Built up together!

from 1st Corinthians chapter 14

Let's read this verse 26. What then Brothers when you come together, each one has a him a lesson a revelation a tongue and interpretation. Let all things be done for building up. If any speak in a tongue, but they're only be 2 or at most 3 and each and turn let someone interpret but there is no one to interpret Let each of them keep silent in the church and speaking self to himself and to God but two or three prophets speak of the others way would have said if a revelation is made to another sitting there, but the first be Stylin we can all prophesy one by one so that all may learn and all the encouraged and the spirit of the Prophet is subject to the prophets or God is not a god of confusion, but of Peace as an alternate is of the same and we can put a little star here and say thank you Paul the women should keep silent in the churches for that. I didn't mean it in that way. I meant what I have to

Is your first time here the amount of times I'm going to stick my foot in the mouth is on a real. I'm in a sense of I had to spend 7 hours this week just so I could unpack this text to you. Thanks a lot, All right. We can add it that I've written you. Okay good. I said if there's anything they desire to learn let them ask their husbands at home for the shameful for a woman to speak in church.

Or was it from you that the word of God came you the only one that has reached if anyone thinks that he's a prophet or spiritual. He should acknowledge that the things I am writing to you are command of the Lord if anyone does not recognize this is not recognize so my brother's earnestly desire to prophesy and do not forbid speaking in tongues, but all things should be done decently. And in order to join with me in prayer Lord, give us grace. Mercy of be with us during this time in Jesus name. Amen. Amen. All right, here we go. Five or six weeks ago. We entered into 1st Corinthians chapter 11. We've been teaching through this entire letter for the last year and chapter 11 Paul began this portion of the text in which she talks to the church on what should happen within their Gathering because what was going on was horrific. There was a preference being shown to those who weren't status and wealth. In fact, they were eating the communion meal before the others could even join them or they were sitting in that like the kids table and giving them the scraps compared to what the wealthy and affluent in that church would be eating there was chaos there was division there was Brokenness and in this letter we see at church the good the bad the ugly and everything in between there. And so Paul is addressing in this section of scripture how the church ought to act and behave and if you've missed we talked about Stuff to Spirit does we talked about stuff love does and in this section with already dealt with the vast majority of 1st Corinthians 14 and talking about prophecy and tongues and what that looks like and what that means and what that doesn't means that you can Backtrack on that my intentions were to go ahead and just jump into 1st Corinthians 15 cuz life would have been a lot easier for us. All its Resurrection is awesome invite a friend next week if that's what we're talking about. However, when I shared that with people in the body, it was met with some discussed as why aren't you going to deal with 1st Corinthians 14 vs 34 through 36 Okay, you want it I'll bore you with it will deal with it. And then we're going to talk about some things. I really want to talk about in this section. So here we go 1st Corinthians 14:34 through 35 what Paul was saying when he was talking about women should remain silent in the church now going to get technical for a little bit with you. All. First of all, there are three big views concerning this passage specifically the first big View It's held at this text does not actually even belong in your Bible. There are people who believe that it was added later on by a church leader or group of leaders who were patriarchal strong and male leadership and they didn't want to have excuse me. They had by those men because they didn't want women to have any kind of role in the church. The problem with that is when you go to the earliest manuscripts this passage is in there. It's