Transitioning from Institutional Church to Organic Church

[Pfsif]

There is no such things as church. Church connotes the attendance but the word translated should be "the called out ones". When you read church He's not talking about a gathering but to individuals.  Personally, I don't think most of the people in the "church" are also called out for the lack a new life.

[DanielJohn2300]

My only suggestion is that there be two meetings: 1) a communal meeting of born again believers where there is dialogue and breaking of bread; 2) an instructional meeting, where there is monologue, for those who are not born again, to come to and be taught the basic things they need to know about before they can become born again. That way, when someone who is not born again comes to the communal meeting, you have a meeting you can send them to, with the hope that God will regenerate them soon.

[thetruthfreed]

@DanielJohn2300 Instructional meetings are still better without monolog. It is better to teach in an open interactive setting where questions can be asked and answered. You don't even need a meeting just have those who know Christ converse and speak about Christ with those who don't know Him. In the NT the good news was brought to the people, the people weren't brought to meetings.

[DanielJohn2300]

@thetruthfreed Thanks fort he reply. Yes, after further thought, I realized that dialog is still needed in an instructional meeting. The teacher needs to know what the students are having a hard time believing or understanding.

I was also thinking about the people who stop to listen to street preachers. The preacher usually gives them a business card. That's good. But it would also be nice to tell them about a weekly meeting that they could attend.

[Arielcohen1980]

@thetruthfreed Amen bro!

[Arielcohen1980]

@DanielJohn2300 You can also go to that non believer and share the message of God with him/her ...why do you need to bring him/her to a meeting for something you can do by yourself?

[DanielJohn2300]

@Arielcohen1980 That's true. We need to go to the unbelievers, rather than waiting for them to come to us. I was thinking in terms of where the unbelievers can go to learn more and to ask questions that come to them.

[DanielJohn2300]

(14:08) "We need a dialogue, not a monologue"

Amen! And it comes straight from scripture. Acts 20v7-11 covers the meeting of disciples on the first day of the week. The Greek word from verse 7, which is translated "preached" in the KJV, is "dialegomai," from which we get our word "dialogue." Also, the word "talked" in verse 11 is from the Greek word "homileo" which means "conversed with."

[ottzu1]

29 Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said. 30 And if a revelation comes to someone who is sitting down, the first speaker should stop. 31 For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged. 32 The spirits of prophets are subject to the control of prophets. 33 For God is not a God of disorder but of peace—as in all the congregations of the Lord’s people

[ottzu1]

1 Corinth 14:26-33: 26 What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up. 27 If anyone speaks in a tongue, two—or at the most three—should speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret. 28 If there is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet in the church and speak to himself and to God.

[ottzu1]

Frankly the office or gifting of a Pastor seems to originally be an administrative role and the actually preaching of the Gospel was delivered under the office or gifting of the Prophet! Furthermore, there can be more than one Prophet in a congregation. Just read 1 Corinth 14:26-33:

[ottzu1]

Refreshing! Biblically correct and vitally important to enabling a personal relationship with Christ! For too long many folks have simply attended churches while paying the pastor to have a personal relationship with God and to tell them about it. It’s sad and obscene in a way.