The Worldly Church?

Just like the World?? You are watching TV and a big "Crusade" featuring a famous evangelist is giving an "invitation" to"come forward" and or "make a decision" for Christ".  You then see streams of people move toward an area in front of the stage.  Or perhaps you have been in a church service where the minister says something like "with every eye closed and every head bowed, if you want to be saved, ask Jesus into your heart (no one looking now, to give everyone privacy), indicate yes by raising your hand".    This action may be followed by asking them to "come forward so we can pray with you", or from the pulpit pronouncing the hand-raisers "saved".  Others may include baptisimal salvation. Having watched this scene or a variation played out countless times over the years, I suppose we just ignored the still small voice inside that softly nagged at us with doubt because we had never read of these methods or statements in the Bible. But we trusted our leaders as we thought they knew what they were saying was true...  Still, questions flitted through our minds like "did they repent? what about being baptized? Are they really "born again" like Jesus said?   We were part of a 150+ member assembly, regular church attendees, tithers, and read the Bible and there was much exhortation to "be faithful". (attendance, participation in programs, and of course, "giving" in the form of tithes and offerings...) We followed our leaders and were busy doing church "stuff", but in looking back, I wonder how many of the "brethren" were really even "born again"?  If "accept Christ", "going forward", or "ask Jesus into your heart" was how you get saved, then WHY wasn't that in the Bible?  Those last couple of years "in church", as we considered our own lives and those in our assembly, it became painfully clear we were all a pretty worldly bunch, -all the while we played the church routine.                                         What do I mean by "worldly"?  We talked about the things in the world, we borrowed and charged to finance our wants just like the world, we pursued financial gain and security like the world. we saw church people divorced and young people pregnant without marriage like the world, we listened to worldly music and even had a dance or two in the church just like the world. we watched the same movies and entertainment produced by the world... we followed sports and news just like the world. we broke traffic and other laws just like the world. We coveted wealth just like the world, we over ate and indulged in fleshly appetites like the world, we accepted blatant sin among us just like the world, we fund-raised and sold merchandise for profit just like the world...  we avoided taking loving responsibility for others just like the world, we looked down our self-righteous noses at those we disagreed with just like the world, we held grudges just like the world, we got political just like the world, we pledged allegiance to a worldly kingdom, we got angry and resentful just like the world, we murmured and complained just like the world. we told a few risque jokes like the world. We sought help from lawyers, tax specialists, psychologists, and doctors just like the world without seeking the Lord's help first.. We substituted church attendance and membership for discipleship, we substituted "seeker sensitivity" for repentance, we substituted tithes for giving to the needy, we substituted a few catchy songs for real worship, we traded fellowship in a building for reaching out to the lost, we traded holiness of character  for the comforting acceptance from a pastor or the group.  ......... and we justified every bit of it just like the world. The main difference was that we called ourselves "Christian"and a lot of our time was centered around church activities. If we believed the preachers on TV or behind the pulpit we could convince ourselves it was so, but when we dared to compare the gospel and message of Scripture with what the religious leaders said, and we gave attention to that "something is missing" sense inside, then we might have cause to rethink the smooth and easily acceptable "salvation". Let me ask you, is "going to church", living a moral life, being a nice guy and a "good" person, taking communion or the mass, listening to Christian radio or watching Christian TV, but still doing the things listed in the blue paragraph above, evidence of a disciple of Jesus Christ? It might ease our conscience to put a church-patch over a gaping wound, but it truly grieves me to say much of the church-world has lost its salt.  Some might want to do what Paul told the church in 2nd Corinthians 13:5 Examine your own selves, whether ye are in the faith; prove your own selves. Or know ye not as to your own selves, that Jesus Christ is in you? unless indeed ye be reprobate. Reprobate means: unapproved, that is, rejected; by implication worthless (literally or morally): - castaway, rejected, reprobate. You see, it is easy to build an assembly if you water down the gospel by offering a pleasant sounding, comfortable, easy-to-accept message. What we have done is removed our cross from the gospel; by this we have walked away from the gospel of scripture. I realize most of the readers of this are no longer "in church" and many of you have walked away from the hollow shell of church services.  Some of you are trying to make sense between the conflicts of scripture and the Christianity that is mostly represented by traditional church.  You may find you really don't know much about your walk with God until you walk away from a church building ++++++++++++ And if you are reading this and wondering if you have obeyed the gospel, there is GOOD NEWS for you. Salvation is free, but God requires faith in Jesus Christ, rrepentance from dead works of sin, and for a life of obedience where Jesus Christ is Lord. Those who are "born from above" will produce the fruit of the nature, character, and authority of Christ as evidence of a truly transformed life. The works Christ did, we shall do also. Matthew 7:13 Enter ye in by the narrow gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many are they that enter in thereby. Luke 13:5 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Luke 14:33 ..whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple. to the church, Jesus said: Revelation 2:5 Remember therefore from where you are fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except you repent. Repentance is a change of mind and heart that brings forgiveness and was never a one-time response to the gospel. 8   And he entered into the synagogue, and spake boldly for the space of three months, reasoning and persuading as to the things concerning the kingdom of God. 9   But when some were hardened and disobedient, speaking evil of the Way before the multitude, he departed from them, and separated the disciples, (from among the unconverted Jews at the synagogue) reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus. That friends, is how several dozen new believers were added to the church. And not a word about:      Is there any wonder when we shuffle people through the wrong door into Christianity that we get an altogether different looking Christian from those in the Bible?  -And this is why Jesus Christ is once again calling His people to come out from the religious institutions of man.

