"How is it then, brethren? Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification." I Corinthians 14:26 (NKJV)
Assuming that you gather with your church family on Sundays, what are you planning to bring? The above verse from I Corinthians indicates that the folks in that church (despite its myriad problems) actively brought something with them to the church gathering. In many cases, this seems to have been directly related to the exercise of their spiritual gifts. Paul wanted to be sure that this was all done for the purpose of mutual edification.
It is safe to say that in the modern church the majority of people do not prepare to take something with them to build others up. Instead, most people arrive at the gathering unprepared. They may very much be looking forward to what will happen during their time with their church family, but this does not mean that they are prepared to build one another up.
On a related topic, if you did bring something with you, would you have an opportunity to share it during your church gathering? Would you be invited to do so?
Back to the topic at hand: preparation. It may be that our preparation is more a mindset than something more tangible such as a teaching. It may be a mindset of seeking out others to exhort and encourage. Regardless, we should all at least be prepared to use our spiritual gifts to serve one another.
I'm paraphrasing the following from Dave Black: Many churches have a slogan that reads something like, "Enter to worship. Depart to serve." Instead, it should read, "Enter to serve. Depart to worship."
As we gather with our church family (regardless of denomination, worship style, traditions, etc.), let's all bring something with us. Maybe this will be something a bit structured such as a teaching or a song. Maybe it is simply a mindset of being open to the leading of the Holy Spirit to share a word of prophecy. Whatever we do, let's be prepared by bringing something.
5 comments:
Great exhortation. I like the idea that each believer has a responsibility to be prepared to come together.
Jeff,
If we will all do this, I'm sure that it will only build up the body. The question is whether our gatherings are multi-directional or uni-directional. If we are all encouraged to be involved, we will prepare (or at least should).
Thanks for the inspiration verse for next week when I lead worship!
Eric,
I was not "scheduled" to teach/preach yesterday. However, I knew that another brother would be teaching on the subject of the Sabbath. I also knew that the church would have an opportunity to take part in the teaching, through asking questions, sharing experiences, or even offering a teaching of their own. So, I prepared for studying the passages in Scripture related to the Sabbath. I also talked with other brothers and sisters about the topic - both my own family and others in person as well as online.
However, besides this preparation, I also spend time with other brothers and sisters throughout the week. I know what's going on in their lives and they know what's going on in my life. Specifically through a conversation I had last week, I knew I need to confess something to the church, to ask for prayer in that area, and to exhort the church (as well as myself) toward faithfulness in that area.
So, my preparation included both the study of Scripture and the work that God was doing in my life and the lives of others through our interaction with one another. I'm sure there were others ways that I (and others) prepared, but these are two ways that I try to prepare every day.
-Alan
Alan,
Thank you for sharing that. I appreciate the point about getting to know your brothers and sisters in Christ.
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