the church in my home

Wednesday night is the highlight of my week.

We cram three tables in our dining room and people still spill into the living room to eat dinner while sitting on couches and chairs.  We started meeting eight months ago with about 10 peeps and now around 30 members of the body of Christ pour into our home for dinner, fellowship, prayer, worship music and Biblical teaching.  Our model comes from Acts 2:42:

"And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers."

We have made sweet friendships with so many people and we are all so different.  It has been the greatest gift to have church in our home.  It is more personal and intimate.  Recently we started a new church campus of the church we have been attending for 10 years in Knoxville.  Since Sunday morning services started in January we have not stopped stressing that Sunday morning is not the main event. That isn't it.  It isn't so much about going to church, but about being the church all the time, regardless of who you are with and where you are. We want everyone to be connected on a week night to a huddle group where they can be known and know others and grow spiritually with other people in the church.

This is where discipleship begins for some.

"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."  ~Hebrews 10:24-25

Wednesday night in our home is a time for us to consider how we can stir one another up to love and good works and encourage one another in the faith.  It's not only happening in our home in North Knoxville, but in three others homes and more are about to start up.  It's so exciting to see what the Father is doing in each of our lives because of Christ.

Where do you find yourself?

I hope you are in the habit of meeting together with other believers.

If not, where are you and why?

Are you neglecting to meet together with other believers?

Let's examine our lives, reflect, pray and see what the Lord would have us do. Reading Hebrews, I am convinced that we are not to neglect meeting with believers.  So if you are a believer and neglecting this aspect of discipleship I am fully convinced that is not what the Lord wants for you.

You may be disgusted with the churches you have been to because of their practices and beliefs.  You may just be indifferent and not care about going.  You may have tried it and your life didn't look any different or the lives of those there were no different.  You may be lazy or "too busy."  We humans are so good at finding excuses and reasons to not.

But consider that there are others who need you! We need the body of believers.  The churches that you are disgusted with may need you as an example there or maybe you should start your own church. Houses do not have to be big to have church service within.  Our humble home of 1750 square feet gets packed out and church is able to happen because it isn't about the building, it's about the people.

My challenge and encouragement is for you to first examine your heart and life.  And then see where you can engage your community to either be discipled or be a disciple maker.  What are you devoted to right now??

I have found that dying to self is completely LIFE GIVING!