Meeting in Lots of Different Ways, Places, Times, Groups, Etc.

I recently wrote a post about why I'm a house church proponent. While that's true, I'm actually very much in favor of Christians meeting with other Christians in a multitude of ways, places, times, groupings, etc.

Different believers are edified in different ways. That makes sense since we're all different people. Although we are one in Christ, we all have various characteristics that make us unique. In light of that, it is beneficial for Christians to get together with others in a variety of settings to do a variety of things.

Mutual edification is the purpose of meeting as Christ-followers. It matters much more that edification takes place than where and how the body convenes.

When we look in the bible, we see much concern by the writers that the body carry out the one-anothers with each other. The focus is the building up of the church much more than it is where and how this occurs. Additionally, there is no sense that the scripture writers only have in mind some sort of weekly gathering among a specific subset of Christians within a particular city. Rather, Paul (for example) thought of the entire Christian population in Corinth, Philippi, Rome, etc. as the church there. The apostle envisioned them gathering frequently wherever, whenever, and with whoever could be present. While together, the goal was body edification through whatever one-another types of activities were taking place.

I admit that I struggle to gather with other believers very often. With working 65 hours per week, I often do not meet with brothers and sisters more than once per seven days (if that). However, my desire is to be with fellow Christians more frequently in a variety of places, groups, and times.

Summing up, the church benefits when it breaks beyond the bounds of "The Sunday Gathering." Since we are the church 24-7, let's strive to gather as the church whenever and wherever we can. This will certainly take different forms based on the specifics of peoples' lives; however, in the end it acts to build up the church as a whole in Christ.

From "The Gathering" to Simply "Gathering"

As we talk about church life, much of the focus often falls on what we refer to as "the gathering." I use this type of language as much as anybody else does. The problem I've come to see with this is that "the gathering" almost takes on a life of its own. It begins to draw much of our focus. We place much energy into it. It is where church life occurs.

There may be a better way. It can begin with simply how we think about getting together with Christian brothers and sisters. Instead of "the gathering," we may be much better off just thinking and speaking in terms of "gathering." When just gather, the focus is less upon what we do than upon who is there. We can shift our attention away from the types of events and activities (whatever they may be) toward the needs of the people present. The move is from action-driven to relationship-driven.

I'm not trying to split hairs. Rather, there is a significant issue at stake. That issue has to do with why we even get together with the body in the first place. When we think in terms of "the gathering," we can fall into a trap of thinking that certain activities are the reason we get together. However, when we simply gather, we can orient ourselves to what truly matters: the who we gather for. We ultimately gather for Christ. We live this out by gathering for the edification of both ourselves and others.

The language we use not only shows how we think but also shapes our thinking. I'm trying to move away from talking about "the gathering" toward just "gathering." My hope is that this moves me more toward thinking of others instead of activities.

Interesting Translation of Hebrews 10:24-25

"Let us keep one another in mind, always ready with incitements to charity and to acts of piety, not abandoning, as some do, our common assembly, but encouraging one another; all the more, as you see the great day drawing nearer."

This is the translation of Hebrews 10:24-25 from the Knox Bible (the translator is not, as some might suppose, Alan Knox).

I'm not suggesting that this is the best translation, but I do think it has some strengths. The language is colorful, giving the verse a sense of action. The word "incitements" in particular is striking. I also enjoy the choice of "to charity and to acts of piety." These words bring a real-world feel to what is often translated as "to love and good works." Finally, the use of "common assembly" is more interesting then simply saying "meeting together."

This appears to be an example where the work of one translator is superior to the work of a translation committee. Although I generally prefer the work of a group, an individual may be able to occasionally employ more diverse and striking language that a committee would avoid.

What do you think of this particular translation of 10:24-25?

One Good Reason for Women to Remain Silent

In my previous post I offered one good reason for women to speak during church gatherings. In this post I’m offering one good reason for the ladies to keep silent.

The reason: If a woman speaks incorrectly or inappropriately, there is no good method for correcting her.

Let me explain by backing up a bit.

During a gathering of the body, a brother may offer an incorrect teaching, inappropriate rebuke, faulty application, etc. When he does this the other brothers there have the responsibility to lovingly correct him. This should be done in whatever manner is best for the health of the body. It may be publically or privately. Whatever the case, the brothers have the responsibility to take action.

Let’s now turn to the ladies. What happens if a Christian sister offers an incorrect teaching, an inappropriate rebuke, or a faulty application? She must be corrected, but who is going to do it? The other ladies present may very well feel that it is beyond their role to correct their sister in a mixed-gender assembly. The men may not feel comfortable correcting someone else’s wife (if she's married). Ideally, the husband would correct his wife, but what if he does not have the nerve to do it or simply thinks she is correct?

At that point it falls to one of the other brothers to correct his sister. The problem is that this immediately brings up complications. When the brother begins the correction, the husband may very well sense an attack on his wife and rush to her defense. Since one role of the husband is to defend his wife, he may react sharply against his brother even if the brother is attempting to speak lovingly and gently. It is a sort of no-win situation.

