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carters
Member



Joined: 2011/5/24
Posts: 138
Australia

 


_________________
Mrs Carter

 2011/8/12 2:40Profile
carters
Member



Joined: 2011/5/24
Posts: 138
Australia

 


_________________
Mrs Carter

 2011/8/12 2:44Profile
carters
Member



Joined: 2011/5/24
Posts: 138
Australia

 


_________________
Mrs Carter

 2011/8/12 2:54Profile









 Re:

Hi Sherid. I know of one good home fellowship that basically uses this format ...

Eph 5:19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
Eph 5:20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;
Eph 5:21 *Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.*

Scripturally, what was done in the book of Acts was not called "doing church" but just an "assembling" of the Church, which are the believers.

There was no structure as in liturgy, but each week a different brother would share from the Word what GOD had laid upon his heart. A different brother each week. That part I believe they'd set in order ahead.
All of the men were able to share. Only those who were babes in Christ didn't.
They would pray and come to consensus by the Holy Spirit, if a decision needed to be made.

What I fear with becoming a satelite 'church' is conformity to something that didn't originate from the Holy Spirit for your particular area where you live. The Holy Spirit has to preside over a meeting and sometimes someone else's "structure" is not what HE wants to do. Each meeting of the Saints should be somewhat ready for the Holy Spirit to move in a way that may differ from the Sunday before.

For instance, if it's your husband's Sunday to share something and he prepares something, yet when that Sunday comes, he feels the Holy Spirit leading him to just pray together because only HE knows what the needs are - then your husband would be in GOD's perfect will for the Church.

In the days we're living in - we don't know if the man we're following will stay on the straight and narrow.
The first time you posted here about leaving your Church, I recommended that you consider going into the ministry yourselves. It seems you are and I think your husband has a good handle on truth and there's possibly more in your group that do as well. I believe you all need the freedom to be completely led by GOD and not under anyone who doesn't live where you live or is dealing with the people you're meeting with. Each Church in the NT were local assembies, by 'where' they lived - as in - The Church at Ephesus, the Church at Corinth, etc. There was no pope over them all and after the Apostles were gone, each Church had to be independent. The basic doctrines were in place from the Apostles and they followed them - until later, as you know from the ECFs thread.

"And The LORD added to the church daily such as should be saved"

Your island needs that. It will be Him that will do this work and it will be the closest to the book of Acts type assembling of yourselves as you can get, if you follow His guidelines from The Book.
Structure can be good - but sometimes not good, if the LORD through His Spirit leads in another direction that day.

Unless all the mature men of your fellowship can pray together and come to a joint conclusion, then there is no "submitting one to another". People can begin to want a boss when the Holy Spirit is left out from the decision making process that is Scriptural.

In time, those who are called to teach, pastor, etc will be proved for their calling and then the elder, deacon, pastor, etc positions will naturally fall into place.

I like how they did it, locally, in the book of Acts.

Blessings, Protection and His Divine Guidance through the men of your group, with undergirding prayers by the Sisters.

Praying you'll both be encouraged by hope from The LORD, Himself.

 2011/8/12 3:49
mguldner
Member



Joined: 2009/12/4
Posts: 1862
Kansas

 Re:

Brother I don't know how much advise I can give, but here is what I find the Word says with some of my thoughts added, take them as you wish.

1 Corinthians 14:26-40 would address this I believe.

Brother what you have going right now is a beautiful thing but like all beautiful things Satan likes to stand against it with all his might, through division and disunity. This is why the Unity of the Church must be protected which is why Paul addresses the issue found in 1 Corinthians 3-4

Follow Paul as he exhorts in the book of the Philippians chapter 2. Satan loves religious pride so check yourself for it (not saying you have this but its always good to check)

Also I would have your brothers and sister whom you fellowship with check their hearts for hurts from the false teachings they came out of, moving from a possible spirit of bitterness to a spirit of humility and mercy.

One last thing, Submit to one another, this is what a church is Believers encouraging and submitting to one another, I believe this is true Spiritual authority where everyone is simply accountable to everyone. When you read Matthew 18 you don't see Jesus saying Go to your Spiritual authority but He says Go to the Church, a pastor is not a church. The People are as they operate in Christ's Love for one another.

God Bless Christ's Flock on your little island may it grow and prosper 100 times over and flurish all over your area and spill into New Zealand.


