Returning to first love.

Most people are comfortable nowadays..
- with 'nicely packaged' weekly service and programs.
- They do not like to break 'existing/established' pattern.
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Question is..
How much/far are you willing to go.. beyond comfort zones?

There are several major issues with with mainstream church today. The biggest one is that the church is seemingly more important to people than what's being taught, it becomes about the ritual, about following a checklist of "well I went to church on Sunday, did x y and z and I didn't do a b and c so therefore I must be saved" instead of trusting in God's grace and forgiveness. The other major issue is that people detach it from their life. Being a Christian is something they do on Sunday, not something they truly are in their heart, they don't really pray, read their Bible, or have a true relationship with the Lord, and they judge others because it makes them feel better about themselves.

IMO, the institutional church offers everything that's been mentioned so far. Some Christians, like the parable of the mustard seed, do a lot with it while others do some or occasionally only, and still others do very little.

This is not a failing on the part of the church, however, or of the clergy, although people seem to love putting all the blame on one or both of these, sometimes going so far as to advocate that believers have nothing to do with them, despite the fact that the testimony of the New Testament advocates the opposite course.

Carl Emerson said:

Looking at early Acts there was a focus on strong community, caring for the poor, loving one's neighbour. This early united church was characterised by the fear and Love of Him, fulfilling the prayer of Jesus in John 17 that would result in a church in real unity demonstrating the Love of Jesus and the Glory of God to the world.

Click to expand...

Well there is a lot to the OP. I will only cover only a few points.


In today's society/culture we greatly misunderstand what the ancient church society was like.

1) People were much more given to hospitality and entertaining than most people today.


2) Not only that but there houses were much more built for entertaining that our of today. Their houses were often constructed with large multipurpose rooms (e.g. "the upper room" mentioned in the Gospels) that could be used for a variety of purposes like hosting large dinners and events.


I have pointed this out to a number of people over the years for various reasons. Often to household church people, where their idea of church is just having a few friends over for prayer, bible study etc. But my point is the people back then were much more social orientated back then and you could actually hold a small parish/ congregation in one of those early house churches by design.... This also made it much easier for house churches to grow into big congregations etc. And your average house church service back then was much more likely to be more than just a small gathering of friends meeting in someone's house etc.



But given that, I do believe that in our contemporary post Christian culture things like the ministry of hospitality etc. are going to make a come back etc. and there will or should be even more ministry at home then before. I thought their was a problem with alienation and loneliness in society before Covid broke....


QUOTE (Robert Webber, Ancient Future Faith)
"During my seminary education, I never felt we really addressed the question: “What does it mean to be a member of the church” Later, when I turned to the early Christian tradition and began, for the first time, to understand what it meant to be a member of the body of Christ, it was like removing blinders that had covered my eyes.
I learned from the early Fathers that the church is intrinsically connected with Christ and his victory over the power of evil. The church is therefore to be regarded as a kind of continuation of the presence of Jesus in the world. Jesus is not only seated at the right hand of the Father, but is visibly and tangibly present in and to the world through the church. This is an incarnational understanding of the church. It is a unique community of people in the world, a community like no other community because it is the presence of the divine in and to the world. This concept of the church has specific relevance to the world of postmodernism.
. . . What this means for the church is that Christians must recover the primacy of being a Christian community. . . .
. . . the church is the primary presence of God’s activity in the world. As we pay attention to what it means to be the church we create an alternative community to the society of the world. This new community, the embodied experience of God’s kingdom, will draw people into itself and nurture them in the faith. In this sense the church and its life in the world will become the new apologetic. People come to the faith not because they see the logic of the argument but because they have experienced a welcoming God in a hospitable and loving community. QUOTE

– Ancient-Future Faith, pp. 70-72"
https://www.amazon.com/Ancient-Future-Faith-Re…/…/080106029X

While institutionalized churches aren't necessarily a bad thing, neither are home churches, I personally attend one and if it's done right it can be more than just a small gathering of friends for Bible study.

Before all this Covid stuff happened I was experimenting with a social networking web site called Meetup. I was working on developing my own Christian fellowship group before I realized I was going to have to move and decided to leave North Carolina for Pennsylvania.

It's something you might consider either joining a group or starting your own in your area. Below is a link to Christian groups in you area.

https://www.meetup.com/topics/christiansocial/nz/auckland/


Before all this I did dabble a bit in church planting etc.

