Seven Keys to Body Life. Can You Think of Any Others?

The body of Christ has great potential for good. However, Christ's followers frequently become side-tracked from what is truly important. This is usually caused by straying from scripture into a man-centered approach to church life. With that in mind, what sorts of things are critical to healthy body life?

I was musing on this question for a while earlier today. Seven key ingredients came to mind. They are, in no particular order:

1. Biblical fidelity
2. Bible study, discussion, teaching
3. Mutual edification
4. Sacrificial service
5. Sacrificial giving
6. Proclamation of the Gospel to the lost
7. Eating the Lord's Supper together

All of the above are critical to healthy, vibrant church life. All should glorify God while edifying the saints and/or proclaiming the good news to the world.

My guess is that I've left out a few critical aspects. What do you think? What would you add to this list to make it more complete?

Positive Acts - Gathered Together to Break Bread

This post is a continuation of my series Positive Acts.

Why does the church get together? Is it for "worship," as much of the American church believes today? No, it is not. Rather, the bible tells us that the body of Christ comes together for edification. I Corinthians 14:26 says, "What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up" (ESV).

One key method the church uses to bring about mutual edification is the Lord's Supper. I'm not referring to the typical funeral-like ceremony held by institutional churches. Rather, I'm talking about what we see in scripture: a joyful and full meal in which the church family has a great time. In Acts 20 this is what we see in Troas.

Paul was passing through town. He got together with his friends. They were meeting that night for a specific purpose. Luke writes in 20:7, "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." They gathered to break bread. As they ate together, Paul talked with them. He likely told them all about the many things God was doing through him and his companions while they were traveling about Asia and Greece.

God wants his people to gather. He also wants them to gather for the right reason. Worship is a 24/7 exercise. The church comes together not specifically for worship, but for edification. One primary means of edification is the Lord's Supper.

If we do not know why God wants his body to gather, then how can we ever accomplish what our Lord desires through our meetings?

Positive Acts - A Little Help

Acts 18:24-28

Now a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent man, competent in the Scriptures. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord. And being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John. He began to speak boldly in the synagogue, but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately. And when he wished to cross to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome him. When he arrived, he greatly helped those who through grace had believed, for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, showing by the Scriptures that the Christ was Jesus.

I love the above passage because of its simplicity and beauty. Luke describes a relatively straightforward situation where a gifted orator needed some help with his content. Apollos, who clearly had good intentions, was extremely skilled in proclaiming what he knew. The problem was that he didn't have a complete knowledge of the Gospel. Aquila and Priscilla rightly discerned that Apollos needed some help. The key to this passage is how they responded to his need.

Aquila and Priscilla could have rebuked Apollos. They could have "put him in his place" due to his lack of knowledge. They could have deeply discouraged him. However, they rightly understood his skills and intent. Instead of taking a negative approach, we read that "they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately." This is edification at its best. These two seasoned Christians understood Apollos' need and assisted him in overcoming it. This is what Christ-followers should be doing.

Luke then tells us the outcome. Apollos was able to in turn assist other believers in a different area. Luke reports that "he (Apollos) greatly helped those who through grace had believed." Apollos accomplished this by giving superior arguments to the Jews of the area. With his new, fuller knowledge of the Gospel as told to him by Priscilla and Aquila, he was able to successfully show that Jesus is the Christ.

Apollos took his edification from Aquila and Priscilla and in turn used it to edify other believers. This is as it ought to be. Edification leads to edification leads to edification, etc.

Simple and beautiful.

The Church Can Learn a Lot From Running Clubs

I love running. That may seem like crazy talk to some of you. I fully admit that I do not completely understand it myself. As I've mentioned a few times before, I'm training to run in the Savannah Rock 'n' Roll Marathon which takes place in about seven weeks.

I've been running for both exercise and enjoyment for the past twenty years. While doing this, I've always been somewhat envious of folks who are part of specific running clubs (like this one in Savannah). If I'm ever able to transition to a job within JCB that allows me to work a more reasonable schedule I'm going to join.

Why would I join a running club? The reason is simple: encouragement. In fact, the church could learn a great deal from running clubs for just this reason.

