Church this morning...

[MrJim]

We had a visiting singing ensemble (couple dozen teens from a local bible college). Very excellent at what they do, really they were.

The only thing I would have them add: They had a guitar, piano, keyboard, bongo drum, flute, handbells. I would require them to have a banjo, for then they would be complete ;)

<<When we walked in my youngest son (6) said "Where's the cross?" The cross-a huge thing made of railroad ties-was removed so the power-point visual/song lyrics could be put up on the wall. I said, just off the top of my head, "They took it down 'cause it's in the way of the show". :scratch: >>

Question: There was no sermon, no communion, no intercessory prayers, just opening/closing and the "show".

Anyhow, is this an acceptable morning worship?

[intheway]

What is Church? An ekklesia (Greek), a body of Believers. Two or more.
Mat 18:20 (http://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/Mat/Mat018.html#20) For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

And what is Worship?
Jhn 4:24 (http://www.blueletterbible.org/cgi-bin/popup.pl?book=Jhn&chapter=4&verse=24&version=kjv#24)
God [is] a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship [him] in spirit and in truth.

So, was the Body there in spirit and in truth?

And how are we to worship?

1 Cor 14:26 How is it then, brethren? Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification.

Was it edifying to God and the Body? If so it is Worship.

My 2 cents

In Peace, In the Way

[ZiSunka]

I don't think that it's written anywhere that there has to be a cross on display in a church, and in fact, in 90% or more of all Mennonite churches, you will not find a cross on display because to display a cross permanently is to make a decoration out of it, or worse, an idol.

Most Mennonite churches, (and Anabaptist churches for that matter) don't even have a cross displayed on the outside or on signage or stationery.

I know of no Quaker meeting house that has a cross on display.

I don't find anything at all offensive about not having a sermon, either. Sermons are overrated. In the Mennonite church I go to, we have an interaction, where the pastor teaches and we get to interact and ask questions, make comments and say whatever we feel the Lord leading us to share with the church. This is the way it has been in all but two of the mennonite churches I have been to.

It's a better way to learn and interact with the word of God, and I find most sermons are just "shows" anyway. Early Christians didn't do church that way, so I guess we've just gotten stuck with what the 18th century European evangelists and missionaries brought to the fledgling Americas.

Some of the best morning worship times I've been to had about an hour of worship songs, a half hour of just reading out of the Bible, and an hour of straight prayer, no sermon, no collection of the offering, nothing else but worship, hearing the word and prayer. Those were awesome meetings. Very powerful and full of the Spirit of God.

[intheway]

Many Amish Churches meet in their homes, as did the early Church. They actually have a pew wagon, to take from house to house each Sunday. In addition, they do not have a Pastor, per say, but only elders. 2 ministers are chosen by lot, once a year. Those 2 then either rotate, or are chosen by lot for each weeks service. A similar method was used by the early Anabaptist church.

[ZiSunka]

And is still used by many anabaptist churches today. Many don't have any paid minister, either.

The Anabaptists aren't Baptists. We don't always do things the Baptist way, dispite the similarity in the names.

[MrJim]

Yeah, I guess y'all are right.

[tinka]

Please Pm Me, What Is Anabaptist?????????????????

[MrJim]

..pm sent tinka...ask us any questions ya might have.