House Church / Home Ministry
What specific changes does a church and its leaders need to make to develop disciples who lead others? What is the pastor’s role? In a typical church model, it would appear the pastor’s role is to gather a crowd, be a paid performer. But Jesus’ life and leadership didn’t reflect that. He coached and equipped people to release an army on a community.
I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count. And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God.” - Revelation 7:9-10
Jesus didn’t focus on gathering a crowd out of the community alone, but rather on releasing a crowd of disciples who can make disciples. Think about it. Jesus essentially said to the disciples, “You don’t need me to physically be here, walking with you. I’ve equipped you with what you need to be a disciple and make disciples in your homes and neighborhoods.”
Also, we have to look at this idea of, “What is success?” What are we as leaders celebrating? What do people in our ministries aspire to? If we’re honest, we know we're celebrating many of the wrong things. Or we're celebrating just some of the right things so our people are aspiring to, especially our young leaders, a ministry with thousands of people. I’m all for numbers of converts, but those aren't the right numbers alone. We should be counting and asking the question, “How many disciples have I made who can make disciples without me?”
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We don't start churches with worship services; we start with small groups. We want people to say, “This is my church and, oh yeah, we have a worship service,” not “This is my worship service, and I might go to a small group.” We do it the same way every time we plant. We have a small group leader that has an apprentice. And then you elevate that apprentice into leadership, and now you've got two groups, and its reproduction.
When you get to a certain point, maybe you've got five groups of six people each, and you start thinking, “Maybe we should start a service.” We don't want to start building a crowd until we have alignment with leaders who understand what is going to be the DNA of this church. We don’t want to gather crowds that cannot be discipled because we don’t have any leaders ready to help them. Each church started with a leader who came from within the system of small groups who went out to start another church.
We want people to say, “It’s my mission to make disciples,” rather than, “Our ministry's mission is … .“ This idea of ‘This is who I am, it’s what I believe in.” And that happens through relationship. You can't give someone else what you haven't owned!
"Give my greetings to the brothers and sisters at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house." (Colossians 4:15 NIV)
For too long, many Christians have relegated their spiritual gifts to the giving of money to an organization, including the church, but have neglected the gift that is within them. Unfortunately, too many Christians are settled into the belief that if they give money to a ministry or a church, they have then done all they could to send forth the gospel. A good home church is not the end of your ministry but it should be the beginning of your ministry. We meet on Sunday morning, not to complete our ministry but to get a spiritual boost in our ministry. I don’t know about you, but I am spiritually refreshed when I leave church on Sunday morning. It is the time when we gather together to be ministered to and be re-energized.
Now there is nothing biblically wrong with giving money to a solid church or ministry but I want you to think from a different angle. Let us say there is a church with 500 saved people in it. Those 500 bring their tithes and offerings into the church and that is all they do as fulfillment in their ministries. Now we have one pastor preaching the Gospel. This means that 500 people have relegated their ministry to one man but that ministry stays within the confines of the church building unless they have some type of outreach. Now the point I am making is, if those 500 people would view themselves as being empowered by the Holy Spirit to do some type of individual ministry, there would be 500 ministries in that church and not just one! Do you see what I am trying to get across?
The lack of personal ministry is alarming. Christians seem to feel that once they write their check to a ministry or attend church, their obligation is done. Nothing could be farther from the truth. When did the Great Commission end? We sing that great Hymn, “Onward Christian Soldiers” and one of the stanzas says, “Like a mighty army, moves the church of God.” WHERE IS THAT ARMY? Take a look at an army. You have a General commanding thousands of troops into battle. Now who does the fighting? Is it the General or the Troops? It is the troops! What Christians have done is instead of fighting in an army, they send the General into battle and the troops stay home. The parallel is that the thousands of Christians allow one pastor or radio preacher to do all the ministry, while they do nothing. Then they go to church and murmur and complain that the unbelievers are overtaking the church and country. With no opposition, it is easy to conquer!
Millions of Christians in the last several years have been totally rethinking what "church" is and are looking for a deeper relationship with Christ. A spiritual revolution and revival is quietly sweeping across the world led by the Spirit of God, not human leadership. For a rapidly growing number of Christians, a local church building is no longer the place to go for their primary church meeting place. Today, millions of believers are leaving local congregations and are meeting in house churches.Most of the people now meeting in house churches are doing so because they have a desire to have a deeper relationship with Christ, and have had to leave the congregational, building based church to satisfy that need. These people have a heart's desire to be the church, rather than merely go to a "feedlot" church.
God’s design for the church is a "pasture based" church, as opposed to the "feedlot style" church found in most church building based churches today. The Bible often refers to us as the sheep of God’s pasture (ex. Psalm 23, Psalm 79:13, Psalm 100:3). In John 21:15-17 when Jesus commanded Peter to feed His sheep, the Greek word Jesus used that is translated "feed" means "to pasture, to graze". Jesus was commanding Peter to pasture the sheep and let them graze. In the Old Testament usually when it refers to pastors or "shepherds" feeding the people, the word for "feed" is "to pasture".
The concept of a shepherd feeding the flock by leading them to fresh green pasture is totally different than the way a feedlot owner feeds his livestock. With a conventional factory farm, the buildings and equipment are very important. Large expensive equipment and a large amount of time is required to plant and harvest crops for feed. The crops then need to be stored in a silo or storage bin. Later the feed is mixed using various feed ingredients into a balanced ration and fed to the livestock. With the feedlot, the sheep are totally dependent upon the farmer to choose, grind, mix, and balance the feed ration, and give their feed to them. The feedlot owner can feed thousands of sheep but the individual sheep receive little personal attention or care.
On a pasture based farm the buildings are not as important and often are not needed. There is little need for expensive equipment. The operating costs are much lower. The livestock harvest (eat) the grass and feed themselves. The feed is fresh grass, not dry powdery feed. It is more relaxing and less stressful for the animals. The young are usually left with their mothers. The animals often live longer than their confinement counterparts. The role of a shepherd on a pasture based farm is to simply guide where the sheep graze.
