Open Home Meetings
And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus.
Acts 5:42
Deeper Knowledge.
We discuss the Bible during these meetings. Every meeting centers upon a passage of Scripture. Participants are encouraged to discuss its meaning and application to their lives. We get so much information in church passively, but educators have revealed that many of us are active learners and need to engage with others in order to process information.
Sunday evening services are a little different at Ashville Road. Instead of meeting at the building on Sunday evenings, Ashville Road meets in each others’ homes on the second and fourth Sundays of the month. We call these Open Home Meetings.
Open Home Meetings capture the spirit of the early church as described in Acts 5:42.
The early church continuously proclaimed the truth that Jesus is King. Luke explains that their approach was to do this in two specific spheres. First of all, they taught “in the temple,” that is, in public, to assemblies like churches. We do this several times a week, not to mention the messages that go out through YouTube and Facebook videos online.
The second sphere has not been utilized as well – “from house to house.” In addition to proclaiming Jesus in the public arena, the early Christians met in small home gatherings where they shared meals together, studied the Scriptures, confessed their sins, prayed for one another, and strengthened relationships.
Culturally, we have a difficult time working house to house teaching into our schedules. We are so busy these days. But we cannot neglect this important method for spreading the message of Christ. We ask, “Why aren’t we growing as the early church did?” There are, of course, many answers to this question, but one is that we are not meeting from house to house.
What are our goals for open home meetings? Here’s a quick list:
Stronger Relationships.
Christians are part of the family of God. We are brothers and sisters in Christ who should grow in our love toward one another (Philippians 1:9; Hebrews 13:1). During open home meetings, we eat together, discuss the Bible, and share our burdens (Galatians 6:2). As a result, bonds are strengthened, friendships are nurtured.
Evangelism.
How will we reach the lost in our community? We’d like to think that we can do this by inviting people to church, but most of our friends already belong to a church, and they’re not interested in missing their services to attend ours. Also, people are reluctant to be the stranger in the big crowd of people. However, people like to be invited into someone’s home. We have noticed that many guests have been coming to the open home meetings. This is only a start; evangelism takes place when the fundamentals of the gospel are explained to someone with an open heart. We need to transition these visits to Bible studies and attendance at worship services. But it is a start, and we have many more contacts to work with now than we had before we started the open home meeting ministry.
Pray for One Another
James writes to organize Christians around one another in order for them to help each other through the hardships of life. His words are just as practical and fresh today as they were when they were first written.
Be Kind to One Another
There is no relationship to Jesus Christ which does not also include fellowship with others.
Welcome One Another
For fellowship to exist, a community of people must agree on what holds them together. For Christians, this is Jesus Christ. But a common faith does not exclude diversity in the church.
Love One Another
Ever heard the expression “you do you”? It's a popular saying that calls for freedom and self-expression. It says, “Don't be limited by the opinions and will of others. Do what you want to do in your own way without allowing anyone to interfere.”
One Another: Introduction
To promote the togetherness God intends for his people, this series of open home meetings will focus on fellowship from the perspective of a different epistle each session.