The Truth About Skipping Church

In Jeffrey Johnson's sermon "The Rules of Engagement," based on 1 Corinthians 14:26-40, he addresses the theme of orderly worship and the importance of corporate church attendance. Johnson begins by humorously recounting a story about a pastor reluctant to attend church, underscoring how even committed Christians can occasionally feel disinclined to gather for worship. However, he stresses that this should not become a habit or excuse to neglect church.

The core message of the sermon revolves around Paul's correction to the Corinthian church's disorderly practices, particularly regarding the misuse of spiritual gifts like tongues and prophecy. The Corinthian church had turned their services into chaotic, unstructured events where multiple people spoke at once without interpretation or discernment, which hindered worship and learning. Paul, in chapters 12 through 14, teaches that these gifts must be exercised in order and with a focus on corporate edification, not individual experiences.

Johnson makes a larger application of this passage to modern churchgoers, outlining four reasons Christians should regularly attend church:

1. Attendance is assumed: Paul doesn't explicitly command church attendance because it is taken for granted that Christians will gather for corporate worship.

2. To serve and edify one another: Church is not just for personal benefit but for building up the body of Christ. Each member's gifts and presence contribute to the growth and encouragement of the community.

3. To learn and be encouraged: Church is a place for teaching, learning, and mutual encouragement. Proper order in worship allows for everyone to understand and grow in their faith.

4. To submit to God’s order: The structure of the church is designed by God, and all members, including spiritual leaders and women, are called to submit to the roles and order He has established.

Johnson emphasizes that church attendance is not merely about fulfilling a duty but about corporate worship, learning, serving, and submitting to God’s design. He concludes by stating that the church is essential for spiritual growth and sanctification, and it offers a foretaste of heaven through the love and unity shared among believers.

Transcript

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1 Corinthians 14 we're going to finish this chapter. Basically, verses 26 to the rest of the chapter. It finishes out this unit of thought. This unit of thought chapters 12, 13, 14 is dealing with the mismanagement of this the revelatory gifts, particularly the gift of tongues. And he's addressing that problem. But as we think about this and before we read the text, I'm going to make a particular application of this text. This is how to orderly structure the gifts. The revelatory gifts is the purpose of this this passage, but we're going to make a particular application on why we should go to church. One day this man woke up on Sunday morning. He told his wife, I don't want to go to church today. She says, well, you've got to go to church today. And he said, give me three reasons why I need to go to church today. She says, one, it's the right thing to do to your kids are watching you and you want to be a good influence upon them. And three, you're the pastor. And so we all have those days you wake up and you really don't want to go to church. I mean, be honest. I mean, I've I've felt that occasionally where you would just be more convenient to not fake an illness, but to slightly feel bad. Who has it slightly felt bad on a Sunday that would just be easier to sleep in? And maybe you don't want to deal with people. Maybe it's just for whatever reason it may be. This just it's just enough to ease the conscience so that you can relax on Sunday morning and gather yourself. That happens. You're not the only one has done that. Probably the only reason I haven't done it is because you're looking for me. So we're prone to that. We're prone to that. And more than just prone to skipping churches, church services every now and then we're we're prone to neglect the church. There's one thing for non-Christians to go not go to church. We were coming here and every Sunday we go by the baseball fields on the way here. And Evelyn says, why are they not at church this morning? That's one of the conversations we had coming here. They're playing baseball. Why are they not at church? Well, similarly, they're not even Christians. Why would they go to church? They're not Christians. So it's one thing for the world not to go to church. We don't expect the world unbelievers to go to church, do we? That's not to be expected. They don't even believe in God. Why would they come to church? But what's strange is that you have Christians who name the name of Jesus Christ and they don't go to church. And we're not talking about the shut-ins and those who by God's providence, they want to come, but they can't. God understands that. We understand that. There may be a time when we get older, we just can't come for whatever reason it may be. We should go to them. We should visit them. But I'm talking about those who are ably capable going to church. It's easy for Christians to not put a priority on the local church or no church attendance. And they begin to neglect or not come at all. And they'll say, well, there's no biblical warrant for church membership. There's no command for church membership. It's kind of arbitrary or optional. You can go if you like, but it's not something that's required of us. Well, here in this text, what's going on? So we understand the context and the setting of this passage. The Corinthians were coming to assembly. They weren't forsaking their local assembly. That wasn't their issue. That wasn't their problem. Their problem was their church services was a free for all. They didn't have order or structure. Their church service was just people coming up randomly speaking, prophesying, speaking in tongues without interpretation. And then it became people were prophesying over here. Someone speaking tongues here and they were speaking over one another. It was utter chaos. It was confusion and nothing was getting done for the purpose of which church was designed to do. Like, why do we go to church? We