Once and Future Church Notes

8/4/2019 Once and Future Church Notes

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Supplemental Notes:

The Once and

Future Church

Home Fellowships

Why is the divorce rate among Christians

no better than among unbelievers? What is

really meant by Thou shalt not take the

name of the Lord thy God in vain?

If you are not presently involved in a small,

weekly Bible study group, we strongly en-

courage you to find one and give it a try.

You will be in for a truly life-changing sur-

prise. If you cant find one, start one! Its

easierand more rewardingthan you canimagine. And we are here to help you.

2003 Koinonia House Inc.


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The Once and Future ChurchHome Fellowships

The Regeneration Gap

Over 2,000 churches planted per week.

150 million (1974) to 650 million (1998).

Silent exodus of people slipping out the back

doors almost unnoticed.

Attracted but not contained;

Interested but not inserted into fellowship;

Harvested but not gathered;

Touched but not transformed;

Looked in briefly but were disappointed in

what they saw

Caveats

Candor without malice. Critical Assessments.

Historical Reality:

Hegel, Santyana

Decision Theory:

Not a zero-sum game;

A mixed strategy is best.

Roles for each variety of fellowship.

The ideal of networked cells.

The Way It All Started

A group of 12 alongside a seashore.

The birth of the church at Pentecost was in a

house (Acts 2:2).

The early church met in houses: Acts 2:46; 5:42;

8:3; 9:11; 12:12; 16:40; 18:7; 20:20; 21:8; Rom 16:5;1 Cor 16:19; Col 4:15; 1 Tim 5:13-14; and Philemon

1:2.

As a persecuted church, it was the only safe

way to meet.

A Theatre of Miracles

Sovereign ways:

To make wine out of water;

To make donkeys talk;

To make water flow from a rock;

To part the sea (on several occasions);

To use ordinary people to accomplish

extraordinary ends.

Back to Basics

The Churchthe secret and powerful Society

of the Redeemed:

A place where people can literally see the

Body of Christ.

Not simply briefly touched by an abbrevi-

ated gospel of an evangelistic Blitzkrieg of

short duration.

A return to NT simplicity and authenticity.

No models: let the Spirit lead as He wills

Prophetic Foundations

Biblical Illiteracy Extant:

Allegorical myths.

The centerpiece of Israel and her destiny.

The imminent return of Christ.

The Pagan Fallacies:

Evolutionary myths.

Denial of absolutesRelativism.

Advantages of Small Groups

Disciplined multiplication (mitosis).

Free of growth barriers.


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More are involved participants.

Personal transformation & accountability.

More effective for new Christians.

Solves the leadership crisis.

More Biblical. Persecution-proof structure.

More efficient: lower cost.

Historical Review

31 B.C. - A.D. 14: Augustus; Christ born in his

reign.

A.D. 37: Tiberius; Christ crucified in his reign.

37-41: Caligula; unsuccessful attempt at desecra-

tion of Temple.

41-54: Claudius.

54-68: Nero; persecutions, blaming his burning

of Rome on Christians; executed Paul.

68-69: Galba.

69: Otho, Vitelius.

Historical Review

69-79: Vespasian; destroyed Jerusalem.

79-81: Titus.

81-96: Domitian; brief but violent, 1000s slain;

John banished to Patmos.

98-117: Trajan; sought to uphold the laws,

Christianity regarded illegal; formalities of

emperor worship.

117-138: Hadrian.

138-161: Antoninus Pius: Bar Kochba revolt;

Aelia Capitolina replaces Jerusalem.

The Decline

161-180: Marcus Aurelius; Most severe since

Nero; peak of Roman power.

180-192: Commodus.

192-284: Barrack Emperors; appointed by army,

Civil War.

193-211: Septimius Severus.

218-222: Caracalla; tolerated Christianity.

218-222: Elagabalus. 222-235: Alexander Severus; favorable to Chris-

tianity.

235 238: Maximin.

244-249: Phillips; very favorable to Christianity.

249-251: Decius; persecuted Christians furiously.

