and reported all that God had done through them
and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles." - ACTS 14:27
sambahanan
a simple home church in abu dhabi - capital of the united arab emirates
a simple home church in abu dhabi - capital of the united arab emirates
RETHINKING CHURCH by Pastor Francis Chan
the most important thing
The point is Jesus. The point is not home church. The point is not how everything or everyone else is wrong. The purpose is to shed light on some things that have been lost in the church that are hindering us. Use them and make corrections. But don’t let it become your primary focus. If your focus becomes what is wrong with the church, you will ultimately wind up a dry and miserable soul.
Body life is only as good as your individual life with Christ. Don’t make the mistake of substituting relationships with people for a relationship with Christ.
The folks who are really good at the basics of Christianity are those who live filled with the Spirit, who live full of faith, and who run their race well. Jesus is our life. Jesus is our focus. The person of Jesus is our joy and our strength. There is only hope in Jesus Christ. He has life within himself. We do not. He is not a concept or a methodology. A focus on methods and systems brings death. Concepts alone are empty and lifeless.
True growth in God comes through suffering, through pain, and by staying broken at the feet of Jesus. Head knowledge is not true growth, and usually gets in the way. There is no mathematical formula for the abundant life. You can pray and read your Bible all day and still be religious, dry and empty. Jesus is the abundant life. Open to Him. Be filled with Him.
Stay at the feet of the Lord Jesus Christ. Never put your hope in men and never put your hope in the church alone. People will almost always disappoint you.We are all terribly weak. Don’t expect too much from people or you’ll live a life full of disappointment. Love people, serve them, and earn the right to speak into their lives by investing in them. Christ is all you’ve got. He is your source. And although He has called us to be in community with others, Christ is all you need. As you live humbly, needy, dependent, and in regular communion with the Lord Jesus, you will be strengthened in the inner man. You will consistently have hope and encouragement for each day. As you are abiding in the vine, not only will you always be content and satisfied with Christ in you, but you will be well suited for body life, and have something to contribute to those around you.
what is sambahanan?
SAMBAHANAN is a combination of two Filipino words "sambahan" which means church and "tahanan" which is home. Sambahanan basically is a church that meets at home. However, it is important to note that Sambahanan is not a name of an organization either a name of a church but just a loose translation of the words “home church.”
Why sambahanan and not the more popular term sambahay which is used to denote Filipino Christian gatherings in houses? It is because sambahay has a totally different meaning. Sambahay like sambahanan is a combination of two words. In Pilipino, “samba” means worship and “bahay” means house. Therefore sambahay literally means “worship (service) conducted in a house.” True to its roots and objective, sambahay is meant to be a smaller version of a worship service done in a traditional church.
On the other hand, sambahanan translates perfectly with “home church” and it simply means… “a church that meets in a home.” However, we do not mainly conduct our church gatherings in man-made buildings and walls, if the weather and our resources permit we also meet together outdoors, in parks, courtyards, beaches, cafeterias and sometimes in the desert. Why we can afford this? Because we keep it simple, natural, organic and free because that's what a church ought to be.
why simple home church?
Home Church provides a simple and wonderful alternative to attending traditional church. The churches in the New Testament were home churches. Throughout the centuries, many people have met in homes. There are millions of people having church in homes today, but you rarely hear of them because they are not advertised or high profile. There are many reasons to have church in homes. Here are a few of the primary reasons.
1. Home church is Biblical.
2. The essence of Christianity is easily accomplished in simple and uncomplicated settings.
3. Group participation with all people functioning should be the primary dynamic of any church meeting (1 Cor. Chapter 14), This is the backbone of the home church setting.
4. Connecting with others and developing meaningful relationships is easily accomplished in a home church atmosphere.
5. “Being the church” and sharing life together in community with others, instead of just attending a meeting, is the desire and purpose of most people who home church.
charles spurgeon on simple house church
"I want you to notice this, that they were breaking bread from house to house, and ate their food with gladness and singleness of heart. They did not think that religion was meant only for Sundays, and for what men now-a-days call the House of God. Their own houses were houses of God, and their own meals were so mixed and mingled with the Lord's Supper that to this day the most cautious student of the Bible cannot tell when they stopped eating their common meals, and when they began eating the Supper of the Lord. They elevated their meals into diets for worship: they so consecrated everything with prayer and praise that all around them was holiness to the Lord. I wish our houses were, in this way, dedicated to the Lord, so that we worshipped God all day long, and made our homes temples for the living God."
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