The assembling of saints in the New Testament was not about sermons as much as it was enjoying the Lord’s Supper together (Acts 20:7, I Corinthians 11:20) seeing God in their midst and encouraging one another in the faith.
So what is the point of this essay? Well, the point is
simply that we are guilty of not loving each other as
were those brothers in Corinth which indicates we are
not looking to Christ. Because our joy will only be
fulfilled in Him, John 15:11, it would be helpful for us
to look less to eloquent and mighty teachers, as Apollos
is described in Acts 18:24, for our understanding and
knowledge of Jesus and more to God’s Word. In this
manner, our relationship with God would be enhanced
by His Spirit and demonstrated by a new found love
for one another.
Think of yourself as being in an ocean but not quite
able to swim. Jesus is there within your reach but also
Peter, Paul and Apollos. As Peter, Paul and Apollos
describe to you how and why you should reach out to
Jesus, you look to one of them and reach to him. In
doing so, by necessity, you turn away from Jesus. You
know what happens when you do that.
The Apostle John warned that jealousy and strife, as in
I Corinthians 1-4, are symptomatic of not walking with
Christ. ...If we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the
Light, we have fellowship with one another. I John 1:7.
If we, as believers, did have the same need as those
brethren in Corinth or Colossae, then we might
reevaluate our use of the pulpit. We would learn
everything we could of Christ’s person and endeavor
to interact with Him. While prayerfully studying our
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Bibles and remembering He is with us always, we
would renew our efforts to love one another starting
with our family and those with whom we assemble
each week.
As elders we might place less emphasis on our own
teaching or gift and put more emphasis on the nurture
and development of the flock. Recognizing the Holy
Spirit within each believer, we should point them again
and again toward Christ until they are filled with
confidence of God’s presence within them.
Since looking less to pastors or elders might be
considered a sin by many, let’s read what the Bible says
about the elder’s function. Applying the elder’s role
that is prescribed in the Bible will enable us to please
God and better serve the kingdom. We need to read
what the Bible says because in today’s organized
church the elder’s role is not always the same as
outlined in the New Testament nor the traditional role
before Constantine.
For instance, should we have one or two elders who we
charge with preaching because of their call or gift?
How else should we do this? Did not God ordain by
‘called’ men preaching the word that His Kingdom
would be advanced? How then will they call on Him in
whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him
whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without
a preacher? Romans 10:14. And with such a ‘calling’
should not gifted and trained men in our assemblies
teach our lesser trained or ‘un-called’ men?
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Well, certainly God did call believers to proclaim the
gospel and teach, but let us not fulfill our duty by
hiring out this obligation to professional preachers.
Acts 8:4 indicates all of us should be ‘preaching’ not
just a few gifted teachers, Therefore, those who had been
scattered went about preaching the word.
Giftedness, as some consider oratory skills in
professional preachers, may in fact be detrimental to a
demonstration of the Spirit’s working as indicated by
Paul in I Corinthians 2:4, my message and my preaching
were not in persuasive words of wisdom. This is not to say
God does not expect us to be industrious in our study
and use of Scripture. Certainly that is not the case as in
II Timothy 2:15.
The church meeting prescribed by Paul was very
different from what many believers experience in
churches across the United States. Whereas
contemporary church services are usually led by one or
two professionally trained pastors or elders with a
scripted program of hymns, prayers and a sermon, I
Corinthians 14:26-31 describes interactive meetings of
believers with no professional speaker, no script and
many sermons by both new and old believers.
Everyone was encouraged to participate without
emphasizing any gifts over others.
Perhaps this interactive participation by everyone was
especially commanded in Corinth because of their
intellectual interest in teaching. But Corinth was not an
isolated case because the Ephesians were given the
same instructions for everyone to participate,
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Ephesians 5:19, as well as the Colossians, Colossians
3:16.
