Apostolic house churches?
 

Who here is part of an apostolic house church?

Re: Apostolic house churches?
 

Me. One member currently attending.

Re: Apostolic house churches?
 

"i don't wanna be apostolic" :heeheehee

Re: Apostolic house churches?
 

correction..

"I am not Apostolic"

sorry..had to look up the thread :-)

Re: Apostolic house churches?
 

I have been part of Home Church since 1982. Currently "home Church" has taken on a new meaning. We are meeting in our home with others who are meeting in theirs.

We meet on Sundays on Paltalk.com with some friends from other states. There is no one like minded in our area to meet with so for us this is far better than the compromise involved in the local Churches around here.

Paltalk.com is a voice active chat room. You actually talk to each other its not just text chat. It has been a tremendous blessing since I got on board there in 2001.

Not saying it is the exact same thing as "house Church" in that we are not together in the flesh but we are in the spirit.

5 For though I am absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, rejoicing and seeing your order, and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ. Col. 2:5

Re: Apostolic house churches?
 

Me.

We prefer the moniker, "simple church".

Re: Apostolic house churches?
 

I thought on another thread you said you were part of a Baptist affiliated house church??? Maybe I misunderstood?

Re: Apostolic house churches?
 

:heeheehee

That's not a "church". Ya need two or more. :friend

Re: Apostolic house churches?
 

Have you considered starting a work in your area?

Re: Apostolic house churches?
 

I was fellowshipping a network of Baptist house churches. They call them "community churches". I don't like the term "member". Tried on their beliefs... didn't fit. Right now I meet with several non-institutional Apostolics for prayer, worship, and encouragement. Sometimes we meet in homes, sometimes we meet in places when we are out and about. I also have a few solid Apostolic friends that I fellowship with over the internet.

Frankly... I think AFF should take on the challenge of being an e-church. The admins can serve as the elders.

My house is located in a house church saturated neighborhood. Obviously targeted by the Baptist church I was talking about. lol

Re: Apostolic house churches?
 

No we don't know anyone who believes anything close to what we do in this area. I had home Church in my home for 5 years at one point. I helped another guy start one in his which went about 5 years.

Re: Apostolic house churches?
 

Us. We meet with several other farm/homeschool families. It's not as regular as weekly simply because we are so very far apart logistically and all pretty confined by lifestyle, when you milk cows/goats twice a day 7 days a week getting away is hard... But we manage to meet at least once a month as a group and some of us that live closer to one another see each other more often although not for 'services'...

God has also provided great opportunities to share with others in our farm patrons.

Like your paltalk idea MTD... how does one get connected?

Re: Apostolic house churches?
 

I am a member of a "House Church" which consists of 7 Apostolics. We have been meeting Tuesdays at 5PM for about 2 years. We begin by prayer, followed by a dinner and then engage in an extended Bible Study afterwards that often lasts until 10-11PM. We are actively seeking to increase membership and when the number reaches 12 we plan to make preparations to divide into several smaller groups and separate to begin other "House Churches." Each member is persuaded that this was the pattern of growth for the Apostolic Churches during the 1st Century. I find it extremely edifying and would encourage others to "give it a try."

Re: Apostolic house churches?
 

Go to Paltalk.com. Just register, sign up. It may seem intimidating at first because there are many categories. Many times there are as many as 90 thousand people online.

Once you are signed up find the Spirituality and Religon category. Click on it then click on Christianity. Once there you will see as many as 100 rooms open. It works just like a forum. Someone puts a name on their room as one would put a name on a thread here.

Those interested in that room click on it and once in they can talk to the persons already there. You must have a microphone to speakers to communicate in the room tho you can type text in also.

There may be one person in a room trying to get something started. Or there may be as many as 100 people in a room. I have had a wide range of support. Meaning from zero to over 60 people at a time.

People freely come in and go out as some will be interested in the room others may not and will move on. There is order there as the host of the room can shut down ones mic if they began cursing or disturbing the room.

If you get a web cam people can also see you. You have to pay a little extra for this feature. There are 3 versions. Most do the free version. It usually works fine.

Basically the room can be whatever the host wants it to be. Some open a room for teaching only. Others allow others certain amount of mic time for others. Others rooms are basically open discussion. Its all up to the one hosting.

Once you are signed up you can find instructions how to start rooms. Its good to just begin by going in rooms and seeing how they operate.

