It’s difficult to find a pattern for the modern church in the New Testament. From the Day of Pentecost – that moment the Lord that established the church – the structure and practices of the early church began evolving.
Questions needed answers: What are our beliefs? What are our practices? How is life different now than before? How do we connect ourselves to each other?
They had a desire to be together, but no design for what to do when they were together. At the beginning, most Christians came out of Judaism, all they had to go on was what they had done in the Jewish Synagogue. So, they naturally incorporated some of those practices when they met.
In fact, James used the word Synagogue when he was talking about the gatherings of the church.
James 2:1 My brethren, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism. 2 For if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in dirty clothes, 3 and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the fine clothes, and say, "You sit here in a good place," and you say to the poor man, "You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool," 4 have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives?
It would seem, though, that not only the activities of the Synagogue were being followed, but some of the undesirable social practices were trickling down. Showing favoritism was a big deal in Jewish circles. Those with greater standing in the community were given special seating and pampering, while the poor were downgraded or ignored.
The Church was to be different. The ground was level in front of the Cross. Everyone came in through the same door – Jesus – and was of equal value to the whole. There was to be no hierarchy. We all stand the same before the Lord. And each has a responsibility to serve the interests of the whole.
1Cor 12:12 For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. 13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. 14 For the body is not one member, but many.
Each member has equal value. Some may have higher responsibility but none more important to the whole than the others. All were a part of the assembly.
Henry Ford created the assembly line for putting cars together. An assortment of parts were required to make a car and all of the parts were vital to the end product. Ford scheduled this assembly by creating stations where certain men attached certain parts. The car passed through these stations and eventually was completed. Each part was important. They couldn’t say the steering wheel was more important than the wheels or the gas tank more important than the carburetor. The assembly of all parts helped create the whole.
The word James used for assembly is the word synagogue. It’s the Greek word for the Hebrew word Beit K’nesset, the place of assembly or gathering. Knesset is what Israel calls their congress. Why the Jews chose the Greek word for Synagogue instead of the Hebrew word is an interesting story for another day.
The Temple in Jerusalem was for sacrifice. The Synagogue was for gathering the Jews together for prayer, reading the Hebrew Bible, and teaching. It was a local assembly place. Because of the various dispersions that sent Jews out into the Gentile world, having a place to connect with like-minded brethren, gave them a sense of belonging wherever they were.
The goal was having a meeting place for God and His people. To have a synagogue, there must be 10 families in a community. If not, the Jews would designate a place for prayer.
Acts 16:13 And on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to a riverside, where we were supposing that there would be a place of prayer; and we sat down and began speaking to the women who had assembled.
First and foremost a synagogue was a place for prayer. Even in current Judaism, prayer is considered powerful, and there are certain prayers which are to be prayed daily. While this can technically be done anywhere, the belief is, prayer offered in groups is more powerful than prayers prayed alone. Jesus spoke of this:
Matt 18:19 If two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven. 20 For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.
For the early church, meeting together was, for some, a new habit. The Gentile Believers often had nothing to compare with the synagogue. It was all new ground.
That’s why the writer of Hebrews said: Heb 10:23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; 24 and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, 25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.
When we don’t understand the importance of meeting together, we may lose the value of coming together. We’ll eventually let that privilege and responsibility slip away.
Heb 2:1 For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it.
A log within a fire burns hot and strong. Take it out and soon, though the other logs in the fire will keep burning, the log by itself will eventually go out and grow cold.
Believers need to come together for:
- Encouragement
- Instruction
- Accountability
- Ministry/Service
- To reconnect us with our beliefs
- To discipline our life practices
- To remind us who we are
- To pray and be prayed for
For new believers, it’s easy for them to get confused about how Christianity works. They have no foundation for how to apply their beliefs. They need mentoring by mature Christians. They need family support. Hearing that other Christians also struggle helps them in their own struggles. Knowing they aren’t alone gives them hope. Gathering gives them a place for that to happen.
But, since there was no explanation for how to structure the gatherings, it makes sense the reasons to meet might get lost in the practices of meeting. In other words, people might forget what the church is for and make it about themselves. Corinth got things confused, so Paul had to correct them.
1Cor 14:26 What is the outcome then, brethren? When you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification. 27 If anyone speaks in a tongue, it should be by two or at the most three, and each in turn, and one must interpret; 28 but if there is no interpreter, he must keep silent in the church; and let him speak to himself and to God. 29 Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others pass judgment. 30 But if a revelation is made to another who is seated, the first one must keep silent. 31 For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all may be exhorted; 32 and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets; 33 for God is not a God of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.
Their Church was a free-for-all. Everyone seeking their own desires. Paul was trying to help them establish some guidelines for handling that confusion.
Realize, Jesus never said, “Follow the practices of the Jewish Synagogue.” Nor did He ever say, “I want a highly structured system called the Church.”
In fact, the word church never referred to a religious system or even a building in the NT. The word for church is ekklesia. It means the called-out ones. The church referred to the people of God not the place they gathered. The people are the church. The church is the people of God.
Act 11:26 And for an entire year they met with the church and taught considerable numbers; and the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.
