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Jesus said: "Where two or three are gathered together in my Name, there am I in the midst".
What is the church? Is it church services? Let us consider what the scriptures say about the church:
Taken from 1 Corinthians12:12-20
"The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body."
Therefore the church is the body of Christ. The body of Christ is made up of all born-again believers worldwide. There can also be local bodies made up of the members of a local assembly. The church is NOT meetings or services. These are just one of many things the church (body) does.
For example, is Paul addressing what is done in church services when he states women should not speak?
No! It is a general rule that women should not seek to exercise authority over men or seek to teach them. This applies whether you are at a meeting or outside a meeting. It applies whenever the church is gathered. ie whenever two or three or more Christians get together, for Jesus said where two or three are gathered together, I am there with you.
Does 1 Corinthians or any other NT passage mention that the church means services? In 1 Cor 11 it says "your meetings", but does that mean "services"? The context would suggest not. Meetings are "gatherings together" of believers. It doesn't always result in services. In 1 Cor 11 it was discussing having proper full meals together to commemorate the Last Supper, not a ceremonious wafer and sip of communion wine.
You don't read anywhere of "services". You DO read of the church gathered together to study the scriptures and pray together (in an informal way) including EACH ONE (not just one person) sharing their spiritual gifts and eating meals together etc. Paul saw that it was chaotic BECAUSE it was informal. He showed us how to retain informality but to do it decently and in order. The problem is that the church has been so concerned with "decent and in order" aspect that they have turned the meetings into "services" or "ceremonies".
What is the church? Is it church services? Let us consider what the scriptures say about the church:
Taken from 1 Corinthians12:12-20
"The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body."
Therefore the church is the body of Christ. The body of Christ is made up of all born-again believers worldwide. There can also be local bodies made up of the members of a local assembly. The church is NOT meetings or services. These are just one of many things the church (body) does.
For example, is Paul addressing what is done in church services when he states women should not speak?
No! It is a general rule that women should not seek to exercise authority over men or seek to teach them. This applies whether you are at a meeting or outside a meeting. It applies whenever the church is gathered. ie whenever two or three or more Christians get together, for Jesus said where two or three are gathered together, I am there with you.
Does 1 Corinthians or any other NT passage mention that the church means services? In 1 Cor 11 it says "your meetings", but does that mean "services"? The context would suggest not. Meetings are "gatherings together" of believers. It doesn't always result in services. In 1 Cor 11 it was discussing having proper full meals together to commemorate the Last Supper, not a ceremonious wafer and sip of communion wine.
You don't read anywhere of "services". You DO read of the church gathered together to study the scriptures and pray together (in an informal way) including EACH ONE (not just one person) sharing their spiritual gifts and eating meals together etc. Paul saw that it was chaotic BECAUSE it was informal. He showed us how to retain informality but to do it decently and in order. The problem is that the church has been so concerned with "decent and in order" aspect that they have turned the meetings into "services" or "ceremonies".
