The Early Church meeting place(s)

Look at several clear examples of the early Church meeting in homes!

Acts 2:46
And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,

1 Cor 1:11
For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.

Rom 16:5a
Likewise greet the church that is in their house.

1 Cor 16:19
The churches of Asia greet you. Aquila and Priscilla greet you heartily in the Lord, with the church that is in their house.

Col 4:15
Greet the brethren who are in Laodicea, and Nymphas and the church that is in his house.

Phil 2
to the beloved Apphia, Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house:

Acts 5:42
And daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.

Acts 20:20
how I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you, and taught you publicly and from house to house,

The Great Commission

Matt. 28:19-20

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

Does this say we are to focus on reaching the lost? How about knocking on doors? Are we supposed to focus all our efforts in passing out tracts, bibles or giving to missions?

Don't misunderstand me. It is NEVER wrong to share the gospel......UNLESS the Holy Spirit does not allow you to (Acts 16:6-7)! But what does the "Great Commission" tell us to do?

1. Go

2. Teach / make disciples

3. Baptize

I think most churches have it backwards today. What has happened to discipleship? I'm just not seeing it.

Also, we are getting all caught up in doing "good" things that we are not always doing what God intends for us to do! Could you imagine Paul protesting an abortion clinic? Maybe, but more than likely he would not because he was called to something else. Doing that "good thing" would take him away from what God wanted him to do.

Just some thoughts.

2 Thes. 2:15

Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle.

Acts 2:42

And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.

My personal testimony

I was a sinner (Rom. 3:23), I placed my faith in God who saved me through His grace (Eph. 2:8-9), and now I am dying to myself and living for Him daily (Luke 9:23)!

I do not really remember much of my life before I committed it to Christ at the age of 5. All you really need to know is that I was a sinner, just like everyone else in this world. I realized that I needed a Savior, not for "fire insurance", but because He loved me and wanted me to be with Him for all eternity, praising His name forever! (1 Peter 3:8-9)

I lived a pretty typical "good Christian" life and never got into big trouble with anyone. God definitely had His hand of protection on me concerning things of this world, such as drugs, sex, and anything that comes along with hanging around the wrong crowds (the influence of the world). Even though I saw these things in the Christian school I attended and in church youth groups as well, I recognized that it was not God's plan that was messed up but the heart of individuals who were not seeking His will. They were only seeking selfish desires. I was not immune to selfish desires, but mine were more along the lines of wanting to just hang out with friends regardless of other priorities, not taking care of my body as well as I should and things like that. Still bad. Still selfish. Still sin.

And I still struggle with these things. Not that they are "easier" to deal with now, but as an adult and as I have grown in Christ, I recognize the importance of putting selfish desires of any kind to rest and trust that God will take care of my wants if they are HIS desires. I have learned to pray that my desires become His desires, and it works!

The greatest time of growth for me personally has been in the last 3+ years. I met a family who holds weekly meetings in their home. I learned a lot about how the New Testament Church was structured, and I was faced with some biblical doctrine I had not ever heard before, or in some cases, had even argued against before. My first reaction was to run away, thinking it was false doctrine. I was challenged, and through trials come growth! James 1:2-4 says, "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing." I have also learned to pray for wisdom, believing God will give it to me (James 1:5-6, the very next verses), and what a difference this truly makes!

So as I was challenged, I continued to ask God for wisdom. The teacher at these bible studies, the elder of this house church, taught in a way that made us look for the answers ourselves straight from God's word (2 Timothy 2:15). He asked questions and was constantly giving Scripture passages to look up, many of these things I had read over my whole life but never noticed before! After having been in church since the first Sunday after I was born, I honestly felt completely dumb every time I walked through the door of this house. But that was a good thing because I had become teachable!

