On pages 196-197 of EWG, Peterson's ideas about prophecy in the congregation captured my intrigue.
"Whatever conclusion we reach [about the gift of prophecy], I Corinthians 14 surely speaks to us of the value and importance of spontaneous, verbal ministries of exhortation, comfort or admonition by congregational members (cf. I Thess. 4:18, 5:11, 14; Eph. 4:15). Such mutual ministry is often confined to the home group, or to times of personal interaction after church services. Why is it not also encouraged in the public gathering of the whole church? Many Christian traditions rightly emphasize the need for regular and systematic exposition of Scripture and the teaching of 'sound doctrine' by those gifted and appointed for this task... If the balance on New Testament teaching is to be preserved, however, there should be some space for the informal contributions of members."
What would this look like in a church service today? I don't disagree with Peterson, but how could you involve spontaneous contributions from the congregation without allowing utter chaos and anarchy to prevail over the teaching of the Word of God?
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