Sometimes we have to be molded to fit a church where we are hearing the word of God. We have a food ministry a lot of people like to help. You have to have something to do there too. Or to start something and have funds. But whatever is available we can find a place hopefully if you are hungry to serve God. @Carl Emerson. Willingness is a newb gift.

Hello ...
In regard to First love, my view is quite different from what has been discussed.

My concern would not be to care for strangers. If I put my focus on that, then I have taken my eyes of my love, that is, the Lord.

I understand that we need to be compassionate toward strangers, and help those who are asleep or spiritually dead in their comfort zone, or even may be help resolve major issues in main stream church.

Is that why the Lord have spoken of salt and light from the beginning?

I also would not concern myself to be avail in a small social setting whether there will be prayer and bible study; I would be more concerned with the Lord’s first love. I would not busy myself like Martha to make the right setting when the Lord comes. As the Lord has conveyed that one thing is necessary, that we should just choose like what Mary did.

Remember :
For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” HAS SHONE IN OUR HEARTS - 2 Corinthians 4:6

Where is this darkness ? It is in the hearts of many people. How this light shine our hearts.
As it is written in the proverbs:
For the commandment is a lamp and the TEACHING a LIGHT, and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life,- Proverbs 6:23

The gospel of Jesus Christ’s that is the light.
True, many in the mainstream church have drifted away, asleep or spiritually dead but a remnant will be saved.

As apostle Paul have spoken:
So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace.-Roman 11:5

God is still working mightily today, so we just need to align ourselves with His purpose and submit ourselves to His will.

As we have heard:
God, being rich in mercy, because of the GREAT LOVE with which HE LOVES US, -Ephesians 2:4

God the Father has promised us :
MADE US ALIVE together WITH Christ'by grace
and RAISED US UP WITH Him and SEATED US WITH Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, -Ephesians 2:6

Our Lord Jesus, as a High Priest in the heavens, is still working mightily to intercede for the offenders in the church and outside the church.

For our Lord have voiced His concern:
And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.-John 10:16

Remember the Lord is working on the church:

that He might SANCTIFY HER, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, -Ephesians 5:26

So don’t blame the church; for there are remnant in the church that are saved by grace; if you blame the church, you may offend the bride of Christ. If you offend the bride of Christ, you would not want to incur the wrath of the Bridegroom because Bridegroom love the Bride much.

I understand there are false church, who teach the doctrine of Nicolaitan and Balaam. I knew the Lord hate them, too. For this is right to hate the false way.

So there is no need to experiment a social setting, don’t waste your time there ; spend your time with the One you love, that is, the Lord.

As we have heard:
steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the LORD. -Psalms 32:10

Trust the Lord for His steadfast love then His steadfast love will surround you.

Don’t look for steadfast love from people in the church; it is not there!

We just need to treasure His words in our hearts and that light will shine in our hearts ; yes, the light of His love !

what is before our Lord’s face ? Yes, it is His love; the knowledge of His love ; His glorious grace for us who are united with Christ Jesus.

Don’t waste your time that you have to be molded to fit the church. The One who holds
everything together is the Lord. You just have to focus on how to be union with the Lord at all times. When you are in union with the Lord, then the whole building of the church are built together in Christ’s love.

How is it possible ? The Holy Spirit who helps us. Otherwise, why God the Father give this promise and why God the Son has to send the Holy Spirit to us.

Do you see the Holy Spirit is also working mightily?

As we have heard:
For we were all baptized by ONE SPIRIT INTO ONE BODY–whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free–and we were ALL GIVEN THE ONE SPIRIT to drink.-1 Corinthians 12:13

This One Spirit is the Holy Spirit who baptized into one Body of Christ, that is the church !

Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with Him, we will also live with Him;
if we endure, we will also reign with Him. If we disown Him, He will also disown us;
if we are faithless, He will remain faithful, for He cannot disown Himself.-2 Timothy 2:11-13

So let us think how God has worked mightily and remember:
Our Lord Jesus Christ has bore our sins on the cross and Our great and faithful High Priest, Jesus Christ always lives to make intercession for the transgressors or offenders. This is how the Lord has compassion to us, the object of His mercy.

Let us follow His ways, that is, to be MERCIFUL and COMPASSION to those who are in the church who are still asleep or spiritually dead and to be rich in grace with them with the grace that the Lord has given you and let us bring them to love the truth that is in Christ Jesus.