Lately we've begun to do church differently. It looks very different from an institutional church, but it also looks quite different from a typical home church meeting. I believe that the form we're adapting to is the very essence of how the first church did church. I want to share this "new" form with you (really it's an old form), as an encouragement and a challenge.
Let's take a look at 1 Corinthians 11. In verse 17, Paul speaks about gathering over the Lord's Supper. This was the situation in the Corinthian church. Firstly, when they got together for the Lord's Supper, they were having full meals. They weren't having "communion" with a cracker piece and 0.03 ounces of grape juice. The bread and the wine were integrated into the meal. Now the rich people, who did not need to
work, would come in early and eat all the food and drink all the wine.
This left little or no food for the poor, who after working all day
long, would often come in to eat much later. Paul is rebuking those
people who are not leaving food or drink for others. That's why he
says in v.22 "Don't
you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God
and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I
praise you for this? Certainly not!"
After explaining what Jesus said at the last supper, Paul goes on to
say in v.27 "Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the
Lord in an
unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of
the Lord." You may have heard churches use this verse to create
rules around taking communion. One must be baptized first, one must
not be in sin, etc. But actually, the verse relates to those who
were being selfish and greedy, not leaving food for others. Perhaps the rich people didn't want to associate with the poor, so they ate first without waiting. The root issue here is about unity in the body. The way they were acting was grossly disunifying. Paul implores them in verses 33-34, "So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for each other. If anyone is hungry, he should eat at home, so that when you meet together it may not result in judgment. "
Here's the important part: As Paul continues into chapters 12-14, he is still writing within the context of the Lord's Supper. Chapter 12 talks about spiritual gifts and how the body is made of many parts. Chapter 13 describes love as the excellent way, above any of the giftings. In Chapter 14, he continues to talk about spiritual gifts and the proper way to administer those gifts. In Chapter 14:26 we read "When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction,
a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done
for the strengthening of the church." Yes, this is still within the context of meeting over the Lord's Supper!
In the early church days, people used to eat dinner for hours. Life
wasn't as compartmentalized and fast-paced as it is today in our
culture. Meals would typically come out in different courses, and the
early church coupled that with a potluck-type meal where people would
contribute dishes. So here's how the early church did church: Their meals were also their meetings. People would be sitting around a dinner
table eating, but also sharing about Christ with one another.
Sometimes someone would sing a song, and all would join in. Sometimes
someone had a revelation to share with the body, and people would
listen. If someone had a prophetic word, they'd be able to share it.
It's so simple, yet so profound in many ways:
1. To remember Christ was always meant to be a joyful occasion, and the meal marks it as such. We typically have meals to celebrate joyous occasions like a birthday, wedding, or anniversary. This is the same idea, but we are celebrating Jesus!
2.
There is NO pressure for any one person to bear the responsibility of
bringing a teaching, preparing worship songs, or doing something to
build up the church (as is the norm for the institutional church, and
in some ways even the traditional home church setting)
3. ALL members can easily participate. If you talk to the person next to you, that means you are participating.
4. It is truly led of
the Holy Spirit, because people will tend to contribute based on the
Lord's leading, not because they have to.
5. It's a picture of the
wedding feast of the Lamb. What we're doing is living out that feast
today, to not only remember Christ but to look forward to the day Jesus
returns and we feast in His presence.
One very crucial aspect to focus on is that they were meeting to remember and
celebrate Christ, NOT to talk about the latest movie or
celebrity gossip, etc. Conversations would be centered around what Jesus had been doing or showing them that week. 1 Corinthians 11:26 says "For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes."
This form of doing church is different from even the typical home church meeting. What many home churches have (unknowingly) done is take what they learned about doing church from the institution. Then they mimic the institution, albeit on a smaller scale. So the meeting would be similar to this: 1. Eat a meal (some home churches do this, some don't). 2. Sing a few worship songs, prepared by the worship leader. 3. Someone brings a teaching. 4. Sharing and prayer time. The problem with this is it's almost just a microcosm of a Sunday service. I will say that in a typical home church setting, there is more room for the Holy Spirit to move freely and direct the meeting, but we still have people who are supposed to prepare something every week. It's their responsibility every week to feed the body. It should never be one man's responsibility to feed the body.
