Housechurches and Radical Restoration

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• Calls on us to plunge ourselves with abandon
  into truly being his people!
• Just think what a vibrant, victorious church we
  could be if all of us together were radically
  pure, practicing radical piety and radical
  relationships, and having a radical sense of
  being called as Gods elect!
• Warns that we must not be ineffectual quick-fix
  artists who deal only with the symptoms of our
  malaise, not the root causes.

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House-churches and Radical Restoration

• 1 John 41

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Characteristics of House-churches

• Emphasis on emotions and feelings of
  participants.
• Edification, not worship, stressed as primary
  reason for being together.
• Term church of Christ is usually disdained.
• Limit size of churches to groups small enough to
  meet in homes.
• The Lords Supper is a focus of the edification
  gathering and is usually meal-sized.
• Worship is relatively informal, spontaneous, and
  participatory.

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Highly Subjective

• Not Rules, but righteousness. Not Ritual, but
  spiritual.
• Weworry more about whether we are doctrinally
  restored thanwhether we are spiritually
  restored.
• Joy, peace, hope, and singing are described as
  ecstasy, similar to that of miraculous tongues.
• From what we can tell.Apparently.
  apparentpresumably.I wonder.this might have
  taken place.But it is also possible.If that
  were the case.might have beenequally possible.

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The Standard

• The Scriptures will make us complete.
• 2 Timothy 316, 17
• Without Gods rules, how can we know what
  constitutes righteousness?
• Isa. 558, 9 Jer. 1023 Rom. 101-3 Matt.
  721-23
• What commands are we to obey?
• John 1415 1 John 53

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The Standard

• The Scriptures will make us complete.
• Without Gods rules, how can we know what
  constitutes righteousness?
• What commands are we to obey?
• John 1415 1 John 53
• If ritual is unimportant why say, Do this? 1
  Cor. 1124, 25
• NT worship is not based on ecstasy.
• Eph. 518, 19 Col. 316

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• Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in
  all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another
  in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing
  with grace in your hearts to the Lord. Col. 316

• And do not be drunk with wine, in which is
  dissipation but be filled with the Spirit,
  speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and
  spiritual songs, singing and making melody in
  your heart to the Lord. Eph. 519

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The Standard

• The Scriptures will make us complete.
• Without Gods rules, how can we know what
  constitutes righteousness?
• What commands are we to obey?
• Jesus said, Do this. 1 Cor. 1124, 25
• NT worship is not based on ecstasy.
• Eph. 518, 19 Col. 316
• No excuse for dead worship, but worship must be
  guided by truth. John 423, 24

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Edification and the House-church

• Considered the key to the assemblies.
• Edification is redefined as an emotional high or
  a good feeling.
• Smith speaks of a state of ecstasy.

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The New Testament and Edification

• Assemblies should edify. 1 Cor. 1412, 26
• Edification means building up.
• It is not a good feeling, but spiritual
  maturity. Eph. 412-15
• The assemblies help us grow, but that is not
  necessarily their primary purpose.
• Paul rebuked the Corinthians for a spirit of
  self-glorification. 1 Cor. 1214-22, 29 131-3

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The New Testament and Edification

• Assemblies should edify. 1 Cor. 1412, 26
• Edification means building up.
• The assemblies help us grow, but that is not
  necessarily their primary purpose.
• Edification is not more important than worship of
  God.
• Heb. 1019-25
• Worship benefits/edifies others. Col. 316 Eph.
  519

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• Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in
  all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another
  in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing
  with grace in your hearts to the Lord. Col. 316

• And do not be drunk with wine, in which is
  dissipation but be filled with the Spirit,
  speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and
  spiritual songs, singing and making melody in
  your heart to the Lord. Eph. 519

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The New Testament and Edification

• Assemblies should edify. 1 Cor. 1412, 26
• Edification means building up.
• The assemblies help us grow, but that is not
  necessarily their primary purpose.
• Edification is not more important than worship of
  God.
• Heb. 1019-25
• Worship benefits/edifies others. Col. 316 Eph.
  519
• Psalm 951-7 1001-5

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Conclusion

• House-churches are not the answer to a spiritual
  slump.
• God has revealed a concrete standard.
• True worship will also edify. Dont replace the
  worship of God with perceived needs.
• Will you listen to what God says regarding
  salvation?

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