House Church Talk - House church or simply church wherever people are

[DanG]

Glenn Frank wrote:

<SNIP>

> But I fully agree... I would rather be in a gathering of saints who
actually
> discuss and work out their faith, rather than a group like the typical IC
> where one man shares his view and everyone else sits, listens politely and
> either agrees or quietly mumbles his disagreement to his wife and stews
> about it.
>
> Glenn Frank

On this note, another thing to realize is that since the traditional church
is our common background, we probably all slip into being either the
parishoner as is being mentioned here and just sit and listen, or we slip
into being the teacher/pastor.  Whereas, there is another function we
can/should learn, perhaps, and that is one of fellowship.  Fellowship to me
connotes a sense of learning from each other something.  It is not a matter
of being convinced, but learning and contemplating what is being said.  God
does the work of convincing.  God also does the work of making us able to
hear.  But, as men, we certainly can learn to listen first, hear, then
contemplate, then accept or reject, and move on in continued fellowship in
other arenas.

Now, for housechurch specifically?  Our little meeting is the 8 of us in
this household and nobody else.  It has been our experience that house
church is not church in a house.  Church in today's vernacular means
programs, and we have no programs.  We are one family together and have a
very "boring" time together.  We don't want the time to be interesting.
Interesting in a sense connotes something of man, since man interests man.
We desire no man in any of what our house church is or does.  How do we
accomplish this objectives?  This is our meeting format - I'm sure at least
half dozen of you have read this already from me and can quote me verbatim,
but I will write it again.  We read a couple chapters in the OT  -
1Chron23-24 and John 19-22 - this morning.  Then we sing a couple of old
hymns and that is it.  Yes, prayer should be there too, but I do that
silently as prayer can become a pretense also and we do not desire pretense.
Problems with this format and activity? - you bet!  But, it works for us
coming out of what we were in 10 years ago.  Do we really want other
families to meet with us?  Probably not since this is so very boring and
atypical that that reality is bogus.  Fellowship with like minded believers?
If/when, but seldom.  I am a rock, I am an island?  Maybe, but the
alternative for us in this kulture is to cowtow to some human
ideals/expectations.

Maybe some others here can assist in keeping us on House Church Talk  and tell what
they do.  I am sure as we read more accounts, we can read along and say we
know that one already as we have all said what we do and why numerous times
in the past.  But for others who have not read the why/wherefore of
different house church, this may be an exposure and fellowship around what
house church is in some of us.  Am I capable of hearing from others here?
Yes, please speak.
DanG ChicagoArea