Psalms 23:1-6 A Psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. 3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. 5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
God’s design for the church is that it be based on a pasture based model of a shepherd pastor leading the people to feed themselves on the pasture of God’s Word, rather than the building based feedlot model. God desires a shepherd style pastor who really cares for the needs of the flock and who leads the church from one pasture of the Bible to another; a shepherd pastor who makes sure that the church does not feed on one area too long at a time and become stagnant. God’s design for the church is that most of the spiritual food come from the people gathering it themselves and meditating on it and that the pastor’s messages be a significantly smaller portion of their total spiritual food.
There is much more to be learned and understood about God's design for the Church and for people being fed spiritually.
The church-building-based church most commonly found today is not based on God's design for the church or on instruction given to us in Scripture. The local church has evolved over the last almost 2000 years from the house churches of the New Testament to a design, format, and money consuming facility that for many aspects of what the church is and its activities, does not have a basis in Scripture. The following are some of the things found in many building-based churches that don't have directives in the Bible. Some of these items are not sin and are not particularly wrong, but are included to show how much of what we associate as being an expected part of the church is man's design and is not found in the Bible.
- A special building called a "church" which is the center of spiritual life for the congregation.
- Connecting baptism strictly to a church and denominational membership
- The pastor hired as an employee of the congregation
- An elevated pulpit
- Bible School or Seminary education required to be a pastor
- Passing the "collection plate" for tithes and offerings
- Age segregated adult groups
- A Christian School
- Sports - a gym, organized ball teams, etc.
- Feedlot-style spiritual feeding
“Fear not, little flock, for it is the Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32).
“We are God’s fellow-workers; you are God’s field, God’s building” (I Corinthians 3:9).
"But Christ is faithful as the Son over God’s house. And we are his house, if indeed we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope in which we glory." Hebrews 3:6)
“What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God has said of us, I will dwell in them, and walk among them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people” (II Corinthians 6:16, Ephesians 4:12; 5:3; II Thessalonians 1:10).
“Consequently, you are . . . members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit” (Ep 2:19-22).
“You know therefore that the real children of Abraham are those who are of the faith. . . And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:7,29).
“At that time you were separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world . . . Now you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God” (Ephesians 2:12,19).
“I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought” (1Co 1:10).
Can one be a Christian and never go to church? Of course, we need to define "going to church." The Scriptures condemn the pointless practice of going to an institutional assembly for the wrong reasons (Ps. 50, Amos 5:21-24, etc.). Many say they avoid church because they worship God alone, "in their own way." Well, we certainly are not required to worship in the identical manner--besides, there is no one way described in the Bible anyway. But one can't really be a Christian alone. Christianity, just like Judaism, is corporate from its very roots. It is absolutely essential for God's children to learn to work and play together in the kingdom, as house church theology places the kingdom both here (in the church) and in the future (in heaven). So there can be no individual Christian, nor can there be a "radio" church Christian, nor even an "Internet" church Christian. Why? Because of the person-to-person relationship that is at the very heart of the doctrine of church.
One might say that the relationships in the institutional church excel in quantity and the house church provides a chance for better quality. But when Jesus said "the two or three gathered together" (Mt. 18:20), it seems that he had the house church in mind. One can hide in a large church--going week after week and never really building a relationship with anyone. When people ask, "How are you?", one responds with an automatic "Fine" no matter how big the hurt may be inside. This is not the way the church is to behave, whether it be big or small.
By the time of the Protestant Reformation, "church" had so long been in alliance with the state that it surely must have seemed a "department" of the government to its subjects. One would go to the state to pay taxes or register the transfer of a deed, and one would go to the church to register a birth or to have a marriage performed. It would be a long and acrimonious process that would span continents and centuries before the notion that there should be a would reach the acceptance that it has today--and there still remains great political pressure in our own day that laws based on the Bible should be re-instituted in order to rid society of harmful elements.
The house church movement saw the church as having "fallen," and probably would have dated that fall in AD 313, when the Emperor Constantine issued the Edict of Milan which gave Christians tolerance in the Roman Empire. Later, in 380, Christianity became mandatory for Roman citizenship. Many in the institutional church today still regard these events as a great and glorious day for Christ, but the radical reformers saw in it a tremendous evil. Constantine began a process that changed the church from a persecuted minority to the status of royalty. When he summoned the bishops to Nicaea for the First Ecumenical Council in 325, he had them all arrayed in robes of royalty and saw to their comfort as honored guests of state. He doted over the bishops who had suffered crippling injury during the persecutions of Christianity. It is not hard to see how these bishops saw in this radical change in their social status the very fulfillment of the promises of God--the state would help the church reform the world and then Christ would return to reign.
As it quickly became flooded with unregenerate people, the church was forced to form hierarchical systems like other human organizations and evolved a theology around the "bishop." That is, where the was, there was the church. God was understood as working through this chain of human power. This idea had its roots not in the Bible, but in Greek philosophy--God was perfect, humanity was corrupt; therefore, the way to build the church is to create a layered organization that increased in purity from the bottom to the top (see the figure).
Protestants reject this approach in general. Luther spoke of the "priesthood of the believer," rejecting the need for any intermediary between the individual believer and God. The radical reformers accepted this contribution but centered their understanding of their relationship with God on community, rather than on the individual. They saw the Protestant model as excessively individualistic. It did not take into account the need for relationships between believers.
According to (Anabaptist) Conrad Grebel, the church was not to be found in the bishop's multitudes, nor in the "partially" reformed state church of the Protestant Reformation. Rather, it was "the few who believed and lived right." It was a fellowship of people who held each other mutually accountable and who covenanted together to follow their Lord. Biblically, this concept is found in Mt. 18, where Jesus speaks of the "two or three gathered together" in his name. When they so gather, they have the power to meaning to reject or accept behaviors (ethics) and that the results of the deliberations that they conduct in this manner will be honored by God. In Mt. 16, the term "bind and loose" appears again, this time in the context of the church having the "keys to heaven." In Acts 15 there is an example of such an assembly, and we are told (Acts 15:28) that the result of their meeting is "good with the Holy Spirit and with us." This is the biblical basis of the house church doctrine of church: it is only when believers meet in the company of other believers, put aside their own agendas and ambitions, and open themselves to the Holy Spirit, that can they properly hear the voice of their king, the living Christ, as he now sits at the right hand of the Father and rules his Kingdom. Always persecuted by authority figures, the early house church people felt that the Holy Spirit spoke most clearly to the group. Because this corporate process is centered in a desire to be obedient to Christ, God honors the decisions made in this manner.