Running clubs unite a group of people around one thing: running. The folks in the club enjoy discussing running, challenging one another, and encouraging each other through injuries, trials, and successes. Most of the people genuinely like to help others, giving all sorts of solid advice. The more experienced runners in particular assist the newbies, whether it be in what running shoes to wear, what to eat before a run, or where to train.

Not only do the members talk about running, but they also run together. They foster a family atmosphere and truly enjoy being together. Groups of this type almost always have a good amount of diversity. What unites them is running. The people want others to join the group and often almost proselytize about it. Frankly, they think running is just the greatest.

If you take what I've just described and substitute Jesus Christ for running, you have what the church should and can look like. While I'm not encouraging the unbiblical practice of "local church membership," I am suggesting that local bodies have the capacity to be sources of great encouragement to one another as they unite around the person of Jesus Christ. According to scripture, the church meets for the purpose of edification. What does this look like? Well, it appears much like a family gathering (because churches should be families). The people like to be together, help one another, think Jesus is the greatest, and desire to share him with others. Or, at least this is how it should be.

The church can learn a lot from running clubs. Let's hope it does.

Unavoidable: Mutual Edification

According to scripture, why does the church come together?

I challenge you to ask your Christian friends the above question. How do you think they will answer? My guess is that the vast majority will answer with the same response: to worship. This is fascinating and disheartening because their answer is wrong.

Why, then, does the body meet? According to the bible the purpose is mutual edification.

In I Corinthians 14:26 Paul writes,"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."

As the church comes together as a family, meeting simply, the goal is the edification (some translations use the term "building up") of the entire church. The end goal is the maturation in Christ of the whole group. Everyone benefits through interaction with everyone else.

The I Corinthians 14 passage as a whole deals with the issue of spiritual gifts (actually, that is the topic of chapters 12-14). In chapter 14, one of Paul's main points is that use of spiritual gifts is specifically for the purpose of the upbuilding of the body. Gifts are not for personal aggrandizement; rather, they exist to help others grow closer to Christ.

So then, why does the church gather? What's the point? It's an unavoidable truth that according to the bible the purpose is mutual edification. It's a sad thing that so few Christians know this.

Unvoidable: Home Get-Togethers

The early church met in homes. They met simply. They met cheaply. They met for edification.

Does today's church have to meet in homes? I don't think so. However, God has given us in scripture a model for gathering simply as his body for the purpose of edification. This can likely occur just as easily in a coffee shop, park, or store front as it does in a home.

What we do not see in the bible is churches coming together in large groups on Sundays for the purpose of worship in large, expensive buildings. What happens today is foreign to scripture.

When we think about the family of God, we must ask ourselves whether or not we have any sort of road map to follow. Has God provided us with any sort of directions, or have we been left to simply figure things out on our own? While we are to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, it seems as if today more and more Christians are blaming increasingly odd, bizarre, and just plain stupid behavior on the Spirit. What, therefore, are we to do?

We look in the bible. We see a model of church life. We follow the principles we see. It's that simple.

It is unavoidable that the early believers met simply. When they gathered, it was a family meeting. It was usually in homes. It was unstructured. It was for edification.

Home get-togethers is what we read about. The question is, "Will we follow the principle we see in scripture?"

Why Do So Many Christians Gather for "Worship"?

If you ask most Christians why they gather together (usually on Sundays), they will tell you that it's for worship. If you then ask them why they get together for the purpose of worship you will likely receive a blank stare. This is because most Christians have never pondered this before. It's also because the bible gives no indication that the body of Christ comes together for worship.

In the New Testament we see the church meet for a different purpose: edification. I Corinthians 14:26 says, "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." The point of the gathering was the building up of the members. No confusion there.

However, there is plenty of confusion today. How did we get into this mess? In order to find out we must look back at church history (in fact, we'll find many of the answers to these fifteen church-related questions by searching through church history).

Not long after the first century a clergy system began to form. Specialists emerged who did the bulk of the stuff as the church gathered. This gradually morphed into the priesthood of the Roman Catholic Church. The priests led the Mass, which became the primary gathering of the people of God.

