Have You Considered Home Church?

Mark Virkler's picture

The following is part of the final paper from Samuel Bowman as he completed the Christian Leadership University course "THE331 House Church." His enthusiasm is contagious. Enjoy!


Everything I thought about church has changed over the past twelve months and, God’s Simple Plan for His Church by Nate Krupp has been instrumental…For some fifty years, I sat in the pew, sensing that something was wrong, but I just couldn’t put my finger on it. I thought the whole problem was just me, that I just didn’t fit…Through Spirit-led circumstances I found Christian Leadership University where I found a course called House Church, also authored and proctored by Nate Krupp. Through Nate’s course, and a volume he recommended called Nexus, God was about to rock my world.

I was so excited when I got the course! I picked up Nate’s book the first night and began to read. Page after page spoke right to every question as we were beginning our house church. I distinctly remember finishing at about two o’clock in the morning. I laid the book down on my chest and looked up at the ceiling and I had the feeling that I had just been freed from the fowler’s snare. I felt like I had been rescued from a life of deception. I couldn’t believe I had been part of such an unbiblical system and I felt like I had been delivered from prison right at the hour of execution. I just kept thinking unbelievable! And, how could we have been so wrong all that time? How could we have read the Word all these years and missed God’s true plan for His church?

I told God how sorry I was for wasting so much time sitting in the pew, letting the professionals perform my responsibility for me. I praised Him for His Word and for revelation that was setting me free to do the very things I felt I had so often been past over for. I determined that my final twenty-five years would be spent using my Holy Spirit gifting to bring people to Christ and to teach them what church really is and how to have church with their own families, right in their own home.

Krupp’s book is an easy-to-read, straightforward manual chocked full of Scriptures on each on all the relevant issues…The very first thing Nate does is redefine Church from Scripture - as not a building, a place, a meeting you go to or a service. The Church is me and you. Nate goes to the original language several times in his book, but starts with the Greek word for church Ekklesia, simply meaning "called out ones." The church is anyone Jesus calls to Himself to become His body, part of who He is....

Nate’s book covers virtually every issue relative to what the Scripture says about church: women in leadership, defining what a church is and how it functions, cities as the scriptural boundary for defining local church, who is really a minister, the role of the Holy Spirit and practical considerations when meeting in the home and much more.

If we are going save our grandchildren we must bring real church back into the home!


Read Sam's entire final report for this course by clicking here.

Order the course "House Church" here. (Scroll down as courses are listed alphabetically.) 


What about you? Have you ever been part of a home church? What was your experience? Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
 

Related Blogs: 

Healthy Relationships   
Add new comment

Comments

Anonymous's picture

oh boy! I felt like I was reading our life of the past year. My husband and I are in the middle of rearranging our lives after the Lord took us from our comfortable pews and began to work on us and in us! We sat in our seats, led worship and all that for 25 plus years and although I don't feel like it was a waste, it is an awesome, freeing feeling to know that now the Lord has opened our eyes to see what He wants us to do! My husband has said for many YEARS that we "DO" church wrong...but never could we actually put a name to that problem. I am also reading Nates book and have begun to try to figure out how to get in touch with him. I am wondering if you could help me with this or know who could? He lives in our home state, only a short few hours from our home and I would LOVE to see if we can arrange a meet with our "home church".

Thanks so much for posting! GOD IS MOVING!!!!

Add new comment

CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.

Results

Results 251 - 260 of 490

Pages

How Could I Have Been So Wrong? MP3 Download Package

Mark Virkler | 80 Page PDF eBook | 16 MP3 Sessions

This is my story of how my cardiac event was resolved by combining the best in medical care, Christian spirituality, and nutrition. 

I was NOT supposed to have a cardiac event. I ate a healthy diet, exercised several times a week, consumed lots of great nutrition and sought to live destressed by abiding in Christ. This story contains the lessons I learned in the months of healing after having emergency surgery which involved five heart bypasses.