go to church to worship God. Yes. But there are secondary reasons why we go to church. Principally, we go to worship God, but there are other reasons we go. And the other reasons which we were going to church or would have gone to church was not being accomplished there in court. And so chapters 12, 13 and 14, Paul is correcting them in their understanding of the revelatory gifts, their mismanagement of it. Chapter 12 in verses one through three, he says the speaking in tongues wasn't the litmus test of being spirit filled that even if you had the tongues of angels but did not have love, you're nothing. You see, it's love, not the spiritual gifts that determine if you're a Christian or not. Then he explains that spiritual gifts were the revelatory gifts weren't the only gifts. There are multiple gifts. In fact, he goes on to say we need all the gifts. In fact, he gives an argument that all the gifts are necessary and that we're we may only have this gift, but lacking that gift. But we need the whole body to be a complete person. And then he explains why the gift of tongues wasn't the greatest of gifts. Love is the greatest of the gifts. We should pursue love. And if we're going to seek the revelatory gifts, we should seek to prophesy because prophecy is greater than tongues. And we looked at that last week. Prophecy is greater in tongues for three reasons. Why prophecy edifies to it brings or imparts understanding and three, it convicts the unbeliever and tongues doesn't do that. Well, at least it doesn't do that without interpretation. So let's read verses twenty six through forty and lie that this is Paul's attempt to bring structure and order to the chaos. What then, brothers, when you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson of revelation, a tongue or interpretation. Let all things be done for building up. If any speak in a tongue, let there be only two or at most three each in turn and let someone interpret. But if there is no one to interpret, let each one of them keep silent in the church and speak to himself and to God. Let two or three prophets speak and let the others weigh what is said. If a revelation is made to another setting there, let the first be silent. For you can all prophesy one by one so that all may learn and be encouraged. And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. For God is not a god of confusion, but of peace. As in all the churches of the saints, the women should keep silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the law also says. If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home, for it is shameful for a woman to speak in church. Or was it from you that the Word of God came? Are you the only ones it has reached? If anyone thinks that he is a prophet or spiritual, he should acknowledge that the things that I am writing to you are a command to the Lord. If anyone does not recognize this, he is not recognized. So, my brothers, earnestly desire to prophesy and do not forbid speaking in tongues, but all things should be done decently and in order. So basically, get your act together. There are some regulations placed upon the revelatory gifts. You may have them. You may have the gift of prophecy. You may have the gift of knowledge. You may have the gift of tongues. But you have these gifts that are a means in which God will communicate to the church and encourage the church. Though you may have the gifts, you have to exercise them in the proper order and structure of the church. So he is bringing order to the chaos, and he is asking everyone to be in submission to the order. So just because you have a spiritual gift doesn't give you the right to be disorderly or insubmissive. There is structure here to be followed and obeyed. Though this is the purpose of this text, and making the application to the Corinthians is to organize their worship service, in which we also need to follow our services to be orderly and decently and submissively. In the process of making that application to the Corinthians, what the Paul does is give the reason for worship. He gives two, if not three reasons why they are to worship God orderly and insubmissively. One, because this is the way it brings forth corporate edification. The goal of worship is not for an individual personal encounter with Jesus, that you are off alone, where the lots are low, and you have your personal encounter with the Lord, and you do what you want to do because the Spirit is upon you. No, this is not about you. This is about the corporate edification of the body. This is corporate worship, and so we come to church for a corporate experience, for the whole body to be built up and edified. So we worship God for edification. Then he says we have to be orderly so we can learn. So the whole body is built up in order so we all, not just one or two of us, but all of us can learn and be edified. And three, we worship so that we can be submissive or in obedience. So I'm looking at the purposes of worship here, and I'm going to make application in that way. So this is what we're doing, and I'm going to add a fourth reason, which I'm going to add at the beginning in verse 26. And it's going to be four reasons we come to church, four reasons to worship corporately, four reasons to not neglect the assembling of ourselves together. First reason, and this is the one I've added. This is the one I'm pulling out because it's there, but it's just kind of kind of crypto there. It's kind of lurking there. Where to go to church because church attendance is basically assumed by Paul. This is taken for granted. Look at verse 26 with me. What then, brothers, when you come together, it doesn't say go to church, does it? It doesn't have to say that. We're in a day we have to say that, but he didn't have to say that to the Corinthians. They were going to church. They were attending services weekly. They were coming together on the Lord's Day faithfully. But he does say when you do come with the assumption. This is making the assumption, taking it for granted that they were churchgoing people. In fact, he takes two things for granted. One, he calls them brothers, brothers, Christians. Take that for granted that you're Christians and also take it for granted because you are