Monday, March 28, 2011

Meeting new brothers and sisters

I went to a nearby meeting of a small group of believers yesterday. They would certainly fall under the “house church” umbrella even though they meet in the rec center of a retirement community. I went with my two older daughters, not sure what to expect. I mean I pretty much knew what to expect but it still is a different experience. We all met in a common area, sitting in a circle. Several of the people in attendance played guitar and we ended up singing quite a few songs. The whole meeting was mostly unscripted, opening and closing in prayer and the rest of the time (around an hour and a quarter) was taken up with song requests, some Scripture reading and a few recountings of events in the last week where God was moving in their lives. The only real drawbacks? We didn’t eat and I am all about eating! Also there weren’t a lot of smaller children. I am wondering what we would do with the littlest kids. They will sit still for a while but eventually are going to get up. I think that will be a “problem” in any intimate setting where we don’t have a nursery to shuffle the kids off to. It still was a great group of people and we will definitely gather with them again. My wife and I are going to meet with one couple from this group (we had planned this before Sunday) later this week and we are looking forward to getting to know them more and find out more about their group. It never ceases to amaze me just how many people there are, people hungry for God and His Word and His Spirit, who are outside of the confining walls of “the church”. There are lots of people inside as well of course but we have missed so many of those outside because they aren’t where we expect to find them: in homes, in rented rooms and store fronts, schools and libraries. There is such a vibrant community out there! Not perfect people, not perfect groups by any means but people who are sincere and hungry for Christ. As we get to know more and more people in our community, my prayer is that along with meeting other Christians and being in genuine fellowship and community with them, we will reach the lost where they are and as the Holy Spirit regenerates them, welcome them into the community of faith. If a church group is not spending a great deal of time in a replicating and expanding mode instead of a reinforcing and sustaining mode, it will quickly atrophy and become just another institution. A church group can slide along on inertia and tradition for a very long time and there are plenty of those out there already that have virtually no impact on their community and little sense of community within the body. I say better an unpredictable, often messy group that reaches the lost than a safe and predictable group that is content with playing at church.

5 comments:

Tim A said...

I wonder if the group is too large to meet in a home. Only meeting in homes trains saints in the key dynamic of hospitality. It is also key to meet in a home so that the man of that house can take up key responsibilities as head of that home for the gathering saints. Offering up your home to be "invaded" by several families and children is a key dynamic of humility and service in the vein of "washing one another's feet" that will not happen if other locations are used all the time.

Believers who reject meeting in homes in order to have a "bigger" gathering, and like it that way for preference 1, 2 and 3, will be lacking in key elements of mutuality and intimacy that only come when you offer your home for gathering or when you are received into another's home.

Believers who think gathering time should be free of children crying, noise from floor play, moving around, going to the bathroom, etc, are like the disciples who wanted to send the children away. This is arrogance as far as the kingdom of God is concerned.

We have had gatherings where there were 30 children under 12 in one room and the Spirit was powerful in our lives. When I ask for someone to thank God for giving His body and blood for us and 5 children shoot up their hands and each one leads us in powerful communion with the Father, I am experiencing "...power together with all the saints...". Eph. 3:18 NIV When a 12 year old girl asks to sing "Man of sorrows, what a name, for the son of God who came, ruined sinners to recalim..." I would never trade this for any child free gathering. When a 4 year old boy toddles over to sit on your lap and then his 5 year old sister comes to join him on your other knee, you know something of God's kingdom that adult only gatherings are clueless of.

Arthur Sido said...

Tim, I think you misunderstand. There was nothing in this group that implied that our children were unwelcome at all.

Tim A said...

"The only real drawbacks? We didn’t eat and I am all about eating! Also there weren’t a lot of smaller children. I am wondering what we would do with the littlest kids. They will sit still for a while but eventually are going to get up. I think that will be a “problem” in any intimate setting where we don’t have a nursery to shuffle the kids off to. "

If the saints there want to "shuttle the kids off" or if you feel you should "shuttle the kids off", either way there is a sad problem. I would think that if a gathering had any real intimacy going on, they would be making it obvious that they want the children there. You would see babies being passed from person to person for loving and soothing. You would see children participating in prayer and reading the Word. You would see 3 and 4 year olds moving from lap to lap for cuddling and bouncing.

Arthur Sido said...

Tim

There weren't any little kids present when we were there. At all. None. There were two minors in the room, one was maybe ten and one was late teens, both a bit old for cuddling. I told everyone there I had eight kids from 17 to 3 and they were thrilled and asked us to bring them next week multiple times. Since this was our first time in a setting like this, I am expressing something that is on my mind, which apparently is a "sad problem".

You perhaps need to dial back your offense meter a bit.

Tim A said...

It's' good to share what's on your mind. It raises the possibility that you may reveal a "sad problem" going on in your mind and you don't realize it yet. God has saints prepared to offer rebuke and correction. You offer this yourself to others. There is no need to bristle when it is your turn to receive it. One another life is both give and take. I only spoke what was in line with Jesus's own rebuke to his disciples when they wanted to "shuffle the kids off".