“We must not keep things in our hands. We must be willing to hand things over to other saints and to teach them. Then those who are younger will be raised up by the Lord to be useful. Concerning this point, our concept must change, and our system must change.” (Shepherding the Church and Perfecting the Young People, Chapter 3, Emphases added)
This is part 2 of a 3-part series summarizing the points on the God-ordained way brought out during the recent vitalization training for the churches in the West San Gabriel Valley in Southern California. Please use the comment section below for further fellowship on these points. For part 1 please click here.
6) Three ways of opening our home:
- Opening the living room: for meetings
- Opening the dining room: for meals
- Opening the (spare) bedrooms: for living
7) Four functions of an open home (where “joy is made full”):
- Prayer (John 16:24)
- Care (John 17:13)
- Share (1 John 1:4)
- Bear (John 15:11,8)
8 ) Home vs. Hall: Which is Better?
- For mutuality: Home
- For functioning: Home
- For ownership: Home
- For gospel: Home
- For care and shepherding: Home
- For students and YP: Home
- For young working saints: Home
- For language groups: Home
- For spreading: Home
- For being scriptural: Home
- For the God-ordained way: Home
- For the present burden of the ministry: Home
- For God’s economy: Home
- For convenience: Home
- For testimony: Hall
- For content: Hall
- For strength of prophesying: Hall
- For the riches of the ministry: Hall
- For training: Hall
- For children and YP meetings: Hall
Amen to this!
We must live a God-man living by setting up home meetings in order to be holy, living and spiritual, that is the way we can preach the gospel.
Amen!!!our concept must change, and our system must change!!!
wow! Praise the Lord! hallelujah!every home is qualified! Lord open our hearts and open our homes!
I respectfully would like say concerning point 8, “Home vs Hall”, that at most of the last 6 items listed as “Hall” are not better served in a big meeting hall rather than in a home meeting. Personally, I think only the seven feasts, the two trainings and the five conferences, and other types of trainings and conferences should be in a hall. Personally, I feel even the Lord’s table meeting, with the full coordination of responsible brothers, and the prophesying meeting should be in the homes on Lord’s day. This is just my opinion and there is nothing more important than the oneness of the Body… it seems like the apostles fellowship in the mid 1980’s made the matter of home meetings clear. One quote from Witness Lee, “80% of the church life should be in the homes..” No matter how strongly one may feel about things related to “Home vs Hall”, being rebellious is never God’s will and always damages the Body no matter how “right” you may be. Maintaing the oneness of the Body, the peace of the Spirit, and brotherly love can never be compromised. One may have a burden for something, but all things must be constrained, tested, and filtered by prayer and fellowship. As you can see I have strong, somewhat radical, feelings about home meetings. But if 60% of the meetings were in halls and only 40% in the homes, and it stayed that way until the Lord returned or I die.. Amen !! .. the church is glorious, the lampstands are golden; God’s economy will prevail and be victorious with God’s kingdom terminating this age and possessing the earth, and it will be done according to God’s parameters which is one church in one city, the blessed local churches.