In The Home or the Institution: Our Gathering Together

House to House

There were no Big Names, Special Speakers, Doctor of Divinity, no Senior pastor with staff.
No Italian-suited Apostles, Bishops, Prophets, Purpose Driven Promoter and no robed choir or "worship  team"  was seen.

There was no parking lot, vestibule, no Starbucks in the lobby, no lobby, no pastors office, no display cabinets, nothing was sold, no CD's/DVD's or even a lowly cassette around. There was no pulpit, stage, tele-monitors, microphones, deacons, offering collectors, Special Singers, and not even a pew! There were no ushers, tithe envelopes, no program, no Bulletins, no Classes, no pre-service Staff meeting, no song books, no choreographed order of "service".

It was unscheduled. There was not one man in charge dominating the gathering, nor a monologue called a "sermon" where the spectators sat silent and un-moving for 50 minutes of delivery.

How in the Name of Denominational Covering can you have church without all that stuff?
A REAL church ought to at least have a storefront building you say?  If you don't have that "stuff" and at least a titled Chief Ruler, it's not really a church?

Where were we and what went on that we dare call it .....church?
Wouldn't it be great to meet  as the early believers did in the NT?

YES!  It is our hearts desire to gather with others to exhort and encourage one another.
For 4 years we prayed for fellowship as God prepared us.  
Surely others were out there but did not know who they were.

So we patiently waited and trusted the Lord to make it happen, as He will for you too.
Let me tell you how we assemble.
When we gather, it begins with a meal around 2-3 pm on a Saturday when work schedules permit.  We eat, talk, fellowship ( what people love to do naturally..)  
During the meal time, we may talk scripture, testify, answer questions, talk about our lives...  

Later, we drift into the living room for some worshipful music either from a cd or some  worship music we found on youtube.  here's one we like.

Sometimes we are blessed with someone who plays guitar or an instrument.

We will enter into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise.
God shows up and tears come to many eyes as we respond to His Presence.
God’s people may each share a teaching, a psalm, or a revelation; we have had a prophesying   or two, some questions may be asked.  

Healings are received and demons have been cast out.
People have been saved and baptized.
Some needs may be brought for prayer.  

No one has an agenda and if someone is out of order, (which happens) the Holy Spirit helps us deal with it.   Christ is the head (Ephesians 5:23 For the husband is the head of the wife, and Christ also is the head of the church), as we seek to have the Lord lead us, not a program.

