It’s not unusual for the
person giving announcements, meditations or leading the music to go off script.
During their time on the platform they might share something the Spirit has
laid on their heart, try to warm up the audience by getting them engaged, or even
try their hand at being a standup comedian to get a laugh. Mega churches have
always controlled worship structure, but I’m now seeing the trend in smaller churches
to reign in the extemporaneous comments and control the service. Rather than
train people in the proper way to give announcements and meditations, preachers
and staff are taking over those segments of worship. Personally I don’t like
rabbit trails and I understand the time restraints of the worship service; however,
leaders seem to forget they are not the only ones qualified to speak in the
assembly of believers. Paul addressed being spiritually equipped, “Now about
virgins: I have no command from the Lord, but I give a judgment as one who by the
Lord’s mercy is trustworthy… and I think that I too have the Spirit of God” (1
Cor 7:25; 7:40b NIV).
1 comment:
Gail;
-----”26What then, brethren? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification...29Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said. 30If a revelation is made to another sitting by, let the first be silent. 31For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged.” (I Cor 14:26,29-31) But our worship services are these tightly controlled things of paying one man to pontificate before the Lord’s people in spite of God‘s Word? That a speaker must be paid to pontificate should reveal something. During the time the Holy Spirit was irresistibly moving in the hearts of many and constructing the first walls of Christ’s church, it was not like today. It was not a worship service ordered and tightly controlled by the church’s elected board of directors. The reason it has come to be so tightly controlled is the sheer dread of any ideas taking root in the people which has not grown from the church’s “little book of proprieties” all formulated up over the centuries because the Bible isn’t clear enough. Paid pontificators, church board members, and little books of proprieties are why we have so many different denominations all puffed up against one another. And those bickering denominations are why the world has turned a blind eye to the Son of God (John 17:21)
-----But the Holy Spirit is no respecter of men. Read the first few verses of each prophetic book in the Old Testament. How many prophets are described as having come from the pinnacles of wealth? How many were Hollywood superstars? They were ordinary men with hearts turned towards the Lord like radar dishes. They were men who tended their thoughts carefully by the shepherding of God’s Word. And they were sober about it, because they knew God is not just a good show.
-----So why do our worship services reflect canned pabulum more than God’s Word. What is wrong with God’s Word that we can not reflect it without having some mother-guy first chew it to slush then spit it into our mouths? Don’t we have any teeth of our own for chewing ourselves?
-----Rick Warren’s error is a great example of what becomes of churches buying pontificators. They stand before the people as frail as every person in the house and act like what they’re saying comes straight from the Lord’s mouth because it has been spewed from a pulpit. And all the people hold up high that “Hollywood star” in the pulpit not seeing what many of their precious stars do in the closet to the church secretary. The pulpit and the church board are places of power. And one thing we Americans understand well is the corruptive effects of power. And those effects do effect the words spewed from the pulpit protected by the power of one.
-----God’s Word does not agree with our power places. In the days the Holy Spirit was running things, many voices had a place amongst God’s people. Of course there was still corruption, contention, and plain old goofy ideas, but not to the degree we have today in our Laodicean churches.
-----Paul followed up his instructions to the Corinthians regarding worship services saying, ”37If any one thinks that he is a prophet, or spiritual, he should acknowledge that what I am writing to you is a command of the Lord. 38If any one does not recognize this, he is not recognized.” (I Cor 14:37-38) Yet we continue recognizing the paid pontificator and the board members who’ve won the annual popularity contests. And we say, “What good children are we!”
Love you all,
Steve Corey
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