The Table, the Pulpit and the Throne
The Table, the Pulpit and the Throne
To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power for ever and ever! Revelation 5:13
"Are we in the earthquake throes of a new Reformation?"
Jack Hayford asked that question years ago in his 1987 book, Worship His Majesty.
Then he boldly proposed that, like Martin Luther nailing the Ninety-five Theses to the Wittenburg door, we drive a nail in the altar, or the pulpit, or the communion table, or whatever to announce again the preeminence of God's Word and His Spirit over our own traditions.
I, for one, am pulling for such a new Reformation. It is my conviction that the Church is, in fact, in a historic transition that is as significant as the Protestant Reformation. The resulting changes from this new Reformation will not just redecorate the house, but will fundamentally affect the very structure of the house. To properly view this moment of history, we need to think in terms of a "once in a millennium" event, not just a "once in a lifetime" event. It is not just a new season; it's a new epoch.
Surveying the Centuries
The first Reformation brought with it a new raison d’être - a new reason for the church to exist. To illustrate, imagine that you could go back in time seven hundred years to several pre-Reformation Christian worship services and interview 100 people as they were entering their various places of worship.
"Excuse me, I am conducting a religious survey. Could I ask you a simple question: What do you expect to be the most important part of the service you are about to attend?"
After some very interesting exchanges about your tennis shoes, your unusual accent, and how a smart phone recorder works, you will probably begin to get a very high percentage of answers indicating that the meaningful moment for most is the participation in the Eucharist, or the Lord's supper.
You have just identified the Eucharistic model of worship, where the communion table is the central piece of furniture. Check "Eucharistic" on your survey form.
Now jump ahead 600 years from there. Ask the same question to 100 people entering several post-Reformation, Protestant churches. "Excuse me...etc."
Now you are going to find that there is a new focal point. The answers will run along these lines: "The main event will be when the preacher brings us a message from God's Word."
Since "kerygma" refers to the proclamation of God's Word, and since we need a fancy name to identify this second model of Christian assembly, let's call it the Kerygmatic model, where the pulpit is the central fixture. Just check "Kerygmatic" on the form.
Now, if you are not too worn out from your time travels, let's drop in on Christians 50 years into the third millennia where we will find that the Second Reformation has already had it's effect. "Excuse me..." you begin.
This time the results reveal a new basis for gatherings of believers. They have a gleam in their eyes as they answer: "We are coming to worship God. The main event will be when we offer our sacrifices of praise to God!"
Go ahead and check "Leitourgistic" on the survey, and then let me explain what the Leitourgistic model is. (By the way, you won't find that in the dictionary yet. But very shortly we will need such a term.)
You too could be a Leitourgist!
Ministry unto the Lord will be the chief occupation of this twice-reformed Church, as it was of the early Church. 'Leitourgeo' is the Greek word used to describe this activity. It's translated in Acts 13:2, for instance, as "ministered to." "As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said...".
As we acquire the habit of coming into God's presence to minister unto the Lord in worship, we will not be Word-less. Instead there will be a powerful revelation of the Word of God, himself! And in his presence, the Lord's supper will be more meaningful than ever!
The table and the pulpit will still be there, but neither will be center stage. Instead there will be an invisible throne, and God himself will be center stage.
Consider Paul's description in Ephesians 5 of Christ's unfolding love for His Church in light of the three phases of Church history: 1) He "gave himself up for her," 2) "cleansing her by the washing with water through the word," so that 3) a radiant church may be presented to Him.
The Eucharistic model celebrates his sacrifice for us, and the Kerygmatic model celebrates the Word of God, which washes us. But the end result is that the Bride may be presented to the Bridegroom.
In Romans 12, Paul says that the presenting of ourselves as sacrifices is worship. The first two stages focus on His ministry to us; the third, on our ministry to Him. Can you imagine such a Church where ministry to the Lord is the priority - where we come to give rather than just to get?
Earthquake Preparation
So how can we prepare for this Second Reformation; how can we minimize the trauma of this coming earthquake of change?
Get the picture firmly in your mind of the Church that ministers unto the Lord.
Evaluate your present priorities as an individual and as a congregation and set new ones if necessary.
Begin to function as a fellowship of those who minister unto the Lord.
God will be pleased, and you'll be part of history in the making!
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