The Best Thing I Learned at re:group Day #2

Today was another great day at re:group.  Great breakouts and a really great closing talk by Andy Stanley.  Truth be told, probably the real highlight for me was seeing so many of our tribe; grouplife peeps from just about everywhere (even saw my twitter friend @AlviRadjagukguk from Jakarta!).

[quote]The best thing I learned today?  So much to choose from…but I’d have to say it was a line from Andy that I hadn’t heard him use before.  I’ll get to the line in a moment, but first a little set up.

Andy was talking about the scene in the gospels when Jesus and His disciples were near Caesarea Philippi and Jesus asked them, “Who do people say I am?”  You know the scene?  Simon Peter says, “You are the Messiah,” and Jesus says:

“Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.”

As he does in Deep and Wide, Andy spent a few minutes right here pointing out the fact that the word Jesus used that is translated church in our Bible didn’t mean a building or structure.  The word in the gospels is Ekklesia and it meant a gathering.  It was never used to indicate a building.

So what was the line that Andy used that was the best thing I learned today?  Almost there.  Just a few more sentences of explanation.

Pointing out that the word translated as church actually meant gathering, he went on to say that the “primary activity of the early church was one-anothering one another.”  Not taking communion.  There’s almost no instruction for how to take communion.  Not attending worship services.  There’s virtually no instruction for worship.  Not sitting in rows, listening to sermons.  See also, Andy Stanley on Creating a Culture That’s All About Circles.

You know what most of the rest of the New Testament is about?  One-anothering one another.  Interesting, don’t you think?  “The primary activity of the early church was one-anothering one another.”

I like that line.