• Children at the Lord's Table
• Coming Out

• Girls as Teachers
• Paid Teachers
• Singing in the New Testament

• Starting a House Church or 'Best' Approach
• Women in the Meeting

The common understanding of this in most Evangelical churches is that one may not participate in the Lord's Supper unless he is a believer and is able to partake soberly and with self introspection, which in turn is based on an erroneous symbolic understanding of the Supper. I have attempted to correct these misunderstandings in my series of articles on the Lord's Supper, as well as in my book, The Table of the Lord. In short, the Supper in the NT was just what the name suggests--a Supper (i.e., a full meal). It would be inconceivable that a Christian community could partake of an evening meal together and at the same time allow their own children to go hungry through that meal. Moreover, Paul suggests to us in 1 Cor 7:14 that not only children, but also unbelieving spouses may partake in anything the church offers to its own, since the unbelieving spouse "is sanctified by" the believing spouse and that as a result the children are "holy." What meaning does this have if there is noapplication in the activities of the church? It is my studied opinion that the Lord's Supper is indeed open to the children and spouses of believers.

--E.S.

"Coming Out"
I was talking about [house-church concepts] with a relative recently and he asked, "Is it a movement?" And for lack of anything better to say I said, "Yes." It has only been within the last couple of months that God has
really revealed to my wife and I that the institutional church in all it's sordid forms is an old wineskin- and now that we are just beginning to walk in that truth what I want to know is, "Should I be telling all Christians
I know about this, or at least a lot of them?" The truth of all "this" compared to the deception that's going on these days is near devastating. Some times I think that I need to go buy a bull horn and go to the middle of
town and try to wake some people up. Can the faith be really lived apart from "this"? I know what I think right now but I wanted to know what you thought. How urgent is "this"? . . . When I start to tell friends and family about everything we now believe and the direction we are headed, I feel like I'm "coming out of the closet" as gay people do. Everything is just that radical- "What do you mean you think 99% of the modern church is unscriptural?" with a weird look in their eyes like I've stuck a knife in the side of their favorite sacred cow. If you have the time I would like to know a little about how you "came out" of the system, and some of the wisdom and knowledge you and others you know of in dealing with it. Take your time, thanks, and God Bless.

--Lee

I have addressed this in part in my post on convincing others about house church theology. In short, it is nearly impossible to convince someone that there is a problem in the church if they just don't see it. It nearly always results in the second party assuming a defensive posture. It took me several years before I realized this liberating truth. I no longer feel compelled to convince those in the institutional church that there are problems with their model. Instead, I focus my energy on teaching those who likewise have seen the problems and are compelled to do something about it. If someone who is seeking has questions about what I am doing, I will gladly engage him in conversation--but I almost never broach the subject unless it comes up naturally in the course of conversation. Here is something else I have learned (although my forceful personality often prevents me from acting on it): People tend to be drawn into ideas more readily if you present them as someone who is arguing from their position. Instead of saying "there are a lot of problems with your church," try saying something like "I can't seem to find biblical support for the way we as a church meet together; have you ever
thought about just why we do what we do as a church, and just where those ideas come from?" You might find that your listeners are more receptive using this approach. And even if you don't convince them of house church, you will have given them something to think about.

--E.S.

Girls as Teachers
I appreciate your article on women teachers in the church. I agree that the Scriptures are quite clear on this subject. I am a youth pastor and am about to begin implementing cell groups as part of our youth ministry.
My quandary is this, "When do children become men and women?" Can I permit a teenage girl to lead a small group containing boys? I realize I cannot necessarily use our culture and laws (18 years old equals adult). I cannot exegete this answer from Scripture either. My best understanding is that as long as you are under your parents authority, I do not consider you an adult. I would really appreciate your opinion.

--Tim Nixon

I don't think you've supplied enough information for me to give a meaningful answer. What is the age difference between the teenage girl and the boys she will be leading? If she is significantly older, then there is probably a different kind of relationship in place than there would be in the case of peers (in the same way that a teenage girl who is babysitting her younger brother has inherent authority over her male sibling). However, if the teenage girl who is leading the group is the same approximate age as her male followers, I would say that this creates an inappropriate and confusing model for the entire group, because they are being taught one thing in Scripture and another thing in real life. I think that in a situation such as this it is always better to teach and model within the parameters of what Scripture DOES say rather than what it doesn't say.

