First Things

The Gathering of the Saints

In a previous post, I wrote about the core activities that take place when a body of believers gathers.  I explained that this exchange of divine life is expressed in four different ways which represent the irreducible functions of a church’s life.  These functions include:

• Receiving divine life from the Lord (to bless and exchange it with others); 
• Loving and glorifying the Lord (worship); 
• Building up the body (fellowship); and 
• Expanding the Kingdom.  

I mentioned that these activities are held together by support structures that efficiently facilitate these functions.  I also warned that such support structures should never compete with core functions else they become a distraction to the church’s true purpose.  In fact, anything else done that competes with a core function is a distraction that can threaten the church’s effectiveness.

I spoke very broadly about these functions and avoided solid examples of how these functions could be expressed.  It’s human nature to try to emulate the patterns and activities in the hope of attaining the same success.  The modern church is full of this kind of thinking–with marketing, leadership styles, and multiplication strategies being the usual suspects.

But the church’s goal is not to be “successful” as the world views success, but to operate by the life of Christ.  The goal then is not to engage in habits or empty rituals, but to learn to operate under His headship.  To learn to live by His indwelling as a body is to pursue Christ together.  The Word of God (Christ) is living and active.  He leads us as we derive our thoughts and actions from His limitless supply.

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A few weeks ago we returned to our home state of Ohio to visit with family and help prepare my mother-in-law’s house for the market.  Southeastern Ohio still holds a special place in my heart.  I love the green, rolling hills, quaint villages, and friendly people.  Even though I left nearly two decades ago, it’s still familiar.  And unlike Alabama, the seasons change slowly and gradually.  Even in the middle of summer, the weather was unseasonably perfect.   

On our way back home, we had planned on visiting with some friends we met a few years ago.  They’re always tremendously hospitable–offering us not only a place to stay for the night, but homemade dinner, and breakfast as well.  Aside from reconnecting, we also had a rare opportunity to join them for a Christian gathering that meets at their house on Saturday evenings.

Under the Headship of Christ

So what does a church gathering look like when you remove all the fillers and artificial preservatives and strip it down to Christ alone?

We know from scripture that the church met together for several reasons. According to author Frank Viola, the style and form of the meeting would depend on its purpose. For example, apostolic meetings where where workers like Paul would come to preach for the purposes of planting a new church or encourage an existing one. On other occasions, the church would come together to make important decisions (i.e. Acts 15). However, the most common meeting was the regular gathering of the saints. This would be the equivalent of the typical “Sunday morning service”, though in the first century it looked vastly different than what’s common today. However, there are pockets of believers that still continue to meet in the first century fashion. Meeting under the direct headship of Christ is a unique and incredibly rare experience.  It’s difficult to describe the details of what “normally” takes place in such a gathering.  They’re different from common church gatherings in three main respects.  

First, there is no designated human leader and no prescribed order of the meeting.  Instead, the members are led directly by the Holy Spirit to where He wants to take them.  This isn’t to say human leadership is completely removed.  But it looks significantly different from the typical ideas of church leadership.  For example, those with a pastoral gift don’t do most of the talking.  They don’t designate the topic and call on others in the group to answer questions.  They don’t delegate.  Instead, their roles are limited to cultivating the exchange of life and filtering distractions.  Unlike in a typical church service where the “leader” takes center stage, you likely wouldn’t be able to identify the leader in an organic gathering.  Instead of one person doing most of the talking, Jesus is the one who does the talking through all the saints who are present. 

Second, the gathering is open and participatory.  This means that everyone plays an active part in the exchange as they are led by the Spirit.  No one is left out.  Each shares from their experiences of encountering Christ throughout the week.  This awakens the Spirit in others who “piggyback” off of those ideas and share from their own lives.  For those who have never participated in this kind of gathering, you would think that it would be pure chaos.  But for those who’ve been built together, it’s a beautiful orchestration from the Unseen Conductor.  This type of activity is exactly what Paul instructed for the church in Corinth:

What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up.

1 Corinthians 14:26 (ESV)

Third, in such gatherings there is a laser-like focus on the person of Jesus Christ.  He is the First Thing, the Last Thing, and Everything in between.   Expository teaching in such meetings is the exception rather than the rule.  Self-help sermons or academic treatises are nowhere to be found.  They don’t share facts about Christ.  They share Christ Himself.  Through the nudges of the Spirit, Christ is placed front and center.  Those present behold His glory by the insights that are shared , the words that are sung, the encouragement that’s given, and the hospitality that’s offered.  

…dear God, it’s beautiful.   

This said, I wanted to share details of our experience that evening.  I wanted to give you a first-hand glimpse of what it looks like to operate directly under Christ’s headship.  Interestingly, this little group has told me that there’s no such thing as a typical meeting.  No two gatherings ever look the same.  Just like our King, the Body demonstrates infinite diversity amid an ageless absolute.  

So what did this meeting look like? 