After a few months, some concerned friends and family were getting to me. I started having doubts about whether these doctrines that were being taught were really biblical or if this was some kind of cult, as the average life-long denominational Christian seemed to believe. So I backed off for a while. I stopped meeting with this group of believers, but I was still challenged and still hungry for the word! Over the next couple of years I thought of this family and the others who attended quite often. I would occasionally call or email, but they had come to believe that I was like most other Christians and was not open to any more teaching. They thought I had gone back to the denomination and was no longer teachable.

Not so! Quite the contrary, actually. As I was continually challenged by family and friends, I only saw confirmation again and again that some of the doctrines I had held onto most of my life were indeed false! Instead of listening to the doctrines of men, I was now listening to the Word of God, and I could see much more clearly that so much of what I believed was wrong! And it was important to get it right!

As a result of me being challenged and growing through it all, I am now burdened to challenge others. I do not always come across well in written form, but I am overcome with love for God and for my Christian brothers and sisters, for everyone to get the doctrines of the bible right. God desires unity, so I do not believe it is okay to just "agree to disagree". (Eph. 4:3, Rom. 15:5-6, Phil. 2:2) 1 Cor. 10:10-13 says, "Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. 11 For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe’s household, that there are contentions among you. 12 Now I say this, that each of you says, “I am of Paul,” or “I am of Apollos,” or “I am of Cephas,” or “I am of Christ.” 13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?" There is so much in the bible about being in unity. We are all part of one body, the body of Christ. I do not have all the right answers, but I definitely have better answers now than I did 3 years ago, because they come from the bible, not from denominational doctrine.

Through being challenged in a denominational church earlier this year, I have learned that by adopting a creed, a statement of faith, catechisms, etc. I was putting God in a box and did not feel the need or desire to learn outside of those things. I have also learned that if those things are truly based on Scripture, then I do not need to rely on man's own interpretation of Scripture....I have my own copy of God's word and the Holy Spirit to interpret for me! I think that is why there is so much division in the Church right now. Everyone wants to believe something different, and instead of just simply studying the bible together, they refer to a written outline, a man-made set of beliefs. No wonder there is so much confusion in the Church, and we know confusion does not come from God! (1 Cor. 14:33)

I pray that all who read this testimony of how God is working in my life will be challenged in their own walk, to seek the Truth of God's holy word and not rely on man-made doctrine. May God get the glory. For only He is worthy. I am merely a vessel used for His purpose, to give glory, honor and praise to the Creator of all things! It is my prayer that I will be used to show others how they can do the same. God bless!

Not enough use of Scripture!

Wow, I am trying to do a study and some research on a specific topic, so I am searching for certain words and just skimming through articles. I am not interested in what other people are saying, only the Bible. It AMAZES me how very LITTLE Scripture there is in these articles! I am actually looking for verses on both sides of the issue, but I am going through page after page and seeing how both sides are using very little, if any (!!!!), and the rest of the text is their own interpretation of what they think the verse is saying, and most of it, on both sides, is taken out of context!

And we wonder why there is not unity in the Church today? It's because we don't refer to Scripture enough, but instead get our own opinion and interpretation out there WAAAAAAAAAY too much. We get in the way! The Bible can stand on its own!!! I have been guilty of this myself at times, but I recognize this so clearly now and want to include more bible references and less of my own words.

John 3:30 - HE must increase, but I must decrease.

I'm at it again!

Once again, I should be using more Scripture. This has been another interesting, controversial thread on Facebook, and I am not intentionally trying to start anything, I promise! I think that people are just closed to the Truth. They know what they believe, which is good, but they are not open to seeing that what they believe MIGHT be wrong according to the bible (they don't know why they believe it). Here is the thread so far: (I have changed my real name to my blog ID.)

TruthSeeker: wonders why people are so closed to the truth when it is right there in black and white? Pride? Probably. I've been there and still am if I'm not careful. Why not take the time to investigate for themselves while being OPEN to the possibility that the beliefs they have grown up with might actually be wrong?

