Beware House Church Gnosticism

This is as short post to myself as much as anyone else.

I'm currently writing quite a bit about house church life.  My goals are to explain what it is and why I find it both biblical and edifying.  Additionally, it generates a good deal of discussion that I hope can stretch us all.

In the midst of writing about these things, I want to avoid something else.  That thing is what I'll refer to as "House Church Gnosticism."

The original Gnosticism was an ancient heresy that, among other things, taught that secret knowledge exists that is important to spiritual life.  This is nonsense of course because we have all we need within the pages of scripture.  We enjoy both the freedom and the responsibility of reading the bible to see what it says about belief and practice.

In talking about the house church (or simple church/organic church/authentic church), those of us who favor this model of church life must be careful.  We should at all costs avoid even implying that we have come across some sort of special knowledge that others just haven't figured out.  If we suggest that we are somehow smarter than those who disagree with us on this issue, then we have slipped into a sort of gnosticism related to our beliefs about the church.

Fewer Decisions

In keeping with the theme of consensus in decision making, it is important to revisit the fact that some church models require much more decision making than others.  The more decisions a church has to make, the more difficult it is to strive for consensus.

I've heard Christians say that churches must vote; they can't wait for consensus because if they did, "Nothing would ever get done."  The key to this statement is the assumption about what things have to get done.

In the traditional church model, decisions have to be made all the time regarding building and grounds issues, salaried personnel, numerous church programs, planned worship services, various events, and of course budgetary issues.  This combination requires many decisions.  Seeking consensus would be extremely difficult.

House Church - Striving for Consensus

We all "have issues." In the church this is no different. We all have issues that we need to talk about. There are frequently decisions that have to be made. As in all of life, problems need to be addressed and handled in an appropriate way.

But how are decisions made? How are problems handled? How are issues dealt with in a manner that builds up the body of Christ and glorifies God?

In trying to follow the biblical model in all things, the house church strives for consensus in decision making.  The purpose is to gain agreement by all involved to maintain and improve the unity of the body.  This also encourages all members of the church family to participate.  It avoids the elevation of some members over others, and instead looks to Christ as the only Head of the church.

I Ditched Dish

As you must know by this point, I don't currently have a full time job.

I had an interview scheduled for earlier today with Dish TV, but I just couldn't go through with it. A few years ago Alice and I decided to do away with our cable TV subscription. It was one of the best things we have ever done. Not only do we not waste hours watching TV, but we also don't have unwanted worldly influences invading our house. No more diving for the remote for me!

I don't write this to pat myself on the back. It happened only by the grace of God. I strongly encourage you to pray about whether or not you should have cable TV.

In light of all this, how could I spend my days installing satellite dishes? The inconsistency would have been more than I could have handled.

Nice Missions Resource

Click here to see a helpful missions resource from the IMB. The "Virtual Wall" shows locations, characteristics, and needs of the many unreached people groups.

Video of Varanasi Ghats

In contrast with where we now live, this video shows a glimpse of our home city from late 2006 until early 2007. Varanasi is the holiest city of Hinduism, and therefore is in desperate need of the gospel. The ghats (large stone steps) are the focal point of life and worship along the Ganges River.

Video of Beautiful Savannah

This video shows many sites from Savannah's beautiful historic district. Although the audio can be a bit cheesy at times, the video alone is worth it. Come visit.

Thankful for These Experiences

I'm thankful to God for providing me with numerous experiences that have challenged the way I think about Jesus Christ and His church. It has been quite an array of different people and places that has shaped what I now believe and who I am. I share these not to boast in any way, but to thank God for His great grace in allowing me to be a part of these things:

I was raised in Houghton, NY. Houghton is a small town in western New York State that is home to Houghton College and Houghton Wesleyan Church. In this environment, I met many missionaries serving around the world. Since Houghton College is attended by Christians of almost all evangelical denominations, I was able to talk to many people about why they believe what they believe.

When we moved to Georgia in 1996, we began attending the First Baptist Church of Springfield. This was our first exposure to Southern Baptist doctrine, life, and tradition. After four years at FBC-Springfield, we moved to another local SBC church. That church, Emmanuel Baptist, had a much different worship style (contemporary vs. traditional), but much the same structure and beliefs.

Thinking Outside the Reformed Box

About seven years ago I began to embrace the biblical truth of God’s sovereignty over salvation. Prior to that, I had always believed that man has free will and therefore ultimately makes the decision about whether or not to surrender to Jesus Christ. After searching the scriptures for several months in 2003-2004, I came to see and love God’s sovereign choice in salvation.

I still love the doctrines of election and predestination. I also continue to embrace the Doctrines of Grace and the 5 Solas of the Reformation.

Something else has happened to me, however, during the last few years. I’ve realized that in this country amongst the Reformed there are certain topics that dominate conversations. There are also certain topics that are basically ignored. This is not healthy or balanced (and it's especially dangerous and prevalent among seminary students).

House Church - The Lord's Supper Feast

I love celebrating the Lord's Supper.

We partake of this ordinance as a key aspect of our weekly meetings. As we conclude our time of sitting together and singing, praying, teaching, exhorting, etc., we all move to the kitchen and celebrate the supper together. We eat of the loaf and drink of the cup as part of our lunch.

