spiritual gifts in practice

[talitha]

subscribing.....

 

[farout]

Any of you here that run house churches, or are in leadership of one have any specific practices as it pertains to spiritual gifts? Like do you allow time during fellowship to lay hands on the sick, or prophecy?

This is one area I have found can happen with house churches. Understand just what you cell basic beliefs are. Just what leanings does the cell have. For example are they Word of Faith? Are they more in lime with Baptist conservative theology?

I personally believe in laying hands on the sick. I do not agree with Word of faith theology. So someone expecting to talk in tongues would not fit in a group I started. So make sure you will fit in it before you get too involved.

 

[As I was saying]

Ask because the group I go to doesn't really allow for that stuff in fellowship. That's not to say they don't allow them, I have yet to be told not to lay hands on the sick of the group, but I do so only after "official" teaching time has ended.

In all probability, the house meeting is a repeat of the Sunday meeting as often is the case. If just becomes the junior version of Sunday. I personally cannot see the point of a house meeting if it is nothing more than a junior sunday meeting. it should be in addition to not a clone of. Sunday meetings tend to be the priesthood of a few whereas house meetings should be the priesthood of all believers with the Holy Spirit doing the directing.

There is only one passage that really says something about our conduct when we meet. "When you come together, each one has...." Each one will have only if they are allowed to have. I wrote the training manual for one church for home groups and one thing I said was that they were not a platform for the leaders ministry. In the group that I was in, it was a platform for the leaders ministry. You can but try.

 

[Victor E.]

Any of you here that run house churches, or are in leadership of one have any specific practices as it pertains to spiritual gifts? Like do you allow time during fellowship to lay hands on the sick, or prophecy?

In a Young adult Group (18-30~)

We do prophecy and sometimes laying on of hands. Sometimes PE (Power Evangelism). It really depends on field experience, often times those in authority will not allow spiritual gifts because they view it as an opposition to their ability to lead. It has nothing to do with leading but everything to serve and edify the Church.

It's important to strengthen relationship first so everyone is comfortable doing it if you're new to it. Our House Group has different teams. Prayer team, Scripture/Bible Study Team, and Worship/PE Team but it's not static. Also it's helpful to allow for freedom to let the Spirit have His way. Structure is good for orderly worship, but too much structure is the same as Church eh? It's good to find a balance that is Scriptural and flows freely in Spirit.

I was in leadership for awhile but often times the one's in leadership are not actually ready to lead in my experience. I stepped down to PE on personal time (to allow them to grow) and also not be tied down with a commitment that was binding my own growth. Now I teach Leaders in various Churches as well. I hope this was helpful. We typically did Worship>>Bible Study>>Ministry (gifts). Lately they shake it up a bit, and sometimes cookouts to build relations with new people.