“Life Change Happens Best in Relationship!”
It’s true. It’s how we grow. We need one another. God created us for one another; to be in community with one another. And we will never become the people God created us to be apart from it! We were created for community (watch this past Sunday’s sermon about this if you missed it: “Church as a Family”).
Which is why we do Home Churches at The Gathering. We do Home Churches because we believe that spiritual friendship (combined with the power and work of the Holy Spirit who brings God’s word to life in us) is the key ingredient for spiritual growth. Having people in our lives who we can feel safe with, who we can ‘take off our masks’ with, who we can be ourselves with… People who love us no matter what, who will call us on our brokenness and sin, who will pray with and for us, who will challenge us, who will encourage us, who will dig into God’s word with us; We NEED these kinds of people & relationships in our lives in order to grow. We can’t become mature in our faith apart from this. It’s just not possible!
Now, do Home Churches always end up creating these kind of spiritual friendships? No, they don’t. Are Home Churches always a ‘safe place’ for everyone involved? Sadly, no. Does being in a Home Church automatically guarantee that you will grow and make great friends? No, that’s not the way it works. Home Church does not guarantee you any of this. None of this is automatic just because you join a group.
But what being in a Home Church (and more importantly – what regularly participating in a Home Church) can do, is slowly teach us to become that spiritual friend to others (inside AND outside of our Home Church). By simply committing to regularly participating you CAN grow to become an encourager of others. And a more genuine & authentic friend to others. And a more spiritual Christ-centred support to others. If we let it, the Home Church experience can help us to grow and to become these kinds of loving friends to others.
Ultimately, all Home Church really does promise to do is to create a regular environment where there is potential for this kind of growth to happen. But like everything else in life and in the church, it’s not as much about what you can get out out of it but what you put into it that matters.
So this fall, if The Gathering is your home, let me encourage you to give Home Church a try. And not just for one week, but try it out for at least 6 weeks. Because relationships take time to grow. This kind of connection doesn’t just happen over night. If you’re interested – Drop me an email and I’d love to help you connect.
Finally, let me encourage you to avoid the temptation to white knuckle it and to try to figure it all out on your own. You can’t! Avoid the cultural pull towards individualism and independence. God created us to need one another. Jesus prayed that we would be one, as He and His Father are one. The early church did everything together. It’s how we grow and become more like Jesus!
So, let’s commit to regularly participating in a Home Church this fall… Because Life Change Happens Best on Relationships!
