The one assembly/congregation policy

[Warmbee]

Originally Posted by originalsecretplace

I have a question and I am being sincere when I ask it (I can visualize some of you rolling your eyes when you read it)...

Assumptions:

1. A person is mature in the Lord and NOT a babe in Christ.
2. The person is not disgruntled with anyone or anything taught


Question:

Why does a person HAVE TO find ONE assembly and stay put? If there were (let's say for the sake of argument) 5 UPC churches in your area, why can't you go to one of those churches each week in a around robin manner? I'm from a district where I know most of the long-timers in every church. We are all Bros and Sis in the Lord and are basically receiving the same doctrinal teachings.

Are there any scriptures to indicate that I shouldn't?

Why are people called "church hoppers", etc if they do visit other areas regularily?

Hope I word this well.... My take on it is that you have your leadership, they are there to watch over and guide you, it is more about them being able to be a good shepard to you then to you visiting other churches, I think it's totally cool to visit on off nights... we do it all the time, but if we were to 'rotate' our church attendance then our pastor wouldn't be able to watch us as well... to see if we are praying, fasting, worshipping, being faithful.... JMO

[Steve Epley]

Originally Posted by mizpeh

Thanks for posting this question.

I've never had the luxury of having 5 apostolic churches to choose from in one area. I know I would seek God for his will.

But after thinking whether there is a clear answer to your question, I'm not so sure I know. So I started looking in the book of Acts at the church in Jerusalem. I'm going to study this out for Biblical precedent and not just what I think is right. Personally I feel a person should stay in one place, but is that scriptural?

There is one scripture that I've gotten to so far in Acts 4 when Peter and John were released from the council, the Bible says they went to their own company...... I'm not sure if this was a neighborhood assembly or the entire Jerusalem church.

Do you think the early churches were kind of organized like synagogues?

Also "your assembly" James 2:2 among the many others.

[COOPER]

Originally Posted by Michlow

That might not be a bad thing. I think there are a lot more people that are serving church than there are who are serving God.

Oh this is a very true statement.

It's extremely difficult for saints and Ministers to follow and serve Jesus, when they are so loyal to an Org, and a Pastor.

This is so mad.

Come on folks!
.................................................. ......... God is God.
Not any Church,
pastor or Origination's contract.

[originalsecretplace]

Originally Posted by Felicity

Paul made reference to the fact that it's hard to build on another man's foundation. I would think if someone drifts around from church to church - each one pastored by a man with different emphases and teachings - they're possibly going to have a rather weak foundation.

And/or the fact that they're moving around aimlessly could be indicative of a weak foundation.

There are situations where people move from one church to another for good reason.

I'm not speaking of aomeone moving around aimlessly. Can you move around without being aimless?

That goes back to a point made earlier that our foundation/roots are in Christ.
From what I understand Paul was speaking of laying the foundation of Jesus. He didn't want to preach Jesus where someone else had already preached Jesus. Are we extrapolating this idea to say that a) you are built on a foundation of a man which is an assembly? b) that the foundations are only assembly size (not city size or country size) even within the same denomination? c) that eventhough you are on the same foundation as other assemblies if you move around you become rootless? d) that assemblies are built on a foundation whereas a person is not i.e. is Paul speaking here of a person being built on a foundation of Christ or an assembly?

Paul talks about building on that foundation in 1Cor. We are God's husbandry and building. That sounds more like a staement of unity rather than a statment of being built on different foundations according to what assembly you are attending.

And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, [even] as unto babes in Christ.
1Cr 3:2 I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able [to bear it], neither yet now are ye able.
1Cr 3:3 For ye are yet carnal: for whereas [there is] among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?
1Cr 3:4 For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I [am] of Apollos; are ye not carnal?
1Cr 3:5 ¶ Who then is Paul, and who [is] Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?
1Cr 3:6 I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.
1Cr 3:7 So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. 1Cr 3:8 Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.
1Cr 3:9 For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, [ye are] God's building.
1Cr 3:10 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.
1Cr 3:11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 1Cr 3:12 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
1Cr 3:13 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.
1Cr 3:14 If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
1Cr 3:15 If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

[Ferd]

Originally Posted by Michlow

That might not be a bad thing. I think there are a lot more people that are serving church than there are who are serving God.

Originally Posted by COOPER

Oh this is a very true statement.

It's extremely difficult for saints and Ministers to follow and serve Jesus, when they are so loyal to an Org, and a Pastor.

This is so mad.

Come on folks!
.................................................. ......... God is God.
Not any Church,
pastor or Origination's contract.

And there are even more people out there serving their flesh while claiming to take a stand against "organizaiton".

[Ferd]

Originally Posted by originalsecretplace

I'm not speaking of aomeone moving around aimlessly. Can you move around without being aimless?

yes, we call them evangelists.

[originalsecretplace]

Originally Posted by Steve Epley

Also "your assembly" James 2:2 among the many others.

Was James writing to the Jewish Christians who still went to the synagogues? So was James indicating the traditional Jewish "assemblies"?

Did the Gentiles assemble in the synagogues? How does that realte to assemblies today?

[Ferd]

OSP, I am sure that a person can do what you have proposed. i dont think one has to attend one single church and maintain a relationship with God.

as I pointed out, evangelists and their families do this.

But we are called to be more than saints. Jesus compared the christian to a vine or a tree. He pointed out more than once we are to bare friut.

Now It may be possible to be fruitful and move weekly from church to church, but my paradigm has great difficulty in seeing how one goes about being fruitfull while at the same time not being commited to a church. (by church I mean any group of believers from big churches to a house church structure)

Now, part of the problem my very well be my paradigm. but clearly since you are the one proposing such a divergence of thought, it is incumbent on you to explain how one goes about being an effective, fruitfull saint, while doing what you propose....

in light of the fact that your actions will be seen as shiftless, and ungrounded.

[originalsecretplace]

Originally Posted by Ferd

yes, we call them evangelists.

That's all?

Is someone an Evangelist because they move around or do they move around because they are an evangelist?

Is Philip the evangelist the same Philip who was elected to serve tables?

[Neck]

Originally Posted by Ron

Because they will never become stable, never put down roots.
Imagine if one didn't stay at their job, School, vocation?
You would consider them unstable, with no roots, that they would be wavering.

JMHO

It has nothing to do with stability and everything to do with money...