‘Whenever’ - a powerful word that!
At the time of writing, I’m enjoying watching Totems, a Cold War spy series on Amazon Prime. It’s in French with English subtitles. Without the subtitles, I might have been able to follow the gist of the storyline, but the subtitles bring the whole thing together.
If I was writing in sub-titles to this post, it would be this: to evangelical churches – do you believe the bible is the word of God? Good. It is. To charismatic stream churches – do you believe the bible is the word of God? Good.
But do we obey it?
The apostle Paul writing to the church in Corinth wrote these verses:
‘Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation. Let all things be done for edification’ 1 Cor 14 v 26
This verse was written after quite a long run-up, Paul teaching how the Holy Spirit is the ‘operating system’ in the life of individual believers and churches and how the Holy Spirit coordinates the various spiritual ‘software’ bits or ‘apps’ downloaded in each believer, known biblically as the variety of the gifts (e.g. prophecy) and ministries of the Spirit (e.g. prophet), the charismata, hence charismatic churches.
The first mention in the letter by Paul of the Spirit sets the scene:
‘I was with you in weakness, in fear, in much trembling. My speech and preaching was not with persuasive words of human wisdom but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power that our faith should not be in the wisdom of men but the power of God’ 1 Coir 2 v 4,5
If you’re interested in theology, or psychology, or team leadership, or business…or philosophy, or you’re a great musician, that’s great. Plunge yourself in, enjoy. But none of these things are of any use to the body of Christ unless you have learnt how to rely on the new operating system of the Holy Spirit. Zero use.
Look back at the last time you ‘came together’ as a church. Was it like 1 Cor 14 v 26?
If not, why not? Intriguing, isn’t it? History? Tradition? Faulty teaching?
Don’t be an evangelical oxymoron…
I’ve benefited hugely from good leaders, good preachers, and good ministers. I could listen to some all day long. But the CofE church I grew up in didn’t obey 1 Cor 14 v 26, the Baptist church I went to was moving in that direction, the Charismatic church I went to in Exeter, more so, and others since then…but all had a ‘backstop’ of a leader, often paid, as an essential ingredient of what’s required for the body of Christ to operate. Just look at the Job Section ads in various Christian magazines.
It's subtle. If that leader is a true bible-believing leader he or she will not rest until 1 Cor 14 v 26 is considered as the ‘Normal’ in their congregation. Anything else is…well, off-beam. Isn’t it?
‘Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation. Let all things be done for edification’ 1 Cor 14 v 26
If that’s not ‘Normal’ in your experience the church has slipped back into relying on man’s wisdom – often, literally, one man’s wisdom:
‘I was with you in weakness, in fear, in much trembling. My speech and preaching was not with persuasive words of human wisdom but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power that our faith should not be in the wisdom of men but the power of God’ 1 Coir 2 v 4,5
If this was true for the apostle Paul how much more so for us! Come back to your true operating system, the Holy Spirit. Like the disciples who left their nets to follow Christ, leave your cleverness or natural abilities behind and switch to the Holy Spirit. Paul was a well-educated trilingual man, versed in Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic. A confident leader co-ordinating the arrest of Christian believers as part of the thought police of his day – the Pharisees. But when it came to his ‘ministry’ he left that all behind and switched to the Spirit of Christ.
…don’t be a Triumph Herald 13/60 running on reserve
Church meetings should never be predictable. Congregations are not passive. ‘Unto Him shall the gathering of the people be’. Who knows what the Spirit will bring that day? And ‘whenever’ isn’t restricted to Sunday meetings. ‘Whenever’ means just what it says. If, for example, a deacons meeting might have to decide about any number of practical ventures but even that is approached from the Spirit, not your practical or planning abilities. The first deacons were selected on the basis of whether they were filled with the Spirit and faith…individuals who had switched operating systems.
Two illustrations to close. A Triumph Herald 13/60 and a Jazz/Blues band.
My old Triumph Herald 13/60, a wonder car, had a metal lever in the boot. If you were running low on petrol you could push the lever over – the car had a spare tank. But many churches today are running on their spare tanks, their natural abilities. They are well led, well organised, have methods and programs, lively worship bands, and impressive ministries to the poor and youth, and worldwide mission. But the truth is, it’s so easy to drift from the church as a living organism – the body of Christ filled with the life of God - to a man-made organisation with a CEO pastor. Better to switch to the main tank and keep the main tank full. ‘Be filled with the Holy Spirit’ Paul wrote to the Ephesians…and us if we’re evangelical/charismatic believers.
Jazz and Blues bands can play for hours without a note of music in front of them, not because they have memorised every note but because all the music they need is inside them. In New Orleans, the bars are full of musicians who play all day long. As one leaves another joins in. Every so often one might go crazy and blow the roof off with an extemporary solo they have never played before or had been heard by anyone else. All full of enough music to keep it going but willing to let someone ‘speak’.
That’s how church should be. All full of the Spirit and every so often it might be you who brings a revelation or a song, a prophecy, or a miracle of healing…fresh bread.
A good eldership overseeing a congregation will be modelling this to the congregation but not seeking to dominate the meeting otherwise they’re not elders, they’re evangelical oxymorons.
Don’t be an evangelical oxymoron or a passive pew warmer.
And don’t be a Triumph Herald 13/60 running on reserve, switch to the main tank.
And pastors…start trembling like the Apostle Paul who learnt to rely on the presence of the Holy Spirit.
‘To Him be glory in the church through Christ Jesus to all generation’ Eph 3 v 21
Grace, mercy, and peace.