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House Churches

M

myangelsb4u

Warrior in the Storm
Member
Society has changed so dramatically that people are finding it difficult to feed and clothe their families, to pay their bills and to be able to find suitable accommodation that does not take a majority of their wages. We used to see these things happening in third world countries but now they are touching the western world. As believers I see that in the midst of all this chaos, churches are still thinking in a way that does not reflect what is happening in our society. They are still in the mindset of building bigger churches, creating ministry schools for evangelism or missionary work but the world we live in now, has changed. Even as those who have lost hope, the hurting, the broken, the homeless and the working poor. Some of these people are coming into the body of Christ because they have no other avenue of help or support and God has called his church to be a light to the world, a city set on a hill. (Matt 5:14)

I believe we need to get back to the basics and began with house churches as in the days of Acts. We need to get the money used for frivolous old thinking ideologies and put them where communities are needing it the most and I am sure many believers have some good ideas on how those finances can be utilized within their communities.

I do not believe that the churches in our western world are functioning the way they should be today, because they are not taking into account societal changes or the poverty that is building up around them because of greed that mankind has been displaying. Jm2C... :)
 
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myangelsb4u said:
Even as those who have lost hope, the hurting, the homeless and the working poor. Some of these people are coming into the body of Christ because they have no other avenue of help or support and God has called his church to be a light to the world, a city set on a hill.

I believe we need to get back to the basics and began with house churches as in the days of Acts.
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I think the church will now increasingly be returning to the New Testament days, in many ways, where hospitality was not just a pretty word but something many increasingly came to depend on with no place to go; where food was increasingly scarce and eating up the food and leaving someone out of an "agape" or communion meal could potentially mean they go hungry; where the church sold possessions so that they might have all things common, because the Love of God was being shed abroad through what they were seeing Him do in their midst supernaturally again, as in the early church. And they gathered in house churches, some that packed out so that men were sleeping in the window sills trying to hear the word being preached in power as it was in the beginning.

It's a blessing in disguise, because all our prosperity has made us lukewarm spiritually, and the world needs to see Christ in Power, and in His Love. The days of mass-produced, impersonal, cookie-cutter entertainment-style Christianity needed to be over anyway, so here's to preparing for the future. :thumb
 
myangelsb4u said:
Society has changed so dramatically that people are finding it difficult to feed and clothe their families, to pay their bills and to be able to find suitable accommodation that does not take a majority of their wages. We used to see these things happening in third world countries but now they are touching the western world. As believers I see that in the midst of all this chaos, churches are still thinking in a way that does not reflect what is happening in our society. They are still in the mindset of building bigger churches, creating ministry schools for evangelism or missionary work but the world we live in now, has changed. Even as those who have lost hope, the hurting, the broken, the homeless and the working poor. Some of these people are coming into the body of Christ because they have no other avenue of help or support and God has called his church to be a light to the world, a city set on a hill. (Matt 5:14)

I believe we need to get back to the basics and began with house churches as in the days of Acts. We need to get the money used for frivolous old thinking ideologies and put them where communities are needing it the most and I am sure many believers have some good ideas on how those finances can be utilized within their communities.

I do not believe that the churches in our western world are functioning the way they should be today, because they are not taking into account societal changes or the poverty that is building up around them because of greed that mankind has been displaying. Jm2C... :)
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I'm not sure I follow you necessarily. Attending worship services don't cost anything so what does it matter that new churches are being built since those that are financing them obviously can afford it? Maybe you can clarify?
 
WIP said:
I'm not sure I follow you necessarily. Attending worship services don't cost anything so what does it matter that new churches are being built since those that are financing them obviously can afford it? Maybe you can clarify?
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Not really talking about worship services, but rather Churches who have many programmes and ministries and missionary desires and wanting to build a larger buildings to house bigger (predicted) congregations etc. There is nothing wrong with these things. What I am saying is that the church is still living in the days when these things related to a world that needed them. Now, I believe that the churches have not taken into account that the society we live in has changed and to be relevant in the world today, we need to adjust to that change...

I know that attending a house church would cost nothing and sometimes members will actually bring something for supper. Also house churches are more personal and members are able to make closer relationships there then they would in some of those large congregations that has to have more than one service per day.
 
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myangelsb4u said:
Not worship services, i'm talking about Sunday services where members are paying tithes and sometimes there are extra alms paid for whatever the churches are trying to fund. I know that attending a house church would cost nothing and sometimes members will actually bring something for supper. Also house churches are more personal and members are able to make closer relationships there.
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Tithing to a church is not obligatory. It's an offering.

Let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.
2 Corinthians 9:7 NKJV
 
WIP said:
Is that even Christian? How is that justified, and do they then turn away those that can't afford the entrance fee?
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I'm not saying I'm one of them, WIP. My position has always been that the NT teaching was to practice giving and receiving, not tithing. Not really sure she was defending tithing either. Just pointing out that with house churches the overhead is not nearly so financially demanding, which may become more and more relevant as times get tougher.
 