written it's for us we have it. So we have to dismiss the idea that that it was just simply excluded or added. We should exclude it which would have made life really easy for me this morning just said, you know, it's kind of like one of those sections at the end of Mark chapter 16, where do I don't know. We're not quite sure what to do with this. Here's some thoughts on it. It's in the text. Second idea big scene that people have for 1st Corinthians 14. Is that often Paul likes to quote people of his day and time. He also likes to quote slogans that were popular with in culture and because greet when they wrote did not put quotation marks its left for us to go with Paul quoting. Somebody are not quoting somebody and if Paul is quoting somebody is he quoting them and an answering this question for them. Once again, it's a way to work around that actually having to deal with this packed and contextually it wouldn't make sense for Paul to do that. So the vast majority of Orthodox biblical Scholars agree that this text is actually in the Bible and we have to deal with it this morning tons of fun for us all I know now. Let me tell you a few things. But it is not. It is not say. Does not saying that women can't speak in church. Didn't you just say that no not saying that cares why in 1st Corinthians chapter 11 Paul was talking about praying and prophesying in the church in order to do those two things. Guess what you have to do. You got to open your mouth and you have to speak and he laid out with that looks like for men and four women. So obvious that Paul is not saying that there is no place or time or presents for females for women in the church to be speaking. It is also an incredibly horrible place to go to do you make cases for what church leadership should look like because what Paul is doing is he's addressing what's going on in the Gathering honey uses these words that something's happening in the Gathering that is in fact shameful. Now if you were here for 1st Corinthians chapter 11, we dealt with head coverings doilies and pray. Shawls which was super cool too and it's not wearing those. It's okay Paul appeal to three things in his argument. He appealed to what two churches were doing the appeal to Nature the law of God what was invented in to creation and then he also talked about culture and Shay their honor shame kind of culture. He does the same thing in this text. He talks about the law and it is not the Mosaic law of God in Leviticus Deuteronomy getting it from there. That doesn't say anything about what Paul said it's that law of nature its roots in culture there Shane and honor culture as well as other churches were doing So what is Paul saying in this scripture? We will not be divisive divide or fight over this passage of scripture. There are things that we will close our fists and go to war over. This is an open-handed discussion. And in fact, I spent so much time reading John Stott n t Wright Garland all these commentators do I absolutely love and this is what they said about it. We don't know. It was so helpful. That was honestly and Atlantis exist hate breath. You got a Bachelor's degree from Liberty University. Can you unravel the mystery the 1st Corinthians 14 for us in a 7-hour study session. How about you? but I want to say what I'm going to say though is I'm going to give you a handful of ideas and what's going on in kind of where I land these first two come from NT Wright and what he says here is Paul destruction according to the congregation should reflect on what a prophet said and evaluated that came fryevia sin those versus so somebody speaking and then then fear response we're evaluating what was shared some of the women in the congregation might have taken it upon themselves to evaluate what their own husbands had said and do so rather to personally and sharply disagree with them and that case it would be far better probably used to have them take the matter up at home and rather than airing out what could be at least by extension a domestic disagreement within the context of public worship. I'm going to give you my version of that. He's ever been out with friends or new people or somebody you met even in our culture in your with your spouse and you share a story and your spouse looks at you and goes.