253-260: Valerian.

260-268: Galienus; favored Christians.

270-275: Aurelian.

284-305: Diocletian; persecuted Christians furi-

ously, most severely; systematically attempted

to abolish all by tortuous death.

Catacombs of Rome: hundreds of miles, 2-7

million graves.

Nicolaitanes

Nicolas, one of the 7 deacons (Acts 6:5).

Later influenced by Greek dualism,

Developed the clergical doctrine (Rev 2:6).

Nikao, conquer, above others.

Laity, the common people.

Thus, the clergy:

Two letters of Clement of Rome (~A.D. 100).

Letters of Ignatius of Antioch (110-117).

Elevation of the bishop to the autocratic head of

the local church.

Pergamy

220: Origen introduces infant baptism.

312: Constantine adopts Christianity. 325: Edit of Toleration: state-endorsed religion.

380: House churches outlawed.

431: Council of Ephesus: Mary worshiped as the

Mother of God.


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440: Leo the Great named Bishop of Rome.

445: Valentian confirmed as Spiritual leader of

the Western Empire.

500: Common priestly dress code.

565: Justinian: state-ordained church. 607: Boniface III: 1st Pope of Catholic Church.

709: Kissing Popes foot begins.

State Churches

786: Worship of images and relics develops.

850: Use of holy water begins.

995: Canonization of dead Saints.

998: Fasting on Fridays and before Lent.

1070: Celibacy of the priesthood instituted.

1090: Prayer beads adopted from paganism.

1184: Inquisition begins: Jews, witches, etc.

1254: Pope Innocence IV officially establishes

Inquisition.

1190: Sale of indulgences.

1215: Transubstantiation of water and wine. 1229: Reading the Bible forbidden to laymen.

1414: Communion cup forbidden to lay people.

1439: Doctrine of Purgatory decreed.

1492: Jews outlawed in Spain. Columbus sails.

1545: Tradition granted equal authority with

Bible.

The Reformation

1517: Luthers 95 Theses.

Zwingli, Melanchton, Calvin, John Knox,

and others

1526: Reversions to traditional forms of ser-

vices (vs. Anabaptists).

1530: All lay pastors teaching publicly are tobe killed.

Schwenckfeld outlawed; disciples jailed.

1600: 40 translations from the Latin Bible.

1700: Huguenots.

Claude Brousson publicly executed before

10,000.

Persecutions Continue

4th Century: Canonized by the State.

Independent fellowships outlawed and persecuted.

Reformation:

Soteriology (Salvation) reformed.

Other erroneous traditions retained.

Protestant leadership continues to persecute

deviant groups adhering to Biblical doctrines.

Protestant Reactions

Anabaptists:

1535-1546: 30,000 killed.

Labadies Converticle Brotherhoods.

The Priscillians. The Bogomilians.

Petrobusians.

Patarenians.

Waldensians.

Lollards.

et al.

Wesley Revival

Directed Growth & Discipleship:

Trial BandPrevenient Grace; provisional

seekers; 4-6 people, weekly, with a leader

(2-3 months).

Member of the United Society & Class

MeetingConvincing Grace (Mind); 12-36

people (2 years). Band MeetingConverting Grace (Will); 4-

8 people, separated, all born-again.


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Select Band: (Heart); Spirit-filled (Rom 5:5;

Gal 3:28) Mature Christians.

1768: after 30 years: 40 circuits; 27,341 mem-

bers. By 1800: 1 of 30 Englishmen.

The Rock: San Diego, CA

Everyone in Sunday Church is in a Small

Group (6-12).

Small Groups meet weekly with their Facilita-

tor.

Pray, hold themselves accountable, and dis-

cuss sermon notes.

When Small Group grows beyond 12, it is

forced to split into two.

In its first two years, the Rock has grown to

over 4,000.

The Congregational Church

A building (Cathedral, or Church).

A special day (Sunday).

A professional leadership (priest, clergyman,

pastor).

A special service, performed for the people: (cer-

emonies, interpretations, motivation).

