There is so much good in the house-church movement. We find leadership all through the New Testament …. Never challenged you to stand up, to honour, to submit, to do things you don’t feel like, to prefer another over yourself. So much good, but: What we are addressing here is where they have ‘gone too far’. Acts 19:9, 10 But when some were becoming hardened and disobedient, speaking evil of the Way before the multitude, he withdrew from them and took away the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus. No, for the opposite of this term (apeitheo) is found in Heb 3:18. ), 9. As I’ve pointed out, teaching is mentioned three times in 1 Cor. It is not strictly that. What is a simple church? It means to bring together different reasons and reckon them up. While this problem is certainly not limited to house churches, there is clearly no guarantee of protection from false teaching simply because the church changes its meeting format. The PK dogma is wholly at odds with New Testament teaching relative to the plan of redemption. 1 Tim 3:12 Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well. A house church is a small congregation (usually around 20) who meet in a home. The Israelites, by not being persuaded, were reprobated. You have no size, so you have no structure, so you don’t know how to work in a structure and honour a structure. House-churchers say: The teacher is not given the prominence that one sees in today’s typical church meeting. It’s because they don’t know protocol, they don’t know honour, and they need to learn. You know good and well Paul never said to Felix, “Oh, good point; I never thought of that. We have also met people from these groups at conferences and spoken to them and discussed church with them. Acts 20:20 I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you publicly and from house to house, Acts 20:25 I know that all of you, among whom I went about preaching the kingdom, will see my face no more. For example, Beresford Job argues in favor of this view in his article entitled The Apostles' Traditions - The Heart of the Matter: Part 4 - What the Bible Says , in which he seeks to make the case that “New Testament church gatherings were completely open and participatory with no one leading from the front”: It was not used till Acts 11. And this took place for two years, so that all who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord. Acts 20:28 Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd (poimaino) the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. The same liberals and goofy nuts who troubled the local church of brick and mortar, which we left to move into the homes, are now taking over the House Church movement. Conclusion? The emerging church is a Christian Protestant movement of the late 20th and early 21st centuries that crosses a number of theological boundaries: participants are variously described as Protestant, post-Protestant, evangelical, post-evangelical, liberal, post-liberal, progressive, socially liberal, anabaptist, reformed, charismatic, neocharismatic, and post-charismatic. Without leadership, there is confusion. So it is in God’s household. Everywhere I go now, people ask me about the ‘house church movement,’ hoping it will provide the answer to their hunger for real body life. We are a growing network of growing churches, with services weekly in Dagenham, Guildford, Watford, Croydon, Brentwood and Dorset. It was a thrust on Paul’s part, a sermon. Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time. | Topic: The Church. If that is so, then the Lord Jesus, being the chief example of servant-hood, has no authority. The Bible is not just the plan of salvation (it would be a much shorter book if it was), but it is the key to how to function as the body of Christ on earth and we should function as a church in the same way the New Testament church functioned. Yes indeed, the Bible teaches participation in the meetings – asking questions and judging what is said (v.29). Sure, there might be interchange, but nevertheless the father has a message. They must also admonish the people, and that not only publicly, but privately, as there may be occasion. Nowhere do I find Jesus or the apostles telling their followers to build buildings, form committees, plan budgets, or set up organizations. Acts 24:25,26 “And as he was discussing (dialegomai) righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come, Felix became frightened and said, Go away for the present, and when I find time, I will summon you. Sure it could – I am of Paul. Of course it is. After 40 years as a Christian, I myself have spent about 14 of those years in house churches. The modern house church movement has both captured allegiance and anxiety. Let these ‘givens’ be acknowledged. I have made some sharp statements, but it is only fitting, as it is written, “Rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith.” Titus 1:13. It is noteworthy that it is often translated “charge” (KJV) and “command” (NAS). It seems to me that the early church consisted almost entirely of small, simple house-based congregations. Do you realize that Gregory Dickow’s wisdom and depth would never reach a church of 8 in a Living Room? That which was “by word”, the oral, is unknown now. Many well meaning believers, all over the world, seem to be searching for something that they are not able to lay their hands on. So why is this a mis-step and why is this a problem for the body of Christ? Never following protocol because it is a blind spot to them, and so they then clash with the church because the church is of a certain size and therefore has protocols, they then get disillusioned, call the church harsh, and retreat back to their tiny groups. It is ironic inconsistency that the house-churchers are those that have seen that structure does not matter, but have come full circle around and maintain that structure does matter – it must be a house. Yet, the house-churchers say there’s nothing in the New Testament about authority! If you have 8 people, you don’t need any structure or formalization. Paraggello means “near message” – to bring a message alongside someone. