A Model Ekklesia In Action - Faith Shows In Action
We were about ten believers and a few seekers from other faiths, seated comfortably on mats in a believer’s living room. He wanted to start by singing songs of praise, until someone gently reminded him that in the New Testament Ekklesia, there was open worship with no preset order of service. We decided to function according to 1 Cor. 14:26-31 , which says that everyone can participate. So instead of singing, we started by studying these scripture passages. We then asked if there were any prophets in the group, because it is the prophets who do most of the speaking, and not the leader. Initially there was an embarrassing silence. But then we realized that in the house Ekklesia, every believer could freely prophesy (v. 31 ). We also learned that prophecy has essentially three components. Firstly, edification is about the growth of the Ekklesia; secondly, we can exhort or encourage each other; and thirdly, we can comfort one other. When we do these, we are prophesying ( v. 3 ). Unti...