[OBW]

I honestly think that the LRC had a real dichotomy going on because they honestly believed that "all could prophesy" whether through speaking or the calling of songs, or whatever. The reality is that there needs to be order in the church. And that does not mean simply no chaos.

But in terms of the "spirit" of a meeting, a constant shift from what one thinks to what another thinks in terms of the things profitable for a meeting will always be subject to the whims of the individual if we all think that we are called to "prophesy" in the meeting and consider that even the calling of songs is a function of that, then we have also bought into the idea that everyone has the gift of prophesy. But we don't. And the discord and disruption to what the meeting could be is quite remarkable. But the LRC never really knew that because they presumed that the enjoyment of singing a song was proof of the Spirit's leading. And the membership's willingness to sing virtually anything that anyone called evidences that we are not automatically attuned to where the Spirit is leading. But if one of the leading ones suddenly jumps up calls something else, we then could be swayed to believe that the Spirit really was leading somewhere else.

Reminds me of something that happened this weekend. Took a trip to the Hill Country with my wife (32nd anniversary) to stay in a BnB out in the country. The first evening we went into the nearby town a little late for something to eat. Only one place still open, Ino'z, and there was outdoor seating and a little band — really a singer with three players behind him. Sang his own Willie Nelson kind of country (enjoyable even for someone who doesn't particularly like country). But three times this little girl would sort of slip up to the band and say something. First time, the guy start playing "You are my Sunshine" afterward. Then she did it again a little later, and he played "If You're Happy and You Know It." It happened a third time. Don't recall what it was she asked for, but the man politely did something a little different, but acceptable to her. I could complain about the parents that needed to stop their 4 to 5 year old from completely altering the song set of a 60 to 70 year old man. But the real thing is that unless he asks for input (which he did not) one child directed what was ultimately 30 percent of the last set for the evening.

In many churches, songs are picked in advance as a cohesive plan of worship and often with at least a little bit of the direction of the coming sermon buried in it. Whether you do or don't like the format, in the end somewhere between 2 and 4 people effectively "prophesy" through their words, singing/leading in song, etc. But the LRC thinks there is this command that it be a free-for-all and that is the way most think is right. Yet there is no order in that. The topic for the day is taking up your cross but the songs are about resting and freedom because that was what the congregation wanted. The topic then seems to fight with the singing.

So, while not based on some detailed analysis of scripture, it would seem that the LRC almost had a conflict of definitions by claiming that all can prophesy while needing to keep things "in order." Mel P may not have done a good job of it. And the tension between keeping things on track while maintaining a false sense of openness probably was a real problem in all places. But it is more a testimony to the error of thinking that everyone is a prophet than a charge to lay at the feet of those whose responsibility was maintaining order. They tried to do it without directly saying that you really can't all prophesy.