Enter the Reformers. Men like Luther, Calvin, Zwingli, etc. rejected the Mass for the heresy that it was (and still is). They recognized that when churches came together something other than "another sacrifice of Christ" must occur. The Reformers did a good thing by jettisoning the Mass. However, they failed to follow the biblical model when they replaced it. The Reformation saw the rise of preaching as the center point of body meetings.

Fast forward to today. The Catholic Church still performs its Mass. Protestant churches focus their gatherings on music (now known to many as "worship") and preaching. Neither group gathers specifically for edification. Over the years the Protestant versions have become known as "worship services." This is fascinating because the worship is poorly defined and no actual service takes place. Regardless, because the gatherings are known as worship services, many of the people think that they gather for worship.

The biggest problem with this situation is that it leaves the church largely unedified and spiritually immature. Gatherings are supposed to build up the body. However, in worship service ceremonies very little communication occurs or is encouraged among the people present. Edification happens mainly through the carrying out of the one anothers; this cannot happen during a ceremony. Thus, the body does not grow spiritually.

Many, many Christians think they gather for worship because they know little else. It's what they have always done. It does not stem from scriptural teachings, but rather church history. The church suffers because of it.

We do well to challenge this way of thinking.

Let's tell and show our brothers and sisters in Christ that edification occurs best in simple gatherings.

Yep

Sermon Avoidance Does Not Make You "Lukewarm"

A couple of years ago a young Christian man told me that I was "lukewarm." He was referring to this passage:

14 And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God's creation. 15 "I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. 17 For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. 19 Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. 21 The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." (Revelation 3:14-22, emphasis mine)

Let me provide a bit of context. At the time our family was gathering regularly with a few others families each Sunday in homes. We would sometimes see each other during the week, but for the most part our Sunday get together was the main time of fellowship. We shared in bible study, prayer, eating, and much conversation. It was almost always an edifying experience for me. We enjoyed being together.

One Sunday a young couple visited with us; they were invited by one of the other families in our group. I'm not sure why this couple came (maybe curiosity?) because the man clearly did not believe the way we were "doing church" was the right way. He was a very big supporter of sermons. He liked to discuss what preachers had said and written as part of their messages. Our church family had no need or desire for sermons.

Did I mention that this young man was only twenty-five-years-old at the time?

What I still do not understand is why this couple kept returning to our gatherings. It makes no sense to me. They were nice enough, but the way we functioned continued to bother them. One day it came to a head. The young man asked if he could meet with the elders of our church family. Several of us men (the older men of the body; nothing more than that) came together one evening in a home. The young man basically complained to us that the elders in our body needed to have more authority and that we should have sermons. We did not agree. I hope you see the irony here. The young man was saying that we should have authority, but he had no interest in our authority when it came to not having sermons. While making his case he kept referring back to one specific sermon he had heard and told us that we really needed to listen to it.

We kept asking him to support his assertions with scripture. He failed to do so. Eventually he told us that the real reason he wanted to meet with us was to tell us that we were "lukewarm." However, his only reason for saying this was because we did not preach and teach the bible the way he thought we should. He wanted someone to stand up front and give a typical monologue style sermon as in traditional churches. He equated this with caring for what the bible had to say. We disagreed.

It was clear to me that he saw himself as doing some sort of duty for God by rebuking us. He would not listen to what we had to say. We elders (all in our forties) were being rebuked by a twenty-five-year-old for not grabbing more authority. This encounter was both fascinating and disturbing.

This young man, while well-intentioned, was far off track. It was not long before they moved on. Last I knew they had moved near Houston, Texas to be part of Voddie Baucham's church.

I wish things could have turned out differently, but this young man would not listen. His error is in how he thinks of church life. In his mind zeal for God and ceremonial preaching go together. He believes that love for the Lord is most clearly shown by sitting and listening to a speech.

He is wrong.

None of us has to adhere to the typical traditional, institutional style of gathering in order to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. In fact, I would argue that taking part in church meetings that seek to edify the body through mutuality is a sign of great care for Christ. According to the bible, that is to be the purpose of gatherings.

If you read this blog regularly then you probably have no use for sermons. Don't worry, that's fine. Sermon avoidance does not make you "lukewarm." Rather, it might just be a sign that you care about how God wants his church to live. As far as I'm concerned that is evidence of being just the opposite of lukewarm.

