House Church Talk - authority

[jim pierceall]

Under authority - what a great discussion..  What is authority and who is it
that holds it?

Of course Philemon is one of the great "hidden messages" of the new
testament accounts...

When I read it, I hear Jesus voice, power and authority throughout, even
when said in such loving appeal...  and of course that suggests the identity
of the runaway slave Onesimus..  as being ME!

         Always making intercession for us that are wayward sons, come home
without a fear - God and man at table are sat down!

Living in rural area, one must be blind not to see and imagine the closed
locked doors on paint peeled church building..  United Methodist being most
obvious...  Some have been turned into Antique Shoppe's <prophetic pix -
no?> and even ours here in town, a public library...  Most are abandoned,
roofs failing, doors locked, windows broken out...  Seedy reminders of the
results of Ichabod - and this remains and reminds us -  "temporal realm of
temporal reward"...  Sadly most of these were small independents of farm
breed and financed donated lands and community built buildings.  But when
the Institutional mindsets took over - they robbed the people more than just
the material elements...  The robbed them of the community atmosphere, as
top down management business model supplants...

while asleep, the thief did rob...  but one needs to question by what
authority this did happen?

One must wonder if a member once spoke to these assemblies of a great
caution given?

  Rev 3:1-3
I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2
Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found
your deeds complete in the sight of my God. 3 Remember, therefore, what you
have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I
will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to
you.

JimP - kentucky

Sometimes one becomes wayward by not running.. running to Him, who stands
outside business models...huh?

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "David Anderson" <david at housechurch.org>

>
>     Hi all,
>
> I was discussing church authority on another list. Some of this may be of
> interest to you...
>
> Onesimus was exhorted by Paul to return and continue under the authority
> of his master, Philemon. Here is another example of authority outside the
> church, albeit in a Christian context. Inside the church, slaves and
> masters stood side by side as co-equals - brothers in Christ. Philemon,
> btw, was part of a house church: