A Real Difference

Or How Our Traditions and Presuppositions Define Our Worship

In the Beginning

Congregation Goals

Disillusionment To be different EPIC Experiential, Participatory, Image-based, Connective Open Participation Freedom of Worship Relevance Community Fellowship Meal Accountability/ Support

Here and Now

Are we really that different? Are we even supposed to be different?

My Journey

College Paid, Full-time Ministry Unemployment Secular Work and Volunteer Ministry The Experiment

Pagan Christianity

Where do the ways we do things come from? Are the actions we do during worship scriptural? If we want to be like the New Testament church, what would that actually look like?

What Happened to the Church?

There is perhaps nothing worse than reaching the top of the ladder and discovering that youre on the wrong wall. JOSEPH CAMPBELL, TWENTIETH-CENTURY AMERICAN WRITER

Why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? JESUS CHRIST, MATTHEW 15:3

The Church Building

Church building as church

Our language Separation of sacred vs. profane House churches to cemeteries

Constantine Father of the Church Building Why does it matter?

To the ears of a first-century Christian, calling an ekklesia (church) a building would have been like calling your wife a condominium or your mother a skyscraper.

The Order of Worship

The Order

Greeting, Announcements, Prayer, Scripture Reading, Song Service, Offering, Sermon, Altar Call, Benediction

Origin of the Order

Catholic Mass Gregory the Great Martin Luther D.L. Moody

The Order of Worship (cont.)

Whats the big deal?

The order did not originate with Christ or the apostles. The order represses participation. The order strangles the headship of Christ The order is oftentimes BORING!

The Early Church

Every member functioning Spontaneity, freedom, vibrancy Open participation 1 Cor 14:1-33, Hebrews 10:25

The Sermon

And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of mans wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
PAUL OF TARSUS, 1 CORINTHIANS 2:4-5

The Sermon (cont.)

Cornerstone of Worship The Sermon Today

Regular occurrence Same person Passive audience Cultivated and structured

The Sermon (cont.)

The Sermon in Scripture Sporadic Delivered on special occasions to deal with specific problems/ issues Extemporaneous without rhetorical structure Most often dialogical rather than monological Ministry of Gods Word in Scripture Came from the entire church (1 Cor 14:26, 31; Romans 12:4; Ephesians 4:11; Hebrews 10:25) Included teaching, exhortation, prophecy, singing, and admonishment (Romans 12:6-8; 1 Cor 14:26; Colossians 3:16) Conversational (1 Cor 14:29) and marked by interruptions (1 Cor 14:30)

The Sermon (cont.)

Where did the sermon of today come from?

Clement of Alexandria

lamented the fact that sermons did so little to change Christians.

Greek culture

Sophists rhetoric, or persuasive speaking

Chrysostom and Augustine John Calvin and Jonathon Edwards

The Sermon (cont.)

How does the sermon harm the church?

Preacher as virtuoso performer Stalemates spiritual growth encourages passivity We must function to mature (Mark 4:24-25; Hebrews 10:2425; Ephesians 4:11-16; 1 Cor 12-14) Preserves unbiblical clergy mentality Rather than equipping the saints, it de-skills them How many have heard sermons for year upon year to still be a babe in Christ? Impractical non-experiential

The Pastor

The embodiment of Protestantism Remove the pastor and most churches would be thrown into upheaval Irony not one single verse in the entire New Testament that supports the existence of the modern pastor

The Pastor (cont.)

But pastor is in the Bible, right?

And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers. Ephesians 4:11 Only verse that uses the word pastor The word is used in the plural The Greek word (poimenas) means shepherd Ephesians 4 is vague offers no explanation, description, etc.

The Pastor (cont.)

What is so bad about the modern pastor?

It creates a distinct split between clergy/ laity

The pastor (and other ministers) are first-class citizens, while everyone else is second-class

It restricts every member from functioning in worship only a small group of activities can be undertaken by all but the pastor It turns ministry (service) into a profession The pastors clout rivals that of Christ Himself!

The Music Minister

Suffers some of the same setbacks as pastors existing in churches In the early church, songs worship and singing were in the hands of all Gods people (Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16) Much as with the pastor, but possibly moreso, music ministers are judged as entertainers.

The Tithe

Is tithing biblical?

Tithe appears in the Bible yes, it is biblical However, it is not Christian

Tithing as Jewish law

Similar to our income taxing Tithing, along with the rest of the law, was nailed to the cross with Christ. Because of this, we dont see Christians tithing in the New Testament, no more than we see them sacrificing goats and lambs.

The Tithe (cont.)

Christian Giving

Give according to ability (2 Cor 8:3-12; 9:5-13)

The tithe today

In the Old Testament, the tithe was good news to the poor. However, in our day, presenting tithing as Gods command oppresses the poor.

The Lords Supper

For the early church, the Lords supper was a festive, community meal. It was a full meal. (1 Cor 11:21-34) It was called the love feast, or agape (Jude 1:12)

Where Do We Go From Here?

What can bring us closer to our original goals? (an open-participatory community) We have already taken the biggest step toward becoming more like the early church we have left the institutionalized church. Since we have the freedom to do so, do we want to see where this re-focusing can go?