Teach One Another – BT5

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What about the Body-of-Christ’s ministry of teaching and correction?

 

 

 

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It amazes me how so many churches deviate from the clear instructions on what church meetings were to be like.  Paul says in Colossians 3:16, “I strongly urge you to ongoingly let the logos gospel message of Christ dwell in you-all richly, by the means of all wisdom, routinely teaching (a) and/coupled routinely admonishing (b) reciprocally one another in/by/with psalms (c), hymns (d), Spirit-kind-of odes (e) with unconditional-favor-of-grace singing/praising in/by/with your hearts to God (f), and/thus whatever you do, in logos message or deed, do everything in the name/authority of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father thru-the-realizing-channel-of Him (Christ).” <Notes> a) didasko, b) noutheteo: ‘placing in the mind of’ – urgent reasoning by instruction and warning, c) psalmos: “hit, twanged, plucked, or twitched” out songs with/without singing, d) acapella songs, e) prophetic, spontaneous hymns or psalms, f) here we are to be aware of/recognize “grace in/by/with your hearts,” and naturally our response would be thanksgiving expressed through “singing/praising in/by/with” those same “grateful hearts!”

 

This same “teaching and/coupled admonishing one another” phrase is used in Colossians 1:28 for Paul’s ministry “to present every person mature in Christ.”  We also find this to be the role of managed-caregivers (a).  However, “admonishing the unruly/undisciplined” is something ALL the “brothers and sisters” were to be doing along with “comforting the discouraged, helping the weak (b)” (c).  It’s also part of “coming alongside to counsel, teach, encourage, comfort, and admonish (d) ONE ANOTHER and building up ONE ANOTHER” (e).  Paul says this in Romans 15:14, “I myself am fully convinced about you, my brothers and sisters, that you are actually, ongoingly . . . filled to completion with all informational gnosis knowledge (f), also routinely enabled to admonish ONE ANOTHER, but I have written more boldly to you on some points so as to remind you.” Somehow the modern Church has made the “teaching and admonishing” almost entirely the so-called “leadership staff’s” role – see Coaches and Facilitators. However, Paul tells the whole church in 2 Thessalonians 3:13-15, “As for you, brethren, do not grow weary in doing good.  If anyone does not obey what we say in this letter, take note of that person, and have nothing to do with him, that he may be ashamed. Do not regard him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother/sister.”  This is clearly a Body-of-Christ ministry! <Notes> a) proistemi: 1 Thessalonians 5:12 – see Coaches and Facilitators, b) feeble, impotent, c) 1 Thessalonians 5:14, d) parakaleo, e) 1 Thessalonians 5:11, f) so why are you trying to get this from Gnostics, philosophers, or Jewish teachers?  Cf. 1 John 2:20, 27.

 

Furthermore, in 1 Corinthians 14:26, Paul teaches more about Body-of-Christ teaching of ONE ANOTHER: “When you come together, EACH ONE OF YOU has a hymn, teaching (a), [prophetic] revelation, tongue, interpretation…but let all things be done for building up.” And in Ephesians 5:18-19, “I strongly urge you to be ongoingly filled by the Spirit, routinely conversationally speaking to (b) reciprocally ONE ANOTHER by psalms and hymns and Spirit-kind-of odes, routinely singing/praising (c) and routinely psalming (d) in/by/with your hearts to the Lord . . . and routinely submitting reciprocally to ONE ANOTHER out of reverence to Christ.”  When is the last time you saw this kind of teaching in church or seen a pastor submitting to you instead of them calling you to submit to them? <Notes> a) didache, b) laleo, c) ado, d) psallo.

