Corporate Patterns of Glory

1 Peter 2:1–5 NLT

1 So get rid of all evil behavior. Be done with all deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, and all unkind speech. 2 Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment, 3 now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness. 4 You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple. He was rejected by people, but he was chosen by God for great honor. 5 And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God.

I want to talk to you about the power and glory of corporate patterns. There is something supernatural that takes place where two or more believers gather in the name of Jesus (Matthew 18:20). There is a presence and a glory that comes with the Lord.

Why do you think that we still join tribes? What is the draw to teams, groups, or causes?

Have you ever been swept up into excitement and energy of being part of something more? Example: at the game when the team comes back and wins in a dramatic fashion, or a worship service like the one at the dedication of the temple where the glory was so strong it arrested all attention (2 Chronicles 5:14).

If we will choose to practice the corporate patterns we will experience the grace and glory attached to them.

Following these patterns leads to transcendence and brings us into something greater than ourselves. We will find God in surprising and powerful ways through these practices.

It’s Not Just Personal

One of the lies that Western Christianity has embraced is that following Jesus is a completely personal practice. It is not.

Proverbs 18:1–2 AMP

1 HE WHO willfully separates and estranges himself [from God and man] seeks his own desire and pretext to break out against all wise and sound judgment. 2 A [self-confident] fool has no delight in understanding but only in revealing his personal opinions and himself.

Biblical faith in Jesus is practiced individually and corporately. God sets the solitary in families and when we receive Christ we become His children and a part of the household of faith (Psalm 68:6, John 1:12, Galatians 6:10).

Even socially we are discovering that the Bible was right about the need for others and the dangers of isolation.

Consider how social media is filled with people who only care to air their own opinions and personal beliefs. Think about how many people you know that are only interested in expressing themselves. Often these people are not thinking about others or how their words and actions affect those they are connected to.

Unfortunately, those who say they are Christians have also slipped into this cultural pattern of individualism and isolation.

This is a departure from wisdom and common good.

And to overcome this tendency to self desire and self-exaltation and individualism we must adopt the corporate patterns that are given to us in Scripture.

God’s ways are the best ways and there are no truly good options apart from Him (Psalm 16:2). And these corporate patterns have been practiced by His people for thousands of years.

Applying Corporate Patterns

Every true Christian desires to do the will of God and follow the example of Jesus. There is a grace to those who do so (cf. James 4:6-7).

We are going to look at four corporate patterns of spiritual practice that will bring us into a deeper, more glorious experience of God and a more vibrant, living faith.

Confession

James 5:16 NKJV

Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

Confession has been a practice of the church since the beginning. When it is practiced it releases forgiveness, healing and wholeness.

The goal of confession is to empower us to be free of secret sins that would hold us in bondage (Matthew 10:26-33). As we confess and forsake our sin, we are cleansed and relationships are restored (1 John 1:9).

There was a power and authority given to the disciples that included pronouncing the forgiveness of sins or judgment (John 20:23). A corporate example of this was in 1 Corinthians 5:1-8 where a case of sexual immorality was reported in the church that would make even the world blush. Instead of confrontation and confession, the people of the church were glorying in their “grace.” But Paul informed them that they were not operating in grace but in shame and that the individuals needed to be addressed in hopes that they would see the truth and repent. The lack of addressing this individual’s sin was affecting the whole church (a little leaven - 1 Corinthians 5:8).

In his second letter, the Apostle Paul encourages the restoration of the individual if they were worthy. If they forgave the man, he too, would forgive (2 Corinthians 2:3-11).

The simple practical application of this pattern is to be quick to confess our sins. Especially if you have sinned against another in the body. But possibly more so if you have a secret, hidden sin, that has become a trap to you.

1594 A man who confesses his sins in the presence of a brother knows that he is no longer alone with himself; he experiences the presence of God in the reality of the other person. As long as I am by myself in the confession of my sins everything remains in the dark, but in the presence of a brother the sin has to be brought into the light.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Illustration: I have seen this practice corporately where an individual confessed publicly to the church of an infidelity. There was a corporate forgiveness given. The couple were blessed and no one in the church (especially of today) even thinks of or remembers that time.

