1 Corinthians 14:37

I believe one of the core Scriptures for understanding relational gatherings is 1 Corinthians 14:26. But what about the verse 37?

Timothy Germain has made available a free short PDF sharing his thoughts on 1 Corinthians 14:37. When you read what he has to say, it’s hard to ignore the implications.

Here is a teaser from the PDF. You can access the full teaching by clicking here.

The Institution Is in Rebellion to Apostolic Authority

This must be stated plainly: the institutional church model is not merely a different style of worship. It is in direct rebellion to apostolic authority.

Paul wrote by the authority of Christ. He said so explicitly in 1 Corinthians 14:37 – these are the commandments of the Lord. To replace the open participatory gathering with a clergy-run program is to reject the commandment of the Lord delivered through His apostle.

This is not a secondary issue. This is not a matter of preference or culture. Paul did not leave room for disagreement. Verse 38 settles it – if any man is ignorant of this, let him remain ignorant. There is no third option. You either acknowledge the commandment or you reject it.

Every denomination, every institutional church, every clergy system that silences the body and replaces Christ’s headship with human leadership is operating outside apostolic authority. It does not matter how large the building, how polished the sermon, how moving the worship set. If the body is not functioning, if every member is not free to contribute, if Christ is not the active Head of the assembly – it is not the ekklesia that Paul described and that Christ commanded.

The remnant sees this. The remnant is returning to it. Not to reform the institution – you cannot reform what was never apostolic to begin with. But to leave it behind entirely and return to the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ, gathering as His body, with every member active, every gift in operation, and Christ Himself presiding as Head.

You can read more about Timothy here.

You can sign up for my bi-monthly newsletter below.