a Christian. I take it for granted that you attend church, that you assemble together. And Chapter 11, verse 18, five times. In fact, this is the sixth time he says this six times in first Corinthians. It says a similar phrase, Chapter 11, verse 18. When you come together as a church, Chapter 11, verse 20, when you come together, is it not for the Lord's Supper? Chapter 11, verse 34, when you meet together, Chapter 14, 26, when you come together. So over and over, Paul is making this assumption that they gather together. They come together. In fact, this is the word church means. It means an assembly. It means to come together. Say, hey, I want to be a part of the church, but you don't assemble. You don't gather. Well, what is the church? The church is those who assemble together, those who come together, those who meet together, who have a corporate worship experience. This is the very nature of the church. You got to understand, where's the Bible say I have to be a member of a church? Where's the Bible say I have to attend church? Where's the Bible talk about this? There's no command. I don't have to do this. Well, the Bible doesn't have to command that which is taken for granted. The Bible doesn't have to command love yourself. Does it? Where does the Bible say love yourself? It does say no one hated his own flesh. No one hates himself. So it doesn't have to command what man already does naturally. Natural man loves himself. The command is love others as you love yourself. That's the command. You have to command what is not natural or what you don't tend to want to do. For believers, you don't have to command believers to go to church. The Lord added to the church daily as should be saved in the book of Acts. They've been saved. You've been born again. They were added to the church. They were baptized. They become members of a church. That was just automatic. That was to be assumed. And the New Testament was written under this assumption that Christians are church members. Paul writes in 1 Timothy 3, "I have written these things to you. I have wrote this book. I wrote this epistle so that you may know how to conduct yourself or act in the household of God, which is the church, the pillar and ground of truth. I've written this whole epistle to you. It's built on the assumption that you know how to act in the household of God, that you know how to act in the church, that you know how to behave. It's like, well, how does 1 Timothy make sense if you're not church members? How do you read any of the epistles? Why would there be any commands on ordination of elders and deacons, the role of deacons and elders, if it was an assumption that churches have to be organized and the Christians gather themselves together? You know, we can't obey a lot of the commands outside of the local church setting. I mean, look at Hebrews 11, 12, and 13, "Obey your elders and the Lord." Do this willfully. So it's not grievous to them. How does that make sense if you're not a member of a church? How can you obey elders? How can you take the Lord's Supper? How can you be baptized? How can you do a lot of the one and others of Scriptures outside of church membership and church commitments? It's like, well, the Bible doesn't command it. Well, does the Bible actually need to command it? It is kind of just assumed. And this is what this verse does when you come together, it's making the assumption that we're church-going people. It's part of our DNA. It's just part of being united to Christ. I look at it this way. When you're united to the Lord Jesus Christ, you can't help but love Him, be drawn to Him, want to be with Him. Who's a Christian? Does it want to physically see Jesus Christ? Danny and I was talking on my birthday. It's like one thing I long for. I feel like I know Jesus better than I know my wife. I really feel that way. I feel like he's my he's my Lord. He's my Savior. He's my friend. I feel like I know him. In fact, I don't want to live without him. I want a closer walk with Christ daily. Do we not all? But who here doesn't actually physically feel like I just want to see him in the flesh? I would love to see him. And if I knew he was somewhere in this world, if he was a Jerusalem, you wouldn't you think I would be trying to get to. And I I'm going to be rude when we get to heaven. I know we need to be polite and stand in line, but I might push you over. Can you tell that? Who doesn't want to? Who doesn't want to just say thank you? Who doesn't want that? Who doesn't want to see the Lord? How do you not want to see Him? How can you not? Because you're united to Him. He lives in you. You have a love for Him. I mean, His love for you is in you. That's it's just like it's natural what little infant doesn't want. His or her mother. What baby doesn't want to know the parents? What Christian doesn't know want to know Christ? If you don't want to know Christ, if you don't love Christ, you don't draw to Him. Are you a Christian? Think about that. But if we're united to Jesus Christ, the Bible says you're not just united to Him or you're just kind of I love Jesus just between me and Jesus. I love Christ, but I don't care about the church. How can you not care about the church when you're united to Christ and being united to Jesus Christ? It brings you into unity with the body of Christ. You become brothers and sisters. We end up having a love for one another. This is how we know the father, John says, is that we love the brethren. And if you don't love the brethren, how's the love of God abide in you? John says. So we're drawn together as we are drawn to the father. You don't have to tell people who love one another. Go to church. We miss one another. Remember when we had cold with and we couldn't meet for a while and we finally went to Dr. Baker's farm and we met out there and it was supposed to keep six feet away and everybody's hogging on to one another. They were like smiling. Everybody is happy. He's like, where is this? It's like we miss this. And that's why church discipline works about brothers and sisters. That's why church discipline is effective. You say, hey, you're excommunicated. We don't treat you like a brother or sister because of your ongoing living in sin. And if they're if they depart