My Home Church Life Has Started

But I’m sure my choice was correct. From the Bible we know the first century Christians met in people’s homes, not in big well-built buildings or meeting halls, just ordinary people’s homes. And Jesus promised to his people that when two or three meet together he will be in their midst, as will the holy spirit as a helper. So I know that we are not alone. We were not a people who could find solace in a religious institution, but rather with our Lord himself in our hearts, when we meet together in the plain living room.

I remember one time going to a church with a friend. The church was clean and quiet with some nice people. The program was encouraging and very serious. The Lord’s meal was prepared such that everybody could drink and eat at the same time the pastor finished his prayer, much like an army drill. Everything seemed fine, but then came the time to sing a song. I looked at the song book and read, “Oh God died for us...” I couldn’t continue to sing any more and wanted to laugh. My friend asked me: “What’s wrong with you?”

“I just can’t imagine that almighty God could die,” I replied. Who can think about Jesus’ sacrifice seriously, and then tell me, “God can die and he died.” Jesus is God’s Son, and he definitely died, but God his Father did not die and never will die--the bible clearly states this.

Another time I went to another Church with some friends. So many people were there--more than 250. We sang lots of songs with very good lyrics and everybody seemed to enjoy them. During the pastor’s talk, we didn’t even look at the Bible--all the information was on a sheet of paper. Afterward, we sang again. During the singing, I saw people passing a small bag along the row in front of me. The funny thing was it was my friend’s first time at a church service. When the bag passed her, she put her used cup from the Lord’s meal into the bag. When the bag past me, I just saw her cute little cup on top of some envelopes and cash. My friend later complained that I should have told her to have some money prepared. She felt a little embarrassed and guilty. I know she just lost her job and was trying to find a new one in the slow market. Perhaps she was hoping to make some contacts at the church and was afraid she had made a bad impression.

I remember attending a big international religious convention. I met a dear friendly sister, and wanted to talk with her. Unfortunately she was too busy at that time to say anything except “Hi” to me, as well as to many other people. She is a nice sister--everyone loves her--but she seems too busy greeting too many people—mostly just “Hi” and a smile. It’s too bad I wasn’t able to talk with her during the meeting. It seems we’re too busy to get to know people better. I love her, but I do not know whether she knows this. Many people who claim to be Christian are too busy to show love to the people nearest them. We miss opportunities to learn HOW to show our love to people NEAREST us: our neighbors, our co-workers, even our families. I think many of us will feel shame for our lack of love when our Lord returns.

My home church life has started. I really enjoy being with new friends and the Lord, together as a small group. We meet every Sunday when we can. We sing songs. If I feel too tired to sing, I can suggest we go to the next item on the agenda. We listen to a brother’s talk, and have a discussion—all participate. Even those rambunctious children can give very spiritual comments and make good suggestions. We watch a video about our Lord Jesus—not that we can now see him with our eyes, but never the less, we can see him by our hearts--that he IS with us in spirit.

We are few now, but one day we may become bigger, like a growing baby, if the Lord wills. If we get too large we may need to split into another small church, because small groups seem better for intimate spiritual fellowship. At times, however, we may want to be with larger groups of the Lord’s sheep, so some home church brothers organize larger meetings and conventions for this purpose.

I know the Lord’s sheep are everywhere. He knows his sheep, no matter where they are, and they know him. I know the Lord’s work will be done one day, not by man, but by God. May we all endeavor to do God’s will, not our own, and demonstrate Christian love to all, especially those we are near.

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