Speaker 1 0:16

Why did the early church gather? The central question to study does the New Testament organize the Christian gathering around a worship service, mutual edification, or a relationship between the two? I don't think there's like a worship service in the early church. I don't see it anywhere. They didn't have the entertainment. I know like Christ would say to the Pharisees, they're just always sounding the trumpets when they arrive. That's what we have today. It was almost like the years ago, my when I was a kid, we went to the Chicago Bulls games, and this is the starting lineup for your Chicago Bulls. Pastor Bob! Yeah!

Speaker 0:55

It's not like they said, okay, and now uh Roland will do a shofar solo for the music in the church.

Speaker 1 1:03

Let's look at a passage in 1 Corinthians. We're gonna look at the main passage 1 Corinthians 14, 26 through 33, and then it jumps to 39 through 40.

Speaker 2 1:15

Here we go. What then, brothers? 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. If any speak in a tongue, let there be only two or at most three, and each in turn, and let someone interpret. But if there is no one to interpret, let each of them keep silent in church and speak to himself and to God. Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said. If a revelation is made to another sitting there, let the first be silent. For you call all prophecy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged. And the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets. For God is not a God of confusion, but a God of peace, as in all the churches of the saints. Verse thirty-nine. So my brothers, earnestly desire to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues, but all things should be done decently and in order.

Speaker 1 2:20

There's a lot to unpack there as far as what is going on and why, and we're going to get into the spiritual gifts a little bit more following this, but for now let's just focus on the main premise of this. What does each one has suggest about participation? And what we were talking about actually in our last session. What is he saying about participation? Each one has this, each one has that.

Speaker 2 2:48

Value.

Speaker 1 2:48

Value.

Speaker 2 2:49

Purpose.

Speaker 1 2:50

What purpose governs every contribution? What's the purpose? Building up. Exactly. The building up of the church. How are prophetic claims weighed rather than accepted automatically? How do they weigh the prophetic claims?

Speaker 3:06

Other folks make sure that that's on target.

Speaker 1 3:09

Yeah. You had an interesting time period there from my vantage point where people were prophets. I mean, you used to have like Isaiah the prophet, you have all the prophets in the scripture, people prophesying, but when was there a time where you had this whole group of people prophesying? Women, children, normal average people prophesying. That's pretty incredible when you think about that time period. And I think that's just hard to wrap your head around those gatherings. That's pretty amazing. Yeah.

Speaker 3:40

Yeah.

Speaker 1 3:41

We're just looking at the participating thing and the power of the what was going on in those days is mind-blowing. So is Paul given a complete blueprint for every Christian gathering or correcting problems in Corinth? And what difference would that make?

Speaker 3:56

That's a great question, Lenny. Yeah, I think he was doing both to a degree. As we observe his instruction, we learn a process, an allowed process. That's my take on it. Um it's like people are stumbling around trying to figure out, well, what should we do? And all of a sudden Paul writes this letter and they say, Well, okay, it's not what you do, it's who you are. But when the all you who you are get together, there's a way for that to work. And I'm showing you how that can work. Mm-hmm. By correcting a fellowship at the same time.

Speaker 2 4:34

I agree.

Speaker 4:35

Yeah.

unknown 4:36

Yeah.

Speaker 1 4:36

That makes sense. Yeah. And Melissa, you want to read the supporting passages? And yeah, that was totally spot on.

Speaker 2 4:43

Colossians 3, 12 through 17. Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another, and if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other, as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love which binds everything together in perfect harmony, and let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body, and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God, and whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Speaker 1 5:39

I think that completely ties together what Jack was just saying in the words of Paul. Spot on, Jack. Hey! You think I'd read that before? Yeah. So who teaches and admonishes who here? And what qualities make that mutual ministry safe? Who's teaching who? It's working together in perfect harmony. They're helping each other. Right? They're helping one another, and why? Why is that safe?

Speaker 2 6:07

Because nobody is being lifted up above.

Speaker 1 6:10

Because we're all in Christ. And Christ is in one. We're one in Christ.

Speaker 2 6:15

And He's the head, not somebody else.

Speaker 1 6:17

Exactly. Just like it is written, there's no slave nor free, male nor female. One in Christ.

Speaker 3 6:25

So then going back to your very first question, what does a Christian look like? That um supporting passage says what a Christian looks like. Capacity of heart. Kindness, humility, meekness, patience, forgiving. Um let Christ rule in your heart, living in perfect harmony.

Speaker 1 6:47

It's like a template.

Speaker 3 6:48

Yeah, it's a template.

Speaker 1 6:50

It's like a template for understanding, like, I think I'm doing it.

Speaker 3 6:54

Yeah.

unknown 6:54

Right.

Speaker 3 6:57

I'm on the top then. Yeah, you paid attention.

Speaker 1 7:00

Well, the the cool the cool thing about that too, Patty, that you pointed out is that it's all done as a group, as one people in Christ. It's not an individual thing. You don't make up Christ yourself. Being a Christian looks like being part of a family.

Speaker 7:20

Yes.

Speaker 1 7:21

That's pretty cool.

Speaker 7:22

Yeah. And it's more evident than definition. Don't you think? Definitely.

Speaker 3 7:28

Although that last verse, 17, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God, the Father, through him. That's exactly what uh somebody pointed out in the beginning of the session.

Speaker 7:40

Yeah.

Speaker 2 7:40

I was just gonna point out that verse. That's awesome. All in one heart and mind here.

Speaker 1 7:48

Well, we have another supporting passage come in that might help too. But one more question before we move on to the last supporting passage. Does mutual participation eliminate gifted teachers or change how their work serves the body?