from us, they never were a part of us. If they can live without us, they say, well, good riddance. I don't like you anyway. OK, we purify the church of a pretender. But if they sit out there for a while and go, man, I miss the church. Am I really sure with Christ is hindered. A relationship with the brothers and sisters are not there. I got to get back. So we are drawing together. That's why we go to church. We can't help it. So the Bible doesn't have to tell us to go, but it does have to remind us not to forsake the local assembly. Right. Hebrews 10 do not forsake the local assembling of results together as the manner of some. So we have to be reminded every now and then. Hey, church needs to be a priority. We want it to be a priority because it's in our heart. But every now and then we need that little reminder. So that's the first point or reason to go. The second we see on into 26. I just kind of added that one in there, by the way. But the rest of these are more explicitly clear. We go to church to serve. To serve to edify one another Hebrews. You know what it says, not forsake the local assembly yourself. This is but rather you to go so you can be entertained. Rather you should go so you can be built up yourself. Rather you can get something out of this. No, it doesn't say don't forsake. So you don't lose out. It says rather don't forsake, but rather go and encourage one another. Go and serve. Go and give. Go and contribute. A lot of people will quit coming because they're coming to receive completely to receive to be built up to be encouraged. And you know how it goes. No one said hi to me or no one acknowledged me and I'm offended and I'm not I'm leaving. It's like, OK, that will always lead to you leaving a church if the mindset is. That. But if you come as a servant. I'm going to go and encourage someone. I'm going to go seek someone who's setting alone. I'm going to go and try to say a fitly word to see someone that might be hurting or need. I'm going to go and try to pray that my conversations are directed by the spirit. Really want to go and try to help someone today. I'm going to try to build up one another. In fact, we'll see that that this is the objective. It says in verse 26. What then brothers when you come together each one has a him a lessons of revelation tongue and interpretation. Let all things be done for the building up. That is when you come with all your spiritual gifts. If you got a tongue you got a utterance. You've got a bit of knowledge that God has given you. If you got a him you got something that you want to exercise your spiritual gifting. You have something to to to serve with. This is the place to come and serve. This is the place for your spiritual gifts to operate. This is why God's given you spiritual gifts is not for your private consumption, not for yourself. Not so you can stay at home and take your talent that God has given you and your gift that God has given you for the building up and for the education of the body. He didn't give that for you so I can use it on myself. I don't need the church. Well, you might not need the church, but the church needs you. In fact, you do need the church because the eye cannot say to the hand. I don't need you. But the hand needs the eye and you are one of the parts of the body. And so we need you and you're to come in to take what you have. He said, Well, I might not be much, but we need that little. We need you. You know what was encouraging? I just thinking this is like what was encouraging about Friday night. The presence of you. I remember going you I've never looked at some of some of the faces that you drove a long ways to be here. Why? Why did you come? And I was moved because it took effort. You know, it took a little a little work to be there. I'm like, wow, that meant something to me. And your presence. Let me say this clearly to you. Your presence in the pew means something to the saints. Just coming and setting your you're showing faithfulness. I have an uncle who's with the Lord. My dad said he always my uncle Henry. Best man I know one of the best men I know. Or knew. Uncle Henry. Never preached. He couldn't hold a tune. When he saw everybody got off tune. He never was like. Like. He wasn't someone that you go. He's the strongest Christian in the room. You never thought that about Uncle Henry. But Uncle Henry. Never missed her. She was always faithful. He was always consistent. He was always there. He left a legacy of steadiness. He taught his kids. Just by the consistency of his. Church attendance. My dad told me after he passed away said always. Wish Henry was more involved here and more involved there and did. I always did that. I look back and the ones that were sometimes more involved. We're only there for a few years and gone. Henry never left. Henry stayed the course. You see. You have a role to play. And you may not see your role. Other people are watching you. You may not feel like you have much to give. But just being here and loving one another. Man you're serving. And this is what it says. You know whatever gift you have. You have a him. You have a lesson. You have a revelation. You have a tongue and our interpretation. I understand in context. He's talking about the revelatory gifts being a benefit. Never give making time for this. That's the context. But we're making application that all of our spiritual gifts. This is the place to use it. And this is the purpose. The purpose of using it and coming and being a part of the church is that all is done for the building up of the whole. That we're here trying to grow together. I believe this with all my heart. I believe that the church grows not just individually. I'm growing as a Christian and my growth is built on two things. One my own personal devotion with the Lord Jesus Christ. I read the Bible and I pray and I feast on that daily and I have to have that I have to have my quiet time my devotion time. That's essential for my personal growth. I need that part but also realize that my spiritual growth is interdependent with the growth of this church and we're growing together and depending upon the spiritual state of this church the maturity of this church the strength of this church is going to be determining how