Meetings: Scheduled or Spontaneous?

Hi Molong,

Some of the people who were going to house church here stopped coming. One family went back to traditional church. I really can't understand why. Another family stopped going anywhere. Steve.

Hi Steve,

Yes, a great temptation lies in those came from traditional set up, because they are bringing their traditional mindset in them, goes back to their traditional church. That's normal specially if they have not forsaken all of their traditional baggages and take on Jesus burden, his simple theologies and practical steps to grow toward maturity without any rules, their wineskin which is their 'way of thinking' is still old.

Unlike unbelievers, their mind is new for the holy spirit to cleanse them and uses them without reservations. They are a bit easy to receive things from God, and in our generation, they are the most conducive people of this movement.

Let believers join in if they wanted to, if not then we have to wait for their hunger for reality, then the first thing to let them know is that they have to die first for their self -by way of how people will think of them, will treat them, and what people are going to say now. Until they say, "I don't care." then he is truly dead. This is the first stage, only. But it's important.

Whenever i talk to someone about house church, i always say. You have to leave or change the way you think now. You cannot think or believe two things such as: "You are the church" and "going to church." This two is diametrically oppose to one another. Even going to a 'house church' can be misleading.

I don't know, for me they have to know the life changing teachings of Jesus and the apostles of Being Church. The test would be for those believers already: let him not go to a church for a year then let's see if he still think and feels and believe that he is a Christian. This is good also to get rid of his religiosity, by not going to church you kill his religiosity. How will he fellowship to the brethren then for him to grow? Stay your relationship with him, as a friend, do the most natural house church meeting with him or two person, eat with him, talk, walk, sit, go camping, vacation, just as Jesus did. Then sooner he will understand that this is Christianity - building relationships without being religious, and meeting needs of others as needed.

For a pastor to get in to the house church? He must kill the 'pastor' inside him first. In order for God to be the King of His people the Israelites, the king must be killed, but people keep on asking human kings. For him to do a 'transition' , no other way but to kill the pastor in him. Let him just a brother, nothing more, nothing less - a brother among brothers.

For unbelievers, easiest. Save him, and directly discipled him wherever, whenever, -you don't even have to ask him to go to church. Instead, keep your communication to him either by email, chat, see sometime, have good fellowship.

Me? i don't use any modules. That won't work. Sorry to say that the way western people disciple someone is putting God and the person in a box by using modules, manuals and whatever they can think, drawing some diagrams. The wrong question that is being ask when it comes to discipling someone: How will i know that he is matured? This question is putting God in a box. The plain answer is, discipleship, church life is a journey. You cannot sew together the manuals and modules and say, 'if you finished this then you are matured.'

Better to disciple him through life experiences. Leave him a bit alone fighting with the devil, being bruise, and see him and teach him how to fight. Leave him alone with his problems of financial and then come to him and teach him that money is just a resources, not his life.

Leave him in the jungles and fight his Goliath but stay with him as a Nathan, keep encouragement with him and love and care.

Having a sort of 'formal house church meeting' will just happen sometimes. Informal works better anyway. No set-up scheduled, but meeting 'spontaneously' is much better. Hebrews 10:25 speaks about spontaneity of our meetings as the day approaching. that is even more we will meet. How? not scheduled but spontaneous.