Music, teaching, prophecy, and grace-gifts were to be a ONE ANOTHER experience!

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Paul said in 1 Corinthians 14:26, “When you come together, [I strongly urge that] each one have a psalm, a didache teaching, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up.” There’s nothing here about pulling out your bibles, reading, studying, or discussing them!  Could that be another reason why so many churches aren’t being “built up” – they don’t allow the reciprocal sharing of psalms, teachings, revelations, tongues, or interpretations?  That’s right, you can bring your musical instrument and share your psalm!  These aren’t acapella hymns!  How does the Church of Christ get around verses like this?  I sure never saw this verse while I was there!  And when is the last time you saw people from the “audience” on Sunday get up on stage and start singing and playing with the band?

Then Paul continues in 1 Corinthians 14:27-40 about taking turns with tongues and interpreting them, and then about prophets taking turns while the others listen to “weigh in on what was said. If a revelation is received by someone else, then the first prophet should stop, for [by this taking of turns] you can ALL ongoingly prophesy one by one, in order that ALL may ongoingly learn/understand (a), and ALL ongoingly be coming-alongside counseled, taught, encouraged, comforted, admonished (b) . . . therefore, earnestly desire to prophesy and do not in possibility forbid speaking in tongues, although all things should be done decently and in order.” Again, it amazes me how many churches disobey such clear instructions!  Look at the interactive teaching and learning going on! <Notes> a) manthano: hear/listen to be informed/understand. Cf. ‘learned from the Father’ to be ‘taught by God’ John 6:45, ‘learned Christ’ Ephesians 4:20, ‘learning from Christ’ Matthew 11:29, b) parakaleo.

When you only have ONE person doing all the teaching in a church, you really are set up for error, self-deception, and possibly intentional deception for personal gain, as we’ve seen is so common in the bible and throughout Church history. The “checks and balances” that the Lord has divinely instituted to keep this from happening is really the only model of the Church that has been given to us – and that is Body-of-Christ ministry, where EACH ONE OF YOU or ONE ANOTHER reciprocally is involved in the teaching, counseling, and correcting of EACH OTHER.

As Christian musicians, don’t you want to be part of that kind of church?  Is it about sounding good for God?  Or involving as much of the Body-of-Christ in the worship of the Lord?  Then why not invite them to get up on stage with an instrument and join in making music?  Why can’t they do it somewhere in the audience?  Why do we even have a stage and audience format?  Why can’t everybody sit around the musicians in the middle?  Why do we even have an audience all facing forward?  Who created that format?  A pagan Emperor who wanted to unite his empire around 300 AD used Christianity to do so, and he created the Church buildings patterned after pagan Greek and Roman temples!  Instead of borrowing from the world to build The Great Wall quenching the Spirit, shouldn’t we have the faith to return to New Testament ONE ANOTHER ministry?

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