If women do not speak in the gathering, then this is never a problem. The men can confront the other men when needed, but the wife-defender issue never comes up. Maybe this is one of the reasons Paul wrote I Corinthians 14:33-35, “For God is not a God of confusion but of peace. As in all the churches of the saints, the women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also says. If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church.”

The application of the above passage is the tricky part. Does this apply to any gathering, an entire body gathering, a time of bible study, or only specifically to the judging of prophets? The debate, as we know, rages on.

To sum up, one good reason for women’s silence in gatherings is that it cuts out the possibility of an ugly scene with brother defending his wife against another brother.

What say you? Again, ladies please join in.

One Good Reason for Women to Speak

One lively and important discussion that flows around in Christian circles is whether or not women should speak during church gatherings. Passages such as I Cor. 12, I Cor. 14:33-35, and I Tim. 2:11-15 among others are critical to this conversation.

It is not my intent here to delve into an exegetical analysis of these key passages.

Rather, in this post I’m simply going to offer one good reason for women to speak during gatherings (in the following post I’ll offer one good reason for women to keep silent). I’m not claiming that this is the only good reason for women to speak, but it is a good one.

The reason: women offer a different perspective than men do.

If we are honest we will all admit that men and women are very different. This is how God made us. These differences were apparent before the fall, thus ensuring that these differences are a good thing. God has designed men and women to complement one another, not to be carbon copies of each other. Frankly, life would be a lot duller if we were all the same.

A great reason for women to speak during church assembles is that they often provide differing perspectives than men do on all sorts of things. This might mean a somewhat different interpretation of a scripture passage. More often than that, it is the application of the passage that is different. Women are usually more nurturing than men, and therefore have important things to say about passages containing the "one anothers."

When I hear a brother in Christ speak I frequently know where he is going with what he’s saying. When a sister speaks, I often have no clue. This does not mean that the ladies are incorrect in what they are saying. Rather, it just means that they see things differently.

This reminds me of I Corinthians 12:14-20. Paul writes, “For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,’ that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,’ that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.”

The above passage pertains to all of body life, not just gatherings. However, it still seems to have application to gatherings. The sense is that all parts of the body are needed. If women are silent, then only about half the body can speak. I know that if all the women in our small fellowship kept silent it would subtract from the depth of the conversation.

To sum up, women add a different perspective to the gathering than men do. This is because God made us different. These differences add much to the discussion.

What do you think? Ladies, please feel welcomed to add to the discussion.

Acts 20:7 and the First Day of the Week

“On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his speech until midnight.” Acts 20:7 

The context of the above familiar verse is Paul’s third missionary journey. Paul and his companions have arrived in Troas, where they stayed for seven days. 

In 20:7-12 we read about a gathering of the church in Troas. We’re told that they came together on the first day of the week (Sunday). The gathering was for the purpose of sharing the Lord’s Supper meal together. During this occasion, Paul talked with them for quite a while.

What we see here is a church coming together to eat together. Paul was in town, and they wanted to spend a lot of time with him. They ate, talked, ate, and talked. Eventually someone fell asleep, fell, died, and was raised. That makes for quite a memorable evening together no doubt. I love the fact that after the miracle, they went back to doing what they were doing before: eating and conversing.

Here’s what struck me as I read through this passage today: there is no indication that the church in Troas made a normal pattern of getting together on Sundays. All Luke tells us is that on this one occasion they assembled on a Sunday. It could just have easily been a Tuesday or Friday. However, as Paul was going to be departing soon, they wanted to get together as a body to eat and talk. Sunday happened to be the day. 

Luke describes for us what occurred on a particular day in Troas. There is not even a hint that this is a pattern that they followed or that we should have to follow. We’ve all heard it said that we should get together as the church on Sundays because that’s what the early church did. I’m not convinced. Additionally, since we’re no longer bound by the O. T. Sabbath (Jesus is our Sabbath), there is no reason to make Sunday into one.

We are free to gather when we want and whenever we want. No one day is any holier than any other. The reality is that due to job schedules, Sundays are normally the easiest day to gather with church families (this is what we normally do). However, we don’t have to.

What we can learn from Acts 20:7 is that it is good to gather together to eat and talk. We see in other passages that this should happen for mutual edification. However, it does not matter at all on what day or days this occurs.

Sunday is just another day. All days are holy in Christ.

Assemble whenever and wherever, but by all means do assemble.

Why?

Question: if you choose to gather with the church in a manner that differs significantly from what is described in scripture, why do you do so?

I've written quite a bit about what I think on this issue; now I'd like to hear more from you. My purpose in this question is not to bash anyone, to tell anyone that they are sinning, or even to win an argument. Rather, I'd just like to know the reasons and discuss them.

In the past I had one reason for gathering in ways that we don't see in the bible: tradition. I even worked as a salaried pastor for a few years, embracing all sorts of things we don't see in scripture.

