Christian Gatherings
2 Types
The Bible speaks of 2 types of Christian meetings. They could be called Ministry Meetings and Church Meetings. This is a little confusing because Church gatherings are not what we commonly call “church”. What we traditionally call “church” meetings are actually the first type, Ministry meetings. That is, we gather together for the stated intention of receiving from the ministry or gifting of one person. This could be the pastor, a visiting evangelist, or a musician.
We all sit in rows and listen to the ministry of one person and then we all go home. This is what we typically see on a Sunday morning, for instance. This is not evil. Jesus ministered this way. The apostles ministered this way. I made my living for several years by holding meetings of this nature. Jesus allowed a limited amount of questions during His meetings. There was occasionally an outburst from the crowd. However, the main format of one of Jesus' meetings was that the crowd listened and the Incarnate Word of God Himself spoke words of Life. It was not a free-for-all with loud people grabbing the opportunity of crowds gathered together to shout their nonsensical, hypocritical opinions at everyone.
The second type of Christian meeting could be called a Church meeting. This is not what we commonly call “church”.
22 ...the church,
23 Which is his body,... (Eph 1)
This is unknown in the Western world. It does not exist, in a practical sense. This has got to be one of the greatest secrets on earth. Strangely, if you were to drop a million leaflets from an airplane or shout truth about The Body of Christ from loudspeakers, it would still remain an unknown secret. What is the Church, in this sense?
It is The Body of Christ ministering to Itself.
Ministry meetings can do this as well, but a Church meeting can use more than one person to do this. Not only are the unsaved unable to understand this mystery, but the Christians seem to be unable to comprehend this truth. One of the ways this works is to be aware of the spiritual gifts that Paul writes about in I Corinthians 12. Since many Christians are unaware (1Cor 12:1) of this truth, or even fight against it, the reality of The Body is a lost truth.
How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying. (1Cor 14:26)
So, there are two types of Christian gatherings, Ministry meetings and Church meetings.
Formats
Traditional “Church”
Martin Luther's name is connected with reforms. He argued for some changes in the Roman Church as to their errant teachings of the 16th century. Although these were important points of theology, little was actually changed in format or the outward appearance of the church. Even in our day, little has changed in our basic manner of “doing church” since the middle ages.
I suppose that in our most cutting edge or seeker friendly church buildings there are certain things unique to our day. We must paint the ceiling black, remove the bench seating, and change the name as if to say “Open Under New Management”. As one evangelist says it, “Large screens, skinny jeans, and smoke machines”. None of this is probably evil in itself. What is being done may be good. It is what is being left undone that is the screaming tragedy.
What about the synagogue system of the Old Testament? God never instituted this. What happened in these synagogues? There was reading of the scriptures and exhortation from them, prayers made, and worship. Of course, this is not evil. Jesus' custom apparently was to attend the local synagogue. The present-day church may include something very similar. This is good. The error is in assuming that our understanding of Church is something that God instituted. I believe that God purposely omitted a detailed description of how to do church from the Bible so that we would not try to imitate it.
We could use silk and green plastic to make an artificial flower. It could be indistinguishable from the real thing. The main difference, of course, is that it would not be real. It would have no life. To become the Church that Jesus is building, we have to do things the way He leads, not how we read it may have been done at some other time.
Hence, the Small Group
Almost any kind of small group allows the Holy Spirit, who is the administrative head of the church in Jesus' absence, to bring the life of God forth in a practical way.
The House Church
A large meeting does not permit real Body ministry. It fits well with the five-fold ministry gifts to equip the Body, but a large meeting does not work well for Body Life. In a small group, more people have a chance to share their piece of the Life of God with the group. This is almost impossible to describe, it must be observed and experienced. It was my great privilege to be a part of such a group many years ago.
A friend told me about a man who had written the definitive book on the House Church or Body Life. He had about 4 people in his house church. Two of them moved away. I guess a small group can be too small. This type of Christian gathering is almost unknown in the West.
A House Church is different than a Cell Church. A House Church can be somewhat organic, springing up with a life of its own because Jesus is building it. A Cell Church can be a little more genetically engineered. It may be a little more artificial because it is part of a larger group or it has a relationship with other Cells. A regular church may purposefully design cell groups to be a part of its organization. This is not evil. (Except as Jesus is building one thing and we insist on building something else.) As I said earlier, almost any kind of small group can allow more of the Life of God to flow. It all depends on if God is leading and if we are following His lead. Jesus promised to build His Church.
2 Focuses (or foci)
It seems that every man with the call of God upon his life has one of two possible focuses.
Local
This is generally the Pastoral-type gifting. When he sees the Church, he sees the local expression of it. He has some participation in the greater global church, but his everyday focus is on the local practical expression of the Church. He may participate in short-term mission trips or sponsor some missionaries. He acknowledges the global church but he cannot help but see with a focus on the local assembly.
Apostolic
I call this the Apostolic-type ministry. I did not say they are apostles but rather they are Apostle-like in their focus. When they see the Church, they see the Church Universal, the global church. They, of course, see the importance of the local assembly of Christians. They even participate in it, preaching at times at local churches. Though they know the important part that the local church plays, his focus will always return to the Global Church every time he thinks about what the the Church is.
So, if we follow the Holy Spirit, he has everything covered. He already has every question answered. Jesus really is building His church, both globally and locally. Are we participating in what Jesus is building or are we building some man's preaching business? There is nothing wrong with being involved with something that proclaims God's Word. However, are we looking for God's Kingdom to come to earth or are we building some other kingdom?
Apr 17, 2024