I wouldn't worry much about what I said that it might seem a little intimidating at first. If I can figure it out just about anyone can. I think I was hosting rooms a few days after signing up.

Re: Apostolic house churches?
 

What area are you in?

Re: Apostolic house churches?
 

I'm not oneness apostolic. I am biblical apostolic.

Re: Apostolic house churches?
 

MTD, I live in Mid-Michigan, just on the outskirts of Flint.

Re: Apostolic house churches?
 

The "House Church" of which I am the eldest member, and consequently by consensual agreement serve as the de facto leader, endeavor to conduct all of our activities in accordance with Paul's instructions as recorded in I Corinthians 14:26-40. We are an "every-member" participatory group.

All members were, at one time, active and devout members of local institutional congregations (primary UPCI), who, for individual reasons, grew dissatisfied with the manner in which activities at such locales were being conducted and elected to separate themselves.

We are a group who truly believe that only Jesus Christ serves as the Head of the church (regardless of its numerical size), and seek to operate accordingly.

We refrain from the establishment or adherence to pre-conceived agendas, and seek to be sensitive to the Spirit's leading in everything we do (albeit there are occasions when a member might tender a request that we address a specific portion of Scripture or doctrine at our next meeting).

Our primary goal is personal edification, growing in grace and knowledge as we commune together as fellow saints. In the more than 26+ years since receiving the Holy Ghost and subsequent conversion to Oneness Apostolic Pentecostal doctrines, I have never been more confident that the manner in which our "House Church" operates is approved of God. I could never again be a part of organized Christianity.

Re: Apostolic house churches?
 

Correcting a typo about setting up a PalTalk Room.

I said

I meant to type microphone and speakers.

Re: Apostolic house churches?
 

We have home fellowship every Sunday afternoon at our house. Everyone meets in our living room, and we begin with prayer and worship, and then move into testimonies, and sharing of the Word. We have no set leader, but everyone participates from teens to adults. Right now, we have 5 teenagers, and up to 8 adults and that number can vary, as some of the teens bring along friends. We are all spirit filled, and believe in the gifts of the spirit operating as well as baptism in Jesus name, and living a holy, set apart life.

We have been doing this in our home now for about a year, and before that, we attended another home church for over a year. It has been such a blessing to fellowship with like minded believers, without the politics that goes on in larger groups, churches, and fellowships.

Each family practice stewardship, by giving to those in our group in need, or helping charitable organizations in our area. Our family does both.

After the meeting, then we have a potluck dinner, and fellowship some more.

We feel very blessed for what the Lord has done in our midst. And, our teenagers have been able to invite friends from school and the neighborhood. These are kids who would never have walked through a church door. We have shared the gospel with these teenagers, and many of them continue to come when they can.

Esaias - can you tell us about your home church experience?

Re: Apostolic house churches?
 

Amen! I completely concur with this and especially with the bolded above!

Re: Apostolic house churches?
 

MTD, thank you for elaborating on the paltalk.com option. We have very poor internet here where we live, and paltalk.com probably would be tough for us. But, it is definitely an option for those who have no one in their area to fellowship with.

Re: Apostolic house churches?
 

Its a great tool. I opened a room last night and taught and discussed Oneness doctrine with various people. We meet with like minded friends on Sunday. Then through the week I may open rooms where I teach and take comments or questions. Sometimes it may just be open fellowship and discussion of any given topic.

Oneness people are definitely in the minority there but I really praise God for it.

Re: Apostolic house churches?
 

We had been meeting with several families previously. They would meet on Wednesday evening and twice on Sunday. Unfortunately, we have moved too far from there to meet with them and plus I heard they may not be meeting regularly anymore anyway since most of the families have moved too far apart from each other. :(

They were Oneness Pentecostal, did not belong to a denomination, believed in modesty but did not preach a clothesline 'standard' like many Pentecostal churches (although I would say most of them dressed more modestly than most of the UPCI folks I have seen the last several years...and I'm talking those who still adhere to 'standards'...)

We did not believe the same about everything, as our family believes in the Lord's Supper with one loaf and one cup and they apparently believed in 'spiritual communion' whatever that is. They also did not believe in head coverings for the sisters but believed their hair was their covering.

They had been meeting in one another's homes all their lives except for the eldest brother who had been converted from catholicism back in the 1960s or so. The eldest sister would tell us of home church meetings back when she was a kid (that would have been the 50s) so apparently they have connections with apostolic house churches that are just as old as, if not older than, the UPCI's existence as an organization. Most of them were from Louisiana but had connections with brethren in Alabama and Mississippi.

