If you are part of an institutional church that has a pastor preach a sermon during a worship service, then I highly encourage you to speak to him about this beforehand. You don't have to ask his permission to speak during the gathering, but it would be good to do so as a matter of Christian courtesy. He may have a positive suggestion for how you can best add to the teaching time in a way that would benefit the entire church family. If he says that you cannot do this or discourages you from speaking, then ask him what biblical basis he has for doing so.
If you are part of an organic church/simple church/house church, then I encourage you to plan to ask questions, make comments, add an interpretation, etc. Be prepared to participate.
Paul tells us in I Corinthians 12 that the church body is composed of many different members that are all needed for the church. Every body part matters. When all participate the body is healthy.
4 comments:
this is why after the sermon I ask if there are any questions, comments, concerns, etc and let people know where to find the box of rotten tomatos! :-) It is a bit risky, one man in our congregation, when he starts talking, he doesn't always stop if you know what I mean. But there have been some good talks and interaction though.
-Brian
Brian,
Thanks for commenting. I'm so glad to hear that you ask questions, etc. after the sermon. Although the responses are not under your control, I believe it gives the body an excellent chance to grow. I admire you for challenging the status quo.
Hey Eric. I found your blog through Dave Black, and I'll definitely add you to my reading list.
As a member in the pews on Sunday mornings, I've recently made it my goal to engage in Jesus-level conversations each week on either side of the service. I see very few church attenders engaging each other with the gospel in their pre- and post-sermon conversations, and the small talk leaves me dissatisfied and restless.
I've asked a couple people for their stories of Jesus's faithfulness in their lives, and I've heard some great testimonies of his love and power. I'm finding these conversations much more meaty than any sermon or "How was your week?" conversations.
Joel,
My encouragement to all Christians is to be actively involved in discussing what Christ is doing in their lives. It sounds like you are doing this very thing. That's excellent.
I hope to see churches, whatever their form, make changes to increase the expectation and opportunity for these conversations to occur. Even if churches have traditional sermons, it would be great if they would then eat together, and afterward gather in small groups to talk over the sermon text.
Keep participating!
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