House church theology says that the work of the church is to co-operate with God (1 Cor. 3:9). This means that 1 Cor. 13-15, Rom. 12-14, and Eph. 4 (the "spiritual gifts" passages) are intended not as general statements of Christian behavior or of individual gifting, but are intended to instruct local churches (house churches) in proper behavior, to appropriate spiritual gifts in a corporate context, to appreciate the gifts of fellow brothers and sisters, to manifest other behaviors that make the church an effective outpost of the Kingdom of God on earth, and, especially, to love each other within the church fellowship (the proper context for interpreting 1 Cor. 13). So the house church doctrine of church centers on gathered people, never the individual, the denomination, or the "universal church" (which has no real biblical basis at all). When Paul speaks of it is always the local church to which he is referring.
When the people of a house church gather, it is not properly a mere group of individuals that walks through a liturgy or receives grace from a treasury administered by human agents. Rather, it is an assembly of believers that comes together as part of the "family" of God (Eph. 3:15) for fellowship, mutual support, and to further the agenda of God. The relationships that are to be built within that family are to prepare us for an eternity with God and to be a model for our own, biological families in this fallen world.
One group that is descended from the same roots as the House Church is the Amish. They make a fascinating case study because of their intense focus upon ridding themselves of the complicated and keeping the simple (although it is certain that the Amish themselves would admit that merely living within an "older" culture is no guarantee of that one is actually living a "simple" life in the theological sense).
Few outside of the Amish themselves will agree that it is necessary to freeze progress in order to achieve the simple life, but it must be said that the choice that the Amish people have made enriches us all because we can look at their successes and failures and draw lessons.
The doctrine of the simple life is nothing more than an attempt to deal biblically with the question of how to make the everyday decisions of life in a manner that is responsive to God's love. As such, it is distinct from other doctrines that deal with worship and the mission of the church--those doctrines certainly impact the way the person who loves God will spend their time and make significant decisions--but the doctrine of the simple life deals with the ordinary matters of existence.
One very good place to begin is in the wonderful little book called Ecclesiastes. The superscription of Ecclesiastes (Eccl. 1:1) identifies its author as "Qohelet," the Hebrew participle of the verb "to call." So he was "one who calls." Calls whom? Nobody is actually sure, but from what little else is known about Qohelet from the epilogue (Eccl. 12:9-14), he was a man who was very wise. Perhaps the name comes from his having a role of calling the synagogue to order. But, when the whole book is taken into account, it is even better to see Qohelet as one who taught the young men of post-Exilic Israel (that is, those who had returned from Babylonian captivity) the ways of Judaism and the wisdom of "fearing God and keeping His commandments." In short, he was teaching them the "simple life"--calling them into obedience to God.
Qohelet was much less interested in Law and Prophets than he was interested in life. He looked as objectively as he could at the many possibilities of living in his culture and drew conclusions about wisdom (being obedient to God) and folly (being against God). It would not be completely unfair to call Qohelet a "user's manual" for living a simple life.
In short, the simple life is one that seeks enjoyment in the ordinary things of eating, drinking, and working for a living. The one who can find satisfaction in these simple things is the one who will, in the end, live a happy and enjoyable life that is compatible with God's intentions. Wisdom, pleasure, and even money are fine when they come as a result of the simple life, but are hevel when sought for their own sake.
The simple life message is developed over twelve chapters during which Qohelet looks at, and discards, complicated things. It would be pointless to attempt a complete enumeration of these, but it would be very wrong to leave Ecclesiastes without touching upon its final two chapters. The teacher sums up his message to the young people who have returned from exile. They are to truly enjoy their life under the sun, for it is "sweet" (Eccl. 11:7). As these young people get older, life will become more difficult--hevel--but even so, the gift of life should still be treasured (Eccl. 11:8). This is brought home in the aging-and-death allegory of Eccl. 12:1b-12:7, in which the aging person is compared to a house that is starting to fall apart--teeth few, eyes blurred, and hearing diminished. Then, like a grasshopper who struggles to get to his meal but finds he can no longer enjoy it, the aged one has no more appetite for marital relations (Eccl. 12:5). The walk of the aged is no longer steady on the road, and a funeral procession is described (Eccl. 12:5). And who can read Eccl. 12:6-7 with dry eyes, as the life is finally over, its silver cord snapped, and we have the tragic picture of smashed vessels--a golden oil lamp and a clay water jar--both of which have spilled their precious contents onto the desert floor. The dust returns to the ground and the breath returns to God (Heb., "the one who creates"), completing the process that began in Gen. 2:7. Again, life is fleeting. It is like the vapor of visible breath on a cold day--there one minute, and then gone without a trace, without a memory, without so much as a ripple in God's grand cosmos. Hevel, hevel, hevel, hevel.
Yes, says Qohelet, the light of living under the sun is sweet. And he is no party-pooper. He tells his young audience to "be happy ... while you are young and let your heart give you joy..." (Eccl. 11:9). He even tells them that they should follow their hearts and their eyes in reaping every ounce of pleasure from the wonderful gift of life that God has granted them. Just at that point the Hebrew text has an athnah--a strong disjunctive accent that is like the old man taking a deep breath--and the words of warning come: "But know that for all these things God will bring you to judgment."
So here is Qohelet's bottom line. Carpe diem! Seize the day! Attack life with gusto, for it is a wonderful gift of God and not something to be wasted. But do so wisely--seek the simple pleasures, and seek God (Eccl. 12:1). Avoid the many pitfalls of complexity that are hevel. They rob you of the simple life. They rob you of the true happiness that centers in God. And, in the end, they bring judgment.