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! The Problem With the Christian Adoption Movement. You only welcome people like you, so you never clash with anyone so you are never sharpened. Eph 4:11 And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, 4:12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ. The Hebrew Roots Movement has influenced hundreds of thousands of Christians in recent decades. Find out more at www.tree.church, www.tree.church/youtube and www.tree.church/app. When we had 280 people in one service this year, it envisioned the whole church – this is what it can be every week, we can impact people, we can dream big. 2 talking about this. But the group is not being fed the Word, does not have access to the fivefold ministry, is not being sharpened by the larger group, so the people grow slowly. The house church movement is large and is growing rapidly. Get more of a feel for it in these verses…. Preaching and teaching were not prominent in the church meeting and that preaching is primarily outside the church? Heb 13:7 Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith. Everywhere a Movement. Phil 3:21 who by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself. House church in the Bible did not necessarily mean small gatherings. This has a number of names: house church, irregular church, organic church; but the principles are the same: you meet in houses in necessarily small groups and you focus on building relationships with those people. Rick Joyner says that all error in the church is simply people embracing a newly revealed truth at the expense of other truths. Jesus said you will never be entrusted with anything if you cannot be faithful to that which is someone else’s (Luke 16.12). The book of Acts is the history of the early church, not a mandate for church structure throughout the ages. You cannot raise leaders quickly enough to multiply house churches. What Chan offers is what missiologists call Church Planting Movements (CPM). PKism is a fad with no biblical basis. The administrator of a nursing home has a charge nurse. Many acclaim it as a rediscovery of New Testament Christianity, while … Aquila and Prisca, together with the church in their house, send you hearty greetings.”. Notice poimaino does include feeding, as seen by its use in Jude 1:12 These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding (poimaino) themselves without fear. 2 Th 3:12 such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to work in quiet fashion and eat their own bread. The thrust: We give quotes1 from house-churchers. They have become a non-denominational denomination. No authority? When we clash, we can look at ourselves and sharpen up. If you cannot esteem them, find those you can. If you are not, you will end up distressed and scattered. But Paul had the answers and he was declaring the truth, using Scripture to back it up. Apostolic strategy is an ongoing lifecycle that produces multiplying. It is a false teaching. 1 Th 2:9 we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. Heb 13:17 Obey your leaders, and submit to them; for they keep watch over your souls, as those who will give an account. Watch Church anywhere, on demand. The Bible is not “strangely silent” about leadership. As the younger generation ages, they will not be represented by the homogeneous unit principal that was championed in the early years of the church growth movement. We are also planting churches in Cambridge, Suffolk, West Midlands and Hemel. Everywhere a Movement. A Kansas City mega-church just lost their 20 million dollar campus to the bank. 2 Th 2:15 hold to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or by letter from us. Eph 5:21 and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ. “exhorted” the elders/shepherds/overseers (low-key? A father leads his family. The Problems With The Purpose-Driven Definition of a Christ Follower Much preaching is done in the church meeting, and House churches put into practice the model reported in Acts. In the upper room there were 120 people meeting on Sunday (Pentecost). And to whom did He swear that they should not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient? Hardly! Here is the word for guide, hodegos, as in…, Again, much is made by house-churchers about the church making the decisions, that is, consensus rule. Everywhere I go now, people ask me about the 'house church movement,' hoping it will provide the answer to their hunger for real body life. 3) Note: There were enough disciples at Corinth that there could be three prophets present, 14.27,29 The faith that the Three-Self adheres to is what church history calls “liberal” theology, while the faith of the house churches is evangelical theology. Focus on Jesus and you will find him building the church all around you. House-churchers make a big point regarding the Greek word, peitho, “obey,” in Heb 13:17 …, They point out that it means merely ‘allow yourself to be persuaded or convinced by.’ But is this really a weak term as the book suggests? Whenever we get people from house churches, I am always careful to see they are learning honour and learning the culture of honour, because otherwise they will be gone soon. Acts 18:4 “And he was reasoning (dialegomai) in the synagogue every Sabbath and trying to persuade Jews and Greeks.” So Acts 18.4 indicates it had to do with persuading. Surely a term like shepherd means something! Furthermore, let Scripture itself define dialegomai by comparing other Scripture usages of dialegomai. and gives a great promise, “grace, exaltation” (low-key?). 5. The Hijacking of the Calvary Chapel Movement into the Coming One ... Jesus to the churches in Revelation 2 and 3 show how early in the history of the church problems developed for which they need to repent. With all openness, and 2 are never sharpened nevertheless the father has a message alongside someone not is! Apostolic strategy is an ongoing lifecycle that produces multiplying money to his Saddleback congregation two years, 2:43-46. Reasoning daily in a house, they gathered as a Christian, I myself suggested house churches attempt. 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