The assembly will last way into the evening and people may come and go.
1st Corinthians 14:26 What is it then, brethren? When ye come together, each one hath a psalm, hath a teaching, hath a revelation, hath a tongue, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying.
Last time people stayed 'till about 12:30 am.  Of course we had food available for an evening snack.

The church assembly functioned as a family, a fellowship, and the body of Christ.
After gathering like this for over 2 years, a traditional, orchestrated church "service" has lost all appeal.    We just LOVE gathering in holy, spiritual fellowship this way.
This is our "communion of the saints".  

Maybe we are not doing it right on some technical points.  We seek the Lord days before we gather and strongly seek His leading in these meetings.  It is wonderful how God is confirming His Word...

When I look close at how they gathered in the homes in scripture, and how Jesus often did so, who can fault this kind of assembling?

One night, as we drove home from the Fresno family's house fellowship where we had shared a meal, prayer, teachings, and ministry,  it suddenly dawned on me "THAT WAS CHURCH!!"

We did not realize it at first because we were so conditioned to think of church in terms of the institution, a hired pastor, a nice comfy building with high-powered electronics and "worship leaders" pumping up the congregants..

Traditions die hard..

Church Walls Got You Down?

Out of church but not out of God, Christianity Outside The Box

Churches without names, buildings, or a hired pastor?  Ideas that once sounded "out there" are rapidly becoming one of the largest spiritual movements in the world.
The George Barna Research Group in a startling survey found that the fastest growing segment of Christianity is among  Christians leaving the institutionally organized churches and finding fellowship and support as they gather in homes and other places.  (Google "Barna organic Home Church"

Approximately 7% of adults surveyed were participating in an "organic church", typically, one where people gathered in a home for worship, sharing of faith, and study of the Bible.
In his article, Barna stated "

71% say they are “more likely to develop my religious beliefs on my own, rather than to accept an entire set of beliefs that a particular church teaches.”  And he found, "Levels of distrust toward churches, church leaders and organized Christianity have been growing over the past two decades. 

That concern – along with the heightened independence of Americans and the profound access to information that has characterized the past decade – may have led to the emergence of a large majority of adults feeling responsible for their own theological and spiritual development." There are many authors such as Frank Viola, Andrew Strom, and A.J. Kiesling to name a few.

There are also Christians choosing to gather as the early Christians did in the book of Acts.
In fact, a quick word search for "church house" in a Bible Search Program (http://www.htmlbible.com/ )
yielded numerous references such as 1st Corinthians 16:19 The churches of Asia greet you. Aquila and Prisca salute you much in the Lord, with the church that is in their house.
Colossians 4:15 Salute the brethren that are in Laodicea, and Nymphas, and the church that is in their house",  -and more.

Reasons for leaving institutional are greatly varied.
Some leave church because they are bitter over spiritual and/ or clergy abuse.
Some leave because they cannot live up to expectations. Either their own, others, or even God's expectations as they are perceived.
Some leave because they experience emptiness in routines, programs, financial manipulation, and performance-oriented services.
Some leave the assurance and affirmation of church in order to find a more meaningful relationship to God.
Some leave because they began to read the Bible and saw how the words of Christian church scripture disagree with commonly accepted practices such as tithing, controlling leaders, spiritual covering, and more.
Some leave because God told them to.

Usually the establishment church views them with labels such as "lone-rangers", "disgruntled" "discord sowers", "false prophet", "heretic", "lone wolf", "murmurer", "discord sowers", and all the labels we ourselves once used to put on people when they left OUR church.

However in church history, a surprising perspective is found when we realize many of God's people separated themselves from the "mainstream" faith around them.

Jesus Himself was labeled, castigated, and persecuted by the establishment religious order.
Paul was converted but did not go to "church" for three years. He later suffered outside the camp of Judaistic Israel after Christ revealed Himself to him.
And of course, ALL of the followers of Jesus came out from among the mainstream sects and denominations of the Jewish religion. For this, they were persecuted, labeled, and spoken evil of by the religious establishment of the day.

