Back in the 70s, I was part of a church in the UK that had no pastor, no platform, no pulpit, no programme and no preaching (not the sort we usually have).
So how did it function?
The church was led by a plurality of Elders, none of whom were brought in from outside the fellowship.
The meetings were conducted on the basis of when you come together, everyone has... Anyone could contribute as they were led by the Holy Spirit to do so, even visitors.
Sometimes the meetings would last six hours because no one wanted to go home whilst the Spirit of God was moving on the congregation. A dozen people could contribute to any one meeting in various ways.
It was a remarkable church in that people came early because they wanted the front seats, not those in the back.
In one meeting, the wife of an American family who was visiting for a year started to sing...
Thank you thank you Jesus
Thank you thank you Jesus
Thank you thank you Jesus
From my heart
Thank you thank you Jesus
Thank you thank you Jesus
Thank you thank you Jesus
From my heart.
The congregation picked it up and joined in the singing of it. They sang it and sang it and sang it and sang it.
it says in scripture that God inhabits the praises of his people. That morning during that song God inhabited the praises of his people in that church so much so we sang it...for an hour.
When the Holy Spirit is in control as he was that morning, anything can happen and there are no limits to the variety he brings to a meeting.
Can you imagine in a standard church service the leader of the meeting standing and saying "Our next song is Thank you thank you Jesus, Thank you thank you Jesus and we are going to sing it for an hour?"
Unfortunately, man, not even Christians will tolerate anything that is not set down in a programme. if the Holy Spirit wants to do anything differently, he is going to have to get permission from those that organise the meetings.
It was common for the gifts of the Spirit to be present in the meetings and as a result, we saw many healings of the body, soul, and spirit.
When I shared all this with the Christians in the country I now live in the first question every time was "What if something went wrong?"
My response was "Why would it go wrong if the Holy Spirit is in charge? You are presuming he can't control his own meetings."
Or, "if it goes wrong we had seven Elders in the meeting anyone of which could step in and bring order back into the meeting."
In the 10 years I in was in the church it only happened five times and it was usually a visitor who cut across what the Spirit was doing.
True worship takes place not in singing songs but in surrendering oneself to the Holy Spirit and allowing him to use you in any way he sees fit.
So how did it function?
The church was led by a plurality of Elders, none of whom were brought in from outside the fellowship.
The meetings were conducted on the basis of when you come together, everyone has... Anyone could contribute as they were led by the Holy Spirit to do so, even visitors.
Sometimes the meetings would last six hours because no one wanted to go home whilst the Spirit of God was moving on the congregation. A dozen people could contribute to any one meeting in various ways.
It was a remarkable church in that people came early because they wanted the front seats, not those in the back.
In one meeting, the wife of an American family who was visiting for a year started to sing...
Thank you thank you Jesus
Thank you thank you Jesus
Thank you thank you Jesus
From my heart
Thank you thank you Jesus
Thank you thank you Jesus
Thank you thank you Jesus
From my heart.
The congregation picked it up and joined in the singing of it. They sang it and sang it and sang it and sang it.
it says in scripture that God inhabits the praises of his people. That morning during that song God inhabited the praises of his people in that church so much so we sang it...for an hour.
When the Holy Spirit is in control as he was that morning, anything can happen and there are no limits to the variety he brings to a meeting.
Can you imagine in a standard church service the leader of the meeting standing and saying "Our next song is Thank you thank you Jesus, Thank you thank you Jesus and we are going to sing it for an hour?"
Unfortunately, man, not even Christians will tolerate anything that is not set down in a programme. if the Holy Spirit wants to do anything differently, he is going to have to get permission from those that organise the meetings.
It was common for the gifts of the Spirit to be present in the meetings and as a result, we saw many healings of the body, soul, and spirit.
When I shared all this with the Christians in the country I now live in the first question every time was "What if something went wrong?"
My response was "Why would it go wrong if the Holy Spirit is in charge? You are presuming he can't control his own meetings."
Or, "if it goes wrong we had seven Elders in the meeting anyone of which could step in and bring order back into the meeting."
In the 10 years I in was in the church it only happened five times and it was usually a visitor who cut across what the Spirit was doing.
True worship takes place not in singing songs but in surrendering oneself to the Holy Spirit and allowing him to use you in any way he sees fit.