There are times when confessing your sin to another believer or spiritual leader is the path to your freedom, deliverance and breakthrough. Trust in God and allow Him to work in your life in this way so that you might receive the grace on this pattern.

Worship

John 4:23 NKJV

But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.

As secret worship is better the more secret it is, so public worship is better the more public it is.

Matthew Henry

From the Old Testament until now, the corporate gathering has always been a major pattern for worship.

Hebrews 10:23–27 NKJV

23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. 26 For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries.

We must assemble together for public worship. This is a way of encouraging each other to hope in God and stand in His grace. It is a way to keep us from sin (see context, and consider that John 20:23 was spoken in a Sunday assembly with Jesus).

Illustration: Corporate worship is like a symphony to God. Each person is an instrument of praise. If you are missing, it is like missing a key instrument. Something is off. It would be like a guitar playing with fewer strings. It can make a sound, but it is limited. All of the strings individually make a sound but all of them together make a great sound.

Don’t let complacency, compromise, or comfort keep you from the corporate pattern of worship. Individual worship is awesome and essential and so, too, is corporate worship. Scripture commands it for your good.

Guidance

2 Chronicles 20:20 NKJV

So they rose early in the morning and went out into the Wilderness of Tekoa; and as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, O Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem: Believe in the Lord your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper.”

Another important corporate pattern is that of guidance. God provides direction and leadership so that we can confidently walk in His will.

“God led the children of Israel out of bondage as a people.”—Richard Foster

God didn’t stop with Moses and just lead him, but used Moses to provide guidance and direction to the people of God.

Christ is the head of the Church and provides guidance to her through the ministry gifts He gave her (Ephesians 5:23, Ephesians 4:11). If you are led by the Spirit, you are placed into the Body of Christ, the Church, as He wills (Romans 5:16, 1 Corinthians 12:18).

God has chosen to shepherd and guide His church through pastors, prophets, and other spiritual leaders (Hebrews 13:7, Hebrews 13:17). Not only as individuals, but for the local church.

When God connects you to a local church, He is also connecting you to the mission and role of the local church. This is communicated through His under-shepherds to us so that we might orient ourselves around His plan for our lives.

Illustration: Driving a car, looking to the side, leads the car to move in that direction. The head turns the body in the direction it should go.

You were not meant to live in isolation, especially as a Christ-follower. You were meant to be a living and thriving member of the body lending your grace and support to it in the direction God is leading (cf. Ephesians 4:15-16).

Celebration

Nehemiah 8:10 NKJV

Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

Joy should be a regular experience for God’s people (Romans 14:17). So much so that we are commanded to do it (Philippians 4:4)!

Celebration was built into the life of Israel through the establishments of feasts. Additionally, in the church, we are instructed to rejoice with those who rejoice (Romans 12:15).

The celebration of God’s working in and through our lives is something that releases joy and stirs us up for good works (Hebrews 10:25-26).

Especially when things around us seem so dark, the gift of celebration reminds us that God is still for us and still with us and still moving on our behalf.

Illustration: Many ways the Church has celebrated with my family God’s work.

Look for ways to celebrate with others what God is doing. It will release more joy in your life and remind you why the assembly of saints is a great gift from God.

Conclusion

Psalm 133:1–3 NKJV

1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brethren to dwell together in unity! 2 It is like the precious oil upon the head, Running down on the beard, The beard of Aaron, Running down on the edge of his garments. 3 It is like the dew of Hermon, Descending upon the mountains of Zion; For there the Lord commanded the blessing— Life forevermore.

There is a blessing that God commands on community. The practices of Confession, Worship, Guidance, and Celebration releases this blessing and makes room for deeper, more genuine connections and relationships.

Jesus is the only begotten Son of God…we are His children. As His children we collectively receive the blessings that follow community.

These blessings bring us into a more transcendent life where we become a part of something bigger than ourselves. This is the power and glory of the corporate patterns and why they are so important to practice today.