Just wanted ya'lls opinion

[Jamey]

My wife and I was invited to go to a home church fellowship last night.
We had a very nice time. There was about 15 adults there, a few small children and about 4 teenagers.
We had a pot luck dinner, then sat down for what we thought was a bible study.
What we found out was that this small group started out independent then had "married" up with a church from out of town. They meet on sunday's to watch a recorded sermon and then on Wednesday nights to discuss the sermon and share. They are allowed to chase rabbits but they start off with the "pastors" sermon.
The also announced that they have found a building and are looking at being able to open the doors Easter Sunday.
Now the premise of this group is:
1. Not to let the Sunday worship to be the center part of the church, but to focus on the small groups.
2. To make discipleship the number one priority.
3. To cast away all the extra garbage that today's churches seem to include (this was the reason the small group started anyways).
4. Not be seeker sensitive. No gimmiks to draw ppl in.

They just so happened that they had some paperwork that the members was to look over and my wife and I had a copy.
I just got finished reading over it and some things caught my eye.

They had covenants for members to sign. These things were suppose to be non binding, just something for accountability. (?)
I read over them and they were not bad stuff in them. Things like no gossiping, to acknowledge that that they were orthodox Christians, to keep confidential anything shared in the meetings. To respect the hosts home and to help clean up afterwards.

After the meeting last night, I asked the leader that once they got there building, what was gonna keep them from becoming like the churches they left. He said that they were gonna keep the main focus on the small groups or "family" as he put it.

What are ya'lls thoughts. To me it sounded all good till they got together with the larger church.

J.

 

[1watchman]

It sounds like any denom. just getting started. I don't think the sectarian spirit is approved of God, and we ought to be seeking the scriptural order as in the beginning (Acts 2 and Epistles). I think you can do better.

- 1 Watchman

 

[Jamey]

Hey Watch,
Good to see you again.
Yeah, my wife and I prayed and discussed it and thought what we are doing now is good for now. Just us and the kids. But we had a couple over last night and talked to them about it and they were very interested in joining us.
Pray that God blesses our endeavor.
Your brother in Christ,
J.

 

[StevenL]

wouldn't touch it with a ten-foot pole.

 

[1watchman]

Hey Watch,
Good to see you again.
Yeah, my wife and I prayed and discussed it and thought what we are doing now is good for now. Just us and the kids. But we had a couple over last night and talked to them about it and they were very interested in joining us.
Pray that God blesses our endeavor.
Your brother in Christ,
J.

We need to pray and wait for God to make things clear. I know of a family in a country overseas that resisted offers to join something, and in time God raised up a Christian assembly with this family. They now meet in a rented meeting room with a good number of faithful saints who just hold to the Word of God.

- 1 Watchman

 

[ezeric]

Its very easy to start in 'The Spirit', and try to end things in the flesh.
Galatians 3:3

Its very easy to begin in GRACE and 'buliding up' each other, and then for 'control' to put the saints (who are free) into shackles of bondage under legalism and rule following.

Man simply loves the 'praise' of man, and not the praise of GOD. John 12:43

-eric
The Exchanged Life

 

[Jamey]

You make an excellent point Watch, about waiting.
We do have a tendency to want to take control and do what we want, not waiting on God to lead us.

EZ,
That's exactly what we talked about Wednesday night. I like anyone else can and has let the flesh control and allow pride to rear it's ugly head. We all agreed on following God, focus on edifying each other.
It will take awhile for all of us to deprogram ourselves from what the IC has taught us. I know from experience that it can be difficult.
I ask all to pray for us not that we be successful, but obedient.
J.

 

[janda]

If you enjoyed it, just stay there.
Our house church had 50 people in it at one point in time. We were considering making it smaller, or else we'd have had to move as well.
That's interesting they had a written policy. Wish we had one. It was a bit chaotic at times.

 

[Jamey]

Just got off the phone with the associated pastor of the small group. I had voiced my concern about signed convents, his reply was "we want ppl to take their walk with God seriously". Ofcourse you know I'm gonna have follow-up questions about that. He couldn't answer my questions but asked if the pastor could call me later to answer. I said sure. We disagreed but in a loving manner.
Janda,
written policies are not a bad thing in itself, but when you have ppl sign them like its a contract, its unbiblical.
If you cannot trust the person you are worshipping with, your not worshipping with them. I cannot call a person a brother if I can't trust him. Or if he cannot trust me.
J.

 

[Episaw]

It was a bit chaotic at times.

Didn't you know that where there is growth there is mess!!!! i.e babies, toddlers, children.

 

[Episaw]

I had voiced my concern about signed convents, his reply was "we want ppl to take their walk with God seriously".

i was asked by someone who obviously did not understand church in the home what my statement of beliefs were.

I said the bible.

I then was given all the reasons why that would not work.