TruthSeeker: Instead, most people (including me in the past) simply try to defend what they've always believed without considering the clear evidence saying it is not true. Wow, lots to ponder this morning.....I am sad, but I do understand since I was there myself. Investigate (in the Word)! Dig deeper! Honestly, it is right there in black and white, no reading between the lines allowed!

Brian: I experienced the same thing when we first were taught about the 5 Doctrines of Grace (T.U.L.I.P). I'm glad God was able to allow me to place aside what I was taught and see the truth that was right in front of me.

Sasha: maybe people have dug deep ... the Bible is, to some extent, open to interpretation - after all! By that I mean, it's not uncommon for the same verse to mean very different things to different people! Just sayin!

TruthSeeker: Sasha, I think that would be "application", not interpretation. There is only one way to interpret the language!

Brian, where did you study calvinism? It is a false teaching. We studied it in depth earlier this year and even agreed with it for a few weeks.....it sounded good. Until I came across some very clear verses that were so obviously contrasting the false doctrine. It's just another "ism". Be careful!

TruthSeeker: I should add.....Brian, that is good that you ARE open to the truth of God's word! Just dig deeper. Anyone can find verses to fit what they believe if they look hard enough, but they also overlook the verses that so clearly contradict their teaching. I saw it many times. I think that is what opened my eyes.

Layla: Man, I am SO not going there this morning! Just know that I love all my fellow Christians and let's keep our eyes on the One who saved us. It's not about winning debates but spreading the Good News. Now, I am going into a coma as I only had a couple hours of sleep last night (sick kid).

Billy: I don't remember what church you are going to TruthSeeker but I am deeply concerned for you. Believing there is a new testament mandate that forces us to have children because the old testament calls them a blessing is an "ism". Believing that holidays are evil is an "ism". I'm no proponent of Calvinism, but considering that predestination is mentioned specifically twice in the new testament, accusing people of being a "false teacher" for bringing it up is an "ism". I agree with your first post here but I would coincide it with this 2 Timothy 2:23 or else the Body of Christ becomes divided with our opinions.

Layla: Both "views" are in the Bible. Some things we won't understand until we get to Heaven. We need to trust in our loving and JUST Savior...now I'm done. ;)

TruthSeeker: I agree, Layla. It is not about winning or being right. I only want to believe what the bible says.

Billy, the verses about predestination....you should read more carefully. We are not predestined to a place, we have been predestined (or predetermined) to be like Christ. That is one major place where calvinists are misinterpreting Scripture.

I am not part of any denomination now, though I do go to a baptist church on Sundays.

Crystal: l

Why is Reformed Theology a false teaching? You do realize without it we would all still be catholic and worshiping Mary right now?

Calvinism is not a religion, it is a summary of Biblical Christianity as defined by Martin Luther who started the Protestant Reformation. So if you are not Roman Catholic, than you may not want to attack the very theology that freed us from the bonds of Rome.

TruthSeeker:

I respectfully disagree. Even back then there were a few who held fast to the truths of God's word and did not follow the reformation.

Crystal: So you are saying that you are rejecting the Protestant Reformation, so that all Protestants who have come afterward are in error?

TruthSeeker: Only in some things, not everything. I choose to follow the bible, not what men have written down in creeds, statements of faith, catechisms, etc. If they are based on the Word of God, then why bother using them? Let's just look at the Bible! ;)

Now I am in no way comparing myself to Jesus or even the disciples, but this verse describes exactly how I am feeling right now.

Matt. 10:14

And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet.

Everyone is taking my words and twisting them just to argue. What I find very ironic is that no one has yet been able to prove any statements I have made to be false, they just simply want to argue with me and tell me I have been exposed to false teachings. The funny thing is, I haven't been exposed to anything other than the bible. I have asked for wisdom and for the Holy Spirit to reveal His truth to me. I am one of the very few people, at least in my life, who does not read a bunch of man's books or creeds, statements of faith, catechisms, etc. I simply read the bible, and yet, I am wrong? Hmmm.....

