The other day I was with a group of believers and the question was asked, "does anyone have a song they'd like to sing?"
Of which the first thing in my mind is they don't want me to sing, because I would scare everyone off! Yet, as I sat there and thought some more the Lord reminded me that for those who are not gifted at singing can recite the Psalms. After all they are all about bringing glory to God in worship.
I feel that for so long in the I.C. we have been brought up to think we must have someone lead our worship time and that we must sing songs.
In the bible there are freedoms to an extent of what you can do when you meet. I won't elaborate on them in this post, but I do know that just reading the word outloud and just praising God with our voices is allowed. We don't always have to have a song to be sung in order to glorify our God and Father in heaven.
The way everything is structured in the Institutional Church it makes it out as if you are not "having church" unless you do.
I am not hammering the I.C. no, only using what I have experienced to bring about what the Lord is showing me.
In our house church meetings we don't have people in our little fellowship who sing well or have the gift per se. Yet the Lord still blesses us with His presence by putting things in our hearts to say.
So much seems to be questioning on what to do when you meet in a home church or how to start it etc.. I know for one in our little fellowship we have not had a boring meeting just because no one leads a worship song or has a big teaching.
What works in our group may not work in others. Because of who is present and who the Lord may have gifted to do certain things. Again we may just recite a few Psalms as the Lord lays them on our heart. Or someone may have a scripture they read. There are also times of just being quiet and waiting.
Yet, in all of our meetings the Lord gets glorified and we come out edified.
My conclusion is don't worry about how a meeting is supposed to be held. Don't worry if you don't have the "right" songs to sing. Don't worry if only one person is doing all of the talking if the Lord so wills.
We have made so much out of so little. We have tried to move away from tradition and in doing so we still try to bring a little of it in out of desperation.
Our little group consist for the most part of 1 young man, two older single men, my wife, kids and myself.
Yet so much wisdom comes out of our meetings, because there is a freedom for anyone to speak what the Lord has put on their hearts.
We love to pray together, we love to visit and we definately love to eat! Especially when you 3 single men who don't get to many home cooked meals. Our feast consist of a fellowship meal celebrating the Lord's Supper as a meal.
Right now as we are small we don't have a certain leader. The Holy Spirit has been our guide using the word to edify.
Usually what one has to say out of the word coincides with the atmosphere of the meeting.
Plus we don't always meet every week. Work schedules cause some not to be here and sometimes we do go and meet at a big box church just for the extra fellowship.
So just remember that there is freedom to how we meet and we don't have to be rigid.
More later.....