As for things that differ significantly from what we read in the bible, I'm not talking about stuff beyond our control such as where we live. For example, you don't need to move to Ephesus or Corinth to attempt to be biblical. I'm referring to what happens when Christians come together, how it happens, who's involved, and why it occurs.

So, what do you think?

How Big Is Too Big?

Church size is an interesting issue. We’ve had some good discussions about this previously on this blog. I’d like to revisit the issue because of a real-life situation my church family finds itself in.

Last week we had 39 people at our church gathering. That’s a lot of folks to fit in a living room. It was wonderful to spend time with everyone, but I wonder if we’ve gotten too big. In fact, one of my good friends brought up the very issue as we met. We’ve decided to pray about it and not make any hasty decisions. However, we’ve sort of been avoiding the issue for some time. That’s not to say that we have to or even need to multiply/divide/split in some way; rather, we simply haven’t really talked about it.

This question, of course, immediately leads us to scripture and forces us to ask why we even meet in the first place. Ideally, Christians get together throughout the week so that the Sunday gathering is not the epicenter of church life. Despite this, with work schedules being what they are the reality is that the Sunday gathering is very special. That said, why do we meet?

Biblically speaking, followers of Christ normally gather to honor God through mutual edification. This is not to say that every gathering must be for this purpose. Rather, this ought to be the norm.

We’re all familiar with Hebrews 10:24-25, “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” I believe the most significant aspect of these verses is that they tie together the assembling with meeting for the purpose of edification.

In order for edification of all by all to take place, everyone must feel free to follow the lead of the Holy Spirit. This usually involves at least talking to others. In fact, edification almost always involves speaking of some type (along with other things).

A body of believers should, therefore, be a size that is conducive to people talking with one another. If the group is too large for this to happen, then “Houston, we have a problem.”

Last week as we gathered, I noticed times of freedom in speech. I also noticed times when only some seemed comfortable talking. Not surprisingly, the differences depended on the structure of what was happening. When we were all sitting together sharing with one another as a full body, the group just felt too big for everyone to share. In fact, although we had solid participation, many of the folks didn’t say anything at all. However, when we were all just hanging out in smaller groups (ranging in size from roughly 2 – 8), everyone appeared comfortable talking.

Our group’s size has also reduced the number of homes we can gather in. For example, our family simply cannot host anymore on Sundays. Because of my current work schedule (65 hrs. per week), it is very difficult to have anyone over during the week. Therefore, we aren’t really hosting anyone right now. I wish that could be different. As for Sundays, only a few families are now able to host; this puts an unfair burden on them.

Have we as a body reached the point of being too big? I’m still not sure. I’d like to hear your thoughts on this issue. Additionally, I’d appreciate hearing about if you have gone through a church division (in the good sense), how it happened, and what the result was.

It Can Get Messy

Last week as we gathered it got messy for a few minutes. One child in the group accidentally dropped a bottle of soda on the floor. The photo on the left shows what happened. Carbonated liquid shot about seven feet into the air and landed on one man's back, a desk, the counter, and a few other places. It was sticky and yucky.

This was a tangible reminder to me that church gatherings can get messy. Explosive soda is a relatively small thing. However, sometimes more significant things happen. Sometimes personal interactions can get messy and be explosive. Why is this? The reason is that we are all real people with real problems. We are not all alike. We have preferences and opinions. We are also sinful.

In a setting where we are all free to talk about whatever we believe the Spirit leads us to discuss, sometimes things get messy. If we are willing to be real with one another, this is almost guaranteed to occasionally happen. Because we are humans, we will see things differently from time to time. This leads to disagreement about certain issues. The key is how we handle this. The goal should be edification through the process. In striving for this, we will sometimes have success and sometimes not. I hope mostly for the positive.

I would have it no other way. Little edification can happen when messiness is ruled out through planned ceremonies. Edification occurs when we encourage, exhort, rebuke, teach, listen to, hug, etc. each other. In this setting, we can all together strive for greater obedience to Christ.

Messiness is real. Messiness is a sign that good things can happen. I hope they do.

Rotating Helps

When the church gathers in a certain house, the reality is that a greater burden falls on those who actually live in that particular house.

In our fellowship, five families are currently meeting together on a regular basis.  That makes for 25-30 people.  By American standards that is a lot of people under one roof.  Many people equals more stress.  It's just the reality of the situation.

Additionally, when people are coming over to your home, what do you do? You probably pick up the living room, make space in the kitchen for the food, shove various and sundry things in closets and under beds, vacuum, wipe the crust off the bathroom, etc.  This takes time and effort.

Please hear me when I say that these are not bad things.  Hosting a house church gathering is wonderful.  I love it so far and look forward to doing this for the rest of my life.

The Church is...

My current Facebook status says:

"The church is not a place. It is a people. The church is not a building. It is a family. The church is not an organization. It is a body. The church is not an institution. It is an assembly. The church is not a business. It is a community."

What needs to be added?