I think house churches are the best because followers of christ have more fellowship. The bigger something gets the harder it is to manage and corrupt it becomes, like Moses got overwhelmed and had to appoint others to take roles and sort out issues as he couldn't handle it. Too much of a burden. Everyday people constantly complaining to him and he has to try sort out everyone's issues and answer all there questions on his own. And in a church people have questions and issues they need answering and want a church leader to answer there questions and help them.

In a big church do people even know each other?. If you sit next to someone do people say hi and get to know them?. Do peoppe get to speak to the pastor or they overwhelmed with such a large number of people. I doubt a pastor at a big church knows all the loyal members who have been going there for years and knows all there names or has spoken to them.

I don't understand the role of church. Like is it a place believers come together for prayer and discussion and praise God or is it a place where someone called strictly preaches the gospel to the lost and a Church should be full of non believers and sinners hearing the gospel?.
 
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The real Church, that being the body of Christ and individual believers all around the world in the house of God in Spirit. that is not corrupt. The acutrally spiritual Church of Christ and Kingdom of God and the Holy Spirit. But people are corrupt. The world is corrupt. The flesh is crooked. The earthly church is crooked. The true church is not of this world, it's spiritual, peoppe from all around the world look to God as the King and praise God, thank God, talk to God, sing a song to God, frustrated and try have an argument with God and complain and ask questions like a child does and older and wiser authority and just get humbled and repent everytime, or just whatever, the church is not all piled into some earthy building or system.
 
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Christ_empowered said:
I’ve read that the church is supposed to be primarily for believers. Outreach is important but scripture is for believers and church is primarily for believers.
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That's make sense. Believers congregate together in one building and listen to scripture and sing some songs to the Lord and have a prayer and so on fellowship together. It's like a house church just much bigger. If it's managed properly I guess it's all good.

I just find it hard to understand how a pastor or teacher or whatever one calls them can have fellowship and a relationship with all the people when there is so many. It would be too overwhelming to say hello and have a yarn to a few hundred or even thousands of people each service or get to know the people as a friend. Smaller churches you can have closer fellowship and relationship with others.

The only thing everyone has in common in a big chuch is they all believers and praise and thank God, yet If it's called fellowship then that's aslo called having a relationship with other believers.
 
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Hidden In Him said:
I'm not saying I'm one of them, WIP. My position has always been that the NT teaching was to practice giving and receiving, not tithing. Not really sure she was defending tithing either. Just pointing out that with house churches the overhead is not nearly so financially demanding, which may become more and more relevant as times get tougher.
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I didn't think either of you were defending it.
 
Christ_empowered said:
I’ve read that the church is supposed to be primarily for believers. Outreach is important but scripture is for believers and church is primarily for believers.
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I think Acts, chapter 2, and 4:32-37, provides insight into what the Church should be like. It would be for both unbelievers and believers. For unbelievers it can be a place to hear the gospel and for believers it can be a place of fellowship and growing in faith.
 
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I dunno 🤷‍♂️
The megachurches of my general area seem big on new churches and more outreach not so big on NT style church governance and teaching believers beyond a certain point…
 
myangelsb4u said:
Not really talking about worship services, but rather Churches who have many programmes and ministries and missionary desires and wanting to build a larger buildings to house bigger (predicted) congregations etc. There is nothing wrong with these things. What I am saying is that the church is still living in the days when these things related to a world that needed them. Now, I believe that the churches have not taken into account that the society we live in has changed and to be relevant in the world today, we need to adjust to that change...

I know that attending a house church would cost nothing and sometimes members will actually bring something for supper. Also house churches are more personal and members are able to make closer relationships there then they would in some of those large congregations that has to have more than one service per day.
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Now, I believe that the churches have not taken into account that the society we live in has changed and to be relevant in the world today, we need to adjust to that change...
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Why should Christians adapt to society and be relevant?

We are chosen out of the world and not be like it.

John 15:19 "If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.
 
electedbyhim said:
Why should Christians adapt to society and be relevant?
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You don't believe we should make church more affordable for those who increasingly have less? That's what she was saying in context:

Not really talking about worship services, but rather Churches who have many programmes and ministries and missionary desires and wanting to build larger buildings to house bigger (predicted) congregations etc. There is nothing wrong with these things. What I am saying is that the church is still living in the days when these things related to a world that needed them. Now, I believe that the churches have not taken into account that the society we live in has changed and to be relevant in the world today, we need to adjust to that change...

I know that attending a house church would cost nothing and sometimes members will actually bring something for supper. Also house churches are more personal and members are able to make closer relationships there then they would in some of those large congregations that has to have more than one service per day.
 
I dunno 🤷‍♂️

Churches ⛪️ are often…an outgrowth of the community. This isn’t an insult just a statement of fact. I believe in the established church ⛪️ as a hopefully good place for believers and some of the lost to gather….

And then there’s the invisible church that consists of God’s elect.
 
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