well I grow as an individual Christian. Does that make sense and so the church is necessary and all things is to be done and I'm to go to contribute for the building up of the body and I have all these verses here I got like I'll just limit it some of them but 1 Corinthians 12 says there are diversity of gifts but the same sphere there are differences of ministries but the same Lord there are diversities of activities but the same God who works all in all but the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all or the ESV says for the common good your spiritual gifts are given to you for the good the benefit the building up the edification of the whole church you're here for us we're here for you and together we grow Ephesians 4 says he gave apostles and prophets and teachers evangelists and pastors for the quipping of the saints for the work of the ministry for the edification or the building up of the body of Christ Romans 14 on everything that we do it says we're to make sure that we're doing it for the mutual upbuilding Ephesians 4 were to speak the truth and love we may grow up in all things into him who is ahead Christ from whom the whole body joined and knit together by every joint supplies according the effective working by which every part does its share calls causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself and love. I believe that I believe God given pastors teachers evangelists for the quipping of the saints the saints do the work of the ministry and how are you doing the work of the ministries when you text one another when you call one another when you check on one another when you're doing all this organic ministry behind the scenes and we don't know it I'm glad I don't know but 10% of the ministry going on in this church 90% of this ministry is not done by me is done by the collective whole was not done just by the elders is done by you. You don't know what you don't know what you're doing your your your checking on five people. Well that's all I can check on that's my bandwidth. I don't know how to do more than five or six people. I understand that. So you're not checking on the whole church. But you check it on four or five and what if you forgot to do that what if you neglected to do the four or five or six that you're checking on. You see we need you and when someone's checking on you that's the church checking on you. That's God loving you through his people and that's God using you. You see our spiritual gifts are not for our own consumption Christianity has a private dimension and I think sometimes we can neglect the private dimension and please don't do that. Please you're not going to be a very good church member if you're not reading the Bible you're not a very good church member if you're not in prayer you're going to be critical cranky and upset and miserable if you don't have your you don't have joy sweetness in the personal presence of Jesus Christ you'll take it out on the rest of us and your wife or your husband you will bitterness of the whole typically comes from a lack of fellowship with Christ. Please pursue that and the church can't do it for you. The church can't be your only means of substance. It's not designed to be the only means of substance. Don't only bet fed on Sunday morning get fed on Monday by your own your own seeking. But with that said though there is a private individual relationship that I and you have with Jesus Christ that are so vital there is a corporate dimension of worship that God's designed the church. He's designed Christianity to function as a whole where we come together and the spirit is working together for the mutual edification of all of us. The Bible says exhort one another daily as long as it's called the day so that none of you may be hardened by the sins deceitfulness. I hear what some pastors fall into like man I don't want to fall into that. I need you I need you you need me we need that constant telephone call how's your how are you doing how's your walk with the Lord. Are you fervent or you've gone cold. Man I feel like I'm getting a little cold. Well OK now's the time to check yourself and I'll tell you right now now is the time to check yourself. Now is the time not to get cold. Sin is that the door is trying to get in your house. It's trying to destroy your home is trying to destroy your marriage and if you if you don't walk it out if you don't see Christ and flee the devil it'll take the best of you it'll get you know that. But we're to come together to exhort one another daily especially as we see the day approach Hebrews tells us. Exhort one another encourage one another. You know what spiritual fellowship is. Corn and the Greek word. I've thought long and hard and I've come to the definition that this. True spiritual fellowship is a means of grace because it is the Holy Spirit in me or in you ministering to me through your words. Do you believe that when I'm preaching the Holy Spirit is at work. Do you not believe the Holy Spirit's in work when you're talking about the Lord to your friends. That you can be the means of God encouraging someone. You are. Your his mouthpiece your his hands your his feet. So we're designed God's design the church will come to church for this. Third reason to come to church. So that we may learn verse twenty seven through thirty three now again in the context they're misabusing their tongues and he they're speaking over one another and he's going to give them some guidelines. So we're going to come over another and he's going to give them some guidelines. But look at. We'll go through these guidelines I'm not going to skip over them but look at verse thirty one. For you can all prophesy one by one. And here's the reason he's putting guidelines and restrictions on them. So that all may learn and be encouraged. The goal is not for a small segment of the congregation to get something and the rest of the congregation to be left in the dark. Hey I don't understand what they're saying. They're speaking in tongues. It's just clueless. No. If everybody's talking over one another if it's just utter chaos there's no order or structure or organization to the worship service then it's hindering the learning process the encouragement. And so we hear we see in