Reason #21 - Professional Pastors Turn Church Family Gatherings Into "Worship" Ceremonies

It's Sunday morning right now. Many church bodies in this country will gather today. A small percentage will get together like big families. The vast majority, however, will spend much of their time in a repetitious ceremony.

I'm not sure where the term "worship service" originated (if you know please leave your answer in the comments section). A more appropriate term would be "Christianesque ceremony." Instead of churches gathering to strengthen the body through mutual edification, they meet to perform basically the same ceremony week after week. Professional pastors stand at the epicenter of this phenomenon.

Salaried pastors receive their salary in large part because they preach. Monologue style preaching does not work as part of family get-togethers. Instead, this type of pastoral performance only works in ceremonies. Thus worship services rule the day in most churches.

When we look in the bible we don't find anything that looks like modern worship services. Instead, we see the body of Christ come together informally for the mutual upbuilding of the whole. The individual parts carry out the one anothers and use their areas of gifting to strengthen the entire family. It is a beautiful picture. This is what the church needs much more of today.

Professional pastors stand in the way of mutual edification. The reason is that they have to preach in order to get paid, and preaching only fits with a ceremonial atmosphere. Therefore, salaried pastors must resign. They must resign now.


(This is part twenty-one of 25 Reasons Professional Pastors Should Resign.)

Church Simply: One Anothering

What is the most important part of church life? Is is preaching? Is is giving? Is is teaching? Is it eating? Is it fasting? Is it praying?

I believe the most important part of church life is one anothering.

When we read through the New Testament we see exhortation after exhortation to mutually do certain things for "one another" or "each other." Some related exhortations are to not do certain things within the body. All of this has the purpose of the edification, or building up, of the entire body in Christ.

In order to show just how important this is, I'm listing several here:

"Love one another with brotherly affection. Out do one another in showing honor." Romans 12:10

"Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight." Romans 12:16

"Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law." Romans 13:8

"Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother." Romans 14:13

"Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God." Romans 15:7

"Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you." Romans 16:16

"So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for one another." I Cor. 11:33

"But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another." I Cor. 12:24-25

"Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you." II Cor. 13:11

"For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another." Galatians 5:13

"Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another." Galatians 5:26

"Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." Galatians 6:2

"I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." Ephesians 4:1-3

"Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another." Ephesians 4:25

"Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you." Ephesians 4:32

"And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ." Ephesians 5:18-21

"Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices." Colossians 3:9

"Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive." Colossians 3:12-13

"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God." Colossians 3:16

"Now may our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way to you, and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you." I Thess. 3:11-12

"Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another." I Thess. 4:9

"Therefore encourage one another with these words." I Thess. 4:18

"Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing." I Thess. 5:11

"See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone." I Thess. 5:15

"We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing." II Thess. 1:3

"But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called 'today,' that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin." Hebrews 3:13

"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." Hebrews 10:24-25

"Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door." James 5:9

"Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working." James 5:16

"Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart." I Peter 1:22

"Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace." I Peter 4:8-10

"Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for 'God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.'" I Peter 5:5

"Greet one another with the kiss of love. Peace to all of you who are in Christ." I Peter 5:14

"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin." I John 1:7

"For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another." I John 3:11

"And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us." I John 3:23

"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God." I John 4:7

"Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another." I John 4:11


The length alone of the above list should give us pause. Are we really striving to carry out what we see here? Our Lord clearly has an expectation for his church that we will care for each other and strive to edify each other. I Thessalonians 5:11 sums it up well, "Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing."

I do not believe that what we read above is a sort of grocery list or laundry list. It's certainly not a to-do list. Rather, as we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, these are activities that we should enjoy. As the body comes together, the Spirit gives us the desire and ability to help others mature in Christ. Since these are reciprocal in nature, we also must accept edification.

When the church does these things, it becomes more and more of what Christ wants it to be: a healthy, mature body.

Church Simply: Why Get Together Anyway? Mutual Edification

One source of great confusion in much of the church today is why the church gets together. This is fascinating because churches gather so regularly. You would think that the people would know why they are doing so. When asked, most Christians respond with the vague, "...to worship." However, they can neither support this biblically nor even accurately define it.

