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1 Corinthians 11:22 – What No…?
Walking into this building is surprising, if not shocking, for some; not so much by what is here – pews, classrooms, songbooks – but by what is not here.
Notice I didn’t say, “by what is missing.” That would imply they belonged. So what is not here? To be perfectly honest, we could make up a list! For the time being, we will focus on one thing and leave “what” unspecified. We’ll make this a little game, and you get to “fill in the blank.”
Nowadays, many churches (and even “churches of Christ”) have ______. Are they scriptural? If so, why don’t we have a ______? If we had one, then we could use them for ______.
If they are not scriptural, then that is the answer as to why it is not here.
There are four ways to establish authority (i.e. the right to act). Behind each method is a principle – a principle is the reason for such action being authorized or not permitted. To strengthen the four ways (mentioned below) of establishing authority, we need to know the principle(s) behind such divine endorsement.
For example, the principle behind baptism being an immersion is the connection to the death, burial and resurrection of Christ.
What is the principle behind what is not here (i.e., the blank you have to fill in)? It is the spiritual nature of the church. The church is not a social club, but rather a “spiritual club.” Nowadays many churches are a “poor man’s country club” instead of a “poor-in-spirit, not-of-this world-club.”
So let’s begin.
1) Precept – As a church, we are commanded to meet together (Hebrews 10:25); we are not commanded to ______ together as an act of congregational activity. A precept is a command or statement either granting or forbidding authority to act. Therefore we do not have a ______ because we do not have a command to have it.
2) Example – In the N.T. ______ was practiced as part of the home (i.e. today in parks, homes, etc.), not as part of the church’s work. In Acts 2:46 they worshiped in the temple, but went from house to house to ______. The power of an example is not found in the binding nature of examples (we are not bound by human authority), but rather through the implied acceptance by God. Examples illuminate what is permissible – and sometimes what is not. Seeing that God was pleased with the actions of the first century church by ______ in their homes and not as part of the church work, suggests to me that God will be pleased if we follow their example.
3) Necessary Implication – Being told “not to forsake the assembling together” (Hebrews 10:25), plus numerous examples, implies a place to meet, hence a “meeting house.” Being authorized, we can use the treasury to pay for it. If ______ is not part of our assembling, we don’t need a ______. Sometimes God’s implications are subtle, and we need to dig deeper. Since God never implied we needed a ______ I can infer from that more than not having a ______. I can infer personal responsibility to invite people to my home to practice hospitality. Our “fellowship meal” is the Lord’s Supper (1 Corinthians 10:16) because the principle behind all of these is the spiritual nature of the local church.
4) Silence – God is silent on assembling to eat a _____, eating together as part of our “church work,” and about a need for a ______. We already have plenty in our homes.
Two congregations let their desire to eat overcome their command to meet. Let’s try and learn from both.
One group, during the assembly, announced that during the Lord’s Supper, a group who had previously taken communion, would leave the assembly to cook the meal – cooking during communion? What was their priority—meeting together or eating together?
The other church was even worse. So blatant in their dishonor of Christ’s Supper, they turned it into a regular meal. And if that wasn’t bad enough, they didn’t even share with the poorer members of the congregation. They dishonored the body of Christ (physical body), and they dishonored the body of Christ (spiritual body). Someone chastised their actions. He told them to eat in their houses (1 Corinthians 11:22). I know the Corinthians didn’t have a “church kitchen” (and if they met in a home there was a kitchen in the house), but the point is to separate how the individual works within the church and how the individual functions at home. That is another principle behind the four methods of establishing authority which tells me that churches have no scriptural business having kitchens and “fellowship halls.”
Let’s continue to shock people by what we don’t have—and to shock them by what we do have. An abundance of love; a respect for authority, and plenty of things that belong.
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