this that we come to church so we can learn and be encouraged. So he puts restrictions upon how they're to exercise their spiritual gifts specially specially these revelatory gifts when it comes to speaking in tongues. We see in verse twenty seven no more than three in one church service. If anyone speaks in a tongue let there be two or three at most. That is we have time is going to be a service. We're going to make time for two maybe at most three. And we're going to make sure that it says in twenty seven in order not at the same time you go first and when you're done someone else will come up and when you're done if we have time a third person will come up each in time. However if you're going to speak in tongues it goes on to say in verse twenty seven thirty four. Let someone interpret verse twenty eight but if there's no one to interpret let each of them keep silent in the church. And speak to himself and to God that is if there's no interpretation is forbidden. We've already saw that last week you can't just start speaking in tongues no one knows what you're saying. There has to be a translator or interpreter to tell us the meaning or the sense of what you're saying. We're only going to do three. We need structure and if there's a prophet the gift of prophecy we see in verse twenty nine. These are those and the apostolic period that could have a word given to them by the Lord or by the spirit. They didn't read it from the scriptures but God imparted it to them by divine revelation is let two or three prophets speak and let the others judge. That is we got to make sure that what they're saying is in accordance to the truth. So there have to be evaluated not just anybody can just get hey I want to give a prophecy and it could be some erroneous fabrication. Thus others have to stand and judge it and evaluate it test the spirits if you would. Also those who are prophesying need to not dominate the time. It says in verse thirty but if anything is revealed to another who sets by let the first keep silent. So here's a guy given a prophecy and there's someone stands up he's waiting in line and the guys keeps on his long-winded. Let's not talk about that too much but he's long-winded. He needs to hurry it up. Sit down to let someone else come up one at a time. And if you see someone standing by make room for them. Verse thirty one says for you can all prophesy one by one the purpose in all this. Yeah this is the application for us the purpose for all this is so that all may learn that all might be edified. Here's the purpose of church worship is that we learn together. This is a a corporate gathering that this is an assembly of the saints. This is why G.B.C. doesn't want to bifurcate that main worship service the Sunday morning worship service and divide their families up. No we come together as a simply were one assembly that comes together and seeking for the mutual edification of the whole body. The fourth reason. We had to hurry. We go to church to be submissive. And we'll see through three ways we have to be submissive but I believe this probably the number one reasons that professing Christians neglect going to church. It's my personal opinion. I don't know if I'm right on this but if you just ask me hey why people quit coming to church. They will use some type of offense. I was offended. They get offended and I think they don't deal with the fence properly. So they internalize the pain. They internalize the offense and they become bitter. And then it turns into sin when the bitterness has taken over the person maybe that offended you may be innocent. He may have done something wrong but in his mind he has no clue. And so he can eyes of God. He's not living in any habitual sin. Maybe it was a one-time sin that he shouldn't have done but he was clueless about it and he was never confronted to knowledge. He doesn't know how to acknowledge it. He doesn't know what he's done. But someone is offended by it and then he's carrying the person with the fence is carrying this bitterness with them and that bitterness is sinful and typically some type of bitters. I was hurt with church and they abandoned church. They don't go to church anymore because there are some type of offense of bitterness and in a process that with that being one of the reasons people don't go to church anymore. Another reason is I just don't know how or want to be submissive. And I think we all have that problem and I'm not going to preach down on people that were Jeff here an elder you say that like everybody's to be submissive to you know I'd none of us like it. Let's just be all honest about it. We all have our judgments. We all read the Scriptures for ourself which is good and wise but we all have our interpretations. This is how church needs to be. This is what I believe that needs to happen. We all have our individual evaluation of what needs to go on in church and it is hard sometimes when our evaluation or our opinion is not considered or even brought to the table and and what's going on is not necessarily what we would do is like hey this is not what I would do and I'm and then a lot of people like that end up going even John Owen talks about this in the 16th century they go from church to church to church until they end up in their home. They end up without the ability to be submissive. And I like that this is not helpful. But we're called all of us. I'm called. None of us are exempt from this. All of us. As Christians are called not just to submit to God we will all handle that. Also meant to God but I don't want to submit to you but the Bible says we're to submit to one another and there's a orb structure there's a chain of command that God has arranged and it's not the elders that arranged the change of that the chain of command the orb structure is in the scripture and we're not the ones that get to to rearrange it. We can't go I don't like the orb structure is outdated that's culturally not accessible or pleasing anymore. That's offensive. But we don't have the right to mess with it. We have only the obligation to submit and the spiritual leaders first of all spiritual leaders must be submissive look at verses 20 the end of verse 32 to 33. And the spirits of the prophets are subject to prophets for