When We Gather

What is the purpose of a church gathering?

The image that comes to mind when we think about church is what we are doing right now and this location we are gathering in.

The problem with that is it only captures a small aspect of what the church is.

We are more than an event and more than an address.

The church does gather, it has from the beginning and it must in order to be the church (we would not be “an assembly” or “the assembled” if we didn’t gather. The word Ekklesia where our word “church” comes from expresses this identity.

It is a purposeful, necessary, and powerful rhythm of the church, but it isn’t the church.

That is what I have sought to communicate throughout this series and in general as I preach every Sunday.

Our faith and our identity as the people of God is not something that only effects a few hours of our week.

Our salvation transforms every aspect of our lives and we are the body of Christ every day of every week.

Paul’s message in 1 Corinthians 12-13 has been about us as the church living out our Spirit empowered identities in ALL aspects of our lives.

But in 14, he shifts his attention to the vitally important aspect of the life of the body of Christ, gathering for worship.

We are going to read chapter 14 as a whole and then I want to pull 4 principles for gathered worship from this:

Read 1 Corinthians 14-

Principles for Gathered Worship

This is a challenging passage is a variety of ways:

There is an extensive discussion of speaking in tongues and prophesy, which are two topics that cause divisions in churches and lot of confusion.

There is discussion of the hierarchy of spiritual gifts, which one is “greater” than the others.

Then there’s the whole section on women being silent churches. Some of you didn’t hear anything I read after that.

The whole chapter has to be read in view of chapter 13 and as an extension of 12:31.

1 Corinthians 12:31 ESV

31 But earnestly desire the higher gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way.

But if we mine through the complicated language and ideas and zoom out to seek the overarching purpose of this chapter, we can grasp some pretty important and helpful principles for us as we live out this rhythm of gathering together for worship on Sundays.

Here are 4:

1) Openness to SUPERNATURAL SPONTANEITY.

We see this throughout this letter, especially in these chapters we have looked at over the past few weeks.

The Spirit empowering gifts and expressions in the people of God that can only be understood as supernatural (outside of nature).

When you read though the book of Acts, as many in our church have been doing over the past few weeks, you see how regularly the Spirit moved in the people of God in amazing and miraculous ways and amazingly simple ways.

Acts has often been nicknamed “The Acts of the Holy Spirit” as the Holy Spirit is mentioned more than 50 times in 28 chapters.

Paul was a huge part of Acts, so he had experienced the Spirit in profound ways.

His teaching here would have reflected his experience.

In this chapter Paul dives in deep on 2 quite controversial gifts, prophesy and tongues.

Though his intention is not to teach exhaustively on either, it is quite clear that Paul saw a place for both of these gifts in the life of the church, even when the church gathered for worship.

It is important to make the distinction between “openness” and “expectation”.

I don’t believe Paul says that prophesy and tongues ought to be expected in every gathering of the church, but that we ought to be open to it.

Paul’s purpose here seems to be to correct some misuses of gifts, especially with tongues.

Tongues seems to have become a divisive and disruptive practice in the church in Corinth.

Perhaps people are interrupting the time together with unintelligible language and no translation.

Though he is correcting, Paul doesn’t prohibit tongues, prophesy, or any of the more miraculous expression of the Spirit from being a part of the gathering of believers.

Here is the point: have we grown so accustomed to the “earthly” norms in our gatherings that we aren’t looking for, praying for, or even open to God doing something in our midst that we can only say “That was Him!”

Yeah there are some challenging, even confusing things in this passage, but maybe the challenging part for us is that we just aren’t as open as we ought to be for the Spirit to work in mighty ways amongst us.

Yes, perhaps in speaking in tongues, or someone receiving a word from the Lord that we can see clearly under the authority of scripture.

Or may someone healed or set free in some way.

Maybe we would see God change the heart of someone deep in sin or running from the Lord.

Restoring broken relationships or redeeming a broken marriage.

It is clear here and throughout the NT that God can and does do truly supernatural things.

Are we open?

2) Willingness to PARTICIPATE by all.

Here is the second principle from these passages.

1 Corinthians 14:26 CSB

26 What then, brothers and sisters? Whenever you come together, each one has a hymn, a teaching, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Everything is to be done for building up.

What we are doing right here, right now is not a spectator sport.

Obviously this is clear also throughout 1 Corinthians 12-14, as Paul calls us all to find out how God has empowered us to serve.

But I believe too many of us come here on Sundays as spectators and not as participants.

Sure not everyone is going to preach, sing, teach a class, or whatever, but your job is not to simply to sit and take it all in.

Who can you pray for, encourage, or challenge?

How can you serve to ensure things go smoothly, people know where to go and what’s going on, and to limit distractions to others hearing about Jesus?

