The emergent church enters the house church movement

By: Mike Helms
June 16, 2010

If you’re thinking of leaving the institutional or traditional church in hopes of finding a simpler, more authentic expression of your faith in Jesus, you might want to be aware that your idea of what “home church” is, or should be, may be quite different than the vision that others have for “home church.”

One of the great things about small gatherings is the possibility of fulfilling 1 Corinthians 14:26…

“What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church.”

This is one of the primary things that I believe we need a restoration of in the church today.  I know what it’s like to sit in a pew, and I know what it’s like to stand in a church and minister; I’ve spent years doing both, and I can honestly say one of the greatest ways to grow as a Christian is to participate.  That is what 1 Corinthians 14:26 is all about and it’s sadly missing in most of the churches today. A restoration of body ministry in the gathering of the church would be a wonderful thing, and it’s entirely scriptural.

Unfortunately, there are those who have FAR more in mind when it comes to changing the face of what we call “church”…

A whole new language is being used to usher in and describe what these supposed changes should be and this language often has very little to do with the bible.  In many cases the preference is for new language rather than bible language, which is thought to be antiquated or somehow not relevant to modern man.  This change of terminology is a key feature of the Emergent Church.  If you will look closely, you will notice it is also a key feature of many who are at the forefront of the current house church movement.

From Emergent Church to Home Church I see a concerted effort to change the language the church uses away from the bible, to something entirely different and void of biblical terminology. 

A brand new language for the church

I recently was reading a review that was posted for a Christian book that perfectly describes what I’m talking about:

“It’s written in a sensitive way (seeker sensitive, if you like the buzz words), so much so that Jesus isn’t mentioned until half way through the book, and Bible passages are often referenced as “an ancient saying.” There’s even a description of the crucifixion that avoids using the word “cross” and thus becomes incredibly new and original. [emphasis mine] This is the kind of book more Christians should be writing…”

I question the assertion that this is the kind of book more Christians should be writing!  I question the whole notion of using nebulous language when our goal should be to make the  truths of God’s Word as plain as we possibly can:

“For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.”

I would not consider it a compliment if someone reviewed my work and said, “There’s even a description of the crucifixion that avoids using the word “cross”.

Paul, an Apostle of Jesus Christ, made it his goal to preach as plainly and clearly as he possibly could so that everyone could understand.  He also did not dumb down bible truths and terminology in his attempt to reach the lost or teach the church; those that do so are being shortsighted.

When I became a Christian did I understand all the new bible terminology I was encountering?  No… but amazingly, I learned!  The language of God’s Word does not need to be changed, it simply needs to be taught.  Instead of changing the language, how about educating the church?  Instead of throwing out “big words” like “propitiation” perhaps we should teach their meaning! 

Downplaying doctrine in favor of experiential faith

One of the most alarming things that I see happening on a large scale right now is the downplaying of doctrine and absolute truth.  This is occuring in many churches but is especially evident in the emergent church.  Many emergent blogs actually revel in making things vague and culturally friendly, and seem to have a disdain for anything that comes across as authoritative or absolute.  This same trend can be seen in the home church movement as Christians seek out paths other than traditional churches to live out their faith.  I am certianly not against the idea that there are other ways to gather as God’s people than just traditional structures, but they must be biblical.  The danger of seeking out “experiences with God” apart from His Word are many.  The scripture warns us:

“For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine…”  (2 Timothy 4:3)

The time HAS come, and we’re in the thick of it!  Doctrine is being widely downplayed in preference to having an experience of “Christ in you”.  It is now somehow thought that doctrine stands in the way of us experiencing a full revelation of the indwelling of Christ.  This is nonsense!  Sound doctrine is not a barrier to Christ, it is rather an entrance into knowing Him better- to knowing Him in truth.  Without sound doctrine Jesus can be anything you want Him to be!  Without sound doctrine you can make Him up as you go along!  Without the absolutes of God’s Word you can invent a faith, a Savior, a lifestyle, a church, as you see fit.  Isn’t that EXACTLY what we are warned of in 2 Timothy 4:3?

“For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.  They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.”

Understand where the downplaying of doctrine leads- we will soon have a Jesus who suits our desires, teaching that tells us what we want to hear rather than need to hear, and a leading away from truth and turning to myths.  THAT is the end result of downplaying doctrine.  Before I became a Christian I was very much into the New Age Movement.  Do you know that most of the people I met there “believed in Jesus”?  Unfortunately, it was a Jesus of their own making; “another Jesus” as the bible puts it.  They wanted an experience of Christ, but did not value the doctrine of Christ; they made Him up as they went along!  The downplaying of sound doctrine is a sure sign of apostasy; take note when you see it happening, it is a clue that something is radically wrong and should be avoided. 