God is not the God of confusion but of peace. What is happening the Corinthians were justifying their they're speaking out because I they felt urged by the Holy Spirit with some type of utterance. They got some type of tongue and it is coming upon them and there they feel spirit filled all of a sudden and they can I can't tell the Holy Spirit no right. I can't I can't help the spirit the spirit is telling me to say something and so they start blurting it out. Have you ever been in a Bible study where I mean you're reading the Bible and then all of a sudden you get illumination and I think that's a spiritual encounter. I think the Holy Spirit is giving you insight and you see something for the first time in the scriptures and it's it's so overwhelming to you got to tell someone you got to say something but the guy next to you is not going to be quiet and so you just kind of like set there what am I supposed to do with this urge to say something well that's what's going on here. The people with the spiritual gifts they have the urge to let it out. But it says listen that it doesn't say the Holy Spirit but it says the spirits in plural talk about I think is talking about the gifts of the spirits the spirits are in subjection to the prophet that is these gifts that you have or the insights that you have are to be in submission to you and you are to be in submission to the word. So just because you have a feeling to urge something out doesn't mean you have the right to urge it out and you're to contain it even if it's Holy Spirit illumination you're to contain it to the proper place at the proper time. So you can't blame the Holy Spirit for your disorderly conduct. So here we are see that even there's a proper place for spiritual gifts to be in subjection. So the spiritual leaders have to be in submission. Those who are exercising the spiritual gifts. Secondly women must be a submission. We see this in verses thirty through through thirty three through thirty five and he gives us four reasons why women are not permitted to speak in church one because this was the custom of the churches. Look at verse thirty three as in all the churches of the saints the women should not should keep silent in the churches. That is when we have gifts of tongues and prophecies these regulatory gifts. There's only two or three at a time in order and the women are not to get up and instruct the church. There's no place for the women to be teaching the collective whole teaching the church. This is not what was going on in the churches but it was going on in the church of court and he's getting onto them for the women prophesying and speaking in tongues to the congregation. It gives the second reason because women are being submission. Look at verse three four. They are not permitted to speak but should be in submission. Then third he gives the order of creation. Why are they to be in submission because this is the way God's designed it. This is according to the law and he says according to the law he's talking about the writings of Moses because even Genesis was considered the law the law and the prophets and the first five books is the law. So he's really referring to Genesis and Genesis is what tells us in verse sixteen of chapter three. To the woman he said I will greatly multiply the sorrow of that conception in sorrow thou shall bring forth children and the desire shall be to the husband and he shall rule over you. That is you're going to have a hard time being in submission to your husband but he's going to be your head. This is what the law says. This is what God says. There's an order there's a chain of authority and women are under the authority of their husbands. This is what Paul says in 2nd Timothy chapter 2 verse 11. A woman must learn in quietness and full submissiveness. I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man. She is to remain quiet for Adam was formed first then Eve. So here this is a matter of God matter of women following the orb chart that God has placed. He said what about if a woman wants to ask a question. This is all about the worship service during the this is not outside of the worship service but when there's corporate gathering together and when all things are being done orderly. It's like what about interjecting. No it says in verse 35 if there's anything they desire to learn let them ask their husbands at home because the fourth reason he says in verse 35 for it is shameful for a woman to speak in the church. Now this is how I had to look at it think of a I in the military you got your four star general then you got your lieutenant then you got your captains and you got your province and there's an orb structure and what if you're you're in that meeting where there's an orb structure and you're you're not at the highest position but you start speaking up and you start correcting and asking questions you start interrupting the meeting and trying to like I don't understand tell me this is like wait this is not decently this is not order. There's a chain of command and you're you're disrespecting your head you're jumping over your authority you're stepping over your the chain of command and going over to your supervisor. That's not right. And so here this is the the design of worship is that we might do it orderly in its missus submissively but you say well that's seem to be picking on women where all of us have to be in our proper sphere. The church must be submissive. See Paul anticipates pushback by this point. He knows naturally that women don't want to be in submission and he knows naturally that none of us want to be in submission and he can foresee that they're going to say who are you Paul. Who do you think you are. He already recognizes that his authority will be questioned because he's saying things that they don't want to hear. Who are you to tell us. Look at verse 36. And he's asking these kind of like rhetorical questions. Or was it from you that the word of God came. He is saying. If you question my authority where did you get this from who brought you the word. Did you come up with it on your own. Did you stumble on this on yourself. No I'm the one that brought it to you. You're not going to listen to me now. I'm going to brought you the good