They also had some fellowship with some Church of Jesus Christ folks up in Tennessee (but those people were not house church people as far as I know).

Meetings began with prayer and nothing else started until everyone was done praying. There was no official 'calling to order' that would end the prayer, something I liked and believe in whole heartedly. The entire meeting would usually just flow right out of the prayer meeting. If anyone had anything they wanted to share they did, whether it was a teaching, a question, a song, prayer request, testimony, whatever. The eldest (who had no title but was the de facto elder of the assembly) would often share some teaching or insight as well. Another thing they did regularly (though not every single time as nothing was really set in stone) was to read Scripture, and whoever had any insight into it's application would share as we went along.

I think in one week we would read through more scripture than the entire time I have ever been in a denominational church, whether UPCI or ALJC or independent or charismatic or Baptist or whatever, lol. They liked going through the bible chapter by chapter, book by book, verse by verse (another thing I whole heartedly agree with).

If someone had a prayer request, the elder would grab a chair and set in the midst of us, the one requestng prayer would sit there and the church would gather around and pray for them or their need. Often people would volunteer to 'sit in' or 'stand in' for someone who was absent, wayward, or sick but unable to be there.

These people had a genuine love for God, and you could not miss it. I think I can honestly say my wife and I were ministered to more abundantly in those simple meetings than in any other church we attended. Not saying we weren't blessed and strengthened in those other churches, but nothing as solidly consistently edifying and encouraging as meeting with the brethren 'who met in their homes'.

I also have to say this - those meetings were consistently 'Pentecostal', each and every time, which is more than I can say for most institutional churches I have attended. They had no choir, no 4-piece rock band or anything like that, but there was more soul-touching moving of the Spirit and honest heart-felt worship and openness and 'body ministry' and genuine praise and worship there than anywhere else I have ever been with one exception - the little UPC I attended where I was baptised which was in the middle of a full blown revival (what I call a 'real' revival, not those 'scheduled for this weekend only' type 'revivals'). I have not seen THOSE types of meetings since then (back in the early 90s).

Re: Apostolic house churches?
 

I wish someone would start an Apostolic/Pentecostal House Church Directory. Where people that want to connect in homes with others of like faith, could find each other.

There may be people in this town that feels the same as I do, but how to find them. I even thought of putting an add in the paper, but decided that would be dangerous.

Re: Apostolic house churches?
 

I will become part of an apostolic house church when the persecution of the church makes larger meetings illegal / impossible or I move to some desolate place where there is no church to attend. Until then I will enjoy gathering together with larger groups of people.

My anecodtal experience with house churches is that they are usually made up of two types of people. Sometimes the same person fits bot of these descriptions;

1. Someone who has strong peculiar beliefs about how things should be done and never fits in anywhere so just does their own thing with a teeny tiny house church. There they can control things to make them exactly they way they want it.

2. Someone who is unwilling to submit themselves to a pastor so does house church with either themself as the leader or someone they have found who shares their particular beliefs.

I am sure there are exceptions to this but that is what I have observed anecdotally through the years.

Re: Apostolic house churches?
 

So... only 3 members currently in a house church here?

Wow.

Re: Apostolic house churches?
 

I would like to have some kind of small study/prayer group. But I'm not interested in leaving my church.

Re: Apostolic house churches?
 

Just because people agree on Oneness and Acts 2:38 does not mean they could fellowship in peace in a home Church. There is more to the New Testament Church that is important than just these things. Having Church in the home is not the cure all some think it is. Some see home Church as a way they can escape some heavy handed Preacher and saints would be able to teach whatever they think is right. You can wind up in just as bad of shape with that than with an institutional Church.

Re: Apostolic house churches?
 

we have lots of house churches in Brazil...but we also have church buildings...no mattter where you meet people are people and problems arise...I do think I know enough about the Bible to know there will be a time there will be no freedom to meet in buildings...of cours most Americans laugh at this thought but once China did too...

Re: Apostolic house churches?
 

Amen. It wont be all that long before ALL CHRISTIANS will be meeting in homes.

Re: Apostolic house churches?
 

AMEN! And I think God is getting us ready for it.

Re: Apostolic house churches?
 

