Hi Daniel,
How awesome it is to have this opportunity come into your life. I have been part of different house churches over the years and am currently leading one in my home. I can give you a general layout of what we do and how we conduct the meeting. This may sound basic, as in "House church 101", but it will give a decent overview of what happens in the group that meets in my home.
Before I start, it is important to recognize and realize a few points, then I will go into how our house church meets.
The Lord is in control of this group, not any man. Even as you are the house church leader, the Lord will raise up different leaders each week when He sees fit to do so, and the topic discussion may be totally different then what you (as the leader) expected it to be like. Suggestion: Let the Holy Spirit lead the direction, you will find the ALL come to greater revelation because of this submission. Its an awesome thing.
[u][b]Matthew 28:18-20 (NKJV)[/b][/u]
[i]And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore[a] and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen.[b] [/i]
Recognize that as the house church leader, YOU are discipling these men and woman under the Lords authority, for the Lord. Hold fast to making disciples of the Lord, not of a man made theology or religiosity . Remember that when you let the Holy Spirit lead, and He [u]will[/u] lead, it allows for His will to be done, not mans. Submit to His will and authority.
Teach from the Bible. At times the Spirit may lead you (or others) to discuss different books that people are reading and learning from. Be open to discussing these boooks and thoughts in these books. It is good and needed to have the people (and yourself) back up and reference the Bible on anything you read about outside of the Bible. Be prepared to be challanged, mentally and spiritually (never physically I hope :-) )
Be open and understanding to all view points that are of a debatable nature scriptually. Not everyone uses the same version of the Bible, some use multiple versions. In past groups, we have had differences of opinions on topics such as; The rapture, disipline, alcohol, different preachers/men of God that we listen to, music, etc... just about anything debatable that does not fall into sin. Hold true to the Word always, but not the word of man. Realize that not everyone will agree with everything that is taught or discussed. This ok. Keep praying and teaching. The Lord will reveal the Truth in His time.
I have found it better to not teach the "turn or burn" theology. There are times that this is dictated as directed by the Spirit, but a personal suggestion would be to refrain from this unless lead from the Lord. This does NOT mean be seeker sensative, just sensative to all around. Watch what you say. It is said on these forums a few times and I think that it is a great statement "You may win the arguement and lose a soul". This is not what the Lord has intended for any of us to do. Refrain from pushing people away through harshness. Let the Lord work in their spirit.
A major part of leading a house church is the responisbility that you take on. Realize that this is NOT just a "Monday thing" or a "weekend thing". You are making disciples for The Lord! This will mean that you are willing to sacrifice yourself for these men and women. It is a big calling and it can get long in the flesh, but rise above the flesh and focus on the Lord always. It is important to be in constant contact and "pour your life" into these men and women. As the leader, your calling is not greater, but just different. Pray for wisdom and revelation in this.
Not every meeting needs to be structured. Sometimes the Lord will put something on someone elses heart that has nothing to do with what you want to speak about. Remember that this is from the Lord, and we should humbly follow where He wants to take you. Sometimes people want to talk about their day and experiences in the day. This is a valuble real life teaching opportunity. Embrace it rather then discourage it. I cannot tell you the amount of times I (or others) wanted to speak on something, and the Lord comes in and moves it to something totally different. Its great to submit to the move of the Spirit.
Pray, pray and pray. Pray now, pray before you meet, pray while you meet, pray after you meet. Pray either openly or silently when all enter and leave your home. Pray over the seating of your home where people site, pray...
Here is how my/our group runs our Monday night meetings, but it not always the same.
We meet around 6-6:30pm. We sometimes break bread and have dinner together. This is good fellowshiping. The parents eat together when allowed (tons of kids running around).
We talk pray over the meal and sicknesses, different things. We talk either together, in smaller groups, only men sometimes, only women sometime, but together most of the time.
We talk about what the Lord leads us to talk about. Sometimes one person leads, sometimes another. We read over the bible and focus on the Word. We study the scripture.
At the end of the meeting, we pray blessings, for souls, healings and such.
We usually end around 10:30pm at night. But it does not stop there. This is just the meeting place and time. We also meet together throughout the week. We call eachther and keep eachother accountable. We meet on Sundays to worship together at our place of worship.
There is so much more. Please PM me for more detail.
May the Lord bless you in this move of His. Exciting times!
Christiaan _________________ Christiaan
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