You didn't say that. How do you how do you feel you feel ashamed you feel embarrassed and you feel called out in an arm or even egalitarian society. We can spend that when they go home. It's not going to be a fun car ride. Remind argue over that now not just picture this in their Gathering. a husband with speech and the wife goes I don't see that in your life. And it might cause tension fighting and Cora Lane in the church suggestive public worship was conducted in the main formal language of the day, which would have been formal Greek not the koine Greek in Corinth. Obviously mainstream Greek many of the women who might only understand their local dialects would not always be able to grasp what was being said that they were always interrupting with questions. So it'd be as if when Lewis read the song and we had a handful of Spanish speakers in here we could have said hey, what is he saying, but that would have been incredibly disruptive in the Gathering as the week was trying to read the song. So that's a possibility of the text number three. It is best to read the passage of returning to the issues of wise honoring their husbands in public worship wise behave and worship in ways that honor their husbands. Paul uses the word shameful and it's an honor. And shame culture so we don't get that. We live in a guilt culture. We can explain that another time but honor and shame culture would be the things that you do to bring honor Or Glory to your family's name and in their society, it would have been these cultural norms and pressures which in which a white they're correcting in the Gathering her spouse would have been a huge cultural No-No in that day and age disrupting the Gathering keeping shame upon the family. Here's another one during the time of Wayne of the prophecies some married women put themselves. They've been prophetess and that's entitled to weigh. What was said we're asking questions for us inappropriate questions. And the worship service was being disrupted Paul urges and verse 34 that Christian worship not be turned into a question-and-answer session and if tags on to that number 5 very believable that these women assume that the Christian prophets are prophetesses function much like the Oracle at Delphi, which is a goddess that they worshipped who only prophesied in response to questions including questions about purely personal matters Paul argues that prophecy is different prophets and prophetess speak in response to the prompting of the Holy Spirit without any human priming of the pardon limits questions to another location namely the home. There's a radio you can get into any one of those camps and we can have coffee and we can discuss it and it'll be super fun. But the thing we can do is have this as our go to text and say all right ladies in here. You got to be silent. But the second we walk out those doors now we can have at it. Now we can learn now we can now we can talk we need to break that down a little bit because not what Paul was implying from the text and what he's doing in here. Is he saying when we get together church, this is the way in which we have to operate function and be and so that's my big way and see what we're going to talk about now, and I think it's far more important this morning in verse 26. Paul says what then Brothers when you come together when you come together each one of you has a him a lesson of Revelation a tie Interpretation, let all things be done for building up this idea of building up his Paul wants us to come together as a body and this morning we're going to stress the importance of what it means to gather as the Church of God. This is really an ecclesiology, which is just a fancy word for the Theology of church what that mean looks like an implied for each and every one of us and he says when you come together you bring something you give something you do something to edify and build up the body of Christ what that means is as a follower of Jesus you need to have input and output into your life. You'd have input and output think about it. Like this God has inputted into our life has not he is called you a Jew changed you transformed you and Paul said in Romans chapter 12, it is your reasonable act of worship in response to who got it to do something without what is that look like what we just gave vanks moments ago as Michael prompted and let us we sing praises unto his name. We talk about God we rate amongst those around us that is output input from God output going back out. God didn't create us to just be in this kind of upward downward relationship. But even gave us a community of people in whom were doing mirroring Imaging that exact same thing over pouring into one another and giving out to another person. That's not the case just as good for you this morning to have. Not even showed up today maybe in a week into a podcast and turn on some michael-w-smith or if you're edgy citizens are Chris Tomlin and to beat you and Jesus. Do we understand? The importance of coming together small large homes the gatherings in order to be poured into and to give out to do something that's going to go really have latest a lot of things that our minds have been trying to think over the last 20 years in church because of this big Sea World Cup consumerism, but there is an aspect about that. I want to touch on and it's this I want you to turn to somebody next to you and tell them you're here for me you're here for me.