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In 2 Thessalonians 2:15, the Thessalonian church was instructed to “stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter from us” (NASV). Here, the Thessalonians were specifically commanded to hold to the traditions (paradosis) of the apostles, whether received orally or in writing.
Many believers think that while apostolic traditions may be interesting, following them is never commanded. Yet what does 2 Thessalonians 2:15 indicate? Is adherence to apostolic traditions actually commanded or merely suggested? Significantly, it is clearly commanded. It is not just apostolic teachings to which we are to adhere, but also apostolic traditions (as revealed exclusively on the pages of Scripture). We are to follow the traditions of the apostles, not only in their theology, but also in their practice.
If the Bible directly commands something, then we obviously ought to follow that command. The fact is that the Bible commands adherence to the traditions of the apostles (2Th 2:15). The real question thus is not, “Must we do things the way they were done in the New Testament?” Rather, the question is: “Why would we want to do things any other way?!”
What are some obvious, biblical, apostolic traditions for church practice that should still be followed by the church today? (Remember as you read over these that there is general consensus in scholarly circles, regardless of denomination, as to how the early church functioned).
1 The Lord’s Supper celebrated as a full fellowship meal (1Co 11:17-34), partaken of weekly (Ac 20:7, 1Co 11:17-22), as the main reason for gathering each week (Ac 20:7, 1Co 11:33).
2 Participatory church meetings (1Co 14:26, 37, Heb 10:24-25), with mutual edification, encouragement and fellowship as the goals of the assembly (Ac 2:42, 1Co 14:3-5, 12, 26, Heb 10:24-25).
3 Church government by consensus: elder led more so than elder ruled churches (Lk 22:24-27, 1Pe 5:1-4). Further, church elders are to be male, plural, non-hierarchical, homegrown, servant leadership (1Ti 3:1-7).
4. Home sized churches, i.e., smaller congregations (Ro 16:5, Col 4:15, Phlm 2), that are one in attitude with all other believers and congregations. There is nothing magic about meeting in a home per se; it’s what happens there that matters, and it happens best in a smaller church. The New Testament norm is many micro churches rather than a few mega churches.
5. Meeting regularly on the Lord’s Day (Mt 28:1-7, Ac 20:7, 1Co 16:1-4, Re 1:9-11), the first day of the week, in honor of Jesus’ resurrection.
6. Children present with their parents in the church meeting (Mt 19:13-15, Lk 2:41-50, Ac 21:5, Ep 6:1-3, Col 4:16). Thus, churches that strengthen and unite families, not further divide them.
7. A community-based church that can easily experience daily fellowship (Ac 2:42-47).
8. Regular ministry meetings specifically devoted to the in-depth study of the scriptures (Ac 2:42, 15:32, 20:7, Ro 12:7, 1Ti 5:17).
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Baptism
Baptism is the rite of initiation into the church. In the New Testament, baptism and conversion were so closely associated that one infers the other. When Jesus said to baptize he was not saying that because of his own baptism, which was a special, Messianic baptism that was done "to fulfill all righteousness" (Mt. 3:15). Rather, he was saying that people were to be brought into the church--a process that was synonymous with baptism. It is for this reason that the doctrines of baptism and church are closely related. The Origin of Baptism is in the Synagogue Well before the coming of Christ, baptism had been established as the consummating step of the process by which a prosyelite would enter the Jewish faith. The people of the New Testament era were therefore quite familiar with the practice. Note that when the priests and Levites confronted John the Baptist (Jn. 1:19), they did not ask him "What are you doing?", but rather they asked him "Why do you baptize?" When an outsider confessed a faith in Judaism, he would be
- instructed in the faith,
- circumscised,
- and then (after he had healed) he would immerse himself in water in a witnessed ceremony.
Since Christianity began as a Jewish sect, the process by which a Gentile would become a Christian followed this procedure precisely except that circumcision was no longer required (Acts 15:19). Note that this change tended to erase any distinction between men and women, making it clear right at the time of a candidate's initiation that Christianity completely removes the three traditional barriers between people that are enumerated in Gal. 3:28. This verse, believed by many scholars to be a quotation of a baptismal formula in the early church, says "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus."
Therefore, functionally, baptism is simply the rite of initiation of in individual into the community of faith. Just as with its Jewish antecedent, it must be voluntary and it must be witnessed. It may be administered only after a confession of faith and instruction (catechism).
Baptism as a Prophetic Symbol In Rom. 6, Paul added a rich theology that explained baptism in terms that were easy enough for first-century Romans to understand, but which are often difficult for modern westerners. In Rom. 6:4, Paul says that "we were therefore buried with him through baptism into his death." This passages suggests that time can be telescoped--that the contemporary believer can actually exist in some sense during Jesus' crucifixion. Furthermore, Paul says that the believer, as he is being baptized, actually participates in the death of Christ; that participation is the basis for Christ's future participation into the believer's death, leading him or her into eternal life.
One should be cautious not to over-extend this point; Paul was not saying that a person converted on his deathbed and who dies before he can be baptized would not achieve salvation in Christ. Such an understanding would give pelagian (magic) overtones to Baptism. But the act of entering the water and then coming out of the water was seen as symbolizing Jesus' death and burial, followed by his resurrection. Because of this symbolism, many evangelicals (especially Baptists) insist that Baptism must be a full immersion. Also, the Greek word transliterated "baptism" in our English Bibles (baptizo) actually means "immerse," but King James insisted on transliterating the word to avoid sending the wrong message to the masses. In a way, however, King James had a point. The ancient church document known as the Didache (the "teaching," c. 70 - 400 AD?) suggests that the early house churches had a great deal of flexibility in how to actually perform the rite.
It is interesting that Joseph Fitzmyer, in is excellent commentary on Romans, affirms the symbolism of Rom. 6 regarding baptism even though his own denomination (Roman Catholic) practices sprinkling rather than full immersion. The baptism of the first Anabaptists in 1525 was done by pouring, although the Anabaptists moved toward full immersion very early. In the end, the "mode" of baptism must remain a matter for each house church to decide.