I do know that the more I learn, the more I realize how LITTLE I truly know, which is why I am so burdened to get the Truth out to Christians everywhere. Satan is winning the battle (but praise God, we know he won't win the war), and Christians are going down the wrong roads! God's Truth in His Word is burning in my bones, and I cannot be quiet! But, I do need to "shake the dust off my feet", so to speak, because obviously no one is open to the Truth there. I guess I should expect that since most of them are baptist and I grew up with those beliefs. *sigh*

Jeremiah 20:9

Then I said, “I will not make mention of Him, Nor speak anymore in His name.” But His word was in my heart like a burning fire Shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back, And I could not.

WAKE UP, PEOPLE! IF YOU HAVE THE HOLY SPIRIT WITHIN YOU, ASK FOR WISDOM AND READ GOD'S WORD FOR YOURSELF!!!!!!!

New blog!!!

My blog entries were all getting mixed up and this blog turned into a hodge podge of whatever I wanted to journal about! Well, I do have that right, but I also want to keep this one primarily life / homeschooling.

So I made another new blog for all the "spiritual thoughts" I have, just as a challenge to others to seek the Truth of God's word, as we grow together. It is not meant to be controversial, just a challenge. So leave me a comment with your email address and I will send you the link, if you want to subscribe.

If you want to subscribe to this blog, which is kind of a scrapbook of our daily lives, more or less, I will try to keep it just that this time around. God bless! :)

Happy Birthday, Jacob!

My little man is FIVE today! Where does the time go? Jacob has sure been a huge blessing to me. He's my guy, my little toot (and he loves to express that too!). He is such a sweet boy. In fact, the other day he wanted to share his strawberries with everyone "because the bible says to share". And I have to say, he has always been the least likely of my kids to say something like this, so all this "bible thumping" I've done is paying off! Hehe! :)

Jacob loves to play with others, whether it is riding bikes, wrestling with his daddy or brother, jumping on the trampoline, playing with his trains or playing the Wii (which he is VERY good at!). He just loves life and loves to share his joy with others.

A few of his fears that I don't think I've put on the blog.....He has always been scared of loud noises, the dark and being left alone (like in the back bedroom or outside). He is learning to manage his fears and when he feels "safe" he will just giggle, but he has always had these fears since he was tiny. I just think it is interesting because Jack doesn't seem to be scared of anything! I think Jayla was the same way, and I can't remember about Jonathan. My brain won't go that far back!

He is NOT, however, scared to talk to strangers! I still have to watch him carefully and am constantly reminding him that it is okay when I am with him, but he can't just run off and talk to anyone! He loves to tell anyone who will listen about his pets, his family, his toys......whatever he is excited about at the time. Jayla was like that too but is much more reserved now, so he may grow out of it a bit as he understands people more.

This is my friend Mandie's little boy, Josh. He just turned 3, and he and Jacob love playing together!

This is becoming much more common. They love to wrestle, and surprisingly they do not get hurt as often as I expect! (Thankfully!) I hope these two always have a close bond.

Happy birthday, little man! You are SO loved and appreciated! And thank You God for blessing us with him. We are not worthy, but we are so grateful.

GIVEAWAY!!!

I already posted about this recently, but I wanted to help (if I can) direct more traffic to her web site. Hobo mama is giving away a baby carrier! Please, go check it out, and read the rest of her blog too! If anyone is interested in any aspect of attachment parenting, I'm sure she has talked about it, possibly many times. So go sign up for her giveaway, then click on her title at the top to go to the home page and check out all her other articles!

Standing Out

God put this on my heart recently, and I just wanted to put it on the ol' blog....

Follow your convictions. Don't loosen your moral belt for fear of being "too extreme", but instead, stand out! Be weird! Not just for the sake of being different, but for the sake of taking a stand for what is right!