In I Timothy 5:17, elders who worked hard at
preaching and teaching were honored but in context of
the church assembly, no individual’s teaching was
emphasized more than others nor was the teaching gift
more important than other gifts. In I Corinthians 14:26
Paul commanded, ....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.
This does not violate James’ command in James 3:1
when he says, Let not many of you become teachers, my
brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter
judgment. Scripture does not contradict itself. James
3:1 simply elaborates on I Corinthians 14:26. Teaching
is integral, but participating by bringing a psalm, a
hymn, a praise, a revelation of what our Father has
taught us is wonderful and commanded.
When we assemble, some may need to be encouraged
by Paul to participate, whereas, others may need
encouragement from James to be more disciplined and
refrain from teaching as often or too long. It may not
be edifying for the entire body to spend time on
protracted lessons during our assembly together.
Whatever the reason, this is the commandment from
Scripture if for no other purpose than to not focus on
teachers as at Corinth.
But didn’t Paul preach until midnight in Acts 20:7?
Some versions did use the English word ‘preach’ but
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the Greek word #1256, dialegomai, indicates this was a
two-way dialogue. Paul interacted and talked with
those at Troas.
That interactive meeting at Troas could serve as an
example for us today. If a meeting of believers
becomes too large for orderly interaction and
shepherding, then a church split should be considered
and not a larger temple. These church splits should be
encouraging and not the result of jealousy or strife.
Why did we change how the church met? One
possibility is that assemblies chose gifted speakers to
eliminate divisions that occurred in interactive
meetings. This could have been similar to the adoption
of confessions by churches in order to avoid disputes.
Maybe other groups preferred ‘good preaching’ to
interaction between believers and thus succumbed to
‘tickling of ears’ in spite of the warning by Paul in II
Timothy 4:3. But from all evidence the biblical pattern
was dropped when Constantine moved assemblies of
believers into huge temples of pagan deities and the
pure size of these mega churches precluded interactive
meetings.
An objection might be that many church members are
not trained. Don’t we need seminary trained men in
order to teach accurately?
Certainly seminary training is a blessing. The original
Hebrew and Greek which believers learn is great and
the theology may be helpful, but nothing satisfies the
child of God like God’s Word. By God’s Word I mean
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Scripture. Ecclesiology, church history, homiletics, and
contrived applications may tickle our ears but they will
not satisfy the thirsty child of God. Jesus says: My
sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me
in John 10:27. My experience with interactive meetings
is that more Scripture is covered than with expository
sermons. We simply have to trust Paul in this regard.
He told the Colossians in 3:16 all should participate in
these meetings.
By training or giftedness some brothers may bless us,
as Apollos blessed Corinth, with their handling of
Scripture, illustrations or theology. But if we ask other
brethren to be quiet so we might listen to Apollos all
morning, what an imbalance that is. To correct this
imbalance at Corinth, Paul reminded them, Love never
fails; But if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done
away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is
knowledge, it will be done away. I Corinthians 13:8.
The assembling of saints in the New Testament was not
about sermons as much as it was enjoying the Lord’s
Supper together (Acts 20:7, I Corinthians 11:20) seeing
God in their midst and encouraging one another in the
faith. We see God in the lives of other believers. We
see God when believers express their love for us and
others. Listening to a sermon or lecture may be
helpful, interesting and even entertaining, but Paul did
not want the assembly of saints focused on a sermon or
a teacher.
Should not the church be a growing, evolving entity as
we grow wiser and are faced with new situations? For
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instance, is not the church more efficient with one or
two preachers and a set order of service? No. Paul
was very specific when he commanded, ...stand firm and
hold to the traditions which you were taught, whether by
word of mouth or by letter from us. II Thessalonians 2:15.
In I Corinthians 11:16 he was emphatic when some
wanted to change the pattern of the church, If one is
inclined to be contentious, we have no other practice, nor
have the churches of God. Paul gave the church clear
instructions and examples of how to function and he
chastised the believers when they did not follow his
teaching. Paul did this because he wanted them to
hold to Christ.
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