Home fellowship

Greetings,

I just wanted to testify and encourage people in regard to gathering with other saints in your home, and having fellowship with them. Yesterday I met with one brother that I met through Sermon Index at his house, with his wife and six children. It was a wonderful time together in the Lord, as we all with one accord sang songs unto the Him, and shared a number of passages together, and instructed and exhorted one another. The hospitality was second to none. The thing that amazed me most was how well behaved the children were the entire time. The eldest child showed a considerable knowledge of the Scriptures, and even participated in our discussions as he attempted to wrestle with the implications of the Word. When I read from Philippians 3, he was able to turn to that passage without any difficulty, and found it almost instantly. I think he was about 10 or 11, maybe 12. God's grace and tender mercies were evident throughout the entire time we met... and we met for about 6 hours!

I would just like to encourage everybody here to meet with other brothers and sisters in your own homes, or wherever else you can. Spend time together and simply luxuriate in the presence of God together. No, you don't need to leave your present church and start a house church in order to do this. No, you don't need to submit to your pastor ideas about cell groups. Just simply identify a few other saints you know, wherever and however you know them, and invite them over to your house to break the bread of life together over a snack or simple meal. I believe you will be truly enriched for doing so.

Many blessings,

Jimmy

Good advice, King Jimmy!

I think that the early Church resembled something like this. After attending several small, medium and large churches since meeting the Lord when I was a teenager, I think that the greatest amounts of encouragement came from meeting in my college dorm with other believers (or in the dorms or homes of others). There wasn't any sort of "schedule" for such meetings that might interfere with a move of God (even though these meetings were conducted in decency and with order). We simply met together -- encouraging one another -- as we prayed, worshiped and studied God's Word. I think that this is the essence of what Hebrews 10:24-25 means about "assembling ourselves together."

Thanks for the reminder.

Thanks for sharing!

With care in Christ...

Our church meetings have become so formal, especially when people go to church because they have to, not because they want to. We are commanded not to neglect the gathering together in a local church and recognize the authority of elders but that should not stop us from informal gatherings for spiritual conversations and prayer.

We need spontaneous and informal small gatherings like this one too, to pray, praise, exhort each other ect. There is freedom in the Spirit.

Thx for sharing Jimmy

Blessings,

Redi

Edited

I agree Jimmy. Do it often. Not only at home, but at Starbucks as well, and IHOP, and .... Forsake not the assembling of yourselves together, and do it MORE as you see the day approaching.

Thanks for the post

All the best times of fellowship I've experienced have been at spontaneous or informal gatherings. In fact, it's been my only experience of something resembling New Testament koinonia. I have a (perhaps fanciful) theory about that.

Jesus said, "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." Matt. 18:20 When we gather in church, the sign out front indicates whose name we are meeting in. Sometimes it's a man (Luther, Wesley) or a tradition (Methodist, Baptist) or even a form of church government (Presbyterian, Congregational). Non-denominational churches gather in the name of themselves: "Christian Fellowship," "Bible church," "Christian Family Center."

It seems that when believers gather outside the church for the purpose of prayer, worship and Bible study there is a manifest presence of Christ not found in church.

I've had great experiences, both in informal and formal gatherings. I dare not say which have provided me with the richest experiences, for they have both abundandtly done so. For me, the solution is not an "either-or" but a "both-and." The early church met anywhere and everywhere it could. It met house to house as well as in larger gatherings at the temple. The early church never asked where they should meet... they simply met.

Thanks.we were just thinking about setting up cell group meetings in our church.it comes as an encouragement for me.