The theology behind the Lord's Supper as practiced in the house church is very similar to that in most orthodox churches. We thankfully remember what Christ has done for us on the cross. Some may think of Christ as being more spiritually present at the meal than at other times, but we really don't get into much of that. The theology is best described by Paul in I Corinthians 11.

Reading is a Means to an End

Reading is quite a gift from God. For one thing, we get to read His word. I can't imagine going through life without a bible close by. We also get to read great works of theology and literature. We are particularly blessed as English speakers since so much has been written in the English language within the past 400 years.

Although reading is a blessing, we can fall into a trap. The trap is the assumption that reading is an end to itself. It should not be. Rather, reading ought to be a means to an end.

Those who spend quite a bit of time in theology texts can fall prey to reading as an end. I really don't care how many times someone has read Augustine's The City of God, Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion, or Herman Bavinck's Reformed Dogmatics. When people begin to talk repeatedly about which great theologian they are reading, they may be walking down a dangerous pathway toward pride.

Preparing For Next Sunday

As our house church gathers we try to follow the I Corinthians 14 meeting pattern.

As we do this we invariably discuss scripture a great deal. Our talks are highly bible-focused, usually moving from reading to explanation to application. It doesn't always follow this pattern, but this makes the most sense and is therefore how the conversations go.

During this time we want to be free to turn to any part of the bible that has application to what is being said. However, we also desire to study the whole counsel of God's word. One effective way to do this is to go through books chapter-by-chapter.

House Church - Keeping the Family Together

The God of scripture views children very positively.

In Genesis 1:28 we read, "And God blessed them. And God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.'"

In Matthew 19:13-14 we read about Jesus' view of children, "Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked the people, but Jesus said, 'Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.'"

Why the KJV is the Only Acceptable Version of the Bible

Just kidding

House Church - What About Women?

I almost avoided this issue altogether because it can be an emotional and divisive one. However, I figured that would be a cop-out, so here goes:

We must first be aware of the difference between worth and role. The two are not the same. Regarding worth, God cares for men and women equally. We read in Galatians 3:28, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." Please keep in mind that this verse falls in the context of salvation, not role in the church.

That women have worth is also clear in that they are part of the church body, and the body needs all parts to function in order for the body as whole to work. Paul writes in I Corinthians 12:14-20, "For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, 'Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,' that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, 'Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,' that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body."

Best. Photo. Ever.

Since Auburn plays in tonight's national championship game, I thought I'd post the best photo ever. Above we see Uga, Georgia's mascot, bravely attacking a frightened Auburn player back in 1996. Good times.

And to show just how smart Uga is, his home is in Savannah.

Going to the Dogs

Something happened today that was a first for me. As we gathered with our church, one of the host family's dogs walked over to me. He apparently wanted me to pet him. This happened as we were all sitting together, taking turns in praying, reading scripture, encouraging one another, etc. Although it may seem like this would have been distracting, it wasn't. I enjoyed it and so did the dog. He ended up sitting by me on the couch.

What I love about this is that it was very real. We meet as families in homes. Dogs live in homes, too. Therefore, dogs are most likely going to find a way to be part of the gathering (especially if there is food - which there always is).

If our Sunday fellowships were ceremonies, then I'm certain dogs would not be allowed. The reality is that dogs, as wonderful as they are, tend to mess up anything ceremonial. Since our gatherings are informal in nature, dogs can be present - as long as they aren't a distraction.

House Church - Mutual Edification

"What is the purpose of the church gathering?" If you ask Christians this question, the majority will answer by saying, "Worship." This is true in general terms. However, for the Christian all of life is worship. It will look different at different times, but in the end all we do is to be done to the glory of God.

It's interesting to look at what the bible says about the purpose of the church gathering. I believe its purpose is the same as its goal. What is the answer? Why do we gather together? Two words: mutual edification.

Hebrews 10:24-25 tells us, "And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near."

These two verses are extremely important because they deal specifically with the church gathering. As we gather, what are we supposed to do? The author (whoever it was) informs us to "consider how to stir up one another to love and good works" and to be "encouraging one another."

House Church - Spiritual Gifts

I find it both ironic and disappointing that so much division exists within the church over spiritual gifts. The reality is that God gives all believers spiritual gifts for the up building of His church. Keeping this in mind, spiritual gifts ought to increase rather than decrease the unity of the church as a whole.

Scripture shows us that all believers are needed for the good of the body. No one part is more important than another. By extension, all gifts are needed and beneficial as well.

I Corinthians 12 helps us immensely with this discussion (see also Romans 12:3-8 and Ephesians 4:1-16).

Gifts are to be used with humility for the service of the church family to the glory of God. Peter makes this very clear in I Peter 4:7-11.

Regarding the house church, what makes it unique is that all members of the body are encouraged to use their gifts for body edification throughout the gathering. Another way to say it is that every person who is part of the Christian community is encouraged to exercise his gifts at any time in the meeting to build up the assembly. There is no specific time when gifts are to be employed or are not to be employed. Nothing is scripted. There is no schedule.

Not Publishing All Comments

I don't publish all comments that people leave on this blog. The reason for this is that some comments simply go over the line of what is acceptable.

I'm happy to publish comments from folks who disagree with me. That's not an issue at all. Frankly, it would be a bit dull if all the discussion here was in complete agreement.

The comments I refuse to post are those that are overly-critical and/or mean-spirited attacks. There is no place for this in the Christian blogosphere.

There is a way to critique something without becoming personal about it. We all need to work on this at least a little in our writing.