 

Most scholars don’t see these “routine” active participles as formulas describing how to “be [passively] filled by the Spirit” or Spirit-baptized but as a continuation of Paul’s imperative urgings to “routinely understand what the will of the Lord is” (a) and to be “walking as children of light . . . routinely learning (b) what is pleasing to the Lord” (c), and immediately to “not in possibility get drunk with wine, which is debauchery.”  That’s how the world parties in the dark, but Christians are called to an incredible party in the light and that’s where we will hear from the Lord about His will!  How?  Surely by “being [passively] filled by the Spirit!” And it’s very possible that Paul is saying that this can happen when you party with others who have been Spirit-baptized!  We will get filled and learn God’s will together!  This is Body-of-Christ ministry! <Notes> a) Ephesians 5:17, b) by examination to prove what is genuine, c) v. 5:10.

 

It’s not a one-man show but a party in the Spirit!  It’s not one bishop-pastor telling everybody what he thinks!  Sharing teachings and prophecies as in 1 Corinthians 14:29-31 is more consistent with “discernment, wisdom, and understanding” given “by revelation from the Holy Spirit” that Paul speaks of so much – see New Covenant Ways – BT16. The more you party with others in the Spirit the “more the things of this world will grow strangely dim,” as the song goes!  My point here is that the Spirit’s grace-gifts of tongues, interpretation, prophesy (a), and even teaching of Christian doctrine was supposed to be a ONE-ANOTHER ministry, not just by “the ministry staff” of the church!  <Notes> a) revelation, speaking by the Spirit – 1 Corinthians 12:3, even by tongues: 1 Corinthians 14:2.

 

Look what Paul’s traveling preacher-companion Barnabas likely wrote in more polished Greek than Paul writes in:  “Let US consider how to be stirring up ONE ANOTHER to unconditional-love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but routinely coming alongside to counsel, teach, encourage, comfort, admonish (a) ONE ANOTHER, even more as you see the Day [of Christ’s return] drawing near” (b). This was the party that the early Church was!  Ministry by the Body-of-Christ, not just a few “equippers” running the show, which are only supposed to be Coaches and Facilitators, not the ministers (c)! <Notes> a) parakaleo, b) Hebrews 10:24-25, c) Ephesians 4:4-16.

 

But Paul now talks about bringing order to the church services in 1 Corinthians 14:26-40. But you have to read 1 Corinthians 12-14 together to see the crazy “party” of the Spirit’s grace-gifts poured out on the church gatherings.  People we so jazzed, caught up in the frenzy of the Spirit, they were cutting each other off in their zeal to share what God was doing in there life.  I’ve rarely seen this in a church because they would escort you out if you interrupted the pastor!  But I have been in some glorious home groups where there was an “electricity” in the air and so much enthusiasm that it was easy to interrupt someone sharing.  In some cases, Christians needed to be “gently corrected or admonished” because people get stuff out of books that just aren’t from the Lord at all.  They get stuff out of their English bibles that the original languages don’t remotely say and often out of the immediate context not to mention out of the context of that book of the bible, the other writings from that author, and that of the whole New Testament.  So prophets or other Spirit-kind-of people need to “admonish or gently correct” them, bring a balance from the whole counsel of God, so “that all may interact, learn, and be encouraged together.”  Otherwise, error will spread throughout the church!  The Body-of-Christ must correct itself!  There are so many things spoken from the pulpit that could have been corrected or brought into balance if the congregation were allowed to do this!  This is significant part of the foundational problem of The Great Wall quenching the Holy Spirit in churches.

 

As Christian musicians, wouldn’t you rather be part of a group patterned after the New Testament Church where everybody shares what the Lord is doing in their life, teachings, revelations, prophecies, wisdom, knowledge, encouragement, music, and where anyone can gently correct anyone as everybody weighs in on what is said?  This is how the Lord keeps the Body-of-Christ from being deceived by any one teacher and carried away by winds of doctrine borrowed from the Old Testament or from the world that don’t belong in the New Covenant and thus build The Great Wall quenching the Holy Spirit.  Although the Lord warned often about “hogging the ball” and “exercising authority over others” but “submitting to one another” and “outdoing each other in the showing of honor,” it hasn’t stopped leader-teachers from ignoring Him!  Most of the modern Church is a 1-man show or at least that of a small “team!”

 

 

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