The Bible describes the church as "the family of God."
A house church is like a family. The church must have a
Biblical understanding of the family if it can function
in this way.
The church family should be an extension of the household
family. The same dynamics of communication, commitment,
intimacy, growth, participation, caring, sharing and responsibility
in our household family overflow into our church family
relationships. If our household family relationships are
not what they should be, our church family won't function
properly.
Because the house church acts like a family, it is easier
to recognize and correct these problems One of the greatest
challenges to the church today is good communication. The
house church requires us to communicate. It not easy to
hide from someone if you have to sit directly across from
him. If a disagreement occurs we often have a natural tendency
to harbor bitterness and anger. Usually you could just go
to another part of the building and not have to see the
other person. In a house church, though, the relationships
in the group are greatly affected if these divisions aren't
bridged.
The Bible says that God expects His family to be a loving,
caring community. We are "to grow up in every way into Him
who is the Head, into Christ from whom the whole body, joined
and knit together by every joint with which it is supplied,
when each part is working properly, makes bodily growth
and upbuilds itself in love."
In a house church, good communication among the members
illustrates our loving relationships with each other and
with a loving God. This communication and the strength of
the relationships are the evidence (or fruit) that we are
obeying the biblical commands relating to one another (love
one another, pray for one another, be of the same mind as
one another.... and many more).
