Previous Post – What Is The Church? The Fullness of Christ
What Is The Church? Introduction
What Is The Church? Discernment & Discipline – 1
What Is The Church? Disciples Breaking Bread Together – 2
What Is The Church? Baptism & the New Community – 3
What Is The Church? The Fullness of Christ – 4
In the previous post we explored how baptism into the Body of Christ draws us together in a generative mutuality, where every person is gifted within the context of the whole. Such a posture resists hierarchical leadership formation, preferring instead a community of consensus that trust, empowers and submits individuals in their gifting as circumstance dictates. Such a way of life is a witness to a watching world in its promise of acceptance, love and participation in the the life of God and His community. In this next post we will engage with the practice of the open meeting, what Yoder calls the rule of Paul.
“Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said. If a revelation is made to someone else sitting nearby, let the first person be silent. For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and be encouraged.” 1 Corinthians 14:29-31 (NRSV)
For the Apostle Paul, the community was the place in which God’s will was to be discerned, specifically in the very act of common worship. Further, it is in this context of the worship community that discerning the meaning of Scripture is primarily engaged. It does not deny academia nor those with unique giftings of teaching, but rather sees those dynamics as in submission to the primary hermeneutic of the community.
It is critical to note that this practice in worship is a natural expression of our identity in the fullness of Christ. In other words, it is born out of our nature as a people, not primarily as an order for worship. The implications are this: such a formation of communal mutuality must therefore shape how we function in life in general- our families, businesses, schools, etc. While we haven’t the time or space to exploring the complexity of this aspect, it is critical that we do not limit this to the worship context alone. Instead, the worshipful posture of God’s people should touch every aspect of life.
In the post “What Is The Church? Discipline & Discernment”, I shared some ways in which Little Flowers Community engages this practice. There are times when this approach is chaotic, messy and (seemingly) inefficient. However, we remind ourselves that such struggle is a product of our brokenness, not inherent to this practice. In other words, we must resist the impulse to escape into the easier approaches of hierarchical leadership or even democratic decision making.
It is interesting that prior to Pentecost, drawing lots was an acceptable way to discern God’s will, including the choice of who would replace Judas among the twelve. Proverbs 16:33 says, “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD.” In other words, they did not see casting lots as handing things over to chance, but instead trusted in God’s divine intervention to guide the results. This is a critical point: the disciples would rather trust God’s intervention into drawing lots than to presume upon His will by voting. Yet, since Pentecost, the fullness of Christ dwells within His people, allowing us discern His will together.
Such a practice acts as a signpost to a watching world that there is something greater than any one individual- even something greater than the sum of our parts. However, it also extends an invitation into a life of incredible purpose, hope and love. This is the fullness of life that Christ promises. This is not to suggest there is a formula that always works and that other methods- even voting- will never work. Rather it is about the affirmation of who we are in Christ and how that leads us to live.
What does it mean to worship together as a people of Christ? How do you engage in the fullness of your community in worship and in life?
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