I thought. If the bible is good enough for God, it is good enough for me.

 

[ezeric]

Just got off the phone with the associated pastor of the small group. I had voiced my concern about signed convents, his reply was "we want ppl to take their walk with God seriously".

You are already in a 'signed covenant' by being in JESUS.
This cup is the NEW COVENANT in my blood. Luke 22:20

Its signed by the Blood of JESUS, but I guess your associated pastors, worldly hand typed paper contract written in ink is better?

Dear Jamey,

I certainly agree with you, that this causes for follow up questions.

And yes, you are to worship HIM in SPIRIT (not the letter of the law, or rules, written contracts etc) and in TRUTH. John 4:24

Maybe JESUS did it wrong, and didn't get personal affidavits signed by all the disciples?

You are on the right track, keep on following JESUS.
After all, HE knows how 'church' is supposed to run, its HIS body!

-eric

The Exchanged Life

 

[busterdog]

My wife and I was invited to go to a home church fellowship last night.
We had a very nice time. There was about 15 adults there, a few small children and about 4 teenagers.
We had a pot luck dinner, then sat down for what we thought was a bible study.
What we found out was that this small group started out independent then had "married" up with a church from out of town. They meet on sunday's to watch a recorded sermon and then on Wednesday nights to discuss the sermon and share. They are allowed to chase rabbits but they start off with the "pastors" sermon.
The also announced that they have found a building and are looking at being able to open the doors Easter Sunday.
Now the premise of this group is:
1. Not to let the Sunday worship to be the center part of the church, but to focus on the small groups.
2. To make discipleship the number one priority.
3. To cast away all the extra garbage that today's churches seem to include (this was the reason the small group started anyways).
4. Not be seeker sensitive. No gimmiks to draw ppl in.

They just so happened that they had some paperwork that the members was to look over and my wife and I had a copy.
I just got finished reading over it and some things caught my eye.

They had covenants for members to sign. These things were suppose to be non binding, just something for accountability. (?)
I read over them and they were not bad stuff in them. Things like no gossiping, to acknowledge that that they were orthodox Christians, to keep confidential anything shared in the meetings. To respect the hosts home and to help clean up afterwards.

After the meeting last night, I asked the leader that once they got there building, what was gonna keep them from becoming like the churches they left. He said that they were gonna keep the main focus on the small groups or "family" as he put it.

What are ya'lls thoughts. To me it sounded all good till they got together with the larger church.

J.

I was a member of a Church once. When I left, did I break a promise? I was never quite sure. When your yes is yes, I think that means, so far so good, but I really dont know about next week.

There was probably stuff I was supposed to keep confidential too. Frankly I found that I needed to break confidence just to talk it over and figure out what the heck was going on.

I get the feeling that you are being asked to commit to something and I know I would feel like I was being asked for too much.

Accountability is a nice word that is mostly an excuse for manipulation. I was told that it was why I needed Church, except that it wasn't a word that resolved any disputes that I actually knew about. When I was getting the poopy end of the stick, submission was suddenly more important than accountability. The other kind of accountability is being told what to believe. I spent a lot of time trying to get out from under thinly reasoned theology because of accountability. I should have learned not to care earlier, since it would have saved me a lot of trouble. Talking theology is fun and productive. Debating it because it affects your standing is annoying as it is wasteful. That is what accountability is to me.

The hypothetical loose cannon that needs these controls is more trouble than I need to contemplate. For the time being I am happy to be around people where I don't have that problem. So I don't need the rules. When the time comes, I hope to be strong enough to speak my mind to someone to reign them in.

I would much rather do my laundry than be told what I had to listen to and then discuss. What is with all these programs people have? Is that focusing people and discipling them? Really? When people try to imagine what it is that will keep other people thinking right and cause other people to be inspired, it is like trying to teach a pig to sing. You know what that does for the pig. I learn from other people because they have things of great interest to them. They share what they are into. When they try to make me think the right thing, suddenly the relationship loses its power and we get all churchy again.

If they think people are such a threat that they need to keep secrets or sign pledges, I would probably tell them I am a risk and they are better off without me.

 

[Episaw]

Secret societies are the stuff of masons.

 

[heweeps]

A little chaos seems scriptural. Don't forget how Stephen got his job waiting on tables.

Iron sharpens iron, an axe wont get sharp with out a few sparks.

keith

 

[paul1149]

Jamey,
What comes to me is 1Cor 4.5, judge nothing before it's time. The steps you relate could be reasonable efforts to make clear the beliefs and direction of the group. They could be feeling their way. It depends what they do with it.
Blessings,
p.

 

[CGL1023]

I have a two person cell group in my residence. Like an earlier poster expressed, we use recorded material from a mother church. What you gain is freedom from the false doctrine, the witchcraft and the membership promotions so pervasive in today's organized church.