The Baptism of Infants Infant baptism was a hot button for the historical anabaptists and baptists. It was seen as the very symbol of church-state collaboration, and many of the early confessions anathematize the practice without mincing any words. Modern house church theologians, however, are not nearly as dogmatic on this issue--some are, and some are not. One can take the theology and prophetic symbolism of adult, immersion baptism and yet use "confirmation" as the adult confession of faith. So the material in this section is concerned with the theological basis of baptism--it is not intended to be taken as saying that one must renounce one's infant baptism and be re-baptized as an adult in order to be a Christian. Each must work out his salvation with "fear and trembling" on this point and Christians must learn to respect the decisions of their Christian brothers and sisters when they decide differently in the spirit of Rom. 14:13-23.
That said, let us venture into the biblical case for and against infant baptism. Many Christians, acting on the kerygmatic "the Church is the new Israel," have said that Christian Baptism is equivalent to the circumcision of ancient Israel. As such, it should be performed on infants when they achieve the age of eight days. Further, the water is seen as a symbolic act of "washing" that removes the "original sin" of Adam that was passed on to the infant through inheritance.
Many house church theologians have trouble with this line of reasoning for these reasons:
- Circumcision and Baptism are not interchangeable. Lk. (7:29) says that John's baptism was was acknowledged by "all the [Jewish] people" even though, as Jews, they had already been circumcised. Further, the New Testament actually contrasts circumcision and baptism in such passages as Col. 2:11-12.
- Sin is not inherited (Ex. 20:5, Ezek. 18:1-18, etc.) so there can be no . We are not sinners because of Adam--we are sinners because we sin (1 Jn. 1:8-10). We have no one to blame except ourselves. The events of Gen. 3 resulted in the fallen world, but did not make sin an inheritance.
- Infants, of course, cannot be held accountable for the life-long commitment that baptism represents. Such an understanding of baptism regards the candidate as an object upon which "magic" is performed by the administrator and the water. Any such practice attempts to force God to look differently on the candidate because of the actions of a human agent (but see Rom. 11:35--no one can ever put God in his or her debt).
- Rom. 7:9: Paul was born "alive,"
- Rom 7:10: he "died" when he became old enough to be aware of sin, and
- Rom 7:25: he became "alive" again through Christ Jesus.
Administering Baptism House church theology attaches no importance to the administrator of baptism. Other than the need for the person administrating the baptism to be a member of the church (that is, someone who is baptized), there is no biblical ordination required. Baptism is simply a voluntary, symbolic act of initiation into the community of faith. Theologically, it is an act that is performed by God, who is always in the role of initiator.
Baptism is an act that need only be performed once. When a believer leaves a church to join another, there is no reason to repeat the baptism. But the Lord's Supper is generally regarded as being reserved for members of the church, which means baptized persons.
Catechism Baptism does share one aspect of Jewish circumcision--it is an act of obedience. Just as God commanded the Patriarchs to be circumcised, Jesus commanded the church to "go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them ..." (Mt. 28:19). This so-called "Great Commission" is not limited to baptizing, however--the church is also to disciple and teach. New Testament baptisms were never performed without first teaching the candidate the biblical essentials (except in the case of Jews, who were regarded as being already trained), and, after baptism had been performed, training continued so that disciples would behave properly when it was their time to take a seat an their place at the table of the family of God.
Organic Church
by Frank Viola
Since I left institutional Christianity twenty years ago, I have groped for language to communicate the kind of church experience I have lived in since that time. About fifteen years ago, I began using the term "organic church." Interesting, this word has recently become somewhat of a clay word, being molded and shaped to mean a variety of different things by a variety of different people.
T. Austin-Sparks is the man who deserves credit for this term. Here's his definition:
God's way and law of fullness is that of organic life. In the Divine order, life produces its own organism, whether it be a vegetable, animal, human or spiritual. This means that everything comes from the inside. Function, order and fruit issue from this law of life within. It was solely on this principle that what we have in the New Testament came into being. Organized Christianity has entirely reversed this order.
The phrase, "the organic expression of the church" was a favorite of Sparks'. I've yet to find a better phrase to improve upon it.
By "organic church," I mean a non-traditional church that is born out of spiritual life instead of constructed by human institutions and held together by religious programs. Organic church life is a grass roots experience that is marked by face-to-face community, every-member functioning, open-participatory meetings (opposed to pastor-to-pew services), non-hierarchical leadership, and the centrality and supremacy of Jesus Christ as the functional Leader and Head of the gathering.
Put another way, organic church life is the "experience" of the Body of Christ. In its purest form, it's the fellowship of the Triune God brought to earth and experienced by human beings.
To use an illustration, if I try to create an orange in a laboratory by employing human ingenuity and organizational skills, the lab-created orange would not be organic. But if I plant an orange seed into the ground and it produces an orange tree, the tree is organic.
In the same way, whenever we sin-scarred mortals try to create a church the same way we would start a business corporation, we are defying the organic principle of church life. An organic church is one that is naturally produced when a group of people have encountered Jesus Christ in reality (external ecclesiastical props being unnecessary) and the DNA of the church is free to work without hindrance. In short, "organic church" describes a kind of church life that embodies the biblical teaching that the church is a spiritual organism and not an institutional organization.
To put it in sentence, organic church is not a theater with a script. It's a lifestyle-a spontaneous journey with the Lord Jesus and His disciples in close-knit community.
An organic church can be contrasted with "institutional church." By "institutional church," I mean a church that is created by human organization, chain-of-command styled leadership, and institutional programs. It's marked by a weekly order of worship (or mass) officiated by a pastor or priest. It's controlled by a top-down hierarchical organization and human social conventions (called "offices") that people fill. The institutional church has often been called "the traditional church," "the organized church," and "the audience church." Congregants watch a religious performance once or twice a week, and then retreat home to live their individual Christian lives.
Leadership is hierarchical in the institutional church, and Christians are divided into "clergy" and "laity" (or their equivalent-"pastors" and "laymen"). Granted, some institutional churches have small group meetings outside of weekly church services where members get a taste of community life. But this community life is not the driving force of the church. And a hierarchical leadership structure is in place in the small group gatherings. Someone is always "in charge," and the group is ultimately under the authority and restrictions of the pastor or priest.
