The first Christians demonstrated communal Bible study. In Acts 2:42-47, the very first description of the very first church, we learn that the church was devoted to the apostles’ teaching. We read that they were together. The met in the temple courts and in homes. Add up those statements, and we can see how the earliest Christians gathered in groups both large and small to study the Bible together. This should not be understood as simply listening to a monologue, as if the apostles preached sermons and no one else talked.
We know this because the disciples had learned from Jesus how to study the Bible together. Yes, he taught and they did some listening, but he also frequently discussed his teaching with them. He asked them questions. They tried to answer, often not so good. They asked him questions. “What does this parable mean?” “How do we pray?” “Why are you different from the teachers of the law?” They discuss, they study together. From Jesus, the earliest Christians learned a participatory approach to studying the Bible together.
In 1st Corinthians 14:26, Paul gives us a glimpse into what a worship gathering looked like in the city of Corinth. Before we read that passage, let’s take a moment to think about the setting of that worship gathering. Early church gatherings were in homes, and their worship services would be much more like contemporary small group Bible studies than our Sunday worship services in buildings. The early Christians did not have buildings. They did not have a theater-style arrangement like we do.
Most contemporary church worship spaces resemble a theater, with row of seats or pews, generally facing a raised stage area. The largely non-participatory congregation sits in the seats watching a few paid professionals and volunteers as they lead, play music, sing, pray and preach. Contemporary worship services not only bear a striking resemblance to the theater, because of their typical seating arrangement and production, our worship services emphasize individualism. People can attend a worship service in the role of spectator with very little expectation of participation. While they participate in worship through singing and giving, they can passively follow along with everything else. It can be highly individualistic.
With the difference contexts of the ancient and contemporary Christians in mind, notice how Paul describes the early church in 1st Corinthians 14:26. Paul writes, “What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up. If anyone speaks in a tongue, two—or at the most three—should speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret. If there is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet in the church and speak to himself and to God. wo or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said. And if a revelation comes to someone who is sitting down, the first speaker should stop.”
What Paul describes is participatory worship, especially in verse 14, “when you come together, each of you has.” There was an expectation, a very healthy expectation, that when the Christians gathered, they were all participants. It was not a passive participation.
When I think of my own congregation, I believe a majority of our us are not passive. I believe most of us are active in our participation. People serve on Sundays in a variety of ways: hosting, welcoming, singing, serving on sound, projection, Zoom, counting the offering, preparing fellowship snacks and drinks, serving in the nursery, the kids ministry, teaching classes to youth and adults, unlocking the building, and I probably missed some. Much of that we did for years. When I went on sabbatical in 2018, it was awesome how people stepped up and started doing even more.
That said, what Paul is describing is active participation during the worship service itself. But you might think, “Joel, contemporary worship services are not designed for active participation.” You would be correct. Remember that the Acts 2:42-47 description of the early church includes both large group and small group gatherings. Those large group gatherings in the temple didn’t last long, as the Christians eventually got kicked out of the temple. Archaeologists do not have evidence for large Christian gatherings approximately three hundred years later. Instead early Christians met in small groups, just as Paul describes in 1 Cor 14:26.
That is not to say that at every small group meeting in homes, every single Christian was extremely participatory. People then are just like people now. I have students in my college classes who are very talkative. They want to talk before class, during class they raise their hands, and after class they come up to me and want to talk some more. I also have students who are quiet. Even if I say that I am grading their class discussion, so that during a class period every student has to raise their hand and ask or answer a question at least once, or they will get a downgrade, those students still will not raise their hands.
Likewise in any church gathering throughout history there have been over-talkers and under-talkers. But what Paul is clearly suggesting is the participation is vital in the church.
Notice in particular how there is participation in studying Scripture in 1st Cor 14:26. He describes instruction, revelation, tongues, interpretation and prophecy. All of these are variations of studying God’s word in its various forms. The point I’m trying to make is not about the variations, but about the participation. Everyone involved. Everyone digging into the Bible, discussing it together with others in the church family.
Thankfully, I suspect most contemporary church families have many opportunities for everyone to participate in studying the Bible together. At Faith Church after worship every Sunday we have Bible teaching and discussion in our Sunday School classes. We have home Bible studies as well. My guess is that your church has similar opportunities. If you are a Sunday School teacher or Bible study leader, I encourage you to make your groups heavily discussion-oriented.
At Faith Church one of our Sunday classes is sermon discussion group. I encourage all pastors to have a group like this. If all I did was give monologues and there was no discussion, I believe I would be wrongly emphasizing an individualistic approach to studying Scripture. Sermon discussion group is a open discussion about the sermon. Questions, feedback, clarifications, stories, applications, and more. I love sermon discussion more than I love my sermons!
What we see in the New Testament is the importance of studying Scripture together. What can that look like in your church family?
Photo by Kevin Gonzalez on Unsplash
Engaging Scripture 
I really am for this Idea, I grew up in home fellowship with a teacher. Participation was encouraged. I find it hard to go to contemporary church. although I watch online and attend when I can.
Thanks Pamela. You might appreciate Frank Viola’s work on Organic Church.