MEETINGS

Perhaps you have noticed that in most churches, if you want to be part of the life of the church, you have to go to meetings. Don't laugh, but in one church I attended, my application for formal membership was knocked back because I did not attend enough of the monthly communion services.

Back of heads fellowship meetings (Sunday morning), prayer meetings (maybe), Sunday school meetings, youth meetings, meetings for women, very occasionally meetings for men, bible study meetings, missionary meetings and so on.

A new ministry starts with another meeting after it has been decided to embark upon it after several committee meetings. (I was told that God so loved the world he didn’t send a committee).

Did the New Testament Church hold meetings? Well, yes they did but I get a distinct impression that they were nothing like the ones we have today in churches.

Today, what seems to be the most important thing about church meetings is the programme. We grace our “church” building with our presence and follow the meeting procedure set out by those who are in charge. We do things the same way as we have done for 500 years in many cases.

If you ask why we are doing things the same as we did 500 years ago, the usual reply is ‘because we have always done it this way.”

Why? Don’t know.

The New Testament Church, despite many vigorously stating they met in structures built for the purpose of meeting in, met in homes. If we are to believe archaeological history, that meant a maximum of 30 people for most homes.

The central feature of these “meetings” was a shared meal that all could partake of regardless of their social or financial standing in society. This was especially beneficial for widows and orphans who have meagre means of support.

Whilst eating they enjoyed each others fellowship. From my own experience, I do not know of a better way to relate to others than sharing a meal together.

As an aside, let me ask you how much fellowship you get with people during what is known as the eucharist/communion/Lord's table eating of a piece of bread or biscuit and drinking a thimbleful or sip of wine as most churches do today. If your experience is like mine, zero, zilch.

For that reason, I prefer the New Testament Church take on things than today’s religious ritual.

Add to the meal and fellowship, prayer and teaching and you have one well rounded and beneficial gathering. A meeting? Maybe, but I would say that it was more a meeting of mind and hearts rather than a meeting of traditions controlled by a programme.

The common factor in the New Testament Church was that they were all one in Christ Jesus. The common factor in the church today seems to be we are all one in meeting ritual. This is the way we do things and we are not going to change it for anyone…not even God.

I am very blessed inasmuch that I go to “meetings” where our main purpose is to meet with each other and with God. Any programme that we might have remains very flexible and fluid and is subject to change without notice if God shows up, which he often does.

We eat together (in armchairs), talk and share together; we sing a few songs of praise to God, not to make us feel warm and fuzzy, but to bring joy to the heart of God; we share the word of God with each other (forget sermons); and we definitely major in prayer. And it all takes place in a tin shed in someone’s back yard.

What does each others back of heads look like? We don’t know as we rarely see them. We connect with each other with our eyes, our bodies (lots of hugs) with our prayers and waiting on each other. Often we kneel in front of another as we pray for them. A kind of washing feet exercise.

When all is said and done and more is done than said, the overwhelming response is that we met God in the midst of our gathering. He came, and saw and blessed us beyond measure.

This happens more often than not because we are a small fellowship that is ready, willing and able to give God the right to do what he pleases, when he pleases, through whom he pleases and how he pleases.

We have enough confidence in God and each other to allow him to use whoever he wants to bring his blessing and presence into our gathering.

In comparison, going through the hymn prayer sandwich meeting week after week could not be more boring.

Going through the singing, communion, sermon meeting every week could not be more boring, especially when the whole atmosphere is fabricated by the type of music used to produce a warm fuzzy feeling.

If being alternate, strange, different, non religious, rebellious even means that we experience the God who is there on a regular basis, I raise my hand and plead guilty. Here I stand. I can do no other.