DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- ORDER IN THE CHURCH

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – ORDER IN THE CHURCH

"Let all things be done decently and in order." (I Corinthians 14:40)

When civil court proceeding get out of order, the judge says, "Order in the court!" It seems that things were getting out of control in the church in Corinth and the Apostle Paul might have said, "Order in the Church!"

There is a variety of order in the worship services in Christ's Church. Some churches are very structured, with the liturgy of the service set without any variance, even down to the minute of each segment of the service. And if the service lasts for more than 60 minutes, people get antsy. Other churches are very free in their structure. If one part of the service lasts longer than usual, it is not an issue. The service can last two or three hours and no one cares. Churches have personalities that reflect the personalities of the attendees. Some people like a structured worship service, and others like more casual.

In the church at Corinth, Paul does not address the length of the service, but he does call for an orderly service. It seems that some people were taking control of the worship service for their own purposes. There were several sermons in each service, and ecstatic ministries that were not in order. Paul gives some admonitions regarding this. He gives the freedom for people to share what was in their spirits. Some came with a psalm to share, some with prophetic word, some with a revelation, which might indicate that various congregants should be involved. But all things were to be done for the edification of the Church – not for personal exaltation (vs. 26). They were to share one by one without others rudely interrupting with their contributions. While one person was speaking, the others were to remain silent (vs. 30).

Paul does not give a detailed outline of the liturgy that a service should follow. There is freedom for a church to adopt its own liturgy. It does seem that there is a middle of the road approach. Some assemblies are so loose in their structure that there is chaos. Others are so rigid that there is no room for the Holy Spirit to minister as He desires. Whatever the approach, there needs to be an orderly service, while allowing God to minister as He desires. God is a God of order, and church services need to be orderly to reflect His character. God is not the author of confusion, but of peace (vs. 33). So let there be order in the church.

Love, Dad