How many are bold enough to say that church is boring? How many are honest enough to say that our music, for the most part, is bad? How many are sincere enough to say that you get more excitement out of a motivational speaker than you get out of some of these preachers in the church? How many are just tired of the same thing Sunday after Sunday? Even if the preacher is good, even if the worship team is excellent… how long before we, as humans, get tired? Even the great entertainers, movie stars, singers, performers, comedians, etc. are force to change the show every now and then.

We have taken the most important relationships we can have on this earth, after God and our spouses, and turn them into an institution with an order of service and programs. We are wasting resources on buildings, but even worse, we are wasting people’s gifts. 

Beloved, we are called to be a family, we are called to be tight, we are called to enjoy close and rich relationships with one another. We are not called to be spectators of this one-man-show the church has become… we are the BODY OF CHRIST.  

Now, the biblical church is not boring; is actually amazing, filled with good teachings, good discussions, ministry, power, prayer and rich fellowship. Acts 2:42 tells us “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” (ESV) This was the ancient church devotion, and they were willing to give their lives for this devotion. In First Corinthians 14:26-33 Paul opens the door and let us see more clearly how this devotion looks like,

What then, brothers? 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. 27 If any speak in a tongue, let there be only two or at most three, and each in turn, and let someone interpret. 28 But if there is no one to interpret, let each of them keep silent in church and speak to himself and to God. 29 Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said. 30 If a revelation is made to another sitting there, let the first be silent.31 For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged, 32 and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets. 33 For God is not a God of confusion but of peace. (ESV)

There is no way around this, there is no justification for our current Constantinian church structure. Yes, there is leadership in church: Apostles, Elders and Deacons, but this is describing the flow of our gatherings. The key is “PARTICIPATION”. There is no Worship Leader in the New Testament, folks came ready with a song; folks came ready to share a lesson they learned from the Holy Ghost; folks came ready to share a tongue and an interpretation of that tongue; folks came ready to prophesy… all of these was done in order. What Paul is describing here is not a violation of church’s order; it is the free and orderly flow of the gifts of the Spirit given to us believers to edify one another. Our participation was expected. This is the church as it was intended to be: exciting, intimate, fun, challenging, meaningful and powerful.