This passage isn’t prescriptive, meaning this isn’t saying each of these things SHOULD or MUST be present at every gathering, but rather these are ways we can serve the purpose of “building up” others.

Here’s the point: Examine your attitude as you drive into the parking lot and enter this building every Sunday morning.

Are you here simply to watch and listen? If you aren’t yet a part of EHBC or aren’t yet a believer in Jesus that is a good place for you to be, but not a place for you to stay.

For those who know Jesus and call EHBC home, you are not an audience, you are a worshipper, God is the audience.

It is time to get involved, to serve, and participate.

3) Commitment to ORDER and EDIFICATION.

Paul intentionally guides the church in Corinth through some of the struggles they are facing as they gather together.

As I mentioned earlier, it seems there was an exaggerated expression of tongues speaking happening in the church.

Most of these were uninterpreted, so no one understood anything that was said.

He compares this to someone playing a musical instrument but not playing distinct notes, it wouldn’t be music, just noise.

Rather, Paul instructs tongues to be practiced only if there is an interpretation and only 2 or 3 people.

He also guides the church in the use of prophesy, speaking mostly positively of it, but also cautioning that no more than 2 or 3 as well.

These points are being made to the specific situation in Corinth, not points that we are expected to follow 2000 years later.

There isn’t a specific outline we are given in the Bible for how our gatherings are to look and function.

Then there is the passage about women.

Before you prejudge this passage, let me read from chapter 11

1 Corinthians 11:5 CSB

5 Every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, since that is one and the same as having her head shaved.

We don’t have time to break down the head covering thing, but the point to see here is just a few chapters before, Paul has talked about women prophesying and praying in church.

So why is he now seemingly shutting them down?

He isn’t, he is addressing a problem going on in the church of women who are speaking out of line in the gatherings that are disrupting the service and disgracing their families.

Again, Paul is not prescribing here, but confronting and correcting.

Here is the point:

Openness to Spiritual spontaneity doesn’t mean we throw out order and organization.

Planning, preparation, and order are not way to quench the Spirit, but ways to give the Spirit opportunities to work in genuine ways that are helpful to those present.

Paul makes similar statements in regards to our attitude in gathering:

1 Corinthians 14:3 CSB

3 On the other hand, the person who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouragement, and consolation.

1 cor 14 12

1 Corinthians 14:12 CSB

12 So also you—since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, seek to excel in building up the church.

1 Corinthians 14:26 CSB

26 What then, brothers and sisters? Whenever you come together, each one has a hymn, a teaching, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Everything is to be done for building up.

1 Corinthians 14:40 CSB

40 But everything is to be done decently and in order.

All that we do when we gather should have the shared purpose of mutual edification, or the building up of others.

The music we sing, prayers we pray, conversations we have, teachings we teach, messages we preach, and attitudes we have ought to have the purpose of making those around us better.

4) Recognition of the IMPORTANCE and INFLUENCE.

Here is the last point. I won’t say it is the most important point, but it sure makes the other points more significant.

The assumption made by Paul here is that the church is gathering and thus needs guidance on how that should function.

It wasn’t until Hebrews that we see an encouragement to not neglect meeting together.

Though Paul infers this principle, we cannot.

There are many people asking the question, “Why do I need to come to a church service?”

Perhaps the reason is that they haven’t experienced church the way God intended it.

That doesn’t mean we need to make church more appealing or exploit the miraculous gifts so more people will want to experience it.

As we lean into the Spirit, find our identity and hope in Jesus, and as we see God move in us and in others, God will draw others to himself.

This past week we read from Acts 11 about the church in Antioch being planted.

Believers from Cyrus and Cyrene had come into Antioch after escaping persecution.

They had been moving from town to town, sharing about Jesus with Jewish groups, but when they came to Antioch, they began to preach to the nonJews.

Amazingly, those Hellenist believed in Jesus, and it seemed the movement that came about began to transform the city and perhaps the region.

It was so profound that church leaders had caught wind and sent Barnabas there to check it out.

What he found was God Spirit moving in mighty ways amongst unlikely converts in Antioch.

It had profoundly impacted the city in ways that only God could get credit for.

What happened in Antioch in the lives of those believers would not have happened if the church didn’t gather.

It wouldn’t have happened if the church only gathered a couple times a month, or if they had just turned in online (if there had been such a thing).

Gathering was essential to the life of the church and each one of those who believed.

And their gathering made a impact on the city they lived in.

Here’s the point:

There are a lot of reason to be out of church right now, and many of them are legit.

But happens when we gather is too important, too vital, too influential and impactful for us to not show up, to not be engaged and connected, and to not participate in the life of the body of Christ.