House churches/Organic church, your opinion? - Page 3

Digging4Truth · #1 10-25-2011, 01:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Truthseeker

House church people do believe in church. I've seen quite a few weirdos in traditional church settings.

Yeah... it's hard to know how to take AB.

It's hard to tell if he is speaking tongue in cheek or hand against cheek.

Largely because one time he is speaking tongue in cheek... and the next time he isn't.

Scott Hutchinson · #2 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 · #3 10-25-2011, 11:08 AM

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

Aquila · #4 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 · #5 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.

Aquila · #6 10-25-2011, 11:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scott Hutchinson

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.

The question is... what does the Bible say our meetings should be like? What is the purpose of our gatherings? To hear a "sermon" or to fellowship and learn God's will for our lives?

Nitehawk013 · #7 10-25-2011, 11:22 AM

I continue to be intrigued by House Church. I do however think that some combination of the two, house church and traditional church, would be the best all around form of both reaching the lost as well as rooting and growing the saints.

I am looking into getting a work started in a small local town where there is no Apostolic church. My desire is to see it start as small home bible study/home church meetings and then, if the groups desire it, perhaps go the route of getting a building for larger gatherings. That would be well down the road obviously. I never want it to become just another traditional church. I think the community aspect of christianity is hindered by the traditional church. I think home church meetings create a far better atmosphere of community and family within the body.

Digging4Truth · #8 10-25-2011, 11:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nitehawk013

I continue to be intrigued by House Church. I do however think that some combination of the two, house church and traditional church, would be the best all around form of both reaching the lost as well as rooting and growing the saints.

Most house churches do run a combination of the two. Regular meetings take place in individual homes but the local house churches in the area network with one another and, on occasion, the network of house churches will get together for celebration services where they all come together in one place and worship corporately.

Digging4Truth · #9 10-25-2011, 11:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nitehawk013

I am looking into getting a work started in a small local town where there is no Apostolic church. My desire is to see it start as small home bible study/home church meetings and then, if the groups desire it, perhaps go the route of getting a building for larger gatherings. That would be well down the road obviously. I never want it to become just another traditional church. I think the community aspect of christianity is hindered by the traditional church. I think home church meetings create a far better atmosphere of community and family within the body.

This is another thing that calls to me to begin a house church in my area. I live in a town with no apostolic church. My wife bought a Kirby vacuum cleaner from a lady the other day who goes to a local denominal church and she said she longs for a church where she can raise her hands and amen the preacher. She wants to go to a church where she can feel free.

The church we go to is 30 minutes away. So I leave a perfectly ripe field every time I go to service and drive to a place where there is a church to be a part of that.

There are no apostolic church for 30 minutes any direction I travel from the town that I live in.

Aquila · #10 10-25-2011, 11:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Digging4Truth

This is another thing that calls to me to begin a house church in my area. I live in a town with no apostolic church. My wife bought a Kirby vacuum cleaner from a lady the other day who goes to a local denominal church and she said she longs for a church where she can raise her hands and amen the preacher. She wants to go to a church where she can feel free.

The church we go to is 30 minutes away. So I leave a perfectly ripe field every time I go to service and drive to a place where there is a church to be a part of that.

There are no apostolic church for 30 minutes any direction I travel from the town that I live in.

Great book on this:

http://www.amazon.com/Starting-House.../dp/0830743650

Also,

http://www.amazon.com/Making-Small-G...9564376&sr=1-9

Go in Christ!