Everyone is on Facebook today – and this website can be a very evil, ensnaring, time-consuming, lust inciting, dark, dark place. But you can be for the Lord on Facebook and declare God’s Word, share your enjoyment, post some verses, or even ask questions that help others touch the Lord.
Since these days many of our friends are on Facebook, and I am honored to have as Facebook Friends lots of brothers & sisters in the Lord, lovers of Christ, and pursuers of the Lord out of a pure heart – one day I asked them this question,
what do you LOVE the most in the home meetings?
What aspect of the home meeting you really enjoy?
And here are some of the answers I got from my dear friends / co-partakers of the grace on facebook (these are only SOME of the answers people left for this question):
- Amen! 🙂 First prayer to be able to enjoy each pursuance and understanding and above all be especially appreciate the owners purpose home visitation. Because the presence of God is overflowing with each other, and the atmosphere of the meeting is very high and the enjoyment will not lose anything of years to come, in our memory. I love you Lord Jesus Christ 🙂
- Shepherding one another & pursuing corporately 🙂
- ”Christ in me, Christ in you, Christ in us! O what the wonderful story. Christ in me, Christ in you, Christ in us. The hope of Glory!” (chorus #498) I love Christ in one another through mutuality at my home meeting!
- We eat dinner then we eat CHRIST!! Amen!!!!!! He’s so available to us.
- Food!!!! In both senses of the word – physical food and then Christ as our food!
- I love the food, the fellowship with the saints, specific prayers, singing hymns & the sharing!!! I miss all of that…
- I love the Presence of God, the mutual shepherding, the love of the saints….
- As a student living in the dorms and away from home, I get very very cherished with a plate of good food every week… and then to be able to be shepherded by all the saints, like a family…
- I enjoy the fellowship we have while eating, and then afterwards. Thus, before and after the ‘meeting’… since it seems to be more free-flowing.
- The open hearts of the saints visited and also the family atmosphere…
The Homes are God’s Way!
You know, the homes are the God-ordained way for us to be – both humanly and spiritually – born, cared for, cherished, nourished, loved, shepherded, raised up, perfected, blended, trained, and even matured. We need the homes – not just the “home meetings”, but the homes of the saints. We shouldn’t abandon our gathering together as some do (see Heb 10:25) – we need to have a home which is “our own assembly together”. Don’t leave the assembly together but gather with your folks!
Where can we open to the Lord and to the saints to receive shepherding? It is in the homes. Where can we be perfected in the truth and in our speaking? It is in the homes. Where can we open about our day, our situation, our problems, our friends, our family, our relatives, our future, our decisions? It is in a home environment, where we are around the table, we enjoy the nice home-made food, and we can normally, casually, and warmly talk about these matters.
A change in concept: Being in the Homes!
How much we need to have our concept changed from “going to church” or “being in the meetings” to “being in the homes“! The children, the young people, the students, the young adults, the working ones, the parents, the adults, the older ones, the grandparents, the more mature ones – we all of all ages need to be in the homes! Day by day, continuing steadfastly, from house to house, partaking of the bread with exultation and simplicity of heart… (Acts 2:42).
In the homes God can carry out His purpose by perfecting us, building us up, dispensing Himself into us, blending us together, and building up the Body of Christ through the functioning of each member in its measure! The Body is built up in a very normal, sweet, and non-formal way by saints eating together and exercising the spirit to enjoy the Lord together! In this way, we can become vital, living, active, and fruit-bearing! The fruit is in the homes – and it is so fresh!
About aGodMan
Amen.
Whenever we hear that God wants to move we think that God wants to have big movement or big meetings but God desires to move through homes….
He desires move home each one of us… It could be not wonderful if each home could be so open not for big but for small vital enjoyment of our dear Lord and genuine care for one another…? It Is good to have a dreams and ask the Lord to be a part of such dream 🙂
Whenever I meet with saints at home or hear about the home meetings in my heart I have words of this song:
" Never did I dream before,
Such a place could e'er be found…
…Praise You, Lord, it's really true,
I'm in Your own family.
….At the closing of this age,
Just before Your kingdom's dawn,
May You gain a people, Lord,
For Your dwelling place, Your home.
Since for me You gave Your all,
Everything I lay aside;
For Your church my all I'd give,
That You would be satisfied."
http://www.hymnal.net/hymn.php/nt/1238
We were recently enjoying the Life-study of 1 Thessalonians msg. 18 (by brother Lee), and this portion really stood out and helped me a lot, concerning the church life and, being long suffering toward one another.
"We shouldn't dream that the church life is an utopia, and we shouldn't advertise it or speak of it as such – on the contrary, the church life is full of problems. If we would not have problems, it is most likely we wouldn't be here! But praise the Lord, the church life is like a hospital where we come with all our problems and we learn to be longsuffering toward one another. Moving away from the saints who seem to be a problem to us or to bring all their problems to us is NOT the solution – we need to take Christ as our patience and learn to be longsuffering. This is so wonderful…
Today we are still in the old creation, not in the New Jerusalem. This is the reason there are many problems among the saints. According to my experience, every one of us can be a problem to others. I may be a problem to you, and you may be a problem to me. On the one hand, we may love all the saints; on the other hand, they may cause us problems. Therefore, we need to be longsuffering toward all.
We should not dream that the church will be a utopia. On the contrary, the church life is full of problems. If a believer does not have any problems, it is not likely that he will come into the church life. Those who have no problems have no need for the church life. In a sense, the church is a hospital filled with those who are sick. For this reason, we need to be longsuffering toward all the saints.