Speaker 8:03

There's an importance to the gifting. And uh the beauty of the teaching gift, let's say there's a a group and it has five teachers in it, they can teach, and their personality and flavor is interjected into what they teach. So if they're gifted teachers, we get a like a smorgasbord board of personalities teaching, and that does not put anybody at the point, but it puts everybody in view. That's my take on it.

Speaker 1 8:37

I quoted Paul earlier and saying that we're all one in Christ, but he also describes different gifts, different measures, and how they all work together as parts of a body, and they all have much value, and even the weakest ones, right, or the least strong, have a special place. It's just a really neat thing. And so we'll definitely dive into that. We'll save that for the spiritual gifts so we got some fun there. You want to finish with the supporting passages, Melissa?

Speaker 2 9:04

Acts two, forty-two through forty-seven, and they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship and to the breaking of bread and the prayers, and awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles, and all who believed were together and had all things in common, and they were selling their possessions and belongings, and distributing the proceeds to all as any had need, and day by day attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people, and the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. Romans 16 five. Greet also the church in their house, greet my beloved Epiphanius, who was the first convert to Christ in Asia. First Corinthians sixteen nineteen. The churches of Asia send you greetings, Aquila and Prisca, together with the church in their house, send you hearty greetings in the Lord.

Speaker 1 10:10

Thank you, Moso. So how might a home or a shared table and repeated one another relationships change participation?

Speaker 2 10:19

You'd be comfortable, right?

Speaker 1 10:20

To speak and share and do any of these passages prove that all first century churches met only in homes?

Speaker 2 10:27

No.

Speaker 1 10:27

No.

Speaker 2 10:28

They certainly did meet in homes.

Speaker 1 10:30

They met in the temple, they met in the synagogues, and then they met in homes. You know, there's all different types of ways of meeting. You picture yourself like going into today's megachurches and teaching something that they don't teach, they wouldn't let you. It's very different. That's right.

Speaker 10:52

So I think that's the microphone.

Speaker 1 10:54

That's a big difference between today's gatherings and those gatherings. Today you just don't get the microphone. Yep.

Speaker 11:00

They bring in the big usher.

Speaker 1 11:02

I did want to say one thing that I thought was interesting in light of all this. So, and I'm not saying anything against this way of thinking. I just think it needs a little extra attention. When we dive in deep, you hear the term ecclesia being labeled as the church, right, Jack? We hear that. And we even say it. The ecclesia, the church, it's this is what is happening. That's what we've been describing in our studies, right? We're talking about the eklesia. I think it's interesting to note that that term, if you look at the Septuagint and the Greek translation of the Old Testament, you see that Ecclesia was used even in the Old Testament. The word church, ekklesia, whatever you want to call it, was not a New Testament word. It's not new to the new covenant believers. And I think this is important because it can describe the true community of believers, but it can also just describe a group of people meeting. It's an assembly. And the reason I think that's important is because not everywhere in the Bible, and I actually got hung up on this when I started understanding that view when I would hear that term, being labeled as Christians, we're the church. We're the true church is the ecclesia, right? And I had that understanding so much in my head that when I would read Revelation, I would see these, um, I would see these passages. Hold on, let me let me pull it up. You go into Revelation and you read these letters written to the churches, right? To the seven churches, and to the angel of the church in Thyatira, the words of the Son of God who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze. I know your works, your love and faith and service, and patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first. But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and is teaching and seducing my servants, to practice sexual immorality and to eat food, sacrifice to idols. I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality. Behold, I will throw her into a sick bed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation until they repent of her works. I will strike her children dead, and all the churches will know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you according to your works. But the rest of you in Thy Tyra, who do not hold to this teaching, who have not learned what some call the deep things of Satan, to you I say I do not lay on you any other burden. Only hold fast what you have until I come. The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron, as when earth and pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received authority from my father, and I will give him the morning star. He who has an ear to hear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. So you take that all in, you're like, this is all going on in the church. People are putting in sick beds, putting put to death. How do you reconcile that? This is the church, you know?

Speaker 2 14:01

You're saying it's just simply people gathering together?

Speaker 1 14:05

The term equosia does not necessarily mean the true church, it just means a gathering. So it's to the gathering in that area, and among that gathering you had believers and non-believers. That prophetess wasn't a believer. You know, that doesn't make any sense. What you see is this picture of judgment going on in the early church, and you're like, was God still judging people that way? They're teaching wrong. Zap! You and your kids die, you wounds that are founders, zap. I interpret those passages in the way that the church, that word equosia, is not necessarily the true church. It's a gathering of believers who had wild people among them that were not believers. So for me, I see that passage through the lens that those people that are getting struck are non-believers. God's judging the wicked, not the believer.

Speaker 2 14:56

Right.

Speaker 1 14:57

And I think that's important because the only reason I ever got hung up on that was that word ekesia. Just like, wait a minute, that's the church. Why are people getting punished? And so that's another one of the bullet points. That does God punish Christians? You gotta break that down, and you gotta be able to deal with that passage if you're gonna go around saying that he doesn't.

Speaker 15:15

No, if something if they take it that deep, that's exactly right. Usually I see um that like uh the Jehovah Cahal, uh gathering uh of God's people, type of called out people, separated people. When you see that, you sort of realize it's more than that equalsia, which is could be a it could be a government meeting of people. Yep. You know, it could it could be a council meeting. That's a very good point.

Speaker 1 15:44

Sometimes you find the little things that if you can get hung up on them, I was the one that did, because I'm just looking at the details, like, okay, this doesn't make sense. We know through discernment. So you know the scripture teaches us otherwise.

Speaker 2 15:58

It's easy to get hung up on one word like that, you know.