George, I take it you did not read the articles I posted form those who were apart of small fellowship groups.
You are using an article comparing China to the Wets- America, well in case you did not know it house churches are a must in places like China because most of them are underground, becasue it is a crime for Christians to openly express their faiht in Jesus Christ. So they hold houses churches, plus the people are poor and can't afford to build or rent buildings to hold thier worship services.
There are many house church all over the world in third world countries, as wella sthere are here in America, most for the wrong reasons here in America, rejecting authority, mad at the pasotr, etec... and most every church that gets started in Amercia starts as a house church until they have grown and GOd blesses them to get a building to hold its members.
The question is who leads the house church? Anyway you look at it all house churches have what the call spiritual leaders who are TRAINED, by those who advocate starting a house church...
Have you ever attended a house church? Do you know of any house churches. I can answer both questions with a yes. Samll groups gather in house all the time for Bible study, so what's new?...
BTW, even if its in a building built with 5,000 members, and has been built especially for such, or even in a house with only two or three, its still called a CHURCH! AND HAS A LEADER.. uh, duuuuuh!:glow::laugh:
House churches actually give the followers of Christ a chance to actually minister to one another with the gifts that the Lord has provided for them for the benefit of all as it is meant to be and not like it is now in the corporate church. People just come and park their butts for an hour and then go home expecting the so called teaching to stick.
I know others which liken the 'church' to going to work.
The people to 'church' ( I thought we were to be coming to Yeshua).
Not one arrives with anything to be sharing with the group.
There is about half an hour of entertaining the people with singing before the dues are collected.
Are these UNION DUES,or club fees!
There is a break ( according to the union rules 15 minutes for coffee and cake.
For about an hour,someone tells them everything they should be doing.
There is more entertainment,then everyone is dismissed.
By the time most people arrive home ,they might have forgotten what they had been told to be doing.
This is not the body of Yeshua,this is a conveyer belt corporation,that chews people up,and then sptis the back out.
No active involvement on the part of the people.
EVerything has been 'PREARRANGED' so that the people would become just like young cattle kept in cages to keep them from maturing,only to be slaughtered for food.
Yeshua wants a STRONG body,not just strong self proclaimed senior pastors,pastors,elders,or leaders.
How are the present day churches far different from the Biblical early churches?? The early churches worshiped in private homes and did not spend over 50% of their budget on luxurious church buildings. The USA churches spend about 1% of their budget to support the really poor in foreign countries. The present churches believe it is OK to join armies and become professional killers. etc etc etc
Romans 16:5: "Greet the church that meets at their house!"
I Cor 16:19: "Aquila and Priscilla greet you warmly in the Lord, and so does the church that meets at their house!"
Philemon 1:2:"To the church that meets in your home!"
Luke 12:33,34: Jesus says, �Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted....For where your treasure is there your heart will be also.�
Presently the poor in the USA have cars, cell phones, TV's and food stamps. Whereas there are over 2 billion people in the world who makes less then a dollar a day!!
Matthew 20:20-24: �All these {Commandments} I have kept, the young man said. �What do I still lack?� Jesus answered, �If you want to be perfect, go, sell tour possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. **THEN** come, follow Me.� When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth. Then Jesus says, �It is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.�
Luke 6:20: Jesus says �Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.�
2 Corinthians 6:4-10: As servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance, in troubles, hardships and distresses, in beatings, imprisonments; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love, in truthful speech and in the power of God; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; dying, and yet we live on; beaten and yet not killed; *POOR*, yet making many rich; *HAVING NOTHING*; and yet possessing everything.�
I Timothy 6:5-10: There are men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain. But godliness with Contentment is great gain....If we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.�
I Timothy 2:9,10: �I also want women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God.�
Matthew 19:27-30: Peter said to Jesus, �We have left EVERYTHING to follow you! What then will there be for us?� Jesus says, �I tell you the Truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on His glorious throne, you who have followed Me {Including Paul}will also sit on 12 thrones...And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for My sake will receive 100 times as much and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and many who are last {In this life}will be first.� And there will be plenty of room for 100 houses and 100 fields in the New Jerusalem since it will be over 1377 miles long and wide and high.
The early church followed these Biblical commands:
Acts 2:44,45: "All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to everyone as he had need!!"
Acts 4:32: All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared EVERYTHING they had!!
Luke 6:27-30: Jesus commands, But I tell you who hear Me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not keep him from taking your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back."
2 Cor 10:3,4: "For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have Divine Power to demolish strongholds!!"
Matthew 28:19,20: Jesus commands, "Make disciples of all nations..... teaching them to obey **EVERYTHING** I have commanded you!!"
I John 2:3-5: "We know that we have come to know Him **IF** we obey His commands. The man who says, "I know Him," but does not do what He commands is a liar, and the Truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys His Word, God's love is truly made complete in Him!!":applause::angel::peace:
Holy Spirit and G-d is everywhere...not just limited to a building at a certain time and place!!
Thats the beauty of freedom, where the spirit of G-d is there is liberty!! To worship, however, one is lead to. It is only rebelling against man made institutions that are fleecing the sheep. Jesus got mad when he went into the temple and saw that they were buying and selling when His house is a house of prayer and it had become a den of theives!!
Sadly, church has become a business for many and G-d will not be mocked, we reap what we sow. I'm not saying all churches, brethren, so please do not take this the wrong way, there are definitely some good churches, however, the apostate ones seems to outnumber them.