A way to maintain itself (tithes and offerings).

Bill Beckham,The Second Reformation

The Life Cycle of Churches

People-oriented pastor.

Pulpit-oriented pastor.

Property-oriented pastorate.

Gideon: Snatching defeat from the jaws of

victory. Power-oriented pastorate.

Return of the Nicolaitanes.

Politically driven decay.

Accountability; management by hearsay.

The Objective Function.

Korean Fellowships

Organized by profession.

Special invitation only.

An Explosion Toward the Past:

Back to the Future

A Personal Discovery.

A Modern Trend of Hope.

The Persecuted Church.

Then.

Now.

As an Impact for You!

The Home Fellowship:

A Global Trend

The True Church

A supernatural invention.

Endowed with immortality.

The means to disciple each other.

Transfer of Jesus life to each other.

Turns:

Atheists to Apostles;

Policewomen into prophetesses;

Terrorists into teachers;

Plumbers into pastors;

Elders into evangelists.

Theses

A way of life, not a series of meetings:

The Way (Acts 18:26).


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No such thing as a house of God.

God does not live in temples made by

human hands.

Chewing gum in the sanctuary! vs .

Sanctuaries are chewing gum! No bureaucratic clergy in the NT.

No clerical mediators (1 Tim 2:5).

Nicolaitanes were adoptions from pagan

religions.

Line vs. staff: overhead or productive?

Alternatives

The Mega-Church.

The Local Congregational Church.

The Small Study Group:

Cells sponsored by the local church.

Home Fellowships.

Home Churches.

Some Issues

Mission Alternatives:

Evangelism.

Discipleship.

Leadership:

Prepared Teachers.

Discussion Facilitators.

Characteristics of Small Groups

Organic not organized; relational not formal.

Persecution-proof structure:

Matures under tears;

Multiplies under pressure;

Flourishes in the desert; Sees in the dark;

Thrives on chaos

Its only boast is the Lamb.

Koinonia

Fellowship, communication, communion, shar-

ing and participating with someone.

It cannot be organized: it must be led by theSpirit to bear meaningful fruit.

We can revisit the open, organic styles of the

NT, instead of being limited to the structured

approach canonized by the state in the 4 th cen-

tury

Finding the Right One

Neighborhood groups.

Professional groups.

Start Your Own!

Its easy.

God will surprise you

He always rewards the diligent.

Staying ahead a week at a time isnt hard.

Well help you

Alternative Start-ups

Video review and discussion:

A topical documentary, with refreshments.

Prophecy 101: four one-hour videos:

What is Prophecy;

Prophecy Past: Fulfilled;

End-Time Prophecy: Summarized;

Between Now and Then: Whats next?

Learn the Bible in 24 Hours

(3 semester hours degree credit)

Hermeneutics: Theories of Interpretation

Stages

Exegesis: What does the text say?

Exposition: What does it mean?


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Homiletics: Impact on your walk.

Handling Difficult Passages

You dont have to take sides.

Put Christ right in the middle and see what

happens

Expositional Teaching

The Whole Counsel of God (Acts 20:27).

Verse-by-verse, chapter-by-chapter.

Recognition of the systematic design of the com-

posite whole.

Every verse impacts, and is impacted by,

every other verse.

Every verse reveals something about Christ.

Hermeneutics

Levels

Peshat Literal sense.

Remez Hints of something deeper.

Drashah Homiletics, spiritual message.

Sod Mystical Conjectures.

PaRDeS Mnemonic: Paradise.

Topical Teaching

Focuses on specific doctrines or problem areas.

Can be hazardous:

Extracted segments involve editing and

biases.

Can result in majoring on the minors.

Long term values favor expositional approaches.

Matthew on Discipleship

Topics: Chapters:

Orientation 1-3

Selection 4

Instruction 5-7

Demonstration 8-9

Empirical Evaluation 10

Confrontation and Consultation 11-12

Revelation and Isolation 13 Dedication 14-15

Seeing Jesus as He really is 16-17

Accountability (Danger) 18

Compassion (Duty) 19-20

Crucifixion (Dying) 20-27

Resurrection (Destiny) 28

Accountability

Matthew 18 Procedures.

