Does somebody have to attend a weekly Sunday morning
meeting in order to minister to other Christians or receive from others? Is that
meeting the church? See, I believe the people are the church, not a meeting. So
the key is learning to live as the church through our daily lives. Absolutely,
we should be encouraging and ministering to one another. But is a formal weekly
meeting the only way that happens? Can this not happen through real
relationships with one another? What about having other believers over for
dinner? Is that not the church gathering together? What about sitting down with
some brothers or sisters in Christ over lunch? Didn't Jesus say He'd be in the
middle of that? What we Christians have done is drawn up little compartments for
God. We say that this one meeting once a week is spiritual time and when true
ministry happens, then we view everything else is inferior to that time. But I
don't believe that at all. In fact, through looking at the life of Jesus and His
relationships with those around Him, I personally believe what happens living
relationally through out the week with other believers is far more impacting
than a weekly service. It was as Jesus and His followers were going from place
to place among the people that He shaped their lives. I believe lives are shaped
through genuine relationships, not weekly services. And the deepest ministry
happens through relationship, not services.
Besides, in truth, only a select few are allowed to "minister" during those
once a week meeting times to begin with. So we are not really being ministered
to by one another, but only from a handful of people who have been deemed worthy
to minister. (So much for the priesthood of all believers.) So even if a person
was to come to a weekly meeting because they believed they had something to give
that would build up their brothers and sisters, he would find himself as a
“bench warmer” until he jumped through all the right hoops to prove that he was
"worthy" to be used of God. He has to climb up whatever latter of command that
organization has in place, be liked by all the right "important" people, then
get their stamp of approval before he can simply share or encourage his brothers
and sisters. This is not what I read in scripture. I read that we are all
priests and ministers unto the Lord. I read that everybody has a gift to share.
I read that if anybody has a song, share it, a word of encouragement, give it, a
revelation, share it, a prophecy, speak it out. These organization claim to be
Bible believing, but they seemed to be very selective about what parts of the
Bible they believe. I have grown so tired of the squelching of the priesthood of
the believer. It really is a crime. What has been taken from all God's children
and handed over to a select few is just wrong. And when I sit in organized
meetings and I see His church sitting silent, facing forward, my heart breaks. I
become so overwhelmed with grief when I see what has been taken from God's
people. When I see Christians being organized and programmed rather than simply
hearing God for themselves and walking in what God has put in their hearts, my
heart breaks. When I see people living to perform on Sunday mornings or
centering their walk with God around a once a week meeting, I'm grieved.
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Articles by Loren Rosser
