Getting Naked - Supplemental to the previous post

So I guess the question is, what can we as a church do in order to make ourselves more open with each other? I think what it all boils down to is participation. I do not mean in the sense that some one does the church’s paperwork, someone runs the nursery, or someone organizes the pot luck. These things are all great and in many cases needed. I am talking specifically about participation in your weekly meeting. This must be more than singing along with the worship band or saying Amen at the pastor. Each person must stand in their rightful place as the priests of God and take an active roll in the ministering to the Body of Christ. Here are a few practical suggestions.

1.) Open Up the Worship Service Let every one share what God is doing for them. If one has a song; let them sing. If one has a prayer; let them pray. If one has a poem; let them recite. Let anyone one share anything thing, as long as, it is about the how great God is. (Ephesians 5:19-20, Colossians 3:15-17)

2.) Stop Sermonizing Let us get away from the Platonic tradition of retoric, and get back to the Christian tradition of honest sharing among believers. This is not to say that sermons are not occasionally appropriate, but these ought not be regular occurrence. The Holy Spirit is with every believer and provides every believer who is willing to listen with knowledge. Let every believer share their Inspiration with the entire Body. Let us learn from each other. (I Corinthians 12:1-13, Colossians 3:16-17)

3.) Confesses Your Sin to Each Other This one is tough but very important. It is difficult to share how you have messed up but it is harder still to live without forgiveness. Here are a couple of guidelines. For the confessor, do not be graphic or detailed, and never brag. This is not a contest to see who has received the most grace. Furthermore, use discretion, all sin should be confessed, but not all sin should be confessed to everybody. Some situations are best handled in groups of the same sex; some situations are best handled between individuals. Now for the Body, if someone is confessing sin they do not need to be told that they have sinned, they already know. Remember this is action is not to pass judgment or assign punishment. It is rather to offer forgiveness and spiritual support for cessation of sinful activity. (James 5:13-19)

Some of you may be saying I do not have the qualifications to do these things I am not a worship leader, a pastor, or a priest. I have never had training or been to seminary. To you I say no human knowledge can replace or subject the teaching of the Holy Spirit. (I Corinthian 2)
By way Biblical example please consider Acts chapter 1. Christ has risen from the dead. He has appeared to many people. Now He is with His disciples just about to ascend to Heaven (the disciples are not aware of this fact). At this point, the disciples ask Jesus if he is going to now restore the kingdom of Israel. (Acts 1:6) This is interesting these men, who had spent the last three years learning from the Messiah Himself, still do not get it. They still believe that the Christ had come to destroy the Romans and reestablish the Davidic line. At this point Jesus tells them that the Holy Spirit is coming to shown them the true nature of the Kingdom. (Acts 1:7-8)

For more ideas and consideration read:
The Open Church by James H. Rutz
The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennon Manning