The Gathering of the Saints

My family, our hosts, and their son (who also lived in the area) were talking while we waited for others to show up.  They normally gather at 4:44pm. It’s an unusual time for anything to begin, but I figured that “4-4-4” was memorable and ensured everyone arrived by 5:00pm at the latest.

One brother showed up a little early.  While we all waited for the others to arrive, he shared a little story about what happened to him that week.  Given that we hadn’t “officially” started yet, he could have easily talked about the weather, or sports, or just about any other thing.  But instead he chose to talk about how a sports injury that week laid the groundwork for two saints to mutually encourage one another in the Lord.

That’s different, I thought.

After a few minutes, a couple arrived who had recently returned from a Christian conference that our hosts had also attended.  Lastly, there was another gentleman that we remembered from the last time we visited.  The first time we met was His first evening to visit the group.  We were glad to see that he was still meeting with everyone after all these months.  

I had been told that, due to circumstances, there would be much fewer people in the meeting than normal.  Altogether, there were 12 of us: Five sisters and seven brothers.

At 5:00pm we all enjoyed a meal that had been prepared.  It was all very casual and laid back.  No one was a stranger.  Everyone enjoyed one another’s company.  There was some small talk, particularly with my kids (who were still a bit shy).  But the prevalent topics included the Lord and the things in their lives that touched on Him.  This wasn’t just lip service.  It was very clear that He was their center and what held them together as a family.  It was a strange social dynamic.  I wasn’t just an observer of their fellowship.  My family and I were participants. Despite having met them only once before, I felt like I had known them for years.  This has been my experience with others who know the Lord deeply–not just here but other places.  It’s as if you know each other through a common friend.  

Because you do.  

After a casual dinner, we meandered into the living room.  Family took the couch and I took a position in front of them sitting on the floor.  Everyone faced one another. One of the hosts asked us to silence our phones and suggested that we spend a few minutes in silence just focusing on the Lord.  We spent what seemed to be about five to 10 minutes with our eyes closed, meditating on Him.  It was very quiet.  

After a few more minutes, a sister shared a poem that she had written that was inspired by Psalm 27.  It went like this:

There is a place where my soul finds rest,

Leaning in close with my head on His chest.

I hear His heartbeat and know I am safe.

Here I am home in this secret place.

After a few minutes, a brother shared from from Psalm 134:

Praise the Lord, all you servants of the Lord

who minister by night in the house of the Lord.

Lift up your hands in the sanctuary

and praise the Lord.

May the Lord bless you from Zion,

he who is the Maker of heaven and earth.

Psalm 134:1-3 (NIV)

Those who were not speaking were listening. The mood was very reverent.  It was casual, but very focused.

From here, a brother picked up a guitar and began to sing a song.  Though I wasn’t familiar with the words, I recalled they centered on the greatness of the Lord.  It was worship.  But it wasn’t just worship about Him.  It was worship to Him.  It was a song extolling the praises of our King who was in our midst.  A King who was becoming more visible by the moment. 

After a brief pause, a brother spoke a few words about how one of the simplest things we can do with our hands is to lift them in worship.  So far, it seemed that the Spirit was leading us to speak of His sanctuary and praise. 

Around this time a brother offered a spontaneous prayer.  He just said it.  There was no warning.  There was no lead-up.  He simply began speaking to the Lord who was there with us.  

After this, the same brother recommended that the group listen to a song entitled Is He Worthy? by Shane & Shane.  We listened to it once, then twice…  

Is anyone worthy? Is anyone whole?

Is anyone able to break the seal and open the scroll?

The Lion of Judah who conquered the grave

He is David’s root and the Lamb who died to ransom the slave

Is He worthy? Is He worthy

Of all blessing and honor and glory?

Is He worthy of this?

He is.

The song asked questions which led to affirmation.  Some listened while others sang along.  It was a time of pure, spontaneous praise and worship being offered up from this humble little living room of 12 people.  It wasn’t artificial, but rather organic.  It wasn’t initiated through emotion or hype.  It came about as we naturally approached His nearness.  

We didn’t invite Him into our worship.  He invited us into His.   

During the song I remember the Lord asking me why I was so uptight.  I had grown up in a very reserved church setting and never did anything undignified like raise my hands–not in public anyway.  

He told me that I was in need of some breaking or order to be the person I was meant to be.

Be gentle, I asked.

While my eyes were closed, I later learned that one of my daughters was in tears.  She had caught sight of the Lord’s glory in not only the song, but in the way the brothers and sisters responded.

After the song was over, a brother felt led to read from Revelation:

And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight. And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say,

“Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!”

Revelation 4:6-8 (ESV)

He explained how, by being filled with eyes all around, the Living Creatures could not help praise God Almighty for continually seeing the Lord’s glory.  A sister explained that their eyes allowed them to see the Lord regardless of their orientation while dancing in His presence.

Amen, amen.  He is worthy, indeed!