Jesus Himself said He came to bring division in Luke 12:51 Think ye that I am come to give peace in the earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division, and that the first followers of Jesus Christ ALL came out from the divisions and sects of Judaistic Israel.
It is an astonishing parallel to our day in which there are countless sects, denominations, and divisions under the banner of "Christian". Anyone looking at the "church directory" in the Yellow Pages will quickly become overwhelmed by the Smorgasbord of church ads.   

Yet it is an amazing discovery to find that the overwhelming majority of early Christians met in homes with no overhead, hired minister, or the typical furnishings found in the typical church building. It comes as a further shock to realize the pastors of that day were told by the apostle Paul himself, that they (the bishops) should be "so working that you ought to support the weak" (Acts 20:35)

The New Testament knows nothing of a professional clergy.
In the typical home church "assembling", families and individuals will gather together for a meal, fellowship, worship, and open sharing.
In this atmosphere, everyone participates or is welcome to; the body of Christ functions as a loving, caring, and sharing spiritual family.

In our own home gatherings, which are rotated among several families, meetings tend to last 6-8 hours in a very enjoyable atmosphere in which most of the people stay well into the night.
One typical Saturday we assembled with spiritual "family" as the Body of Christ from around 2:30 to 11 pm.  We talked, ate, prayed, discussed the Bible, testified, and shared what the Lord is doing in our lives.

Several experienced physical healings including a migraine headache and a back condition. 
The intimacy of a home meeting is more conducive to personal ministry, confession of struggles, and ministry one to another which the typical church service does not have time or room for.
Without the formal structure of a programmed church "service", the home meetings facilitate openness and frank expression of needs, problems, and personal giftings each member may have opportunity to exercise. 

Another common objection aimed at non-institutional church goers, is that there is no denominational or spiritual covering, or accountability.
While this may be partly true, especially with those "leaders" who desire to build their own "church kingdom" and seek to be supported by others, many have networked and have learned to make themselves accountable to God and those they gather with.
In fact, there is no such thing as the phrase "spiritual covering" given in the scriptures. Nor is there a titled clergy, structured church hierarchy, or even the position of one man called "pastor" put in charge of an assembly.
Again, it comes as a shock to find a multiplicity of elders were given oversight of the churches.  One or several men were exercising the gift of a pastor alongside the other unpaid, ministerial gifts of service to the church.

Giving and tithing according to the tradition of the offering plate is another area where many home churches depart from church traditon.
Although we personally found no scriptures instructing churches or saints to pay a tithe of 10% from income, giving is an important part of our fellowship. 

Since a home group has no paid minister or church overhead, 100% of giving  goes directly to meet the needs of others, as opposed to typical church overhead and salaries which take 95% of the typical churches income. Some ministries may be supported by choice "as a man purposes in his heart" but not by the subtle manipulation of a weekly offering plate being passed.

  Home churchers tend to eschew "tax deductible" offerings in favor of private, that is, secret giving without any desire for record keeping by a church secretary or pastor. Jesus appeared to encourage self-less, secret giving also, (Matthew 6:4 that thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father who seeth in secret shall recompense thee),  and Saint Paul testified how that he "I was careful to remember the poor"  in Galatians  2:10

That is how the home churches tend to function, once they are free from the typical church-mindset.  More of the people become involved in caring and ministering one to another and those around them.
We were personally amazed at the first home church meeting we visited in another city. The simplicity and lack of formal orchestration was like a culture shock but we quickly adapted and came to love it, and we would never want to exchange the close fellowship for a large building and watching others "lead church" up in front.

Admittedly, "home church" is not for everyone, but for many, it fills the need for closer, more intimate Christian fellowship than does the Institutional, program-driven setting of the formal church.

Jesus said simply "where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am in the midst". -That also is church.
-rory moore