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Pandora’s box

This House Church Unification dialogue is getting wonderfully out of hand. But, in case this dialogue doesn’t interest some recipients, if you WOULD like to receive the messages as they’re received by me, I will forward them to you if you will…

Following are three recent messages on this subject…one from Dena in Oregon, another from Ken in Canada, and a third from Terri in Arkansas

Thanks!
Michael

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My thoughts, fwiw:

I heartily endorse networking, community-wide, city-wide, regional, national, international. I’m astonished at how God has already been working out connectivity with various believers, linking up various parts of His Body, through diverse and even “coincidental” (which I see as God choosing to be anonymous…!) ways. The Internet is one way He’s using, en masse.

I believe He WILL build His Body (& connect His Body) — I’m praying to be more sensitive to how He’s orchestrating those connections… attending the conferences He seems to prompt me to attend, forming email relationships, praying for divine appointments. I believe He’s always broadcasting, and we have to intentionally “tune in”.

I’m not sure I fully agree with Robert Fitts (with all due respect and love to him - Hi, Robert!), re. denominations. Sure, I see God endorsing the tribal distinctions in the Old Covenant, for the purpose of identity, and for organizing a Theocracy. However, doesn’t this fly in the face of Jesus praying for us to be One? Doesn’t the New Covenant put us all in the same family? Aren’t we to be united in His Name, only? Doesn’t an external “name” tend to end up with a separate identity, which further divides us from one another? And, doesn’t a denomination always end up with a hierarchical understanding of how to function?

Or, am I misunderstanding..?

Shalom,
Dena
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Hello from Canada.
We have conducted 9 networking conferences across the nation in the last 3 years in conjunction with DAWN . I am the national facilitator for the Simple Church network in Canada see www.simplechurchnetwork.ca.

Watching the network grow relationally with an emphasis on understanding the importance of:
1.coaching/redemptive listening/selfless listening and
2. listening to Jesus and doing what he says
- it has been nothing short of life-giving.

Blessings,
Ken Stade
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Hey Michael,

It seems the “assembling together daily” is the key - whether by telephone, e-mail, or in person. When you share in someone’s life, the ups and downs, it creates a bond and compassion that can’t be conjured up any other way. Since my family is still involved in the IC, the Lord has directed me to open my home about once a month for women to gather. We have had wonderful meetings centered around prayer, worship, communion, and Bible study - however the Spirit leads. My burden is to ramp up spiritual growth among our group as the Spirit uses each of us to edify (and eventually multiply into other homes), but also to bring in the lost or disconnected Christians who may not be comfortable in a traditional religious setting. None of our group, to my knowledge, have been inquiring about “house church,” but I believe that’s what we’re doing, they’re just calling it “prayer meetings.” Frequent communication has really made a difference for us.

Blessings to you,
TJ