Understanding Church Service (Part 2)

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I stressed in the Part One that we Christians today organise what we call church services mostly on Sundays and Saturdays, but we have not seriously paid attention to the limitations of our services.

Very often, during most services, the lead pastor alone teaches, prophesies, counsels, leads prayers, gives announcement, collects offerings and gives benediction. Of course, members who are prayer warriors, singers, instrumentalists, ushers and janitors also serve at the service.

However, the above is a poorly structured and organised church service. Why? Because the majority of the saints sit idle. They do nothing except to give offerings and hear sermons which they hardly apply. This is why most churches do not grow up spiritually, educationally and numerically.

The problem exists mainly because lead pastors are thought to be the only servants in churches endowed with spirituals gifts and natural talents and abilities to serve. Sadly, they have also abandoned their facilitating ministries.

Other causes of the problem include the fact that some pastors resist shared ministry out of insecurity or fear of disorder or losing control. Also, most churches downplay the importance of discipleship and the use of spiritual gifts for the benefits of all believers.

However, we must know that when the Holy Spirit who makes overseers in the churches leads, there is both decency and order (1 Corinthians 14:40).

In the Part One, we defined church service and explained the terms, “church” and “service.” Leaders of the earliest Church, including Peter understood that all disciples of Christ Jesus were priests and had the responsibility of offering spiritual sacrifices to God (1 Peter 2:9).

Therefore, as priests, all born again Christians today, are expected to minister to God and one another by the gifts dispensed to them by the Holy Spirit, use their talents and whatever abilities they possess for the growth of the churches.

We need to constantly remind ourselves of the words of Paul to the Ephesian church, where he talks about Christ giving the gifts of the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers (Ephesians 4:11).

Those blessed with these gifts are to use them to equip, train, develop and prepare the saints, the entire believers, for the work of ministry for the building up of the whole church (Ephesians 4:12). That is, they are to ensure that all believers are empowered to participate in the service of God.

In 1 Corinthians 12:28-31, the apostle Paul, writes about other gifts that must manifest in services in addition to the ones he listed in Ephesians 4:11. They are miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues as well as interpretation of tongues.

Moreover, in Romans 12:6-8, Paul writes, “Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.

Again, in 1 Corinthians 14:26, the apostle emphasises that, “…When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up.”

You see, the apostle understood a well structured and organised service where every believer had the opportunity to serve with their gifts, talents or abilities freely given to them for the good of all.

Today’s churches should not be different. If they are, then, we have gone astray and are building on a different foundation.

Undoubtedly, not all believers may have the time to serve one another at one service, but everyone should frequently minister during church services by the will, leading, prompting, motivation and guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Finally, one ministry all believers must be encouraged to participate in is the ministry of intercession where the whole church prays for the nations, cities, towns and villages of the world unreached with the gospel of salvation.

By James Quansah

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