At least some of this confusion stems from the term "worship service." Since people attend these ceremonies, they think this is when "worship" happens. It is all one big confusing mess. The reason for all this, of course, is that worship is not why the church gathers (worship is a 24/7 exercise). Rather, the church comes together for mutual edification.

I Corinthians 14:26 is an extremely important verse. Paul writes, "What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up." Paul is less concerned with their specific activities than he is with why they are doing what they are doing. All should be for the building up of the body into maturity in Christ. We see an active body where each person uses his or her gifts to build up others.

Mutual edification is easy to define. Because of that, it is easy for local bodies of believers to make this the focus of their gatherings. They can step back and see if what they are doing is actually accomplishing what it should. On the other hand, when churches focus on worship, it is nearly impossible to determine what their meetings are accomplishing.

Before even gathering together churches should ask the "Why?" question. The answer to this question is much more important than the "Who? What? Where? When? and How?" questions. If a church doesn't know why it comes together, then none of the other answers matter.

Simple churches meet for mutual edification of the body. It's as simple as that.

The Smoke Shack: A Model for Church Meetings

Many of you know that I work at JCB here in Savannah. JCB's smoking policy is fairly simple: if you choose to smoke, you have to do so at the one designated location outside the building. This "smoke shack" is little more than a metal overhang where the smokers congregate throughout the day.

Although I do not smoke, my specific job duties have me walk near the smoke shack several times per day. I can't stand the smell, but what I see fascinates me. The smokers have inadvertently found a good model for church meetings.

Those who smoke talk with each other, stand around, and share an activity: they smoke. Everyone gets to participate. Each person, regardless of specific job in the factory and offices, is on a level playing field at the smoke shack. Little is planned; conversation is spontaneous. All involved seem to be having a good time. No one is required to attend. Rather, they simply come when they want to. The smokers generally enjoy each other's company. Everyone is to some extent encouraged through the conversations.

The model I'm describing from the smoke shack also sounds like an excellent one for church gatherings. How absurd it is that regular folks know how to get together in a manner that encourages the group, but the church generally does not. Most churches believe that a special ceremony is needed to please God. This could not be more incorrect. God wants His church to gather to build up the church. This happens through free-flowing, spontaneous, Spirit-led get togethers.

Frankly, it looks a lot like what I see at the smoke shack.

If Sermons Were Edifying the Church Would be Much More Mature

Sermons are ubiquitous. Almost all institutional churches have some type of sermon during their large weekly meetings. The denomination, style, size, and location do not matter; some form of sermon, message, speech, or monologue will be present.

This is significant because it means that each week thousands upon thousands of sermons are preached around the globe. Simple math suggests that every year hundreds of thousands of sermons are delivered to/at the church worldwide.

Despite all these sermons, the church in general is not very mature. The body of Christ as a whole continues to struggle with many elementary issues that mature Christians should have dealt with long ago. Why is this the case? If sermons are edifying to the church, then in light of their frequency, the church should be very mature. So why is the church (at least in this country) generally failing to reach maturity in Christ?

The reason is simple, profound, and troubling: sermons are not edifying.

I'm not suggesting that all sermons are bad and that no one knows how to preach. Rather, I'm saying that the very act of monologue style proclamation to a quiet audience is in and of itself not edifying. No matter how good, entertaining, attention-grabbing, informative, and/or challenging the sermon is, it still fails to build up the body.

The reason for this is that lecture is not edifying. It is one of the poorest forms of teaching. And yet, sermon after sermon is delivered week after week after week. Why? Pastors need to earn their paychecks and tradition tells them to do so. The people in the pews are used to sitting and listening. Sermons go largely unchallenged because "we've always done it that way."

If sermons were actually edifying, the church would be much stronger, holier, and vibrant.

What the church needs is a different form of communication between members during gatherings. Edification occurs when all are free to speak as led by the Holy Spirit. When this happens the body can and will grow.

Is the Gathering for the Going?

Why does the church get together?

This is a very significant question. It is also a question that I believe does not get asked enough today. My guess is that if you asked most Christians why the church meets, they would answer something like "to worship God." While that sounds good, the bible tells us that all of life is worship (see Romans 12:1-2).