And I want to add to that, if I offend anyone, check it against the Word of God! If you can show me in the bible where I am wrong, I will change. That's how important His word is to me. :)

Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Isaiah 40:8
The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.”

2 Tim. 3:16
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,

How much does it say?

ALL Scripture!

God bless! :)

Another blog giveaway!!

Go to this blog and enter for your chance to win a sleepy wrap!

You can also visit Felicia's site to find all kinds of natural products for purchase!

Christians and Halloween (followup)

A mutual friend directed me to this pastor's Facebook page where there was a brief discussion about their "fall festival". This pastor is always arguing with me on things (I'm surprised he didn't get in on my previous halloween thread!), but I'm not sure if he is just trying to present the other side for a balanced debate or if he just likes to argue! It can be frustrating, I'll be honest! I just don't like debating, though you could never tell by the threads on FB! ;)

So here is the thread on this pastor's page:

--

(status message:)

Fall Festival tonight! 6 - 8 PM! Free food and games!!

October 30 at 12:31pm ·

Church member: would it make any significant difference if you called it a Halloween party?

October 30 at 1:16pm

Pastor: We'd have to change the date!

October 30 at 1:21pm

Church member: you really think it isn't a halloween party just because you aren't having it on the 31st and are calling it fall festival?

October 30 at 1:24pm

Pastor: No, I think it's called a Fall Festival because some people are offended with the word Halloween. So, we choose Fall Festival.

October 30 at 1:28pm

Church member: ok. just checking. i wonder how many people think we are really fooling anyone other than ourselves by calling our halloween parties something else and having them on a different night. of course, we have them on a different night not so much for the above reason but so we can take our kids trick or treating for halloween. sorry for ranting on your bookface.

October 30 at 1:34pm

Pastor: We're having ours on a different night because I hate having things on Saturday nights. People will use that as an excuse to not come to Sunday School the next day! And so I can take my dogs treating. They don't know any tricks.

October 30 at 1:57pm

--

Okay, now my question for him would be, if you're serious about it not being related to halloween, why not have it in November???

I'm seriously not trying to ruffle any feathers here, and I know God is working on everyone in different areas at different levels, I just want to get people to think about this. I just think it is ridiculous the amount of time and money that Christians -- CHRISTIANS -- spend on halloween! Through these discussions in the last couple of weeks, I have heard so many excuses to justify celebrating halloween, and I admit, some of them sound good. They SOUND good. But I don't remember one single excuse (maybe one, but I can't think of any right now) being to reach the lost by getting the non-Christian families off the streets and into a Christian atmosphere. Seriously! I thought everyone would use that excuse, but I don't remember one!

I left this on my comment on the previous post about this subject, but I will put it here too. Now this was coming from the assumption that people use the "ministry" excuse.....

The ends do not justify the means. Moses still got water out of the rock for the people of Israel, but he disobeyed in how he went about it and had to suffer the consequences.

I think this example (from God.....I could never come up with something so awesome on my own!) is the perfect analogy for this. Moses was delivering water to the Israelites and was told to do it a certain way. We were told to deliver the gospel, the good news of Jesus, the LIVING WATER, to the world! We are told to "go into all the world". We were NOT told to bring the world in to us (the church)!!! That is dangerous and we were told to be separate and not be like the world! So in reaching the world, we need to be careful in how we go about it.

I don't care if you disagree with me for whatever reason, look to see what the Bible says. You cannot disagree with God's word if you are a Christian. Church! Take a stand for what is right and stop compromising with the world!

Decision made!

I ended up going with the Janome Sew Mini Blossom just because I had a limited amount to spend, plus I want to upgrade MY machine in the next year or two, so I plan to hand down my current machine then. I'm sure by then she will be ready for something more heavy-duty! I thought this would be cute and perfect for her first machine though, especially since she is only 7.

If anyone else is interested in this machine, it is discontinued and only being sold online, so hurry! My total came to $63-something.

I can't wait to see her smiling face and big eyes when she opens this on Christmas morning! :)