House churches/Organic church, your opinion? - Page 2

TGBTG · #11 10-25-2011, 09:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scott Hutchinson

The early church met in homes so I'm cool with it.

The early church met at 312 Azusa Street Los Angeles California

Aquila · #12 10-25-2011, 09:39 AM

I belong to a very large church that is a network of house churches that has two hubs. One hub is on the edge of Centerville Ohio and the other in Xenia Ohio (a newer work). We have between 2 and 3 thousand members (I believe) and the entire church is a "network of community churches" (house churches). We have well over a 100 registered house churches and branches that aren't necessarily on the books. The house church I attended for most of this year was very "Reformed". I moved across town and found an affiliated house church just five minutes away from my house. It's a great house church. However, the elder is Arminian! He, Ryan, has a background in the Assemblies of God and the Church of God. While the church is registered "Southern Baptist" and the senior pastor is a "Reformed Baptist", I'm learning that each house church is different. When I questioned Ryan on his Arminian position and how well he gets along with the other elders who are Reformed (like my previous house church elder) he laughed and explained that the Reformed vs. Arminian debate is considered an "in family" discussion and disagreement. The longer I'm with this church the more I like it's spirit of love and unity.

Here's a video about the church network I'm currently attending:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLSkWrypu3Y

Aquila · #13 10-25-2011, 09:54 AM

I LOVE HOUSE CHURCH!!! lol

Scott Hutchinson · #14 10-25-2011, 10:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TGBTG

The early church met at 312 Azusa Street Los Angeles California

The Christian church existed long before Azusa Street.

ThePastorsCoach · #15 10-25-2011, 11:01 AM

I LOVE House Churches (gatherings, fellowships, networks meetings, groups, communions, love fests or what ever you call them) because they keep most of the really weird people (that don't believe in Church) away from our church! I highly recommend them to some on this forum! ;-)

Aquila · #16 10-25-2011, 11:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AtlantaBishop

I LOVE House Churches (gatherings, fellowships, networks meetings, groups, communions, love fests or what ever you call them) because they keep most of the really weird people (that don't believe in Church) away from our church! I highly recommend them to some on this forum! ;-)

LOL

Scott Hutchinson · #17 10-25-2011, 11:07 AM

To me where the church congregates is not important,however alot of the house church groups do have some biblical concepts such as using funds to help the poor and such,and doing away with the clergy laity rank structure error.

Scott Hutchinson · #18 10-25-2011, 11:08 AM

Buildings are not the church,the church is the redeemed.

Aquila · #19 10-25-2011, 11:12 AM

The Bible (I Corinthians 14:26-38) illustrates that our meetings should have the following elements and guiding principles:

- Everyone being able to bring a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation.
- Gift of tongues coupled with interpretation, two or at most three.
- Two or three anointed teachers speak and guide the meeting.
- If a saint attending has a revelation or something to share, whoever is speaking must stop and give them the floor so that all might be able to prophesy, learn, and be encouraged. Meetings are to be discussion based.
- Those who address the group must realize that their spirits are subject to the anointed teachers guiding the group.
- Women (or anyone for that matter) are not to use the time for socializing.
- Those who think they are spiritual Christians should acknowledge that this order is command from the Lord.

If our "form of church" will not allow for these kinds of meetings... we are failing to meet as the Apostle Paul admonished us to meet. It doesn't matter if it's in a house, a park, a coffee shop, a library, a book store, a bus stop, a town square, church building or wherever. The point is that the above elements should be present. They are to be elder guided and interactive meetings where anyone present can address the group by sharing a song, a hymn, a poem, a passage, a testimony, or whatever the Lord leads. If a meeting is too big to facilitate this, it fails to allow for the body ministry Paul admonishes us to have because it is a "command from the Lord" (I Corinthians 14:37).

For example, on any given Sunday when a given pastor is speaking... could I ask to speak and share a word that the Lord has placed on my heart? Could you in turn share what passage has been ministering to you and what the Lord put on your heart? If I had a question could I interrupt the pastor's sermon to seek an answer? Could the entire congregation do any of this? Or would the pastor be upset because he was interrupted and he didn't get to "preach a sermon"? Would there by too many people to allow for such an open and interactive meeting? Would we be relegated to being relatively passive spectators who hopefully learn something? If so... your church is most likely too big to abide by I Corinthians 14:26-38. I believe that home fellowship groups (or house churches) fulfill this calling of Scripture.

It's the BIBLICAL way to do church.

We've had house church (simple church) gatherings at coffee shops (Tim Horton's, Higher Grounds, and Boston Stoker's) in the Dayton Ohio, Tipp City area. Place and building don't matter. The fuction of our gatherings is what matters.

Scott Hutchinson · #20 10-25-2011, 11:15 AM

I could see where people could feel more connected in a house setting rather than feeling lost in the shuffle in a mega church setting.