--E.S.

Paid Teachers
Does not the Bible teach in 1 Timothy 5 and 1 Cor. 9 that to pay a man for his time and efforts in the study and teaching of the word is acceptable?

--Chad Hansen

This is certainly how the institutional church reads these passages; but that interpretation cannot be substantiated from the texts themselves. Both of these passages are dealt with in our article titled "Professional Pastors?". In a nutshell, 1 Corinthians 9 was written about apostles (who travel about, proclaiming the verbal message of salvation to the lost), not about elders (who are stationary, and who teach the word of God to the church). The reason we are to support apostles (missionaries) is precisely because their function is to be on the move constantly. Obviously, someone who is always on the road cannot very well hold down a full-time job. Conversely, elders are not mobile, but stationary. It is indeed possible for them to procure and maintain full-time employment since they are always in the same place.

In 1 Timothy 5:17, Paul wrote that some elders were worthy of double honor. The assumption that is often made is that "honor" means "pay." However, the Greek word used here (time) is never translated "pay" elsewhere in the NT. The Greek word for pay is instead misthos (wages), and it is not used here. Paul uses time also in 1 Tim 6:1, where he commands slaves to "honor" their masters. Are slaves therefore to "pay" their masters a wage?

Paul's point in 1 Timothy 5:17 is this: Just as an ox deserves grain, just as a laborer deserves wages, so also an elder deserves honor. In fact, so honored are they to be, that an accusation brought against an elder is not to be received unless it is substantiated by more than one witness (5:19). 1 Tim 5:19 follows logically 5:17-18 if honor refers to respect (an accusation involves dishonor), but follows awkwardly if honor refers to pay.

--E.S.

Singing in the New Testament
My Greek pro internet aquaintance wrote a letter on a list once saying that in Ephesians in Collosions, where it speaks of being filled with the Spirit or the word of God and speaking to yourselves in Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, that the passage does not refer to congregational singing. (Presumably based on Greek) but rather to people singing solos out of the overflow of the word of God in their hearts. prophetic psalming others might call it. I read in your book a quote from Tertullian about people taking turns singing after they partook of the Lord's Supper. The Open Church quoted another pastristic writer concerning the custom of singing solos in church. The idea my friend was talking about was spontaneous song. Maybe this relates also to Paul's statement that he would sing with the Spirit and with the understanding in he context of interpreting tongues in the congregation. Some Charismatics do something similar to this, but all at the same time. I know of one congregation that sets up mics and allows for prophecies or prophetic songs to be given. 

--Link

There is nothing in the Greek that indicates one way or the other whether these songs (etc.) are done together or individually. I know of some who, based on their understanding that this is spontaneous singing "from the Spirit," have attempted to reproduce this by practicing spontaneous singing in the meeting, when in reality it sounded more like shallow and silly nonsense (some of which was heretical!). I don't think we should force the idea of "spontaneous singing" since such insistence automatically makes it un-spontaneous.

--E.S.

Starting a House Church

What, do you believe, is the "best" approach to starting a new house church?

--Tom Elseroad

I don't think I can answer this one. The approach that results in flourishing house churches in one area often results in no house churches in another area. I've never been one to buy the notion that a "method" or "approach" can help or hinder the effort of starting a church. In Acts, Paul and company are sometimes forbidden to start churches in certain areas (16:6-8). Any "approach" in these areas would undoubtedly have failed. God sovereignly causes his church to grow in the geographic areas he chooses, regardless of methods and approaches, and regardless of our best or worst efforts.

--E.S.

Women in the Meeting

As women are allowed to pray and prophesy in the meeting of the church,What do you consider prophesy to other than a word of teaching or exhortation? Isn't that an authority type of function? Did you get my response to your responce on eclessia/ klesis?

--Brad Thomas

In answer to your last question, yes, we did get it. We don't always publish responses because the purpose of this forum is to answer questions, not debate issues. As for your first question above, prophesy is not the same as teaching (the two are never equated in the NT). Paul says that he who
prophesies "speaks to men for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort" (1 Cor 14:3). It is indeed a word of exhortation; but this need not be seen as authoritative.

--E.S.