Price: $24.95

How to Walk by the Spirit Group Leader Bonus Resources

10 Books, 1 CD, Only $80 (Retail Value $99)

Outstanding tools to promote your event! This package includes: 10 How to Walk by the Spirit books plus a CD-ROM packed with promotional items.

Need help structuring your class? Download a 10-week assignment schedule.

Price: $80.00

Prayers That Heal the Heart PowerPoint

by Mark Virkler | 1 Disc

If you are teaching the course Prayers That Heal the Heart, then these 181 Powerpoint slides on CD-ROM will make your classroom presentation powerful and attractive.

The PowerPoint series follows the Prayers That Heal the Heart book and LEARN notebook, so you will want each of your students to have a copy of the LEARN notebook, and each family should have a copy of the full textbook. 

Price: $19.95
Prayers That Heal the Heart PowerPoint Download

Prayers That Heal the Heart PowerPoint Download

by Mark Virkler

If you are teaching the course Prayers That Heal the Heart, then these 181 Powerpoint slides will make your classroom presentation powerful and attractive.

The PowerPoint series follows the Prayers That Heal the Heart book and LEARN notebook, so you will want each of your students to have a copy of the LEARN notebook, and each family should have a copy of the full textbook. 

Price: $19.95

Prayers That Heal the Heart Revised Group Leader Bonus Resources

10 Books, 1 CD, Only $40 (Retail Value $183)

Outstanding tools to promote your event! This package includes: 10 LEARN Prayers That Heal the Heart Notebooks; 50 “Prayers That Heal the Heart” hand-out cards; plus a CD-ROM packed with promotional items and teaching PowerPoint slides.

Price: $40.00

Rivers of Grace PowerPoint

185 slides

If you are teaching the course Rivers of Grace, these 185 PowerPoint slides will make your classroom presentation dynamic and attractive. You will want each of your students to have a copy of the LEARN notebook, and each family should have a copy of the full textbook

Price: $34.95

Your Winning Team card

By Mark and Patti Virkler

In the multitude of counselors there is wisdom, safety and success. This 5.5 X 8.5 inch card is a simple reminder to look to several people God has provided you who together comprise the five heart motivations which underlie the five-fold team God speaks about in Ephesians 4:7-11 - apostle, prophet, pastor, teacher and evangelist. 

Incorporating counsel from several individuals who together can express these five varied heart motivations lets you make wise, mature decisions (Eph. 4: 11-15).

Price: $2.00

Conversation Starters for Christians

By Gloria Gierach | 200 Cards | Retail $24.99

With all the Conversation Starters out there, why another one?  It’s simple!  As Christians, we have a spiritual component to our lives that the typical Conversation Starter question does not address.  Crossfire Conversation Starters for Christians has questions specifically designed to create connection and community and to encourage faith.  Each question can cause you to think and be inspired to have deep, exciting and meaningful conversations. 

Price: $24.99

Hearing God's Voice for Healing PowerPoint

Mark and Patti Virkler | 276 PowerPoint Slides| Retail: $29.95

This set of 276 PowerPoints walk you through the teaching of our book, Hearing God’s Voice for Healing. In addition, we have turned these 276 PowerPoints into a student workbook, called LEARN Hearing God’s Voice for Healing. There are three PowerPoints down the left side of each page, and the right side contains space to write your own personal notes, reflections, journaling, and insights.

Price: $29.95
Naturally Supernatural PowerPoint

Naturally Supernatural PowerPoint

by Mark Virkler | 178 Slides on 1 Disc

Revised & Expanded 30th Anniversary Edition. If you are teaching the course Naturally Supernatural, then these 178 PowerPoint slides on CD-ROM will make your classroom presentation powerful and attractive. If you are going to use the DVDs to teach this course, then the PowerPoint is already interwoven into the DVDs.

Price: $24.95

Pages