 ”Christ in you, the hope of glory”- Are we to experience Christ through “Christian mysticism and New Age practices”?

“…the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints.  To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”  (Colossians 1:26-27)

What is the bible talking about when it uses the expression “Christ in you, the hope of glory”?  Are we to begin to look inside ourselves for a mystical experience of Jesus?

There are those who are attempting to practice the presence of Christ through mind emptying meditation, mantras, prayer labyrinths, candles etc.; their pursuit is to experience the living Christ.  Those seeking such experiences may well bring about an “experience”, but they have ventured outside God’s Word to find it.  There is no difference between these practices and what New Age practitioners are doing.  Rather than sticking to God’s Word they have sought things “to suit their own desires“.  Would you like to experience Christ and have a greater revelation of Him?  I will show you how to do it, and there’s nothing mystical about it; I have done it myself, and it works!  All you need to do is pray as Paul did:

“I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints…” (Ephesians 1:17-18)

Nothing mystical about it; all you need to do is pray!  Just “keep asking” as the verse says and the Holy Spirit will make Christ very real to you…. no need for a mantra, no need for “centering”… just simple prayer!  If you are a true Christian then Christ is living in you and the Holy Spirit is well able to give you a revelation of Him “so that you may know Him better”; you do not need, nor should you seek, a mystical way to Christ.

Test everything, hold on to the good: The need for discernment

“Do not put out the Spirit’s fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil.”  (1 Thessalonians 5:19-22)

The great failure that is so often taking place today is not that Christians are unwilling to hear new things, it is that we too often accept anything and everything that is taught.  Scripture tells us to “Test everything“.  If you fail to take that word seriously you should not be surprised if you end up believing and doing things that are outside of God’s Word.  We are warned over and over again in the bible about false teachers and false teaching.  The first thing we should do is compare (test) the teaching and beliefs of others to God’s Word to see if what is being taught measures up as true.

The internet can also be a great resource if we sincerely seek to know what the truth is.  There seems to be a direct correlation between the massive spread of the emergent church and the introduction of widespread connectivity brought about by the internet.  Much of the growth of this movement is directly attributable to bloggers.  I see a silver lining in this: The very thing that has been a vehicle for emergent church dissemination, is also one of our best friends for discovering the truth- it may be time to do a Google search to learn more about your favorite authors, preachers, teachers and churches; putting your head in the sand is NOT the way to have discernment.

Before you do your search though, remember that God’s Word is the supreme litmus test for truth. 

“For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”  (Hebrews 4:12)

“Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path”  (Psalm 119:105)

There are some very good discernment ministries online that can be helpful in discovering what is being taught today; even with these you must be careful!  (Some seem to exist to be hypercritical which is not a godly thing.)  On the other hand, there are those who do excellent work in helping Christians to discern error.  These can be good jumping off points for further searches you do in attempting to learn the truth.  I always go beyond these discernment sites and do further research to try to get to the bottom of what is really true.  Many times going to an author’s, teacher’s, or church’s website directly and taking a look around will help you to discern better as you compare what you see with the bible.  Pray, and test everything against God’s Word, and you will be in a much better place than if you just accept everything you hear.  I do not want to get into the place where I’m judging other Christians, but I will test what they say and teach without hesitation. 

Even well meaning, true Christians, can get into error, so TEST EVERYTHING.

The more I have followed the trail of various teachers and their teachings, the more alarmed I have become.  Instead of giving you a list of ministries, authors, teachers and churches that I find concerning, I have given you things you should be on the watch for:

  1. The downplaying of doctrine and absolute truth.
  2. The promoting of an experience with Christ that is outside the framework of the bible.
  3. An emphasis on “Christ in you” and “experience” over sound doctrine, as if to minimize doctrine.

One of the things that I address in my song “Whatever Happened To Jesus? is the rejecting, twisting, turning aside from, and downplaying of God’s Word and sound doctrine.  As I said at the beginning of this post, this is the first warning sign that something is wrong.  It is extremely alarming what is going on right now in this regard.  Anyone who begins to do even a little research of popular authors, pastors, churches and movements will quickly begin to see the trends I have mentioned taking place on a very large scale. 

How does this apply to simple churches, open churches, organic churches, and the house church movement?

See for yourself!  Pull up Google and start doing some research- I think you will be alarmed at what you will find.  I believe in and advocate house churches, but I will never advocate a house church movement that diminishes the importance of the Word of God and sound doctrine, or one that feels the need to change the language of the church from the Word of God to something of their own making, or that advocates practices and structures that have no biblical basis- that is a recipe for disaster.

If you are thinking of starting or attending a house church I would NOT start with someone’s book, I would advise you to start with God’s Word and set your face like flint to make sure the bible is your foundation and source of truth.

“What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.”  (2 Timothy 1:13-14)

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