The Original New Testament Church Way of Services

[newview]

I was noticing something about Paul's descriptions of services in the early church. He said:

Another tradition compared to what they seemed to do in the NT church is there being one preacher getting up and giving one sermon - for the most part it seems the order of service in most protestant churches is
*singing
* testimonials
*singing
*preaching (one elder)
*call to be saved and/or prayed for
*tithes and offerings
*singing
*announcements * benedictions

Some churches try to get the tithes and offerings before the sermon.
And some churches might have skits and musicals and comedians or mimes somewhere during the services - but for the most part - it seems to be like the listing above.

Although from what Paul was describing - there was more of participation from the whole congregation according to this passage of scriptures:

26How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying.

27If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret.

28But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God.

29Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge.

30If any thing be revealed to another that sitteth by, let the first hold his peace.

31For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted.

32And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets.

33For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.


How he described it - those services seemed organic - they just seemed to flow.
It seemed organic.

I dont know if anyone has been to a Quaker church service - its sort of like that - everybody gets up and tells what they feel the Holy Spirit has for them to share. I've seen one other service to among a sacred name congregation. But no other church have I experienced that.

Do you think back then there was more participation among the whole congregation?

[Joseph Gill]

The organic, Spirit-led services or the early church were replicated 100 years ago at the Azusa revival. I think of the description of the revival offered by journalist Frank Bartleman, its unofficial chronicler:

"We had no pope or hierarchy. We were brethren. We had no human program; the Lord Himself was leading. We had no priest class, nor priest craft. These things have come in later, with the apostatizing of the movement. We did not even have a platform or pulpit in the beginning. All were on a level. The ministers were servants, according to the true meaning of the word. We did not honor men for their advantage in means or education, but rather for their God-given gifts. He set the members in the Body.

The services ran almost continuously. Seeking souls could be found under the power almost any hour of the night or day. The place was never closed nor empty. The people came to meet God...He was always there. Hence a continuous meeting. The meeting did not depend on the human leader. God's presence became more and more wonderful. In that old
building, with its low rafters and bare floors, God took strong men and women to pieces, and put them together again, for His glory. It was a tremendous overhauling process. Pride and self-assertion, self-importance and self-esteem could not survive there. The religious ego preached its own funeral sermon quickly.

No subjects or sermons were announced ahead of time, and no special speakers for such an hour. No one knew what might be coming, what God would do. All was spontaneous, ordered of the Spirit. We wanted to hear from God, through whomever He might speak. We had no respect of persons. The rich and educated were the same as the poor and ignorant, and found a much harder death to die. We only recognized God. All were equal. No flesh might glory in His presence. He could not use the self-opinionated. Those were Holy Ghost meetings, led of the Lord. It had to start in poor surroundings, to keep out the selfish, human element. All came down in humility together at His feet. They all looked
alike and had all things in common, in that sense at least. The rafters were low, the tall must come down. By the time they got to Azusa they were humbled, ready for the blessing. The fodder was thus placed for the lambs, not for giraffes. All could reach it."

[James Pierce]

Early Church services were in synagouges and homes. They consisted of Torah readings, teaching, singing and worshiping.

[Joseph Gill]

Newview gave us a quotation from the first epistle to the Corinthians. At the time the Paul wrote, the Corinthian church was not meeting in synagogues. There had been a break with Judaism back during Paul's second missionary journey:

And he was reasoning in the synagogue every Sabbath and trying to persuade Jews and Greeks. But when Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul {began} devoting himself completely to the word, solemnly testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. But when they resisted and blasphemed, he shook out his garments and said to them, "Your blood {be} on your own heads! I am clean. From now on I will go to the Gentiles." Then he left there and went to the house of a man named Titius Justus, a worshiper of God, whose house was next to the synagogue. [Acts 18:4-7]

[Pastor valentine]

The new testament church [ every church] should get back to fire and brimestone teaching and preaching. The main and only goal should be to bring the lost to Christ Jesus .note: time is winding down