I feel weird a little selfish. You're here for me. Not. Turn I would hope that the same person but maybe somebody else I'm here for you.

This this awesome love it. This is the idea of the church. I'm here for you. But here's the idea. You're also here for me because when we read the spirits doing in that church, We don't all possess all the gifts. They can all walk out like superhuman. They understand there's limitations and Paul the same you need to come together as the church to pour into one another and should be poured into as well. What does it mean for each and everyone of us the church Christianity is not just a club with common interest. Culture is culture. There's a difference between culture and clubs. Culture tells you everything you need to know about how to function and operate in a society culture tells you to use a spoon to use 1/4 how to what you're saying appropriate setting culture define and make up what we do how we function how we operate as human in a society. Interest clubs does look different. They have other nuances. They have separate rules. What Christianity is. It's a new culture that we've taken on our self in 1st Peter chapter 2 right towards the end there around versus 12 and 13. He said you are a royal priesthood. You are a chosen generation.

You are a holy people. He said you're not just simply a club that you go to and try to practice the thing. You'll become a whole new person and you're placed in a whole new community and within that Community there is not a way in which you ask function respond to care for one another and it's the same mentality that Paul is bringing into corn tears. You think when you get together and you're gathering this is what it looks like. This is how you function. This is how you care for each other. So it's not like joining a club and what we're doing we're getting into relationship and what we do when we're in relationship is comprehensively rethink everything. We previously thought about ourselves and how we function in society. Your brother and sisters God has granted us his grace of friendship a community in Christ and opportunity to speak into one another's lives even in areas that might be painful for someone to speak into why is that we gather for the edification for the building up of the Saints and Ephesians chapter 4. It says that we can do this by God's word that is the equipping of the Saints but it doesn't stop there. It says then we actually have to minister that word Minister just means to serve so don't call me a minister. You can call me a servant if you want. But you want another that's the idea that we come together and use these gift to actually build one another up in price for the through speaking arguing if you looked at last week, but love does physically kindness helping on sufferance being patient with others. This is what we're called to do now. It is your job to put yourself in a place where you are giving out and taking in. I can't do that for you. Michael can't do that for you. We can create some systems and some groups and some ideas but you have to put yourself. Do you want to grow in Christ function in this way in a place where you're giving and you're getting something back relationships that love and serve one another that is something really intriguing about relationships. You want to get to know me? Been around awhile. I share this idea before you want to get to know me. You might say hey, can we grab some coffee? And take you out to lunch and you're going to get to know a part of me. You're probably going to get to know the pastor Brett side of me that I say that. I'll be operating function responding a certain way because of why we're going out now if you want to get to know another side of me, you should sit around a fire and play Old Mexico and Costa Rica. Is that right? Rev Fred Perry that another side of me? Why is that different environment? No other people who I'm close with draw something out of me another side of me that you would never know about me if it was not for them. This last Friday night. We went out with some friends and these boots are not meant for dancing. But you see that pretty lady at front These Boots dance Friday night, and it was horrible and awkward and she tried saying it was awesome. And it was not awesome at all. I was flush and red and embarrassed if any other person other than her or my three daughters ask me to dance. I'll tell you what it ain't happening. She can draw something out of me. Relationship to the centralized CS Lewis in the four loves add a group of friends, but he writes about and one of his friends they passed away and the idea was I'm not going to get more of Ray because Charles is now dead actually make sense in our minds were all sheer a more cuz my friend Charles over here. He is passed away will get more one-on-one time into on one time because I'm actually going to get less of Ray because Charles Drew things out of R A I C S Lewis could not draw out of him. community Rothys out of us, but not only that Community allows for us to see other aspect of God through people that we are not typically able to see you give another example of this three years ago. Now, my wife is pregnant with her fourth child late in the first trimester and she lost the baby or riffic almost lost her life surgery happened immediate surgery and we're just kind of suffering and in pain, Do you have been in similar experiences? And in that moment there could have been a lot of well-meaning people that are like Romans 8:28 Brett. Genesis 50 what happened for evil? God works for good. That's not what we needed in body, but we came home to was a house full of groceries friends dropping off letters people in the church.

in generous and kind and they embodied a side of God that I'm not even that good at embodying and it made me want to embody that as well as what relationship do they can draw things out of us that are typically within that they can also help us see Aspect of God's that we ourselves can sometimes have a hard time seeing instead of you're the kind of Christian who goes I just want to go to church and sing a few songs and ignore the rest of people cuz people are messy so is redeemers church where people were messy I get that I'll just remove myself and avoid all the mess of people you were going to miss an aspect of knowing God's that God has actually intended for you to know him by we cannot do Christianity alone. Sure. It's a personal you accepted Christ. You're believing you transform your changed with this idea that you're going to continue to grow and be a part from Community is a flawed Theory it will not work because God has called us together to draw things out of one another to also an image of image Bearer aspect of God that we I need to see speak in your own life right now. You been in pain when you suffered or maybe the season with your joyful and other Christians come around and they're actually joyful with you celebrating with you but showing side of God that are visible expressions of who he is. We can't just come to church every Sunday. But are you built in Peter uses this example when he calls his Livingstone built on the cornerstone, who is Jesus Christ in 1st Peter chapter 2, you're born Anew, you're born a fresh your place into the family of God, and these stones are interconnected building upon one another older Stones mentoring younger Stone maturing. We need relationship and it happens when we come together. The way in which you know God. And see yourself if you radically changed when you come into the community. How how does that happen? That's one of the gifts that God has given us is to get the relationship in Genesis 1. I mean Genesis 3, we actually radically just shatter that and in the fall and sand the distrust egos Pride for that murdered ND we seem to become very suspicious of one another and price for being restored and reconcile together put in right relationship with God been living in right relationship to the best that we can with one. Another. God has given us relationships as a way to have a window or I'm near into our life. visiting ever been in friction with somebody you've had pension and you frustrated one another the first thing we do. Just me. I don't know. The first thing I do is go. I know why I did what I did and I let me justify it. Maybe I'll see that you get into the courtroom of your head and feel like you're are the 15 reasons why I'm right and they're wrong.

