The act of meeting together is intended to be an opportunity for believers to encourage and support one another.  This should always be seen as it’s primary function.  The church should not be seen as a means of influence over the unbelieving population or the government, but as an opportunity for Scripture to be declared as the authority over our lives.  Paul gives the Corinthian church a pattern of how the believers’ meetings should function.

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“What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation.  Everything must be done so that the church may be built up.  If anyone speaks in a tongue, two—or at the most three—should speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret.  If there is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet in the church and speak to himself and to God. Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said.  And if a revelation comes to someone who is sitting down, the first speaker should stop.  For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged.  The spirits of prophets are subject to the control of prophets.  For God is not a God of disorder but of peace—as in all the congregations of the Lord’s people.  Women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says.  If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church.  Or did the word of God originate with you?  Or are you the only people it has reached?   If anybody thinks he is a prophet or spiritually gifted, let him acknowledge that what I am writing to you is the Lord’s command.  But if he ignores this, he himself will be ignored.  Therefore my brothers, be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues.  But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way.” (1 Corinthians 14:26-40) 

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This is God’s command as it is written.  This is how the body should function, with spiritual gifts actively employed “so that the church may be built up”. But is the scriptural model of the new covenant church really reflected in what we see now?   Are we using excuses such as tradition or order to ignore the Lord’s command?  

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Are we so concerned with our own idea of “order”, that we have denied the Holy Spirit and this command?  The pattern we see when we enter most gatherings now is as follows:  Welcome – sing three songs (maybe four) – announcements (as often about worldly events as matters relating to the body) – give some money – listen to one man speak – sing three more songs – have a cup of tea (or coffee) and a piece of cake (or a biscuit) – go home. 

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Does this look anything like the pattern that God has commanded to follow in the passage above?  NO!  This is man’s version of order.  Should we be using this ‘order’ as an excuse to exclude the contributions and gifts that God himself has provided?  Obviously not, because it says, “Everything must be done, so that the church may be built up”. None of these gifts should be excluded for the sake of order or tradition (or even worse - because of unbelief). These things should all be done in an orderly way.

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Should we use a diploma in theology to deny the Holy Spirit?  Should dogma or culture or comfort or feminism or psychology or perspective or ‘belief system’ or any other excuse at all, be used to deny what is written?  Of course not!  The church belongs to Christ – not to men!  God’s word is truth!  A diploma in theology is not a spiritual gift!  It is a worldly qualification and should be seen as such. It does not qualify anyone to preach the gospel (it does not necessarily disqualify them either). But it is the Holy Spirit who sets these tasks.

Scripture simply asks,  “Did the word of God originate with you?"  And then says, “If he ignores this, he himself will be ignored.” 

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The early church was not simply about having weekly meetings.  The early church functioned as a family who were actively involved in one another’s daily lives:  “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.  Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles.  All the believers were together and had everything in common.  Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.  Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts.  They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts.” (Acts 2:42-46)      

                                       

All the believers were one in heart and mind.  No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had.  With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all.  There were no needy persons among them.  From time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.” (Acts 4:32-35)  

 

They saw it as their duty to look after their own needy.  It was done voluntarily, and motivated by their love for one another and their faith in the promises of the Lord Jesus Christ.  “In those days when the number of the disciples was increasing, the Grecian Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food.  So the twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, ‘It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables.  Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom.  We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.’  This proposal pleased the whole group.  They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenus, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism.  They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.  So the word of God spread.  The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.” (Acts 6:1-7)

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The duties of believers within the body were being separated even at this early stage in the church.  The concern of the apostles was being obedient to the Lord Jesus.  He had commanded them to preach, and through their obedience, more people became “obedient to the faith.”  The task was clearly set before them by the Lord and they continued to obey faithfully.  The rest of the believers were learning to obey the commands of the Lord through the teaching of the apostles.  This was their first priority.  It says, “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching”.  They were learning to love one another more completely in practical ways, by sharing their possessions and caring for those in need.  Even the task of distributing food among the widows, required men who were “known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom."  Not all the believers were called to preach.  Instead, they were required to contribute into the daily lives of their fellow believers, according to the gifts they had been given.  The lives of the believers became examples for outsiders, as it is written, they enjoyed “the favour of all the people.” (Acts 2:47).   It was their obedience to the teaching of the apostles that set this example for others.  We are also called “from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith.” (Rom. 1:5).  We also have the teachings of the apostles, given to us in their letters, to encourage us and spur us on in obedience to Christ.  This obedience is our testimony to the world.  We are not to ‘interpret’ this teaching, but to “obey” it!  As it is written, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves.  Do what it says.” (James1:22).