Do not be bothered when others come to you with problems, even with problems that seem to be small and insignificant. In particular, those who are little-souled may come to you with minor problems. To such ones, even a hair is like a heavy weight. Instead of being angry at them for bringing such a small thing to you, help them to deal with their problems. However, an elder may be irritated by one who brings a little problem to him. Elders, learn to be longsuffering, especially toward the weak and those with a little soul. Any brother who expects to be an elder must be longsuffering. Paul’s word in verse 14, however, is not limited to elders; it is a word for all the saints.
A number of times saints have come to me saying that they cannot tolerate the church life in their locality and want to move elsewhere. I told them that if they move to a different place, they will find the situation in the new place to be even worse. If they travel from place to place, eventually they will probably prefer the locality where they began. This is a common experience among church travelers. Instead of seeking to move to a different locality where you think the situation in the church will be better, remain where you are and be longsuffering toward all. Because no church is heavenly, free of problems, all the saints, and not only the elders, need longsuffering."
It's easy for me to look at myself, and see utter failure. I have a hard time a lot of times, not getting consumed with this view. When I look at myself, I always see things from a certain angle that causes me to see all my short-comings, and it quickly and thoroughly discourages me, and even brings on a measure of depression. From this vantage point, I see that I basically squandered my opportunities; those I had while in college, and later in my career choices. I also married in haste, to someone I had little to nothing in common with. I was ready to die, hoping to even, at the young age of 32. Everything seemingly fell apart all at once for me at that time. I was a walking dead man, living day to day, just surviving somehow. That is how I see things from the view-point of 'me', and what 'I' did. Not very encouraging. My life story to that point, mirrored in many respects, the experiences of both Moses, and Joseph. Through no aspiration of my own, I found myself in a position of great power and authority, only to see it vanish within a relatively short period of time. I didn't try to hold onto it. I only prayed, "Lord, Your will be done."
When, however, I am taken in spirit to another vantage point and see things from God's perspective, the entire scene changes….
From His point of view, things are going as planned. Everything is working out quite well. His purpose is so much higher and greater than ours. His economy does not depend on my, or anyone's worldly success.
And so, at 43 years of age, I came to a place, hoping to find fellowship with one or more people who really loved and praised the Lord. In that place, I found much more. I found the Lord's building work. He is carrying out His economy in secret. We, however, know the secret. And to us, everything is in perfect order. We see Him working both corporately, and in our individual lives. In both arenas, He is doing amazing things. He is manifesting Himself to us now, so that when He appears, we will be happy, not overwhelmed. We will be glorified with Him, not awestruck by His return. We love His appearing, not hoping for its delay because it might interfere with what we're enjoying in life. We love His appearing, because HE is our life, and our enjoyment. So, having Him with us in Person, will be a kind of relief, not a disturbance to our goings and doings. How wonderful to know that we are in Him now, and we will be forever with the Lord Jesus!!
Amen.
Whenever we hear that God wants to move we think that God wants to have big movement or big meetings but God desires to move through homes….
He desires move home each one of us… It could be not wonderful if each home could be so open not for big but for small vital enjoyment of our dear Lord and genuine care for one another…? It Is good to have a dreams and ask the Lord to be a part of such dream 🙂
Whenever I meet with saints at home or hear about the home meetings in my heart I have words of this song:
” Never did I dream before,
Such a place could e’er be found…
…Praise You, Lord, it’s really true,
I’m in Your own family.
….At the closing of this age,
Just before Your kingdom’s dawn,
May You gain a people, Lord,
For Your dwelling place, Your home.
Since for me You gave Your all,
Everything I lay aside;
For Your church my all I’d give,
That You would be satisfied.”
http://www.hymnal.net/hymn.php/nt/1238
We were recently enjoying the Life-study of 1 Thessalonians msg. 18 (by brother Lee), and this portion really stood out and helped me a lot, concerning the church life and, being long suffering toward one another.
“We shouldn’t dream that the church life is an utopia, and we shouldn’t advertise it or speak of it as such – on the contrary, the church life is full of problems. If we would not have problems, it is most likely we wouldn’t be here! But praise the Lord, the church life is like a hospital where we come with all our problems and we learn to be longsuffering toward one another. Moving away from the saints who seem to be a problem to us or to bring all their problems to us is NOT the solution – we need to take Christ as our patience and learn to be longsuffering. This is so wonderful…
Today we are still in the old creation, not in the New Jerusalem. This is the reason there are many problems among the saints. According to my experience, every one of us can be a problem to others. I may be a problem to you, and you may be a problem to me. On the one hand, we may love all the saints; on the other hand, they may cause us problems. Therefore, we need to be longsuffering toward all.
We should not dream that the church will be a utopia. On the contrary, the church life is full of problems. If a believer does not have any problems, it is not likely that he will come into the church life. Those who have no problems have no need for the church life. In a sense, the church is a hospital filled with those who are sick. For this reason, we need to be longsuffering toward all the saints.
Do not be bothered when others come to you with problems, even with problems that seem to be small and insignificant. In particular, those who are little-souled may come to you with minor problems. To such ones, even a hair is like a heavy weight. Instead of being angry at them for bringing such a small thing to you, help them to deal with their problems. However, an elder may be irritated by one who brings a little problem to him. Elders, learn to be longsuffering, especially toward the weak and those with a little soul. Any brother who expects to be an elder must be longsuffering. Paul’s word in verse 14, however, is not limited to elders; it is a word for all the saints.
A number of times saints have come to me saying that they cannot tolerate the church life in their locality and want to move elsewhere. I told them that if they move to a different place, they will find the situation in the new place to be even worse. If they travel from place to place, eventually they will probably prefer the locality where they began. This is a common experience among church travelers. Instead of seeking to move to a different locality where you think the situation in the church will be better, remain where you are and be longsuffering toward all. Because no church is heavenly, free of problems, all the saints, and not only the elders, need longsuffering.”