To insure that "unity" is the norm in a Home Church then at its beginning there MUST be a clearly defined set of rules established to which each participant agrees to adhere. Indeed, this is what "fellowship" implies - friendliness and companionship based on shared interests; a group of people meeting to pursue a shared interest or aim.

The "cardinal rule" of every Home Church must be that "all things be done decently and in order" (I Corinthians 14:40, KJV). For this to be realized then in each Home Church there must also be one member (chosen by unanimous consent), charged with the responsibility of insuring every member comply with the rules so that "all things be done unto edifying" (I Corinthians 14:26, KJV).

Recognizing, and acknowledging, that "the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets" (I Corinthians 14:32, KJV), then it must also be understood that participants in a Home Church must not be allowed to simply "teach whatever they think is right," rather everything proclaimed as truth by members must be fully validated by the language of the Bible. Of course it is recognized that difference of opinions concerning the manner in which various scriptural statements are interpreted will arise, however, when this occurs it must be recognized that (as stated by the apostle Paul in I Corinthians 11:18-19, KJV) such ”divisions” evidence the presence of ”heresies” which must be addressed immediately. No discourse should be allowed to advance beyond that point until every member becomes ”perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment” about the matter (see I Corinthians 1:10, KJV).

I consider that those who elect to participate in Home Churches (choosing to reject becoming "just another number" in an organized, hierarchal orientated institutions wherein a singular individual establishes the agenda and controls every facet of activities), do so that they might exert their best efforts to adhere to the pattern of corporate Christian church activities as clearly set forth by Paul in the words of I Corinthians 14:26-31, to wit

"How is it then, brethren? When ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying.
If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret.
But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God.
Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge.
If any thing be revealed to another that sitteth by, let the first hold his peace.
For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted."

Re: Apostolic house churches?
 

This is an excellent outline for home churches. However, when new members begin to attend, sometimes it is difficult to maintain that balance. Easier in theory, then in practice.

Re: Apostolic house churches?
 

Seems to me the answer is to not try to 'recruit' people from existing denominational churches, but instead to grow the church (add new members) via evangelism of the the lost, unbelievers, etc.

When evangelism is less about one's individual 'ticket to heaven' and more about getting on board with what God is doing (calling out a people for His name, establishing the ekklesia of His Kingdom) then new converts would join the meeting with a certain understanding from the get-go, namely that they are joing a participatory church following Biblical order and guidelines.

When, however, evangelism is more about getting disgruntled folks from denominations to join in one's 'new thing' that is 'cooler and more exciting' then all sorts of problems are bound to arise.

Not saying denominational believers can't be welcomed in an apostolic home church, but I keep thinking about what Paul said:

Yea, so have I strived to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build upon another man's foundation: Rom 15:20.

Seems Paul wanted to build churches based on brand new converts, not on somebody else's converts or members of existing churches etc.

Now, if a church comes into existence because several apostolic brethren decide to form a fellowship, then at the beginning they must come to agreement on what they believe and how they will walk, for 'can two walk together EXCEPT they be agreed?' They must decide on the 'essentials' as well as what will remain 'liberty issues', and decide how they shall admit new members.

The problem I have found is that very few people these days are actually interested in finding out what the bible actually SAYS, instead many just go along with their traditions, 'well that's how momma done it so that's how it must be', or they have the attitude that 'it doesn't really matter as long as we just love Jesus'.

Seems only new converts, or those converts who spend little to no time in an institutional church setting of whatever denominational flavor, actually have some zeal for the things of God. Not saying there aren't people in denominations who don't thirst for God's truth, but they seem to be few in number. Many are just content to keep everything the way it is.

Re: Apostolic house churches?
 

Jesus and the apostles taught 'daily', even 'from house to house' in some cases, so it seems the original church maintained a discipleship program of some sort, whereby everyone was kept pretty much on the same page as much as possible.

We probably need to get back to the original theme, which is 'the DISCIPLES were first called Christians...' ie the original Christians were disciples, or STUDENTS, of the Lord.

I think this might help negate any tendencies to introduce wild heresies and having folks blown about with every wind and weight of doctrine?

Re: Apostolic house churches?
 

This might help.
http://s15.zetaboards.com/ApostolicsAtHome/index/

Re: Apostolic house churches?
 

Re: Apostolic house churches?
 

From the link -

Somehow, the bolded part kind of makes me think that website might not be what I'm lookin' fer...

:slaphappy