House Church Talk - Practical HC Question.... [long post]

[jim pierceall]

This is as fresh oil to a weary traveler..  Good life giving word brother -
risen up from deep inside of you...thank you!

May God continue to use vessel of surrender - that Life might go forth...

JimP - kentucky


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Scott Dowlen" <scottdowlen at cox.net>
To: "'House Church Talk'" <House Church Talk  at housechurch.org>
Sent: Friday, October 24, 2003 2:16 PM
Subject: RE: House Church Talk -  Practical HC Question.... [long post]


> Hey, there, Tom!
>
> I'm not sure what you're asking specifically.  But I will be more than
happy
> to share part of my story with you to see if that helps.
>
> I grew up in a legalistic denomination. So legalistic, in fact, that they
> argued that they weren't a denomination because they were a restoration of
> the original.  Head knowledge and strict interpretation of scripture
> (according to our "historical understanding" - A.K.A. "doctrines of men")
> were the mainstay of teaching.  We knew nothing of the Holy Spirit other
> than He was mentioned a time or two ;-) in the NT.  The OT, of course was
> largely useless because after all, it got nailed to the cross and we
became
> spiritual Israel and physical Israel went down the tubes.  The kingdom was
> here and now, not in some 'millennium', and the miraculous manifestations
> ended when the original apostles croaked.
>
> I give you that history not to run down people with those beliefs, because
> many of them are dear souls who love the Lord but can't yet see that God
has
> more for us. I just want you to know from whence I have come.
>
> God started working in my life in power after taking a course called
> "Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing the will of God."  It was then that I
> started thinking that if the Holy Spirit is the breath of God living in
me,
> that He could work in me in the ways I read about through the whole Bible.
> He could use me like Daniel, or Elijah. He could use me like Peter and
Paul.
> At the time I went through the course, I suffered from fairly regular
> migraine headaches.  My wife had grown tired of my suffering, and had
taken
> me to a doctor who gave me a self-injection medicine that did help.  Well,
> for 'some reason' I had forgotten to refill my prescription and started to
> get a headache.  With my new hope in the power of God, I realized I had
> never asked God to heal me.  My prayer was something like "God, if you'll
> heal me this time, I'll refill my prescription and not let it run out
> again."  Before I finished my prayer, the headache was completely gone!
> Still, I didn't refill my Rx, and it was about a year later I realized
that
> God had given me more than I had asked or imagined -- he had permanently
> healed me from those migraines.  It has been more than ten years now,
> headache free.
>
> Since then it has been a slow process of peeling off false doctrines,
> preconceptions, my own limited thinking, and biased interpretation of
> scriptures.  I still have a long way to go.  But a few years after my
> healing, and after much seeking God in places where I hadn't sought Him
> before, he finally spoke to me.  I just asked, "God am I ever going to
hear
> you speak?" and He answered "Yes". He doesn't speak to people because they
> can quote whole books of the Bible in King James, or because they are
> super-good or super-holy - He speaks to people who are simply listening
> expectantly.
>
> John 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me
>
> We can hear Him today. He still speaks. And He is a God of deep emotion,
> deep passion and love.  Even in correction He is sweet and gentle. He
smiles
> and laughs. He enjoys us like a loving father enjoys his young children.
>
> The sad thing is, you find so many people content to be shallow. "Keep God
> in the book, keep my Sunday friends in the building, and leave the rest of
> my life alone."  Or people so deep in doctrines that every jot and tittle
is
> nailed down perfectly, but the heart goes unopened (Isa 29:13)
>
> I found myself being drawn deeper in love with God. More intimate, more
> hungry for His presence. But something was still missing. He started
telling
> me through scripture and in our conversations that I only had part of the
> picture. Intimacy with Him is great, but cannot be complete without
intimacy
> with other people.  I have a friend who says that the word 'fine' is the
> Christian 'F' word.  It hides the truth, because like Billy Crystal's
> character Fernando used to say "It's better to look good than to feel
good,
> darling!  And you look marvelous!"  Too many churchians are more concerned
> about looking good.
>
> After all, isn't it un-spiritual to have problems? to be mad at God? to be
> frustrated or tired?  Aren't we supposed to live every minute like we're
> already walking on streets of gold?  All this is a lie, and truth is not
in
> it.
>
> We read the Psalms and see David being angry and frustrated -- being real
> with God. And David is one of the few singled out as a friend of God.
>
> So I wanted reality. Real relationships with people.  But I was rather
> handicapped in that arena - paralyzed by fear and unforgiveness; never
> having seen people open up and be real; afraid of the conflict that lies
> between here and intimacy. Conflict does lead to intimacy, but we don't
know
> how to go through it in productive ways. So we avoid conflict and wonder
why
> we can't know people. We wonder why we can't connect or relate except in
> superficial ways. Even to our own spouse, our own kids.
>
> So now God is leading my family to study, worship, and fellowship in
smaller
> settings that allow each member to bring their gifts and ministries. A
place
> where intimacy can grow. A place where we can be real and share our hurts
> and frustrations, or joy and victories. A place where we can confess our
> sins to each other and not fear rejection, but instead find encouragement
> and support to get up and stand again.  Where people take up arms with
each
> other to go kick down the gates of hell. All under the power and leading
of
> the sweet Holy Spirit. We are expecting Him to work in each of us to do
the
> ministry of Christ - teaching, preaching, and healing (Matt 4:23; Mark
> 16:17).
>
> I have been pleased to hear some people share that they have the freedom
to
> still meet with 'building believers' in addition to their home fellowship.
> I have been instructed for now to not go to the buildings. But that is His
> word to me, not as a binding command on anyone else.
>
> I don't know what else to share. My journey has been slow because I am so
> slow to give in to His work in my life.  I can't claim anything that He
has
> done or given as something I deserve.  He didn't choose me because I am
> eloquent or good at anything. I am just a child who loves to climb in His
> lap and look into His smiling face. I love to hear Him sing and speak. He
is
> so good.
>
> You probably didn't want the long version, but I had some time today and
now
> you're stuck with it!  ;-)
>
> Scott