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Why I Miss my Church Overseas

by BenT
9/06/2022 / Church Life

Size and Participation

We rotated homes each Sunday. We seldom had fewer than seven or eight people, and whenever we reached 25-30 members consistently, we broke into two separate groups.

If you entered the home on a Sunday morning at the appointed time, you were already known by at least one other church member (the person/family you came with). In the North American context, however, I can usually slip in and out of a church gathering unnoticed, without speaking to anyone.

To regularly attend our overseas church and not be an active participant would be awkward. Imagine not participating or contributing in your own home, with your own family. This happens, but signals dysfunction. Some are gifted teachers of the Bible, some are great with service in the community, others want to take care of the needs of children, some enjoy cooking or cleaning, etc. People in our overseas church were known and recognized for what they could contribute to the whole church; we learned together, developed our faith and were encouraged together, and in a very organic way shared this new life with those around us who were not yet part of the community of faith.

In the New Testament church, the Temple courts would see larger numbers of Christ followers continuing in public worship, just as they had before excepting Jesus as Messiah. The full, functional life of the early church, however, was primarily found in the smaller home groups. Gathered in homes or by the river or wherever possible, Christians studied Scripture and listened to teaching, ate together, prayed and sang together, encouraged one another, then scattered into their own homes, markets and workplaces, testifying of Jesus' death and resurrection as they went.

Finances

Because Christians in the first century met in homes, they were not limited by one physical location, but could easily change locations if threatened by authorities. They moved and flowed and spread, like water. When offerings were made in the early church, the funds were used to help the poor (widows, orphans, others in need), and for the spread of the Gospel (evangelism).

In North America, the god of comfort ("You shall have no other gods before Me," Exodus 20:3)) has replaced the God of all comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3). Throughout the ages, persecuted Christians have depended completely on God's deliverance. As understood from the teachings of Christian Scripture, deliverance might come from God while on this earth, but if not, the ultimate deliverance would certainly come after physical death, through reigning with Christ in His eternal kingdom.

I confess that I'm strongly influenced by the cultural cravings for comfort; I have to keep my guard up against simply going with the "cultural Christian" flow, especially while Stateside. But I feel sad and frustrated when churches close the doors to their building because they're unable to maintain it, or pay for utilities. Anger wells up within me when I think about, at the other extreme, the millions of dollars that some churches pour into their facilities and productions, or when I see senior pastors who live and dress more like corporate CEOs or rock stars.

Overseas, because we rotated the location of our gatherings, no one family was ever overly-burdened by hosting people in their home or providing snacks or meals. We shared responsibilities and resources. Because we knew each other well, needs were addressed and provided for naturally and openly. Offerings were freely given as members made each other aware of special project needs: funds for language lessons, clothes for orphans, meals for a sick church member, Bibles or audio recordings of Scripture for those who previously had no access to them.

Leadership

I'm not convinced that the authoritative, senior pastor-figure of most North American churches today was ever what Jesus envisioned for leadership in the local church.

While larger crowds sometimes assembled to hear major teachers and evangelists such as Peter, John, James, and Paul, these leaders were not functioning as local church leaders. They were proclaiming the Good News about Jesus, and passing on the essential teachings of the church - how to think and behave as followers of Christ.

The elders, or overseers, and those gifted as pastors ("under-shepherds") in local churches emerged naturally as members of these house churches recognized their hard work. They worked in obscurity. Their humble, Christ-like leadership was obvious to those closest to them, however, and they were able to teach the truths of Scripture and care for their flock. They also shared leadership responsibilities. Local 1st century house churches had no central authority figure, but church members considered Christ as their Great Shepherd, and the teachings of the apostles as authoritative.

One criticism of a shared, less-hierarchal ("flat") leadership model of house churches is that the door is left open for non-Biblical, false teachings to enter. With a strong, central authority figure, the church can be protected from heresy more easily, some argue. This criticism is not valid, however, since we have many examples of authoritarian pastors and preachers diverging from sound, orthodox teaching and leading their congregations into anti-Christian, destructive behaviors.

A small, simple New Testament church whose members are committed to Christ as the Head and to the authority of Scripture, however, is more likely to recognize and less likely to tolerate strange ideas and teachings. With a plurality of elders/pastors, the accountability level for solid, Biblical teaching is very high.

In one of our home churches, we had two visitors come for several weeks in a row. No one had invited them, and we were uncertain as to how they had learned about our small gathering. Over time, we realized they were part of a larger organization whose members had many non-Biblical beliefs. For example, they believed that they were the one true church and all other churches were false, and directives from their leader were equivalent to and could supersede Biblical teachings. As soon as their teachings were brought to light, our church explained more clearly what we believed and how we would not compromise our faith and Biblical teachings. They were unwilling to change their thinking, and so never returned to our gathering.

Over the last few years, I've moved into the area of personnel training and development with an international company. I enjoy learning and following my curiosity.

Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com-CHRISTIAN WRITERS

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