You come. Rob people in the church Maybe because you shouldn't have but you did you spilled some of that over and they hold up. I'm here to show your blind spot and they say no no, no. No you're missing this or maybe they say you might be right and every one of those aspects but there's a greater loss than being right? It's out of love and that person hurt and wounded. So, how can you go show love to them? I want to see things that way I want to be justified. I want to be right and in my head on there and I would never get to that other place without Community. This is why once again God calls us together as we come together ministering to each other. If you're at a stage in life, we are trying to make a major decision. Ready to think back to when you admit the person you were going to marry and you can know them really well lots of late nights and talking and hanging out but until you go see them around their family. You don't know them. Do you? Like 30 and you still bicker with your 25 year old sister. This is going to be a great marriage you seem to think so we get to know people. If you come around then we see things cuz it's drawn out of in this is why community and being intentional about community and coming together is incredibly important to this is what I want for us and I'm going to finish off here in the next few minutes for redeemers. Whether you forgotten this is been here for the last 7 years. Are your new here? We are not a fog machine smokes unless the states burning down into Creeps in house upon Sunday. We were like a super edgy cool downtown Seattle church that we are who we are Glitz Glamour and I don't have any problem with that use whatever you can in order to bring people to know Jesus but apart from preaching the gospel sharing Christ week in and week out who we are and who we want to be is a gospel Center Church that knows love preachers teachers Jesus and love one another deeply And it's as messy as you can imagine. You want to be a church that talks about promotes put emphasis on being in relationship caring for one another and it can't be just simply a church to Pastor kind of relationships. It's up. I'm here for you. You're here for me kind of relationship that we strongly desire for our church for when the church comes together May the building up in price happened. That is what Paul is telling this group of people. That's what he Longs for for them is to be growing in the grace and the knowledge at First Peter says of Jesus Christ. It's a my desire for each and everyone of us. Is that we look at one another and say I'm committed to you even when it gets hard, even when it gets messy because when we come together, you have something draw something out of me and I see that Christ is doing in and through you how is this possible the basis of Christian Community? Not just an easy blueprint of this is how we go about it. This is how we do it, but the secret into forming this new culture stems from the new birth and knowing Jesus Christ. And if you're not a follower of Jesus in your kind of on the outside watching in looking in and our world's going to hell in a handbasket real quick. There is a vacuum of leadership. There's all kinds of problems going on all around us at the local levels at the higher the like it's just a mess. Who is this Jesus?

Does Jesus is a king who died is resurrected and Raines and sits on the throne and makes us new in Hammond is invited us into a better Community than you can imagine. I know there is a wrestling and struggling still in this life because of sin Jesus invites you into relationship with him and into relationship with others as Brothers and Sisters in Christ is the same basic call of calling us to what's the greatest command love the Lord your God with all your heart strength so landmines and love your neighbor as yourself, where do we get the ability to do that? It comes from being born again and knowing Christ. Redeemers, that's our hope that's my prayer that we love one another well as private. God thank you for your word.

Or thank you for everybody in this room. We are living stones as you call us. And we have opportunity to actually care for each other to minister to one another to be invested and involved in each other's lives. We pray that you would teach us how to do that and a deeper way. Give us boldness to speak truth to one another to show Grace to each other to extend a mercy when it's needed made all be done for the building up of your church in Jesus name. We pray these things.