If the answer is not "to worship God," then why does the church gather? The bible tells us that the purpose is mutual edification (I Cor. 14:26). When the body meets, the point to it all is the mutual growth of that body toward both Christ and Christlikeness.

Some believers suggest that the gathering is for the going. Specifically, they believe that the purpose of the edification is to equip the body to fulfill the Great Commission. But is this accurate? Does the building up happen primarily so that the body will then go out and tell others about Christ?

My answer: body edification happens primarily for four reasons, not primarily for one. In other words, the building up is for equipping the saints for the Great Commission task, but not primarily for that. Edification has four primary prongs, not just one.

When I look in scripture, I see mutually edifying gatherings doing four things. In no particular order these are:

1. Encouraging believers to live holy lives
2. Encouraging believers to sacrificially serve one another
3. Encouraging believers to care for the poor, sick, and needy both inside and outside the body
4. Encouraging believers to take the gospel to the ends of the earth

As we read through the pages of the book of Acts, we see all four of the above in action. Later, when we read the epistles to the churches, we see exhortations to all of the above. None of the four appears to be demonstrably more important than the others. All are key aspects of the Christian life. We do well as believers to edify one another toward all these things. We also ought to take stock of our own lives to see if we are ignoring any.

So, is the gathering for the going? In part yes, but it is so much more than that. Let's edify each other to holy living, to sacrificially serve others, and to take the gospel where it isn't. Christ both empowers these and expects these from His followers. What great privileges we have in Him!

Moving Beyond House Church to Simple Church

For the past few years I've been a big proponent of house church life. I still believe that gathering in homes is a wonderful way to get together. Despite this, I recently realized that I've moved past this being a significant issue for me. I don't really care so much where people meet. I'm much more concerned about why they meet.

According to scripture, Christ's church gathers for the purpose of mutual edification. This can occur just about anywhere. Homes are great places for it. However, so are coffee shops, parks, restaurants, store fronts, lakes, cars, etc. In fact, almost any place that is conducive to conversation is also conducive to edification.

To edify is to build up. To do this mutually requires two-way communication. Thus, free-flowing conversation is a key. While houses allow for this, so do many other locations. Any place where multiple Christians can meet simply is a good place to gather.

One type of location that is not generally effective in bringing about mutual edification is big buildings. These, combined with ceremonies, actually stifle the building up of the body.

In order for the body to grow in Christ, we all must take part in helping one another mature. Since we are all priests to God, we all have the great privilege and responsibility of helping our brothers and sisters move closer to both Christ and Christlikeness. This happens when we all take responsibility for each other. While Christianity is individual in salvation, it is very much communal when it comes to spiritual growth. We grow best together.

This growth happens most effectively in simple gatherings almost any place and any time. My encouragement to you is to be creative when it comes to where you gather with other believers. You have much freedom in this. Meet in homes, but get together in various other locales as well.

The purpose, not the place, is what is important.

Being the Church Instead of Doing Church

Christians who depart institutional Christianity usually have very good reasons for doing so. For many of these folks, the problem is that what they see in the life of the church doesn't correspond to what they see in scripture.

After leaving, there's a tendency to want to find a group of believers that have all their biblical ducks-in-a-row. For example, the group needs to gather in homes, have a plurality of elders, eat together frequently, include the children in almost everything, encourage everyone's active involvement, etc., etc.

These are all important things. However, there is also a subtle danger. Some Christians can become so obsessed in doing church the biblical way that they fail to just be the church. I've fallen into this trap in the past myself.

This really becomes a problem when discussions at church gatherings focus more on the way the church should gather/function than on the lives of the people there. This can quickly lead to simple church folks feeling really good about how their little group operates, but at the same time failing to truly edify one another.

I'm not trying to create some sort of false dichotomy. Church families can certainly meet according to biblical principles and edify one another. In fact, this is the best setting for edification to occur. We just need to make sure that when we come together it doesn't turn into some sort of "paralysis by analysis." In theory, a church body could meet exactly according to the New Testament model and still fail to grow spiritually.

As we come together, let's make sure that our purpose is actually edification. Discussion of church functioning is fine, but let's generally leave it in the background where it belongs.