We can think of the difference between organic churches and institutional churches this way. When God's people assemble together on the basis of the organizational principles that run General Motors and Microsoft, we call it an institutional church. But when God's people assemble together on the basis of the life of God, we call it an organic church.
One of the common mistakes that is made today is to confuse all house churches with organic churches. The reason is simple. Not all house churches are organic. Some are quite institutional.
I have often been asked: "How does a house church operate?" That's impossible to answer because the term "house church" is about as wide an umbrella as the word "plant." To my mind, asking how a house church operates is like asking, "What does a plant look like?" There are countless kinds of plants -- weeds, shrubs, trees, bushes, vines, etc. In the same way, there are countless kinds of house churches. I've seen so many types and varieties over the years that it seems that the only thing they all have in common is that they meet in a home.
"Organic church," therefore, best describes the kinds of churches that I and many other Christians around the world have experienced, lived in, and enjoyed. And it's the kind of church that I believe the Lord is raising up in this hour. Add to that, the church that we find in the New Testament was above all things . . . organic.
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www.e-sword.net
We have discovered a new method of Bible study that allows a family or group to quickly go deeper into the Word of God using modern technology. It adds a new, exciting dimension to Bible research. It allows a family to dig in the Word and meditate on it together. Since we have started studying the Bible in this manner, our family has uncovered a multitude of insights that we might never have found otherwise. Many of the articles on this website are the results of this method of Bible study. Thanks to our setup, we can do more research faster than before.
The results are wonderful! In addition to gleaning more insights from a passage, we now have a written record of the things the Lord shows us. We have cross-references that help us understand God’s commands better. And it helps our family to digest the Word of God. Furthermore, it allows us to put everything together and share it with others.
So what do we do? We use a free, powerful Bible program called e-Sword to view Strong’s numbers, to search through commentaries, and look up cross-references. e-Sword puts a multitude of resources at our disposal: Bibles, commentaries, lexicons, dictionaries, reference books, cross-reference lists and more. We use these resources to dig into the Bible and find "gold nuggets". (Hence the name "Gold Miners’ Bible Study".)
Then, via our networked computers, we pass the insights, verses, etc. around. Mom logs these insights into a word processor, keeping a record of the things the Lord has shown us. In about 30 to 45 minutes, we may log 20 or more insights on one passage. It is definitely a fun and exciting method of Bible study.
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House Church
It is regretful to see how the New Testament view of the church and the temple is distorted by idolizing a building as a sacred place of God and stitching up the curtain of the Old Testament temple that was torn by the finished work of Christ on the cross (Mt 27:51). Arthur Wallis(author of The Radical Christian) said, “In the Old Testament, God had a sanctuary for His people; in the New, God has His people as a sanctuary.” Through Christ Jesus, we ourselves are God’s temple and God’s church (1Co 3:16, Ac 20:28). Let us give heed to the penetrating words of John Havlik (author of People Centered Evangelism) : “The church is never a place, but always a people; never a fold but always a flock; never a sacred building but always a believing assembly. The church is you who pray, not where you pray. A structure of brick or marble can no more be the church than your clothes of serge or satin can be you. There is in this world nothing sacred but man, no sanctuary of man but the soul.”
The church-building-based church most commonly found in the United States is not based on God's design for the church or on instruction given to us in Scripture. The local church has evolved over the last almost 2000 years from the house churches of the New Testament to a design, format, and money consuming facility that for many aspects of what the church is and its activities, does not have a basis in Scripture. “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition?” (Mt 15:3).
The following are some of the things found in many building-based churches that don't have directives in the Bible. Some of these items are not sin and are not particularly wrong, but are included to show how much of what we associate as being an expected part of the church is man's design and is not found in the Bible.
- A special building called a "church" which is the center of spiritual life for the congregation.
- Denominational affiliation
- Church membership
- Connecting baptism with church and denominational membership
- The pastor hired as an employee of the congregation
- An elevated pulpit
- The pastor having a title such as Doctor, Reverend, and Pastor
- Bible School or Seminary education for pastors
- The arrangement of benches or chairs in rows facing the elevated pulpit
- Special seating, parking, and or dress giving honor to the pastor
You could probably add a few more items to this list. In looking over this list, much of what defines what the conventional church is, how people are fed spiritually, and how money is spent by the church, is not found in Scripture. It is man's design for the church, not God's design.
This discussion about totally rethinking church is not to aid those who are reactionary, or those who are rebelling against the traditional church. It is an endeavor to identify those areas of the church that are not instructed in God's Word so that we can make changes that make the church as much like God would have us to be as we can. Our desire is to follow Christ with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.
Let's look at each of these areas in more detail:
A special building called a "church" which is the center of spiritual life for the congregation. We as Christians are the church. The real church is not church buildings, programs, and activities that take place in a building called a "church". However, with the focus on church buildings today, church for many is attending the meetings in the church building. The view by many is if a person does not attend some of the meetings in the church building, they are viewed as beginning to grow cold spiritually.
God does not command or instruct in the New Testament that a congregation should have a special building called a church, where the church meets. Even in the Old Testament, when God commanded the Israelites to build the Tabernacle (and later when they built the temple), there was only one building for millions of people. All the people did not gather to worship at the Temple every Sabbath. Those gathered for worship at the Temple, worshipped outside the Temple under the open sky, not inside. For many, the Temple was a day's journey or more away. One example is Jesus and his parents when He went to the temple at age 12. It took them three days to get there. The Jews developed the local synagogue, but it was man's design. God did not command or instruct them to build synagogues.
The use of the word "church" for the building where a congregation meets is unfortunate because it subconsciously confuses the building with the real Church, the body of believers. Many emphasize "going to church" rather than on being the Church and being a part of the Kingdom of Christ. Attending meetings in the church building is often equated with a person's spiritual commitment. You often hear things like "Is he still going to church?" or "they are no longer going to church". The implication of those comments or questions is on whether the person is faithful in their Christian life or not. For many congregations, the majority of the spiritual life of the congregation centers around attending meetings in that building.
The term used today, "unchurched", does not refer to unbelievers per se, but to those who do not attend meetings in a church building.
