House Church - Challenges (Part 1)

Thus far in this extended series on house church life I've focused primarily on positive aspects. The reality, however, is that house churches have challenges as well. The main reason for this is that, like all churches, house fellowships are composed of people. Since we all still struggle with sin, we will inevitably face challenges.

As I've thought through various challenges, I managed to boil it down to ten.  I'll address five in this post and five more in the next.  Some of these challenges are things that I've experienced while others I've simply read about.

1. Pride. I believe this is the greatest danger to any church including house churches. When we act prideful, we are basically saying that we know best, we act best, and we are best. Yikes.

This can be a particular challenge within the house church as it relates to how the church should function. First, we can become prideful in our attitudes toward those in institutional/traditional churches. Since most within the house church have made a decision to leave institutional churches for biblical reasons, it is dangerously easy to slide into the sin of thinking we are somehow better. Second, even within the house church itself we can get prideful in how we think things "should be." This may be how we think the gathering should go, when we should get together, what leadership should look like, etc., etc., etc.

We must always be on the lookout for pride in our lives. We are no better than anyone else. We must remember this.

House Church - Teaching

Teaching is an interesting topic when it comes to the church.  There are many questions involved such as who?, when?, where?, what?, how?, and why?  I admit that I don't have all the answers to these, and I certainly don't intend to try to answer them in a single blog post.

Instead, I'd like to take a brief look at elders teaching, gifted people teaching, and everyone teaching.  I'll close by discussing what teaching is and should look like.

First, what abut elders?  Do they teach?  Should they teach?

MacArthur Rebukes Osteen

I'm not sure when this video is from, but it is still worth watching. It's refreshing to hear the truth spoken by John MacArthur about Joel Osteen's false teaching.

I Saw These in a Bookstore Last Night

I saw these two products in Books-A-Million last night. I realize I wasn't in a Christian bookstore (we mainly went there for the coffee); nevertheless, these two items were disturbing.

The first was some sort of journal that mixes bible and government in a sickening manner. It almost suggests that the President will do the hearing, forgiving, and healing:


The second was even worse. Since the book was enclosed in plastic, I couldn't see if had the real biblical text with heretical "study" notes, or if it was just a regular book that used the word "bible" to catch people's attention. Either way - yuck:

How Does a False Teacher Live?

We are too swift these days in calling people "false teachers." Since this term carries such strong meaning, we must be very careful in how we define and apply it.

The bible tells us how to spot false teachers in two ways: by what they teach and by how they live.

A few days ago, I blogged about what false teachers actually teach. They teach against the gospel. False teachers deny Christ in one way or another. On a related note, those who simply teach secondary doctrines in a way we do not like are not false teachers.

The bible instructs us that false teachers live out their false teachings. Because they teach against Christ, false teachers are not in Christ. They are not redeemed, adopted, reconciled, justified, saved, etc. False teachers are in the flesh. Because of this, false teachers will live out their lostness in worldly ways. They do not live holy lives.

Here are three scriptural examples:

Matthew 7:15-20 - "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits."

II Peter 2:12-17 - "But these, like irrational animals, creatures of instinct, born to be caught and destroyed, blaspheming about matters of which they are ignorant, will also be destroyed in their destruction, suffering wrong as the wage for their wrongdoing. They count it pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions,while they feast with you. They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed. Accursed children! Forsaking the right way, they have gone astray. They have followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved gain from wrongdoing,but was rebuked for his own transgression; a speechless donkey spoke with human voice and restrained the prophet's madness. These are waterless springs and mists driven by a storm. For them the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved."

Jude 4, 8, 16, 18-19 - "For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ...Yet in like manner these people also, relying on their dreams, defile the flesh, reject authority, and blaspheme the glorious ones...These are grumblers, malcontents, following their own sinful desires; they are loud-mouthed boasters, showing favoritism to gain advantage...They said to you, 'In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.' It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit."

When we think of false teachers, we mainly think about the content of what they say. However, these passages make it clear that we should also be looking at their behavior. We can spot them through their fleshly, sensual, worldly actions. They cannot help but live this way because they do not know Christ. While claiming to teach for God and about God, they instead remain dead in their sins and under God's wrath.

We must be careful to protect the church from false teachers. We must be on guard against false teachers from both outside and inside the church. Acts 20:29-30, "I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them."

What do we do when we spot false teaching? Our duty is to humbly speak the truth in love. Although somewhat out of context, I believe we must follow Ephesians 4:15, "Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ."

The goal in confronting a false teacher should not be victory in an argument. Rather, the goal should be the salvation of that false teacher.

What Does a False Teacher Teach?

Words have consequences.

The reason for this is that words convey powerful meaning.

The term "false teacher" carries extremely strong meaning. I'm concerned because I hear this term being used fairly frequently to describe other people - usually those in teaching positions.

Sometimes this term is used for those who are teaching religions other than Christianity. Sometimes it is used to describe those who are teaching various forms of the gospel. Sometimes people use this term to describe others who teach differently from what they believe about church, family, eschatology, etc. Sometimes it is even used for people who simply do not use a preferred version of the bible.

The term "false teacher" is such an inflammatory one that we must be very careful in how we both define and apply it. We must look to the scriptures to find out what a false teacher actually is.

In the bible, false teachers are usually described in two ways: 1) by what they teach, and 2) by how they live.

In this post, I want to look at what the scriptures say about what false teachers actually teach. In the next post I'll look at how they live (these two things should not be separated in how we think about false teachers, but for the sake of post length, I've divided them here.)

So, what do false teachers actually teach? (Note: this is not an exhaustive list.)

Galatians 1:8-9 - But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.

I Timothy 1:8-11 - Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine, in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted.

II Peter 2:1 - But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.

I John 2:22-23 - Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also.

Jude 3-4 - Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

Also important to remember is this: Matthew 24:24 - For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.

The above verses tell us very clearly what false teachers teach: they teach against the gospel of Jesus Christ. They deny the basics of the faith. What it comes down to is that they, in one way or another, deny Christ himself. False teaching is a gospel issue.

It is important to recognize that the term "false teacher" is not applied to issues that are not gospel-centered. For example, "false teacher" is not applied to people who teach differently about issues such as baptism, the Lord's supper, the church, the family, etc. While those are important issues to be sure, the term "false teacher" is not used for people who are discussing them.

Also important is the fact that false teachers may, as we see predicted in Matthew 24:24, perform signs and wonders. We must be careful not to automatically believe someone just because of the signs they perform. Their message must be consistent with the gospel as taught in the bible.

So, what does a false teacher teach? He teaches against the gospel of Jesus Christ. He denies Christ as either fully-God or fully-man. He denies that Jesus is the only way of salvation. He denies the realities of heaven and hell. He may teach some doctrines (such as baptism, the Lord's supper, church , family, etc.) in such a warped way that it denies Christ Himself.

Anyone who denies Christ is a false teacher. Anyone who denies His gospel is a false teacher.

Anyone who teaches Christ correctly, but teaches a secondary doctrine in a manner we do not like, is not a false teacher. That teacher may need loving instruction/correction/rebuke, but he is not a false teacher.