House Church Talk - Build Walls or Share Everything?
goodwordusa at att.net
goodwordusa at att.net
Thu Oct 30 11:50:44 EST 2003
Should HC simply be what we do during the week, or in between the times we
gather with the other believers in our area?
For example, one passage of Scripture says:
And all that believed were together, and had all things common; and sold
their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had
need. And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and
breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and
singleness of heart, praising God, and having favor with all the people. And
the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. (Acts 2:44-47)
Note that the believers
1. were together
2. continued meeting daily in the temple
3. shared possessions and needs
4. broke bread from house to house
5. the Lord added daily to the church
Should believers in Jesus Christ be dividing over things like worshiping in
the home? Or should we as believers also be practicing the "sharing of all
things" -- both the house and all those other buildings? New Testament
believers were known for being "together" in their faith. That's why the
Corinthians stood out as fleshly or carnal.
Scripturally, believers have no argument for dividing off into smaller and
smaller cliques or groups. We have no basis for refusing to fellowship with
those who are too stuffy or old-fashioned or traditional.
And Scripturally, it appears to me that we should be pushing in our
communities for bringing all the believers together as often as possible.
If someone wants to divide the body, it should be the "other guys" and not us.
Jim
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House Church Talk has been renamed. These discussions, via the web, now occur at the Radically Christian Cafe.