In looking at the Church through history, the Church was vibrant and grew rapidly when the believers met in homes. For example: The New Testament Church, the Anabaptists of the 1500's, the underground church in communist Russia, and today in China. Even today one of the fastest growing denominations, the Amish, meets in homes. The cell group concept, used for church growth by large congregations, owed much of its success to people meeting in homes.
Denominational affiliation God does not command denominational affiliation. We have seen several different statistics showing between 27,000 and 33,000 Christian denominations as of 2001. The proliferation of denominations and the multitude of splits and divisions within denominations are in direct disobedience to God's command that we all speak the same thing and have the same doctrine and judgment. Participation in denominational affiliation and practices is unwise and is destructive to Christ's Kingdom, as God clearly tells us in the following passages:
1 Corinthians 1:10-13 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. 11 For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you. 12 Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. 13 Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?
Today we hear: I'm a Baptist, I'm a Methodist, I'm a Presbyterian, or I'm an Anabaptist, etc. However, we are not baptized in the name of a denomination, but in the name of Jesus.
1 Corinthians 3:4-15 For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal? (5) Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? (6) I have planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. (7) So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. (8) Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labor. (9) For we are laborers together with God, ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building. (10) According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. (11) For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. (12) Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; (13) Every man's work shall be made manifest for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. (14) If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. (15) If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.
Insights:
- Being a follower of a denomination is carnal (v.4). There are people who are part of a denomination who are followers of Christ, and are not followers of the denomination. Those people are not carnal. But being a follower of a denomination hinders a person's spiritual maturity and understanding. It creates divisions, envying, and strife. This is why commands and doctrines of man, while appearing to have wisdom in helping to keep Christ's commands are foolish. People become followers of a denomination and their focus is on its doctrine.
- We are totally complete in Christ. We must not follow the commands of men, doctrines of men, or theologies of men or a denomination to try to be complete in Christ. Following the philosophy, traditions, or wisdom of a man or denomination does not make a person more spiritual or better able to be a Christian - Colossians 2:8-10 "Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. (9) For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. (10) And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:"
- The current emphasis on church growth is carnal because it focuses on drawing people to a pastor or a certain church.
- V. 7: the size of a pastor's church does not mean that he is anything. He is not a better Christian because he has a larger church, nor is he more successful. It may be that he is more "successful" in leading people astray down the broad road instead of up the narrow way. We need to always remember that numbers are not a proof of success in a church.
Church membership Congregational membership, as practiced in most building-based churches today is not instructed in Scripture. Church membership usually means joining an organization in addition to the Kingdom of Christ. Often church membership includes accepting certain practices, applications, and beliefs that are not specifically stated that way in Scripture. For example: a specific mode of baptism; requirment of speaking in tongues; specific styles of dress; adherance to doctrines named after men such as Calvinism, Arminianism, etc.
Church membership is not sin in that it is not disobedience to Scripture. It is just something that has come to exist and to be expected as part of the church that has not been instructed in the Bible.
The pastor hired as an employee of the congregation God has instructed the church to support pastors financially. However, God did not say to make the pastor a hireling or an employee. Making the pastor an employee, has resulted in many pastors subconsciously or intentionally being concerned that what they say from the pulpit doesn't make someone mad or offended. The result is a watered down teaching of the Bible that is less "offensive" to those who want to sin or continue in their sin. The pastor knows that if the congregation doesn't like what he says, or he does not bring the money or people in, he loses his job.
John 10:12-13 But he that is a hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. 13 The hireling fleeth, because he is a hireling, and careth not for the sheep.
God's design is that the pastor be supported by the congregation through gifts.
The pastor having a title such as Doctor, Reverend, and Pastor. Titles of honor and authority for the pastor are not directed by God. Instead, God commands the opposite.
Matthew 20:25-28 But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. (26) But it shall not be so among you, but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; (27) And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: (28) Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
- Minister - "to run on errands; an attendant, that is, (generally) a waiter (at table or in other menial duties); specifically a Christian teacher and pastor (technically a deacon or deaconess): deacon, minister, servant." Strong's Greek Dictionary
- A pastor must not do things to receive honor of others - special titles, special dress, special seats, parking, fancy or high pulpit.
- Jesus gave the example of feet washing.
- A doctor's degree is a great hindrance to a pastor viewing himself as a servant.
- Rabbi - "my master, that is, Rabbi, as an official title of honor; Master, Rabbi". Strong's Greek Dictionary
- Master - "a guide, that is, (figuratively) a teacher. master." Strong's Greek Dictionary
- A pastor should not use the title "Doctor", "Ph.D.", or "Pastor 'So and so'"
- Highly educated persons in the church should not be acknowledged as such in the church. It is not beneficial to them or the church.
- Titles of honor hinder a leader from being a servant and having humility
- The relationship of pastor to the congregation is not father to sons, but as brothers. v. 8
- Jesus repeated this instruction that pastor is to be the servant of the church. It is an important instruction that is often acknowledged but ignored.
- A position of honor and authority is not what the role of a pastor is.
- Administration of others and the church is not the primary job of a pastor. He is not to exercise lordship or authority over the church.
- It is important that we understand the secrets of Christ's kingdom and how it works. To a large degree the secrets of the kingdom of God have been overlooked by the church. Understanding the nature and organization of Christ's kingdom is important because it is different than natural thinking and the examples around us.
Jesus instructs us that leadership in His kingdom is different than leadership in government or society. The pastor's focus must not be on greatness and leadership but on serving others. (V.27) The pastor elevates others to greatness by serving them and showing them how to serve others. We keep from focusing on being chief or being in a position of honor by focusing on serving others. It is the only way to keep a proper application of church organization and leadership.
- Humility of a pastor:
- Realizing that he is less important than others (v.9).
- Realizing that it is only by God's grace that he is who he is. It is not his own ability or education that enables him to be a pastor. One of the dangers of seminary education is that it subconsciously makes a man think that he is who he is because of what he has in education — a root of pride. Paul was more educated than any of the other apostles, but he recognized that his education was nothing and did not make him who he was or what he could do.