A Much Better Alternative to Sermonizing

Sermons dominate the American church landscape. Regardless of denomination, tradition, or style, the vast majority of churches employ professional pastors to deliver monologue lectures to silent audiences at least one time per week.

Is this as good as it gets? The answer is a resounding NO.

God has provided us with an alternative to modern-day preaching that is both much more edifying and more enjoyable.

First, let me provide an important definition. Preaching, as defined in scripture, is actually open air evangelism designed to call the lost to Christ. It is not what occurs when the church gathers. If you read through the book of Acts, you will find preaching always occurring within the context of the spread of the gospel.

Modern preaching has morphed into the ineffective thing we see today. God's alternative to this is teaching that takes place within the confines of Christian community. As the church gathers, whenever and wherever, teaching is one of the things that takes place. Teaching is a gift that some believers possess more than others, but we are all able to teach to one extent or another.

Colossians 3:16 is an extremely important verse. Paul writes to the entire Colossian church, saying in 3:16, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God." Everyone in the body is to be teaching everyone else. This happens within the body of Christ as it lives life together. Some teaching is more in word while other is more in action. There is always a back-and-forth nature to it. Discussion is an important key.

Body life is exactly that. All parts of the body are necessary (see I Cor. 12). We all need each other to teach each other. The body benefits from this, encourages it, and even corrects it (if anything incorrect is taught). No one person is elevated more than any other.

Teaching is important to the life and health of the body. However, we need to take care that teaching is not thought of as better or more important than other gifts. A balanced perspective is key.

Teaching is to be a part of the multitude of one anothers that permeate body life. As we come together as brothers and sisters in Christ, teaching in all its wonderful forms is one of the things that happens. When we follow this scriptural pattern, the body grows and thrives. Following God's plans is always best for the church.

Church Life is Like Playing Catch

There is something very enjoyable about playing catch. I love simply throwing a baseball or football back-and-forth with somebody else. They throw, and I catch. Then I throw, and they catch. It's fairly basic. We've all done it with various different items on multiple occasions. Some folks even play catch with stuffed animals. Regardless, the key is the back-and-forth aspect of it.

Church life is a lot like playing catch.

The best picture we get in the bible of church life is the one anothers. I'm referring to the multiple commands we read throughout the New Testament that instruct us in how to relate to one another. These commands are almost always in the plural. For example:

"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." John 13:34-35

"Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor." Romans 12:10

"I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another." Romans 15:14

"So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for one another." I Corinthians 11:33

"Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." Galatians 6:2

"Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you." Ephesians 4:32

"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God." Colossians 3:16

"And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works." Hebrews 10:24

This is just a small sample of the one anothers that we see in the New Testament. The directional aspect of this is critical. It is not one way. Rather, it is back-and-forth, sort of like playing a game of catch.

When you play catch, some throws are right on target. They are easy to catch. However, once in a while throws are not so good. This forces us out of our comfort zones. We might have to run hard to make the catch, or run far behind us to retrieve the ball. This part of playing catch is more challenging. So it should be in church life. As we strive to stir one another up to love and good works, some of the time is more comfortable than others. Once is a while we need to challenge others or be challenged ourselves. However, this is probably not the norm. Generally, we ought to simply enjoy one another's company, sharing life together.

I hope you have brothers and sisters in Christ who like to play catch.

Women and Gatherings

Before I begin looking at specific women in the New Testament, I'd like to say a quick word about church gatherings. To put it bluntly, simple gatherings provide women the opportunity to be involved as the Holy Spirit leads. While simple gatherings may take different forms, they generally allow freedom to speak as led by the Spirit and in line with scriptural parameters. No one present, men or women, is confined by the planned liturgy and ceremony of worship services.

When church meetings become ceremonial in nature, then only those considered experts get to speak much at all. These are usually the salaried clergy. When they dominate the gathering, most of the people present are silent (except when singing). Since most of the clergy are males, it is quite possible that no woman will speak at all during a worship service.

Simple gatherings offer much opportunity for mutual edification. Both men and women can and should be involved in this. The ladies are not artificially limited by man's traditions. Instead, the Holy Spirit can lead as He sees fit.

The church desperately needs its women. Gatherings must give the women every opportunity to use their spiritual gifts to glorify God through body edification. This is another example of simple being best.