The Most Painful Sin.

The Role of Elders.

Strange Resums

Moses was 80 years old and wanted for murder;

Jacob was a schemer and con-artist;

Elijah and Jeremiah both suffered from depres-

sion;

Hosea couldnt keep his marriage together;

Amos was a farmer with no ministry training;

Peter tried to kill a man with his sword;

John Mark was a quitter;

Paul couldnt get along with his partner

Barnabas, and couldnt stay out of prison.

An Army of Nobodies: A Battle Cry for

Ordinary Followers of Christ

Under persecution or celebrated on talk shows;

Under unspeakable difficulties or walking on redcarpets;

Despised or adored;

Ridiculed or consulted;


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Cheated or honored;

Scorned or quoted;

Tortured or pampered;

With frequent flyer cards or walking barefoot;

Unknown or known

Storm Clouds on the Horizon

The Biblical Christian is becoming increasingly

politically incorrect.

The true church(es) will eventually be forced

underground:

The attack against them will be led by the

liberal denominational churches.

Leadership tools (Independent vs. Networked).

A Persecution-Proof Spirit

Contemporary Christianity is simply too harm-

less and polite to be worth persecuting.

Blessed are you when you are persecuted.

Computer Resources

Bible Software:

Blue Letter Bible (Internet);

eSword;

Parsons: QuickVerse;

Hermeneutica: BibleWorks;

Logos: Libronix Library.

Pocket PC: Laridian.

Our Challenge

We are being plunged into a period of time about

which the Bible says more than in does about anyother period in history including the time when

Jesus walked the shores of Galilee and climbed

the mountains of Judea.

Academic Credit

Learn The Bible in 24 Hours:

3 semester hours credit.

Mentoring to graduate credit (Masters; Ph.D.)

Louisiana Baptist University:

Tyndale Seminary.

Koinonia Institute.

Without Him, we cant. Without us, He wont.

Dedication

To many friends and patient mentors, especially

Pastor Ted Hax, Pastor Charles Schmitz, and Will-

iam E. Biggs, whom God used to instill my early

love for Gods Word; and Pastor Chuck Smith,

Walter Martin, and Hal Lindsey, who patiently en-

dured my growing pains. May whatever fruit which

results be credited to their account.

Bibliography

Beckham, William A., The Second Reformation, Touch Publica-tions, PO Box 19888, Houston TX, 77224.

Castillo, Metasalem Q, The Church in Thy House, Alliance

Publishers, Manila, 1982.

Fitts, Bob, The Church in the House, 5851 Kuakini Hwy, #107,

Kaulua-Kona HI, 96740.

Hadaway, C. Kirk, Stuart A. Wright and Francis M. DuBose,Home

Cell Groups and House Churches, Broadman Press, Nashville

TN, 1987.

Icenogle, Gareth Weldon, Biblical Foundations for Small Group

Ministry: An Integrative Approach, InterVarsity Press, DownersGrove IL, 1994.

Kreider, Larry, House to House, House to House Publications,

Ephrata PA, 17522.

Leypoldt, Martha M., Forty Ways to Teach in Groups, JudsonPress, Valley Forge PA, 1967.

Simson, Wolfgang ,Houses That Change the World, (manuscript in

publication), Focussuisse, Tannenstr. 3, 8200 Schaffhausen,

Switzerland.


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Commentaries on Tape

Chuck Misslers Expositional Commentar-

ies are now available from Koinonia House.

Each volume consists of eight cassette tapes

and includes notes, diagrams, and a compre-hensive bibliography. Write for a complete

list.

Monthly News Journal

PersonalUPDATE, a monthly news journal high-

lighting the Biblical relevance of current

events, is also available by writing:

Koinonia HouseP.O. Box D

Coeur dAlene, ID83816-0347

1-800-KHOUSE-1

www.khouse.org

Documents

Once and Future Church Notes