We do not find the example of education in the life of Jesus
- John 7:14-15 Now about the midst of the feast Jesus went up into the temple, and taught. 15 And the Jews marveled, saying, How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?
- Acts 4:13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled; and they took knowledge of them,that they had been with Jesus.
- Luke 10:21 In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight.
- Mat 11:25 At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. 26 Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight. 27 All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.
- Mat 13:11-16 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. (12) For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. (13) Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. (14) And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: (15) For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. (16) But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.
- 1Co 3:18 Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness. 20 And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.
1 Corinthians 1:17-29 For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. (18) For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. (19) For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. (20) Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? (21) For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. (22) For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: (23) But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; (24) But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. (25) Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men and the weakness of God is stronger than men. (26) For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: (27) But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise , and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; (28) And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to naught things that are: (29) That no flesh should glory in his presence.
- Preaching must not be with wisdom of words or it will make the preaching ineffective.
- Higher education does not make a pastor's preaching more effective; in fact, the education makes it worthless! (v. 17)
- Wisdom - "wisdom (higher or lower, worldly or spiritual): wisdom." Strong's Greek Dictionary
- The church needs to recognize that education disqualifies a man for spiritual leadership positions in the church unless he has renounced the value of his education like Paul did.
- Verses 27, 28 say even clearer that education is worthless for spiritual training and preaching. The educated person's education is worthless, and what he teaches will come to nothing.
- This is an example of what a spiritual leader should be like. He needs to be humble and show people the power of God and that God is real.
- A pastor does not need higher education or seminary education. It does not help his preaching or understanding. Nor does it help others to put their faith in the power of God.
- An evangelist, missionary, or pastor does not need to use stories, jokes, or other creative things to get and keep people's attention. Enticing words of the wisdom of men is not worth much in showing people God's power. People's focus needs to be on the power of God not on the attention getter. Often people will remember the illustration, but not remember what it was illustrating.
- When a pastor uses his higher education (human reasoning) in preaching, it leads the church to put their faith in the wisdom of men - the pastor and those he is drawing his information from. This subconsciously leads people to mindlessly accept the teachings of men because these educated men are put on a pedestal as men who know, because they are more educated than anyone else in the church.
- Higher education is more destructive to the spiritual health of the church than it is helpful.
While Jesus most likely did not sit down every time He taught, it is interesting how often it mentions that Jesus sat down to speak to a group of people. In a house church, there is not a need for an elevated pulpit. The pastor can sit to deliver the message like Jesus did.
Matthew 5:1-2 And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: 2 And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,
Matthew 13:1-2 The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea side. 2 And great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went into a ship, and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.
Mark 9:33-37 And he came to Capernaum: and being in the house he asked them, What was it that ye disputed among yourselves by the way? (34) But they held their peace: for by the way they had disputed among themselves, who should be the greatest. (35) And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all. (36)And he took a child, and set him in the midst of them: and when he had taken him in his arms, he said unto them, (37) Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me.
Luke 4:20-21 And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21 And he began to say unto them, This day is this Scripture fulfilled in your ears.
John 8:2 And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them.
The arrangement of benches or chairs in rows facing the elevated pulpit This is not found in the Bible.
Special seating, parking, and or dress giving honor to the pastor This is not found in the Bible.
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How to Start
The best place to start is with hospitality. Simply invite a family or two over to your house. It doesn’t have to be a big production. It doesn’t need some sort of higher approval, nor does it need to be official. You don’t need to establish by-laws. You don’t need to have a set agenda or a schedule. You don’t even need a plan. You can even start by inviting a brother or sister over for a coffee or organize a camping trip. Build relationships that are focused on God.
The point is not how to get together with people, that’s common sense. It’s what to do when you are with people. Having an outgoing attitude and being somewhat hospitable will allow you to be around plenty of people. As you are hanging out with others, you have to learn how to touch the Lord together. Depending on where the other people are at in their heart and relationship with God, will depend on how far they will go with you and how long it will take. Building relationships takes time. But eventually, and if they are willing, you all can open the Bible, pray together, worship, and share hearts.
Begin by just eating supper together. Talk, visit, and share what the Lord has been doing and showing each of you in your lives. Take turns reading a few verses in a particular passage. Talk about those passages, pray together and worship with songs. After a couple of meals together, use a few of the questions in the following chapter to turn the focus to deeper things.
As you meet non-Christians in everyday life, invite them over for a monthly discussion in your home that deals with controversial issues. Questions like, “Why does God let children in poor countries starve and die? How could a loving God send people to Hell? Do you really have to go to church to go to Heaven?” Unsaved people love this kind of stuff. Over time you can build relationships. Some of them will be born again and be a part of the church in your house. You can even encourage others to open their homes so you can move around where you meet.
As you continue to open your home and others join you, over time things will change. Organically (naturally), things will evolve and change as the Lord leads. Be flexible, don’t force anything, focus on Jesus, and enjoy New Testament body life!
How to Keep your Home Church Group Vibrant!
This Guide encourages the value of each and every person in your congregation. It explains how to include every participant from preschoolers to seniors in worship and how to ensure spiritual growth and joyous fellowship within the church.
- Value each person regardless of age, personality, spiritual maturity, or anything else.
- Give each person tasks that fit abilities and spiritual gifts. (Consider potential abilities and gifts). We are all “in training”.
- No one person should dominate a discussion. Leaders may need to lovingly “pull in” a too dominant member.
- Encourage one another with compliments when appropriate.
- Pray for one another, daily. Make a personal prayer list. The person you forget may be the one who really needs prayer that day.
- Include persons of all ages in every aspect possible of the church.
- Forgive offences. Christ’s admonition to us is truly crucial in a small, family home church.
- Lead by sacrificial example. Then, give God the glory when others exceed your abilities.
- Allow others to learn by doing. Simply watching someone who is good at something may not be enough to be able to do it. Encourage people to try things like leading a session part, a ministry, or an activity.
- Constantly remember that all members are of equal value in Christ’s church. Non-members and those who are yet to know Christ as Saviour are to be loved, respected, and cared for by the church members. God has entrusted them to you.