news. And verse 36 it goes on to say are you the only ones it has reached. You think that you're the arbiter of interpretation that you're the arbiter of truth. Do you not realize I'm the one that brought you the truth and it's not to you but it's to all the churches and you're the only church here that's misbehaving in such a way. You're not acting like the church of evidence you're not acting like the church of Philippi you're you're miss conducting yourself and I'm trying to bring you back into order you're questioning me but know that you're not the only one who has the gospel you're not the only one has the truth. Then verse 37 says if anyone thinks that he is a prophet or spiritual he should acknowledge that the things that I am writing to you are a command of the Lord that is now that they have the spiritual gifts they didn't really need Paul like look how we got the Holy Spirit ourselves we don't need the one who brought us the word we got the spirit and the spirit given us tongues and prophecies and interpretation and we we can do this on our own. Is that you who think you're spiritual you who think you're filled with the spirit do not realize that I'm spiritual that I'm an apostle and do not with your spiritual discernment not recognize that I'm writing you to you inspired commands that this command is the word of God that this is the Bible. And if you don't recognize that I'm writing inspired scripture then God doesn't recognize you. So how do we know the Bible is inspired how do we know it's of the Lord saints because of the the spirit living in them the Bible is like a tuning fork that when you hear it it vibrates because it's in the same frequency the spirit is within you and you don't have the discernment to recognize the Bible is God's word then the Bible doesn't reckon you recognize you as a Christian. So you have a hard time with the word of God I don't want to submit to that you recognize that this is the word of God. And now let's take a second. I want to be careful with my time. Kinda. So I don't believe you Jeff. We we we may do a fine job of getting on to. Liberals for allowing women to preach. We may do a fine job of looking down our nose. It others who are disregarding. One of the commands of Christ. We got to recognize. We all have to recognize this. You remember when I preach on head coverings. I was scared to death. I was scared to death preaching on that text. You know why I was scared because I thought there was a possibility that I might have to change my conviction. And I didn't want being afraid of you to cause me to be scared of the truth. And I had to pray Lord. I'll do and I'll preach all say whatever it says for me to preach or say or do. Now you can argue if I got the right interpretation or not that's for you to make discernment. But my conscience had to be clear with the word of God. If we compromise on the slightest little command because it's no longer culturally convenient or it seems too harsh or it seems like I don't like that one. We're we're we're. Following the path of the liberals. They have women preachers today because they did not uphold the little ones yesterday. And it's going to lead if you go in a compromise one truth. It's just a Pandora's box that will lead to all things. You're conscious being clear to do whatever you want to do and you become the arbiter of truth. And we're I'm here to say the church is not the arbiter of truth. The church comes to learn what God says. The church comes to learn to do what God says for us to do. Jesus told us to command and to teach every commandment not some of the commandments the whole Council of God baptizing them and teach all that I've commanded them and he said another place he who says you can break the least of the commandments is going to be called the least in the kingdom of heaven. It's not legalism to be a strict obedient servant. Is it? If we're telling you to obey things that is of our judgment. That's legalism. If I say do this do that. It's not in the Bible. You don't hear conscious is not under conviction because the word of God says that then that's legalism and that's abuse of power. Don't obey man-made rules and traditions. Christ didn't he doesn't tell us to make them and he doesn't tell us to submit to them. But if it's in the word of God in your heart sees it in the word of God then we sit there and we submit to it. You see the whole service is says in verse 39 and 40. My brothers earnestly desired to prophesy do not forbid speaking in tongues. There's a place to do all this specially in the time setting that these gifts were in operation. But all things verse 40 says should be done decently in order in conclusion. Why do we come to church because this is assumed that Christians go to church. You don't really have to tell Christians to go. They want to go. Too so we can build up one another. Three that we might learn that we might be edified. We might be encouraged to grow and three that we might submit. Submit to God in the orb structure that he has given us. This is I really believe with along with our personal private devotions that we have individually. The church is one of the main methods that God has given for own sanctification encouragement and I believe. Because of the love that is in the body the love that the Saints have of one another. I believe it's the closest. Experience to heaven on earth that we can have. You want to be in heaven. Come to church. This is the closest foretaste of heaven and I know we're imperfect and we have the world within us and our inconsistencies. But that's where love that's where forgiveness that's where patience. That's where the fruits of the Spirit. Come into play. May we love the church. Let's pray. The Lord. Thank you for the church. Thank you for GBC. I'm deeply indebted and thankful for what you've done in the works of these men and women these children. Lord. I'm humbled to be a part of the body humbled to be loved by them. I'm humbled to be able by your grace to preach to them. Lord. I'm grateful for this body. Lord. Keep us safe. Keep us holy. Purify us. Help us to love one another more deeply and more sincerely to serve each other more fervently for your namesake. We pray in Jesus name. Amen. Amen.[BLANK_AUDIO]