Christ-Centered Community

Scripture Readings

1 Corinthians 14:26–33 NRSV

26 What should be done then, my friends? 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. 27 If anyone speaks in a tongue, let there be only two or at most three, and each in turn; and let one interpret. 28 But if there is no one to interpret, let them be silent in church and speak to themselves and to God. 29 Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said. 30 If a revelation is made to someone else sitting nearby, let the first person be silent. 31 For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged. 32 And the spirits of prophets are subject to the prophets, 33 for God is a God not of disorder but of peace. (As in all the churches of the saints,

Hebrews 10:19–25 NRSV

19 Therefore, my friends, since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain (that is, through his flesh), 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us approach with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

American individualism has emphasized a personal relationship with God to the point that many people who call themselves Christians think church is optional. But intentional Christian community is a nonnegotiable part of being a healthy and effective believer. “Christianity is not a religion for solitude and solitary. The Bible knows nothing of solitary religion.”–John Wesley

1. The Christ-centered community is a worshiping community. (1 Corinthians 14:26-33)

Acts 2:42 NRSV

42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

In verses 26–33, Paul sketches a picture of a free-flowing community gathering under the guidance of the Holy Spirit in which “each one” contributes something to the mix. Clearly there was no fixed order of service, no printed bulletin for the worshipers! Nor—more remarkably—is anything said of a leader to preside over the meeting. Apparently Paul expects all the members to follow the promptings of the Spirit, taking turns in offering their gifts for the benefit of the assembly, deferring to one another (vv. 29–30) and learning from one another. The meeting will include singing, teaching (probably exposition of Scripture), revelatory utterances (prophecy and its cognates, cf. v. 6), and praise to God in tongues with interpretation.

The overall picture that emerges from these instructions is of a church in which the Spirit is palpably present, flowing freely in the communal worship through the complementary gifts of different members. In Paul’s vision for Christian worship there is neither stiff formality nor undisciplined frenzy: the community’s worship is more like a complex but graceful dance, or a beautiful anthem sung in counterpoint. If some at Corinth were claiming that spiritual inspiration moved them to uncontrollable displays of pneumatic enthusiasm, Paul flatly contests the claim, for “the spirits of prophets are subject to the prophets” (v. 32). This basic truth is not the result of some purely human desire for orderliness; it is grounded in the character of God, for “God is a God not of disorder [akatastasis] but of peace” (v. 33). As Fee (697) remarks, “the character of one’s deity is reflected in the character of one’s worship.” If the Corinthian worship meetings are chaotic and conflictual, the question must be raised: What God are they really worshiping? The term akatastasis has connotations of civil strife and rebellion (M. Mitchell, 173). This is one more hint that the problems in Corinthian worship are not merely the result of overheated spirituality; they are also linked to the factionalism and defiance of Paul’s authority that have been the consistent concern of this letter. If, however, God is a God of peace, the Corinthians should learn to be at peace with one another and to express that peace in a style of worship that emphasizes concord and complementarity.

2. The Christ-centered community is a confessional community. (Hebrews 10:23)

Romans 10:9 NRSV

9 because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

The next two phrases in 10:22 describe the inward and outward holiness that enable this approach to God. Having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience means that we have allowed Christ to cleanse our inner beings of sin. We enter God’s presence in that cleansed state. Literally translated the phrase Guilty conscience is “evil conscience” (NASB). Christ cleanses our inner selves from the guilt and power of sin. He gives us an inclination to obey God. The phrase Having our bodies washed with pure water may refer to baptism, but it also indicates that we have allowed Christ to clean up the outside of our lives, the actions that flow from our hearts. Thus it is clear that we approach God only through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus. Just as the Aaronic high priest had to be ritually clean in order to enter the earthly Most Holy Place, so Christians must be truly holy through Christ in order to live this life of worship toward God.

The second exhortation follows from the first. We must persevere in that true worship based on trust in God and empowered by Christ’s sacrifice: Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess (10:23; see 4:14). We receive the power to follow this exhortation by obeying the previous exhortation to draw near to God.

Consider the New American Standard Bible translation of this statement: “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope.” What is “our hope”? The ultimate salvation God has for us, that final entrance into His presence. We have made a “confession” that this ultimate salvation is what we are seeking. We must “hold” that confession, or that profession of faith in God’s final reward unswervingly, “without wavering” (NASB). “Keep your eye on the prize, hold on!”

