The Gathering of the Church
The apostle Paul told us what was to happen in the gathering of the church when we gather together.
I Cor. 14:26 … 26 How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying.
What Paul said was to happen in the gathering of the church is very different from what we see in churches today.
Today, in most church groups, there is a platform where approved men are sitting. Only those men are permitted to speak to the church group.
But Paul said “every one of you “ … all were permitted to speak, to share with the church. The Holy Spirit was free to speak as God willed through whom God willed.
Sometimes the Sunday school class is a little more like the description in the Bible of the instruction for the gathering of the church.
One of the church groups I attended had a teacher for Sunday morning who never failed, at the end of his lesson, to say, “Does anyone have a word from the Lord.”
In Paul’s instruction for the gathering of the church, there was no music “performance”. Today music is planned ahead and performed like a concert.
Some ministers even use music to get bigger crowds at their meetings, more like a secular event.
Music was never supposed to be this way in the church. If there was singing it would be spontaneous prompted by the Spirit of God.
When Paul mentioned “a psalm”, from the Bible psalms were prayers … David said: concerning his psalms, “The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.” Psalm 72:20
Music is not to be used to get the congregation in the mood for the sermon.
The people should come prepared for the Word of God …
Acts 17 … These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. 12 Therefore many of them believed;
God taught me the following to do when I met with the church: Speak what you hear in your ear when you stand before people.
God used two scriptures to instruct me concerning what I was to do …
Jesus said … I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear (as HE heard from God), I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me. John 5:30
Paul said … 1 And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. 2 For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. 3 And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. 4 And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: 5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. I Cor. 2
God taught me not to prepare ahead of the gathering. Just stay in the Bible constantly and when I did get in front of the church, HE would put in my ear what HE wanted spoken. I would be reminded at the moment of the gathering of a scripture or a dream or a situation. I just spoke as I was led by God at the time.
I did the same thing on radio broadcasts. I prepared nothing ahead of taping the broadcast. I just set the timer for 29 ½ minutes, turned on the tape recorder, and began speaking what was brought to my mind. I never edited a broadcast. The entire broadcast was recorded from beginning to end without turning the tape recorder off.
I Cor. 14 … concerning the gathering of the church … Paul says …
27 If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret. 28 But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God.
29 Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge. 30 If any thing be revealed to another that sitteth by, let the first hold his peace. 31 For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted. 32 And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. 33 For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.
The next instruction, let women keep silence in the church, took special work from God to get me to answer the call of God for my life in the church.
34 Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. 35 And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.
My early years in church were spent with my favorite aunt at Church of Christ. Women were forbidden to speak in the church … except in the Sunday school class.
This makes no sense at all for the Sunday school class is as much the church as the sermon at 11:00.
How is “church” defined? Is it by the hour of the day? No. The church is where 2 or 3 are gathered in the name of the Lord. It can take place in a car, in the grocery store, at home … anywhere. (The body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. I Cor. 6)
Jesus says: For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. Mt. 18:20
Nevertheless, I told God I must have HIM explain to me what Paul was saying when he commanded women to keep silence in the churches. I Cor. 14
The first thing God said to me about this is, “Look what these women were doing.”
I Cor. 14 … 35 And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.
I saw immediately that women were disrupting the flow of the Spirit of God in the church by asking questions.
Then God took me to the following scripture:
Acts 21 …and we entered into the house of Philip the evangelist, which was one of the seven; and abode with him. 9 And the same man had four daughters, virgins, which did prophesy.
Prophecy is for the church … These 4 daughters would have to speak in the church to prophesy to the church.
By this God convinced me.
It is out of order for women to disrupt the gathering of the church under the guise of learning … gaining control of the service by asking questions.
I’ve seen other times women were out of order in the church.
I visited a non-denominational church, where pastor was teaching the Sunday school class. All of a sudden a woman jumped out of her seat and began running around the room with her hands raised. The people became very excited and cheered. I was horrified. This woman was disrupting the church. The people in the room and the pastor thought this was the Holy Spirit. It was not the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit does not disrupt the church service and make anyone do crazy things. The Holy Spirit does not take over the human body. The Holy Spirit puts in our ear words of instruction from God.
I Cor. 14:26 … Let all things be done unto edifying.
Edify means: to instruct spiritually / to build in the faith
Concerning the gathering of the church …
I Cor. 14:40 …Let all things be done decently and in order.
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