Our friend Wolfgang Simson, likes to say that programs are what the church is reduced to when they don't know how to follow the Holy Spirit!
The main difference between meeting in a house and simple/organic church is that we learn to follow the Holy Spirit when we get together. The key verse we refer to is 1 Corinthians 14:26 which says, to paraphrase, when you come together, everybody has a contribution to make.
Well, my brothers and sisters, let’s summarize. When you meet together, one will sing, another will teach, another will tell some special revelation God has given, one will speak in tongues, and another will interpret what is said. But everything that is done must strengthen all of you.
The Lord is the MC of our meetings. He has his plan for our times together. He knows each person present, and their needs. He understands the Father's purposes for our church and our responsibility within the Kingdom. The Holy Spirit is like the conductor of an orchestra. If everybody plays the same melody all the time, we miss out on the symphony that the Holy Spirit creates as he leads each person individually to bring their own contributions. We are the body of Christ, each with out own personalities and character. We are not looking for conformity but diversity and a gathering where Jesus is truly head allows everyone to participate as the Holy Spirit leads.
4 replies on “Who is in control when we gather?”
Felicity, you and Tony will certainly remember times in the 1970s in the UK when the Holy Spirit really had control.
He’d be pouring his life into each one – a tongue here and an interpretation there, a song, some verses from the Bible, a prayer, praise, worship, prophecy. And at the end we all went home encouraged and built together with the theme of the evening fresh in our hearts. And depend on it – there was always a theme. Often we couldn’t see it creeping up on us, he would surprise us again and again.
But somehow we let all that go, we lost it, many of us thought it was necessary to add structures and leadership and so we built our own houses and gave them names and left his house broken and abandoned (Haggai 1:2-11).
Your post reminds me of those times. We still have them sometimes. But when it doesn’t work out we think, ‘What did we do wrong?’ But, as Paul Young likes to say, it’s not about what we do, it’s about who he is.
If we could remember and really believe that it’s all about who he is we’d come before him with hearts full of praise and worship and we’d let him run the meeting. Much as John White explained so recently as a guest on your blog.
And if we could apply the principle of ‘who he is’ to our lives (not just to meetings) he might break out in awesome power 24/7! He wants so much to build his church, but often we will not let him do it.
How I would love to actually see this “played out” (yes, pun intended). We certainly didn’t in the group we had been (yes…past tense) gathering with for about a year.
But it’s posts like this and a calm knowing inside (that still, small voice) that continues to keep me believing that it’s not only possible, it’s what He’ll surely lead us fully into as we patiently wait upon Him.
I think if it turns into a bible study led by one person or someone is the designated facilitator who asks all the questions, it kills the spontaneous life flow of the spirit and tends to head you toward a clergy laity divide wher the folks look to the bible study leader or the facilitator for answers instead of being open to the Lord speaking through anyone.Together we can learn to detox from man cotrolled programs and agendas and let the Holy Spirit have his way, trusting that if things get chaotic, the Holy Spirit will prompt someone or several folks to help bring order.
amen. We are allowing this in our fellowship of believers more and more. As we prepare for and welcome HOLY SPIRIT good things happen,family grows and we all go home with a wonderful theme from the LORD. Harrisburg,PA.