I first learned about doing church this way from my friend Matt who lives in Boston. The Lord revealed to Matt the connection between the Lord's Supper and the gathering itself, as described in 1 Corinthians. He was already in a home church group in Boston, and he brought this form
of church to his group. It took them a few times to get used to it,
but it has been amazing, and it also has been multiplying. People that would never talk even in the
traditional home church format
were beginning to contribute. The people who weren't "worship leaders"
were free to sing the song on their heart, and others would back them. God loves to hear all His children sing, not just the ones that sing well. One time the whole group started dancing in the Lord, and these are not
crazy Pentecostals I'm talking about here. This is a group of doctors
and highly educated individuals, who are typically quite reserved. One
time a 10 year old child began to prophesy to Matt, and it was all
right on with what Matt was going through. I've personally always felt that there must be a way to do church where the children can participate, because Jesus had a heart for children too. This little boy was given a forum to be led of the Holy Spirit and act on it. In the Boston group, it's gotten to the point
where people are jumping in one after the other to contribute
something.
We've done church like this twice at our place. I can't say it's as smooth as the Boston group has been, but I realize it takes time to get used to the form. The first time we did it, it was a small gathering with my wife Angela and friend Dale. Somewhere in the middle of our conversations, I really wanted Angela to share a revelation the Lord had given her as she read through Nehemiah 8 that week. I was about to say something, but just then, Angela begun to share about that passage in Nehemiah 8. It was regarding a verse that says "the joy of the Lord is your strength." Afterwards I was humming a worship song called "Joy of the Lord" in my head. Dale then said "I keep thinking about that worship song 'Joy of the Lord'." Angela agreed that she was thinking about that song too. So we sung it together. After dinner we got to do some praying.
The second time we met, it was with a bigger group of people. It was Angela, Dale, me, and two couples from my church. Our discussions initially were about what our role should be as Christians in terms of politics, and shifted to some related topics. However, it wasn't until after we finished eating that we really begun to get into a flow. The great thing is, it was totally organic.
After dinner, Dale shared about his decision to move to a home in Hayward
occupied by a group of Christians. One of his concerns was that some
of these guys come from Bethel church in Redding, CA and they do things
like holy laughter or just can't control themselves during prayer.
He struggled with the fact that it didn't seem be edifying, but these
were guys who really loved the Lord. He asked us our experiences with
this, and people began to share. Somewhere in the middle of this,
Angela pulled out her guitar and began to strum. After people were
done sharing, we asked Angela if she had a song. She began to lead us
in a song of worship. Soon after, Dale pulled out his guitar and we
continued to worship together. During worship, I was sensing the need
to pray for direction and guidance in our lives and ministries. But as I was going to open my mouth, Angela began to pray for
direction over us, asking the Good Shepherd to be our guide. I smiled
to myself, thanking the Lord that it was the Holy Spirit leading us.
As Angela was praying, I saw a picture of a sheep in a barren field.
There were a few blades of grass here and there, which the sheep would
eat up, but the once green pasture was now completely barren. Next to
the sheep was the Good Shepherd, who patiently waited by it's side.
The Good Shepherd wanted to lead the sheep out of there and over the
next hill, where He knew there were fields and fields of lush, green
pastures. I shared this picture with the group, and Angela followed by singing "Be The Center." That was the perfect worship song to accompany the picture I was seeing. We worshiped a little more, and had some time to
pray as well. It was a really blessed time together.
I want to encourage you to read through 1 Corinthians 11 - 14 with the understanding that Paul is writing within the context of meeting over the Lord's Supper. I want to further encourage you to try it out a few times with a group of believers. Start small, so you have some room to figure it out. The good thing is, I can communicate these things to you, but it's really the Lord's work to refine His church. I wouldn't be surprised if somewhere around the world, a group of people is doing the exact same thing. I also wouldn't be surprised if your group multiplies, as Matt's Boston group has been.
This weekend, Matt and his family will be visiting from Boston. We are planning to do a Lord's Supper together on Sunday night. I am so stoked to have a veteran of the form come and fellowship with us. More to follow...?...?...
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