radical restoration means... spontaneous, informal worship beresford job writes, “when believers...

Radical Restoration means ...

Spontaneous, Informal Worship

Beresford Job writes, “When believers came together in each others houses as churches their corporate worship and sharing together was completely spontaneous with no one leading from the front”

– Part 3 - Church is Family

He added that “all present are free to take part without the controlling presence of anyone ‘leading’ the proceedings”

– Part 4 - What the Bible Says!

Robert Banks writes, “The best arrangement for a congregation’s meeting is not a rectangle containing rows of seats, all looking forward to what is happening in a space at the front. The best arrangement is a circle, in which each participant can look at the other, address the other, and hear from the other, preferably a circle around a table...”

– The Church Comes Home, page 37



Steve Atkerson says that churches must “...allow any of the brothers who so desire to verbally participate in the meeting”

– Ekklesia: To The Roots Of Biblical Church Life, page 40

He emphatically states, “... holding church meetings in this spontaneous, interactive manner is declared to be imperative...” – page 37

Mike Root said, “This ‘first day of the week’ assembly was as unstructured and informal as an unplanned reunion of college friends” – Spilt Grape Juice, page 50



“What all of this suggests is that the primitive church had an intimacy, informality, and degree of mutual participation largely foreign to our own experience” – page 151,152

“The gathered assemblies of the primitive church appear to have been far more participatory than what we experience; and, almost of necessity, therefore, more spontaneous and informal” – page 152

“The primary difference between the first century and the 21st century is that – apart from times when sermons are preached – there seems not to have been ‘an audience’ as we know it today. When does home ever have an audience? Just as a family interacts with one another around the house, in the house churches of the first century the family of God actively participated with one another in their mutual worship” – page 153



“Over the years, we have spent an inordinate amount of time and energy arguing with others about the so-called ‘five items of worship.’ And yet it seems as if we never once stopped to realize that those ‘acts of worship’ – as practiced among us today – are mostly an orchestrated religious spectacle for which we have reserved seats each week”

– page 154

Paul sought to correct this errorRather than tell the brethren to verbally participate, he told some to be silent

1 Cor.14:26-33He said for all things to be done decently and in order – 1 Cor.14:40

The worship of the church is always interactive

They have missed the point of worshipThey want to create a warm and fuzzy emotional environmentSome even assert that the assembly is NOT for worship but encouragementOur assemblies are NOT about us – they’re about God!

There is plenty of room for improvement

We must worship in spirit and in truth – Jn.4:24

Mike Root says: “We have been fighting a losing battle because we have been proclaiming that Christianity is something ‘you are,’ but worship is something ‘you do.’ Nothing could be farther from the truth. If you are a Christian you are worship to God” – Spilt Grape Juice, page 20

“Christians assemble to be together. We don’t assemble to worship because that’s what our lives are” – page 116




Mutual Ministry

Jon Zens says, “we must confess that the pulpit-tradition is a huge obstacle that blocks obedience to the one another, participatory dimension of body-life found in the New Testament”

– Ekklesia: To The Roots Of Biblical Church Life, page 129

Zens quotes Pulpit Commentary scholar, David Thomas who writes, “Surely official preaching has no authority, either in Scripture, reason, or experience, and it must come to an end sooner or later. Every Christian man should be a preacher” – page 129

“What will it take for us to see how far removed most of our congregations are from the pattern of leadership in the early church? To honestly admit that there’s been a paradigm shift of the greatest magnitude? To have the courage to fundamentally change how we are fed and led?” – page 189

He accuses elders of “… abdicating responsibility for teaching and preaching of the Word by hiring professional ‘pulpit ministers’ (as distinct from full-time elders)” – page 189

“The very concept of worship focused around a pulpit flies in the face of the dynamic, mutually-participatory house churches in the apostolic age. Houses don’t have pulpits” – page 211


Mutual Ministry

He affirms that “Pulpit ministers may be an invention, but mutual ministry is not” – page 212

He asks, “But could it really ever happen? No, not converting the world, but converting our own elders into ‘teaching pastors,’ and our pulpit ministers into ‘pulpit-less evangelists?’” – page 212


Mutual Ministry


Mutual Ministry

Reform may be called for with respect to preachers and eldersPreachers are often views as denominational pastors or congregational CEO’sElders are viewed as decision-making “Board of Directors”In such cases changes need to be madeCorrecting these abuses isn’t what Smith and others are really asking for

They believe preachers are only to seek the lost while only elders address the church

NT preachers both taught the lost AND edified local saintsPaul planted, Apollos watered – 1 Cor.3:4-9Timothy remained in Ephesus to work with Christians – 1 Tim.1:3Titus worked among the Cretian churches – Titus 1:5

radical restoration means... spontaneous, informal worship beresford job writes, “when believers...

Documents

mutual worship page

informal page

items of worship

point of worship

corporate worship

acts of worship

week page

experience page