BIBLICAL CHURCH

First off our concept of the church being a building or a denomination is false.   There is but ONE Church of Christ Jesus as LORD and all who decide to Love, Honor and Obey Christ Jesus as Lord or Eternal Members.   Jesus was very clear concerning God’s Truth and Obedience through Faith.

The word translated “church” in the English Bible is ekklesia. This word is the Greek words kaleo (to call), with the prefix ek (out). Thus, the word means “the called out ones.”    So those who go to a certain building often calling the building, church. and often even, “Their Church.” Actually the Early Church met in homes,   Col. 4:15, Acts 13:1   We seem to have changed from the forum of a house church to a theater style of gathering in order to be more comfortable.  And we have used  the gifts and offering for buildings and wages  rather than for evangelism and helping the poor.    https://www.smallgroups.com/articles/2008/how-to-start-house-church.html

However, in the New Testament the times mentioned that CHURCH was the people meeting at someone’s home.  If too crowded then the gathering would split and use two homes but no where in the New Testament was a building built or a minister paid wages.  Collections of gift and offering were directed towards evangelism and helping the poor.  Tithing is not mentioned in the New Testament as all.  As followers of Jesus became subject to the Holy Spirit they made JESUS  LORD of all.  And everyone had an open door to attend any of the house church gatherings as guided by the Holy Spirit.  There was not a “Local Church” membership.  The new Christian was to be like the wind of the Holy Spirit and to go where they found the best spiritual food for their need at the time.  Like food  you seek is what your body needs.  There were larger gatherings for Apostolic, Prophetical and  Evangelical gatherings which were attended by all of the house churches and guests.

In the Early Church there was the gifting of the fruit, gifts and ministries of the Holy Spirit. The Early Church was very focused on new converts being water baptized as a witness of their death to this world and the resurrection of Christ Jesus in their life.   Then concerned for the filling or baptizing in the Holy Spirit for power to do the work needed  for the Kingdom of God.  For 13 years I experienced a kind of a permissive membership and even taught against the power of God.  Many are brought up in a religious club membership by only making Jesus Savior with little or no change in their lives. I was taught that the Book of Acts was a special history for the beginning of the Church and that with the death of the Apostles and the gathering of the Holy Bible that power was no longer available.  It sounded OK at the time, but then many of the saints were sick a lot and some died early.  In Gen 6:3,  120 healthy years was granted by God.. So I sort of wondered about that for a long time?  But both Abraham and Moses were good examples of obedience for health and longevity.  But seems we are subject to an obedience factor as to our life expectancy.  Proverbs 18:21 Plus.  Thess.

So the LORD’S Church gathered in homes and Paul carefully lays out what a New Testament gathering should be like in 1 Cor.14:26-40.  And in Acts 2:41-43 it gives us what the Holy Spirit was up to in the beginning of the building of the Church (or Body) of Christ Jesus.  So the Early church in the morning would go to the Temple or Synagogue to evangelize and to share about Jesus and invite, those interested in hearing more, to a “House Church” gathering for the sharing about what Jesus was doing at a time of testimony,  then a teaching time and a good loving meal.   Then the meeting might take a break and the believers would then come together for the “LORD’S Supper, General prayers and personal prayers and then the Powerful ministry of the Holy Spirit to heal and set free with the Elders including many signs and wonders.  But our vain traditions have robbed us of this experience in making the Word of God, ineffective.

The house church had a pastor and/or teacher with apostles, prophet and evangelists being used by the Holy Spirit in mobile ministries.   In a local area the deacons and elders would come together for a weekly gathering to keep the unity of the faith in the bond of peace and perhaps yearly a larger area would gather all of the Elders together for a conference of unity.  But the Elders, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit were to guide the Church of Christ Jesus in a consensual unity that Jesus prayed for in John 17:20-26.  The Church was never guided by a majority vote and there were no individual church memberships or denominations.  There was only ONE church of Christ Jesus in the unity of the faith and the bond of peace as in Eph.4:11-16.      

Jesus was/is a perfect balance of Love, Obedience and Power. Jesus was never permissive, sanctimonious or prideful in sharing God’s Power.   Before HE left earth HE taught us that we could be like HIM.  He said, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, anyone who believes in Me [as LORD] will also do the things that I do; and he will do even greater things than these because I am going to the Father.” John 14:12, 1 John 4:17.   So why is this not happening today? Because we are not following God’s Truth as given by Jesus and HIS Apostles for us to follow.  We have grown up following some of the vain (prideful ego centered) traditions of men and we have been badly trained.  Church was meant to be a family gathering in unity (1 Cor.14:26-40) where the pastor knows the flock and the flock really  knows their shepherd.  It is to be a family for finding and training disciples who are called of the Holy Spirit to be members and leaders in the Jesus Church.  But we find ourselves in a Religious Theater where all is usually set out in a printed bulletin leaving the Holy Spirit very little , if any,  room for the wind of the Spirit as in John 3:8. I enjoyed a service one time where Robert Fitts Jr. was leading worship and began to experience the presence of the Holy Spirit like a Holy Rain and even started crying as God’s loving presence was so close.   And  then a ministers stood up and said well folks it is time for the offering, announcements and message.  A cry went up in me!!! “Thou shalt not eclipse the Glory of thy God,” and it was like thunder…  I believe it was the Holy Spirit.  With a Saturday evening gathering with an agape  meal the Early Church would have the whole evening and stay as long as they wanted to.  With a Sunday morning gathering we are mostly looking at our watches wanting to go to lunch. We need to go back to the Saturday evening time of gathering so that there is no concern as to the time.  Where we can stay or leave at any time.  Often as a hippie minister it would be about midnight before a meeting would close in the Holy Spirit. And a few went on to about 3 in the morning with the Holy Spirit moving in power.

It is not like we need to tear anything down but we do need to make some serious changes in direction.  This paper is a compressed work sheet and incomplete.   So I am looking for corrections to become more guided by scripture and the Holy Spirit as we come together in John 17:20-26.