House Church

We are to "be" the church, not just to attend Church. In the Book of Acts we see that the church met daily and from house-to-house (Acts 2:42-47). We cannot expect 100% results with 1/7 of the effort. When we start acting as the church, as a family, good things happen- incredible things happen. As well, we experience deeper intimacy with God and with each other. This is the design of our house churches. They are divided geographically, so that 1) they are accessible, and 2) community is more easily built within the confines of an already defined community. In other words, it is much easier to do life with someone who is right down the street than with someone 30 miles across town.

In the book of 1 Timothy we learn that there are three important aspects to our spiritual growth in terms of learning about the Scriptures: reading, preaching, and teaching. We are told that, until Christ comes, we should devote ourselves to these things. Some of these things seem to happen best in certain environments. From our reading of Scripture, it seems the followiing is true: reading (obviously) hapens best when you are alone with the Bible and can pour over it yourself. Preaching happens best in a corporate environment with a single preacher. Teaching seems to happen best in a small group environment where there is freedom to discuss and be honest with those who are "doing life together".

Here is what these various aspects of learning might look like:

Reading is what it seems like at face value– reading the Scriptures. Many people neglect this and wait for the next aspect, which is letting a preacher tell them what the words actually mean. Paul seems to suggest that it is important for us to take a look at the actual text for ourselves, knowing that, as Jesus promises, that His Spirit will illumine the meaning of the words to us.

Preaching is the proclaiming of the Word of God, particularly by looking at the Scriptures and drawing forth applications from them. The message of the preacher is not to be rooted in culture, but in Bible– although it should be applicable in the cultural context in which the preacher lives. The idea is not to say what people want to be said, but, rather, to declare what God wants to be declared.

Teaching is filling in the gaps, making connections, answering questions, and fleshing out what has been read and heard. Many people skip this task, too, because it takes time and effort. You can be taught by a teacher, but, you can–and should learn to teach yourself, too. Hebrews suggest that many of us should be such teachers, but are not because we do not progress in our Christian walk.

Just like a three-legged stool will not stand without all three legs, our Christian walk (particularly our growth in the Scriptures and our ability to hear God speak to us through them) will not stand without all three aspects. On the other hand, when all three legs are present and firmly planted, a tripod is the strongest base possible! With that, here is how we are suggesting you apply these three "legs" to your growth in the Scriptures:

Reading

Read the entire Book of the Bible we are going through in corporate worship– not just the passages we are studying. If you pace yourself and read three to four chapters per day, you will cover the entire book , usually, about once a week. This will go a long way towards developing your familiarity with the Scriptures in their entirety, as well as place the passages we study in their proper context. While you do this, interact with the study guide, helping you dig deeper.

Preaching

This happens on Sunday mornings and is self-explanatory.

Teaching

During the week, do a few things: 1) Work through the questions on your own, including both the personal questions and the discussion questions (found in the study guide). 2) Talk about the group questions with friends you have over for dinner, a roommate, a spouse, or even the kids if they are old enough. 3) If you have children, teach them. Even if you feel underqualified, God will give you grace to do this and it will be an avenue by which you learn. In addition, 4) Attend one of the house churches. The curriculum for each group is actually the same material we study on Sundays (our study guides). In that forum you will be able to contribute to and benefit from a discussion that will help you apply the text and learn to live it out.

House churches literally are the best way we have found for the church to live life together, learn together, and make the greatest impact on the community.

Click here for a list of current house churches and contact info for the leaders.