sambahanan

You probably already know that I walked away from pastoral ministry at a traditional church about six years ago to start a church that meets in homes around Orange County, California where 100 percent of the offerings go to support the poor in our community. You probably also know that I’ve written a book called “This Is My Body:Ekklessia as God Intended” a few years ago about how God’s design for His Church has always been about people as living stones where everyone is a priest of God offering themselves as daily, living sacrifices.

So, it might be a shock to you that I would say, “House Church is not the answer”. But, I’m saying it. It’s not the answer.

Jesus is the answer. The Gospel of the Kingdom is the answer. Surrender to Christ alone as a daily follower of Jesus is what counts, not where you meet on Sunday mornnings.

Does it matter how you gather? Yes, I’d say it does matter. Especially if you have any real hope of stepping into the awesome reality of having Christ as your functional leader and head in the Church.

Does it matter if you submit to a pastoral authority? Yes, I’d say that you shouldn’t do that. Especially if you have any real desire to become a member of the priesthood of all believers and fulfill your calling within the Body of Christ.

Does it matter if everyone in the Church has an equal opportunity to speak, and teach, and share, and use the spiritual gifts God has given them? Absolutely! Without this the Church is not a Body at all, according to Paul the Apostle. What makes us a “Body” is when Christ alone is our actual head and when everyone else is working together to share their spiritual gifts for the building up their brothers and sisters in Christ.

But gathering in a home won’t cut it. Meeting in a circle and singing songs won’t accomplish anything. Having a great meeting about Jesus is not the same thing as having an actual meeting with Jesus.

House church is not the answer. Jesus is. And learning to gather beneath the shadow of His wings, and learning to hear His voice together, and actually encountering the Risen One in the fellowship of other submitted and surrendered believers is what every follower of Christ is made for.

Whatever you do, please don’t settle for house church. Gather together with Jesus as your only focus, and accept no substitutes.

by Keith Giles

If there's a central issue contested between an Atheist and a Christian, I believe it's the "Resurrection".

For a Christian like me, the resurrection of this Person who claimed to be the Messiah and the Son of the Living God was the most miraculous event ever happened in the face of the earth.

This resurrection paid all of my sins.

Without this resurrection our faith will be worthless, futile and vain, and we are still on our sins.

Without this resurrection we would even become false witnesses.

The line drawn between those who accept and reject the claims of this resurrection is "Faith" which is a "Gift" of God by His grace.

Lastly, because of this resurrection we will have an assurance that there will also be the resurrection of the dead and life with God for eternity.

Happy Easter!

This weekend, Jeanne O'Hair, her friends and family will raise their voices in Easter hymns "as the spirit leads us," she says, in her "house church" -- O'Hair's living room in Brea, Calif.

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/25/simple-churches-find-a-fo_n_852653.html

Molong Nacua is a house church planter in the Philippines. He travels extensively training Christians in saturation house church planting as a strategy to reach his nation for Christ. He has ministered in the context of both traditional churches and the house church movement for many years.

Read more: http://sambahanan.webs.com/10%20MEGASHIFTS%20IN%20MAKING%20DISCIPLES.pdf

A friend once asked me how to start a “small group” and if I had any suggestions. I responded by saying that it depended on what they wanted to accomplish. The following are a few key issues to consider, whether the small group is affiliated with a traditional church structure or whether it is an autonomous house church linked with a relational network of house churches.

Read more: http://sambahanan.webs.com/STARTING%20AND%20LEADING%20A%20SMALL%20GROUP.pdf

On a Sunday at their modest, gray ranch house in the Denver suburb of Englewood, Tim and Jeanine Pynes gather with four other Christians for an evening of fellowship, food and faith.

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1167737,00.html#ixzz2MppWG8Zg