Henry said:
cj
You have me all wrong, take some time to study before calling me apostate, we my friend are following the bible. And that is the word of God and that is who we must obey.
http://www.ntrf.org
Traditions are so hard to break.
See Henry, I never called you apostate, so why then would you suggest I did?
You are quick to say that I should take some time to study the bible, but in your speaking here you set no example of a man who takes time himself.
.... "Don't do as I do, do as I say."
Sorry, this is not Christ.
You continue to say that "we my friend are following the bible.:
Well, the bible says don't be quick, and yet in your speaking above you exposed yourself as being quick. So maybe a more proper statement from you would be, "we my friend are following the bible in some things, but not all things."
And if not all things, then in nothing.
See, Christ is not just an arm or a leg, Christ is an entire Person. Therefore, being just a leg is not Christ. We need to be the whole Person, and this is where most believer's fall short.
And why? Because they try to gain the whole Person through works and not through suffering. And as was proven with the Jews in the OT, man struggles to accomplish a few requirements of the law, much less all of the law.
I would be bold to say that people that you've brought into your house-meetings have come as a result of the knowledge regarding this type of meeting rather than because of the life in such a meeting. Or in other words, the concept of a house-meeting aligned with their own thoughts, opinions, and preferences.
All natural, all the way of the fallen man.
Just as the letters in a bible can be dead, so too can a "meeting" that seems to be in line with scripture also be dead.
And this is the reason why I used the term apostate institution in my above speaking, which I repeat here.... "What I read that you wrote above,
is coming very close to the establishing of yet another apostate institution, just this time it will denominate itself "House-Church".
Please note carefully that I specifically said "is coming very close to the establishing of yet another apostate institution," and not is an apostate institution.
An apostate institution is formed when men who say they believe, or even genuine believers, deviate from the Lord's word and become heretical, and deny the Lord's name by denominating herself, taking many other names, such as Lutheran, Wesleyan, Anglican, Presbyterian, Baptist, etc.
Revelation  3 : 8, "I know your works; behold, I have put before you an opened door which no one can shut, because you have a little power...
and have kept My word and have not denied My name."
Note that "keeping My word" comes first.
Now I know that you will say that in forming house-churches you are keeping the Lord's word, but this is not necessarily so, as all you might be doing is keeping the letter of the word (what you understand as instruction).
See, keeping the Lord's word can only be accomplished in one way, the way which is declared by the Lord in Revelation 3:10,
"Because you have kept....
the word of My endurance,.... I also will keep you out of the hour of trial, which is about to come on the whole inhabited earth, to try them who dwell on the earth."
"kept the word of my endurance".... what does this mean?
Revelation  1 : 9, "I John, your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom....
and endurance in Jesus,.... was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus."
2 Thessalonians  3 : 5, "And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God....
and into the endurance of Christ."
Romans  5 : 3, "And not only so, but we also boast in our tribulations,...
knowing that tribulation produces endurance;"
Endurance means to maintain something in the face of overwhelming opposition.
But maintain WHAT?
Revelation  1 : 3, "Blessed is he who reads and those....
who hear the words of the prophecy and keep the things written in it.... for the time is near.
John  14 : 21,
"He who has My commandments and keeps them, he is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will manifest Myself to him."
John  14 : 23 ---- John  14 : 24, "Jesus answered and said to him, If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word, and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make an abode with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father's who sent Me."
John  17 : 6,
"I have manifested Your name to the men whom You gave Me out of the world. They were Yours, and You gave them to Me,....
and they have kept Your word."
And now the answer regarding the keeping of His word......
1 John  2 : 5, "But whoever keeps His word,.....
truly in this one the love of God has been perfected...... In this we know that we are in Him."
.... truly in this one the love of God has been perfected.
You want to keep His word Henry....... then truly, be perfected in His love.
The proper way to meet is simply an issue out of the perfecting of the believer...... perfecting comes first, the proper meeting way follows.
Now, we come to the question, how is one perfected in the love of God?
In love,
cj