After the discussion had died down, a brother invited my son to pull a small wooden treasure chest from a nearby table.  He explained that inside were the treasures of Christ.  The chest was filled with several small pieces of paper folded in half.  Each one had been written on a “treasure” that we have in Christ.  He randomly chose one and opened it.

He had chosen fellowship.

One brother began by describing what he thought about the fellowship we have in Christ.  He described the fellowship not just with one another but one another with Christ, just as rich as the fellowship between the Father and the Son as Jesus described in the gospel of John:

I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.

John 17:20-23 (ESV)

Another brother described how fellowship penetrates hearts.  Fellowship is a union through super-natural love where His light penetrates the darkness.  His fellowship with His body is our light.  

Taking a cue from the Spirit, another brother mentioned John 1:4.

In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.

John 1:4 (ESV)

He explained how this verse took on a new meaning now.  The life of Christ is not merely a lantern that illuminates our path, but has the potential to be the light that emanates from us for the whole world to see. 

Yet another brother was reminded of a very beautiful picture of the purest love exchanged between the Father and the Son, by way of the Spirit that we had been invited into.  Within the Trinity, we as brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ don’t just observe this love, but are caught in the middle of it.  There, love overcomes us.

This reminded a brother of the Trinitarian fellowship seen in the Greek wedding dance known as the perichoresis.  From his phone, he read the following description by Jonathan Marlowe…

“The theologians in the early church tried to describe this wonderful reality that we call Trinity. If any of you have ever been to a Greek wedding, you may have seen their distinctive way of dancing . . . It’s called perichoresis. There are not two dancers, but at least three. They start to go in circles, weaving in and out in this very beautiful pattern of motion. They start to go faster and faster and faster, all the while staying in perfect rhythm and in sync with each other. Eventually, they are dancing so quickly (yet so effortlessly) that as you look at them, it just becomes a blur. Their individual identities are part of a larger dance. The early church fathers and mothers looked at that dance (perichoresis) and said, “That’s what the Trinity is like.” It’s a harmonious set of relationships in which there is mutual giving and receiving. This relationship is called love, and it’s what the Trinity is all about. The perichoresis is the dance of love.”

How beautiful.  How perfect, I thought.  Art imitating life.

Another brother clarified that we don’t “invite God into our presence” as is often said.  Rather, He is inviting us into His.

A sister mentioned that there is also fellowship that comes when we participate in the suffering of Christ.  We read from Philippians 3:10 where the apostle Paul spoke of knowing Christ by sharing in His sufferings.  She mentioned that fellowship through suffering is unique in that we will only be able to participate in it on this side of the resurrection.   

As the gathering was coming to a close, the communion was offered.  I noticed that the bread used was of the same loaf that we used when we fellowshipped together at dinner (which I thought was an appropriate touch.)  Before we drank the juice and ate the bread, several of us spoke of what this meal meant for us.  I wish I could remember the details of some of the things that were said, but it all magnified the Christ who was in our midst.

That evening, the Lord spoke to us words that reflected His worship, His fellowship, His light, and His suffering.  Not all of it came directly from scripture.  Some of it came from the Spirit and from the experiences of the saints spent walking with Christ throughout the week.  It came from the overflow of a life lived in the living, breathing reality of Christ.  Having received this life from the Lord, we shared it with the others in the gathering.  Having shared it, we reflected them back up to the Lord in praise, honor, and glory.  By expressing this cycle of divine life, this little gathering of saints participated in the timeless eternal fellowship of the Trinitarian Community.

To do this is, quite literally, why we exist.

It Ain’t Easy

No doubt you’ve experienced bits and pieces of what I described in Bible studies, life group meetings, and other “lay-led” gatherings outside the formal church service.  But I have several friends who have tasted the distinction and are now driven to break out of calcified paradigms and experience the freedom, fluidity, and intimacy of gathering under Christ in fullness.  Once you get a taste of it, once you’ve been exposed to a visceral expression of Christ’s glory, you’re ruined for anything less.

Gathering under the headship of Christ is not a matter of changing techniques, methods, or gathering places.  Rather, it’s what organically occurs when a group of believers lay aside their personal experiences, ideas, and expectations and allow Christ to lead them.  

This doesn’t happen quickly or easily.  Understand that this particular group has been meeting together for the last five years.  That’s five years of making the pursuit of Christ their focus, both individually and corporately.  They told me that it wasn’t always so smooth.  Learning to live by Christ and gather under His headship takes time, patience, forgiveness, and a whole lot of humility.  (The average American has none of that.)  But out of His abundance, the Lord is faithful to provide those things to those who put Him first.

Any time we pursue Christ, it exacts a cost.  For many, such demands will be just too costly.  It requires us to give up too much of what we have.  It requires us to give up too much of what we know and who we are.  It requires a shared vision among a critical mass of people who are willing to do anything to experience the profound simplicity of Jesus Christ and His Kingdom.

So, how badly do you want it?

With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.