The ones called out from death to life, darkness to light, lost to saved, unrighteousness to righteousness were to function as a body of like-minded believers whose identity was shaped by gathering to pray and study the Bible together. That’s why that collection of called-out ones, because they demonstrated Christlikeness in their actions and lifestyle, became known as Christ-ones or ones from Christ – Christians. Where did they meet?
1Cor 16:19 The churches of Asia greet you. Aquila and Prisca greet you heartily in the Lord, with the church that is in their house.
Having a common meeting place serviced the need to gather in a location designated to the purpose of connecting with God and each other. For the first 300 years that meant meeting in homes. Doing what?
Acts 2:42 They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. 44 And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; 45 and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. 46 Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.
Acts 4:32 And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul; and not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own, but all things were common property to them. 33 And with great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all.
Buildings came along as a more convenient way to accommodate what God was doing and to help the people worship God. The very first building was a house with a wall removed to fit in more people. Today, we have complexes of buildings to accommodate the crowds. We do that in order to keep up with what God is doing to make our churches places Christians can come together and lives can be changed. We also have home groups.
This is where our church is and God’s blessings are obvious. Each step in our church’s history has been a challenge. And we’ve met that challenge. But what do we do when God says, “But wait, there’s more?” What if His plans take us to a whole new level of doing church? What if to do so, there will be a disruption before we get there?
Any new construction or even remodeling requires demo. Clearing out things that are not necessary or in the way to make room for what is planned. That happens spiritually.
Heb 12:27 the removing of those things which can be shaken, as of created things, so that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.
Often when the Lord is planning a unique mission for a church, that church can respond by panicked and unprepared lurching forward which often makes a mess out of what He wants, or get bogged down in safe and deliberate overthinking that makes it miss the window of opportunity, or follow a path of careful research and timely procedure that places that church in the right place at the right moment.
When we review our history, God’s work today is tied to how He has placed us in the right place at the right moment. Our beginning, our location, our property, our hearts bent toward Him all give us assurance for what He wants us yet to do. He sets us in the right place at the right time for the right purpose.
When I came here over six years ago, God’s instructions were to accommodate what He intended to do. We’ve done so and the result has been a steady pattern of growth that made it necessary to enlarge our front parking lot, to expanded our facilities with an incredible addition and to begin new ministries. God has blessed each step and the growth continues. What might be next? As I see it, it’s a type of transformation.
It's clear the reason God brought JJ here was to help transition us from a predominantly older congregation to a multi-cultural blend of young and old so that we can have a greater impact on our community at large. We see evidence of that every Sunday.
We also know JJ’s coming is tied to greater plans God has for our area that we’re just now learning about, plans that are both surprising and challenging. Though we didn’t see this coming, God has been getting us ready for some time.
We got word a couple of weeks ago about a new residential development that will bring over 1000 new residences within two miles of our front door. It will also include a hotel and retail shops.
That means that not only are there countless families right now within reach of our church but this new development will begin a major building boom on our side of the lake that will bring hundreds, perhaps thousands of new families to within range of our church. That will make North Shore the most vital church for this area.
If so, how do we get ready to receive them? One step at a time. A couple of those steps will be to enlarge our tent and expand our hearts. Things we already have experience doing. But this sounds overwhelming. Where God guides, God provides. Our job is to let Him.
Which means, we can either begin to get ready for what God is doing or let it pass us by. The big questions are: does this fit into how God wants us to accommodate what He has planned? If so, do we want to do what God wants done? That’s the hardest of the two to answer. It is easy to get comfortable and enjoy where we are. Stretching to become something more will take courage and confidence in God’s guidance.
I feel an accountability for what we know is coming. We need to look into how we are to expand our facilities. As great as they are for our needs, they will not meet the future needs for what God has planned.
Other areas are in staffing. Having people who can concentrate time and effort necessary for family ministry must be made a priority. Someone to help lead Children’s Ministry as well as someone devoted to Youth Ministry and Worship will be essential. I even see someone coming to help me with Pastoral Care.
Last Wednesday night at our Annual Business Meeting, we made room in the budget for a Youth/Worship Pastor and are currently looking to find him. We also authorized our Elders to begin a
preliminary study for what we need to do to expand our tent to accommodate those God will be bringing to our church.
Martin Luther King: You don't have to see the whole staircase. Just take the first step. We’ve taken those first steps.
Scott Mautz: Being a leader requires confidence, decisiveness, and quick thinking--none of which are served by overthinking every decision or scenario or worrying about every move you make. There’s a time to think, a time to act, a time to reflect, and a time to move forward. Overthinking causes us to spend too much time thinking, getting stuck in a loop of inaction, and turns positive reflection into debilitating worry. Not only does it not move us forward, it moves us backward and downward.
It’s not for us to sit on opportunities until we decide whether we want to accept challenges like this. We believe God is already moving us to accept what He is calling us to do. At this moment, He has made us aware of our future. Our job is to join Him in what He plans to do and accommodate what He intends to accomplish through us. If we agree, it is essential whatever we do is to be done to make His name glorious.
TAKEAWAYS:
- Our church belongs to the Lord: we are his people and the sheep of His pasture.
- Our job is to accommodate what He wants to do in us and through us.
- God will never guide us to what He wants us to do without providing for us what it takes to get it done.
- Always and in all ways, whatever we do must be done to glorify Him.
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