listen. Sometimes I'm not willing to tell them what I know (to my own shame), and God saves them anyway.
But, it all started in the local church where I was being fed and nurtured and prepared. This is how God works in my life.
we are all different, and if we are willing to listen and love and give ourselves away, He will use us. I am not always willing. I take no glory in these people coming to Christ. God is mysterious, and that is why I love Him so much. Always have to be listening and waiting and watching in the most obscure places.
I said all that to say that the church is WAY greater that the building into which we walk on Sunday or Wed., or whenever. It is all of us "From whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does it's share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love." Eph.4:16.
We each have our own gifts and our own calling, and we are to be ministering in those particular capacities, thus making our calling sure and complete.
We are not to be sitting around whining as to whether we are able to stand up in a church service and speak in tongues or prophesy . There is a time and place for all God's good gifts. But The Lord himself said in John 4:35,Behold I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the the fields, for they are already white for harvest!." And you can read through verse 39 if you like and see the rest.
The church IS US, but it's not about us, it's about HIM!!!
The body of Yeshua could be likened to a football team which pactices and plays at an indoor stadium...
When the football team is practing does anyone that is in the bleachers or stands go onto the field to practice with the team?
When the team is dressed in their uniforms,on the field against the opposing team,do any of the people which paid good money,do any of these people have the opportunity to go onto the field and actively participate with either team,NO-NO-NO.
The people standing or sitting in the stands,these are fans,which have paid to see others participate,in the game they themselves,like playing.
As the fans at a sporting event pay just to visually see,the game being played with others; yet never do these fans activley participate within the game..
Is not the body of Yeshua,the same as the sports teams,with their fans?