_________________
Matthew Guldner

 2011/8/12 5:58Profile
passerby
Member



Joined: 2008/8/13
Posts: 742


 Re:

Let's rest the case for now in the Lord sister perhaps in prayer and meditation. The Lord will surely guide us as we seek Him. May the Lord bless you and give you wisdom and a heart after Him as you ponder about it.

Pondering too.

 2011/8/12 6:42Profile
jimp
Member



Joined: 2005/6/18
Posts: 1481


 Re:

hi, another tid bit as that if one home is being used, the church should do something spiritual and help with the upkeep of that home,e g painting etc.jimp

 2011/8/12 6:51Profile
passerby
Member



Joined: 2008/8/13
Posts: 742


 Re: Godly advice needed regarding Home Fellowship...

QUOTE: What is the biblical definition of "church".
I thought that a home fellowship, believers meeting together every week is "church".

QUOTE: I think there is a problem and that is that the other spiritually mature couple (who started this thing with us), don't seem to think that what we doing is "church".

The christian concept of the 'church' is generally thought
in two ways:

a. kuriakon - meaning 'belonging to the Lord', 'the body of
Christ' consisting of all those who are saved both living and the departed.

b. ekklesia - local assembly of christians.

When the concept pertains to ekklesia, the bible is not lacking about its:

a. structure/doctrines/leadership.
b. purposes and activities.

1. preaching/teaching/discipleship/evangelism/deliverance.
2. fellowship/prayer/praise&worship/admonition/encourage-
ment.
3. sharing of spiritual and material blessings.
4. baptism/Lord's supper.
5. etc.

c. conduct - towards other believers, outsiders, leadership,
other churches, 'deceivers', etc.

d. diversity of gifting and services of its members.

Where you do your assembly, usually is decided upon by the leadership or in appropriate cases by the local assembly as a whole. keeping in mind that is not for the sake of some cherished doctrines that we have our local assemblies but for the service and glory of God.

The church is the body of Christ, we are His hands , his feet, His mouth, His face here on earth we have to grow to be Christlike in our heart, thoughts, actions, and words.

With the plethora of what is written about the church, it is not surprising the older ones have a more than a simple
concept about it.

 2011/8/12 14:36Profile
carters
Member



Joined: 2011/5/24
Posts: 138
Australia

 


_________________
Mrs Carter

 2011/8/12 19:07Profile
Grace_Saved
Member



Joined: 2011/8/12
Posts: 4
Australia

 Re: Thanks WOW

That is some great advice. I am only new on here so I humbly come and offer some advice. Please do not feel you need to accept it or listen to it - as said, I an new on here (can I add quickly how I am loving this site!).

Anyway, I am not so sure of reading out the posts in the group may work. It is possible some might resent you going "outside" for help and advice - I am not sure. I think for sure you should bring up points as you see fit but reading out what we have all said might be liable to cause some friction. That is my opinion though.

I think what you want from a home church or home fellowship or whatever it gets called (it really does not matter) is that you are accountable to each other and that you can have the opportunity to be able to help each other in all manner of ways - sin, doubts, depression, etc - and to be able to do it lovingly and without breaking the unity of a special situation.

To be sure, if someone is in sin, they need to be confronted (privately initially I would say). But the whole group needs to be able to submit to one-another in providing that opportunity.

Sin in sin - it needs to be dealt with and I would hope that even in my "normal" church, people would lovingly confront and walk with me in my sin to get me out (though, sadly, I doubt it works that way anymore as this is unpopular!). The same as I would humbly come alongside another who was struggling too. If that doesn't work, then the Bible is clear about the process and discipline.

Anyway, I am not saying that anything has to be dealt with in this regard because from what I have read, this sounds like a sweet meeting of saints. Whenever saints are gathered together, that is church. As such, the Bible reigns supreme in providing the means to grow in Christ.

I would only caution you on not trying to "formalise" things too much. It is far better to still be meeting together in unity and bring things more into line as time goes on - much like God is patient and brings us gradually into line before Him through our sanctification. for that I am eternally grateful! I am unfortunately a slow learner and have learned things the hard way, through this the Lord is gracious and patient and when I look back, I can see myself getting closer and closer to Him - even when it does not seem so at the time!

Anyway, brother, I pray for you and I hope that this whole process works out well and that God is glorified, pleased, and honoured - I can see this in your heart, it is obvious my friend.

Bless you all and thank you for reading this terribly long-winded post!

 2011/8/12 21:42Profile





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