We can be sure that the salvation for which we hope will become a reality because God guarantees it. He has promised it and He is absolutely faithful. We can depended on Him without question. Nothing less than the faithfulness of God guarantees that those who endure to the end will receive the “hope” God has prepared for them.

The first two exhortations (Draw near! Hold unswervingly!) have related to God and His promises. The third relates to our brothers and sisters in Christ. As we have seen, the first two deal with faith and hope. The third, and longest, deals with love. Throughout this sermon the preacher does not deal with love for others as much as he does with our approaching God in faith and keeping on until we receive the hope God has promised us.

Nevertheless, this love is very important. In Hebrews 13 the preacher describes love as the sacrifice proper to Christian worship (13:16). Faith and hope are barren without the sacrifice of love.

v19. In our passage for study, our writer summarizes his argument so far and draws out a number of exhortations. The "therefore" is somewhat out of place. The argument is more like: "since we have confidence ..... and since we have a great high priest .... therefore let us draw near ....." The central point our writer makes in the preceding section, and which he summarizes in v19-21, is that a believer has free access into the throne-room of the living God through the sacrificial death of Jesus. We can confidently come into God's presence, free of condemnation, and this because of God's mercy in Christ.

v20. Jesus has provided a new way into God's presence, a new way to find life everlasting. The great curtain that hung before the Holy of Holies in the temple was a reminder that access into God's throne-room was all but impossible. Jesus ripped this curtain apart, providing free access into the presence of God. He did this by allowing his own life to be ripped from him; he gave his life for us.

v21. As well as Jesus' priestly offering of himself as a sacrifice for sin, we also benefit from his priestly reign over us, particularly his intercession for the believing community and his guidance as the great shepherd of the sheep.

v22. Because of Christ's priestly offering and reign, "let us ...." Our writer's first exhortation is that we put our faith in the promise of free access into the presence of the living God. Using sacrificial images from the Old Testament, we are given the image of Jesus sprinkling us with the blood of his perfect sacrifice and washing us clean with pure water. Seeing that we are now free from guilt, nothing more is required of us than to firmly rest in faith on this his mercy.

v23. The second exhortation is that we continue in our confession of hope. The Christian confession is summed up in the gospel as our eternal hope, and it is this we must continue to hold firmly. We worship a reliable God, so we can depend on his promises; our hope is not in vain.

3. The Christ-centered community is a missional community. (Hebrews 10:24-25)

1 Thessalonians 1:2–3 NRSV

2 We always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in our prayers, constantly 3 remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds (10:24). Let us consider means that we are to give attention to this matter. We are to seek to understand others and the best ways to encourage them to such love and good deeds. The New King James Version reads “stir up” rather than spur … on. The Greek term behind spur … on has the same connotation as the English phrase “stir up.” Ancient writers usually used it for stirring up people in the wrong way, for irritating or angering. Some people are good at just “stirring others up.” Christians should practice the same zeal in stirring up people to love! This love expresses itself in good or appropriate deeds. These deeds meet the needs of and bless those who receive them.

Hebrews 10:25 offers specific examples of how Christians should love each other. First of all, their love keeps them from giving up meeting together for worship, encouragement, and Christian fellowship. Some of the preacher’s first hearers appear to have developed a habit of not participating in the church gatherings. Such a habit is a breach of love. Meeting times provide a context for the most important kind of mutual care: let us encourage one another.

The New King James Version uses the word “exhorting” rather than let us encourage. The Greek word in question has a wide range of meaning which includes encouragement, instruction, exhortation, and even warning. The preacher is speaking of encouragement in the Christian life: encouragement to draw near to God and to hold on to our hope, encouragement to love one another. Encouragement for those who are falling away or growing lax takes the form of exhortation or warning! By means of this very sermon-letter, the preacher is seeking to encourage his friends. In fact, he calls his letter a “word of exhortation” or a “word of encouragement” (13:22).

The urgency of this mutual concern and encouragement is intensified by the fact that the Day of judgment, of Christ’s return, is approaching. The preacher has already spoken of the judgment and of Christ’s return in 9:27–28. He shows the importance of this them by concluding the main body of his sermon with a warning about the final judgment (12:25–29). Our hope of salvation is real. So is the judgment for those who disobey (see 2:1–4).

v24-25. The third exhortation is that we be concerned for each other, encouraging each other toward brotherly love and "lovely living." One practical aspect of brotherly love is our regular participation in the worship of the Christian community. Our presence serves as an encouragement to one another as we pass through the shadows of an age fast passing away. So, in this passage we are reminded again of the three pillars of the Christian way: faith, hope and love.