Home Fellowship Help

Dear brother,

One of the idea's behind Gospel fellowships is that passionate people, people who love the Lord and hunger for His presence and genuine fellowship would come together for that, fellowship. I think there is such a false view of what fellowship is because for years in many institutional churches, gatherings were something formed as a ministry and then expected to be " successful," meaning growing numbers. Yet, the very essence of fellowship, is just even two or three people gathering to talk about the passion of their lives, Jesus and how He is moving and leading and guiding them. Out of the abundance of our hearts our mouths speak. In the Gospel fellowships that we envision, there will be brothers who will go out and visit with different groups and give some guidance as to these meetings, but most importantly, these groups will be lead by the Holy Spirit. I and another brother will be holding some meetings in July in OK and we will be testing out some meetings to see how they will work practically. Loosely, we will have some subjects that we will talk about, which will be known in advance. Brothers and sisters will be encouraged to study and pray and read the Word to see if the Lord would not speak to them. At these gatherings we will start of the discussions and see where they lead. At appropriate times, we will worship as felt led by the Lord, then pray perhaps, then back to discussions. In the midst of these " discussions,' people will testify of the truths they have learned in their lives through their walk and share. There will be some leadership in order to keep roughly to the discussion at hand. We are looking for something organic. Over-arching all of these discussions will be the context of the times in which we live and how the Lord is calling on His remnant people to gather together for fellowship and all the more as we see that day approach. I hope that was of some help brother, I am sure Greg will also reply. We do have a good brother down there in Arkansas, in Little Rock, brother Blaine...............bro Frank

I hope this helps in understanding the spirit behind the Gospel Fellowship initiative as I understand it, which some brethren have shared from their hearts in other posts over the last year.

I believe at the heart of this move of the Lord lies three things.

The first has to do with seeking to address a specific issue of the disintegration of liberties in North America for those believers who are truly desirous to live a holy and sanctified life before the Lord, without hinderance or compulsion from authorities other than the Lord. It amounts to a kind of "being prepared" for North Americans.

The second is more specifically an issue of facilitating the fellowship of like minded believers, based on a true godly desire for personal sanctification before the Lord. Not always an easy thing to achieve even when we desire it without the support and ministry of likeminded brethren.

The third is a matter of obedience and faithfully doing that which is on the hearts of a few brethren according to the Lord.

Of course I cannot say this is true. I have no part to say it. I can only share that I believe it is true. I am personally aware why this move of the Lord is becoming visible, as were many believers from every age, who found themselves grieved by the difficulties which they faced in churches which increasingly are driven by too many motives "not of the Lord". This was not always judgementalism in the past, but simple reality in many many places. Today is no different, save for the hour.

There are inherent dangers in any gathering of believers. Not least any one individual having too much influence. Yet there is also a clear need to have elders and ministers of the word of Christ. As long as there is a least one or two brethren who put the well being of the flock before themselves I have no doubt that any gathering of believers who truly want to know Christ in the midst will be blessed and grow in faith and faithfulness. Though it may be foolish to say it, if I lived in North America I would have no hesitation to join in this move of God. In the spirit I really do join in so real does it seem to me, in the flesh alas I live in England.

The difficulties which will come have all to be worked out, and the Lord is to be trusted to make His church according to His own desire. In that there must be some clear guidance from those who have the burden, or how else can anyone serve the Lord, if they do not in fact serve the Lord according to their calling and conscience. Beyond that there is always an opportunity to minister to one another with a song, an encouragement or any number of other ways appointed by the Holy Spirit to make us in visibility one body, even as we are in spirit, one body also. Whether there is sufficient time for a new denomination! I rather doubt that no matter how ill or well intentioned we may be.

i ask that "really"? in meekness, as you wrote bro. David:

My heart sinks when I read these things

David

why?....again, i 'ask' that in a gentle voice.

i'm not firsthand...meaning i'm not in France, but i have heard the Witness and ekklesia in France has grown cold, would to God the brethern in France, hearts aflame with Love of Messiah, come together to worship in spirit and truth outside of any ecclesiastical institutional bondage.

that said, if you in a Church/Ekklesia that is blooming Alive with God the Holy Spirit, Jesus as the Pastor....stay! because you are a blessing to your brothers and sisters there.

and yes! there is always the threat of the flesh predominating and forming YET another "denomination"...where man's innate urges even in love is for hierachy, and domination.

In his book "Life Together", Bonhoeffer delineates the difference between "human" love, with its "dark turbid urges"...and Divine Love...it starts on page 30 i believe. Dietrich was given a mighty Revelation as to that distinction.

The "Moravians", in the begginging at Hernhutt, put an empty chair around the table they sat at, and humbly prayed and implored the Lord Jesus Christ to Pastor their gathering.

i myself was blessed enough that JUST ONCE, a house fellowship, i had love bonds to, another brother and myself were able to .........pray and ask Jesus to Pastor ths gathering.

long story....maybe short(smile), this brother and his family had been called by the Lord to the mission field in the South Pacific, and my heart was rended, but His Will be done.....the Tuesday before this house gathering, Jesus impressed upon my heart, that it would be good and right for me to wash my brothers feet, when so led that Lord's Day.

there was a pastor, seminary trained, a dear brother, who was the nominal "head" of this gathering...but very much....let me put it this way, when i told him that The Holy Spirit had impressed on my heart to wash our brothers feet before we sent this dear family off?.....his instant response was that he was going prepare a teaching on foot washing...and when i conveyed this to my brother who was leaving, our hearts broke...simply because, even though i had the leading from the Holy Spirit (and did purchase a large paint basin, along with two pitchers for warm water, fragrant liquid soaps, and a dozen new cotton towels)...once this meeting convened, .....neither my brother or i were CERTAIN, that we would be CALLED then, that day....to engage in this ordinance......God give me the Leading before, but we both now had some vexation, because our hearts were canted towards WHERE THE HOLY SPIRIT led....not man...meaning we didnt even KNOW if i would wash his feet, but now with that SET as part of the "plan".....it took God OUT of the mix, and we were grieved.

But here's how the Lord works...that Saturday afternoon, and night, a TREMENDOUS rainstorm swept thru this exurban Southern california canyon, and just wreaked havoc, the hills are washing down, a dry creekbed turns into a RAGING torrent..and on Sunday morning, it was STILL going...i made my way the mile towards the Godly widows house, (She is now with the Lord), my heart was sinking because i thought, understandly, few people would be there.....oh, how wrong i was. i parked at Miriams, cars all around, with my foot washing "kit", and was shocked to see 25 saints packed into mothers Miriams living room....except for one person........the pastor, who was going to "teach and preach" about footwashing:

here are the actual articles on what happened:(one is a picture and article, the other just a picture)

http://www.malibutimes.com/news/article_e6282c70-bb69-5c53-b667-7920a324d3b0.html

http://www.vortex.com/bp/topanga-rock.jpg

a 300 ton...yes...a 300 ton boulder feel onto the only way into the canyon....God prevented the pastor from attending. We had no knowledge of this at the time....Then the Holy Spirit spoke to me and my brother, and based upon the simple ecclesiology of Paul's in his First Epistle to the Cornthians, chapter 14, verses 26 thru 33:

"What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up. If any speak in a tongue, let there be only two or at most three, and each in turn, and let someone interpret. But if there is no one to interpret, let each of them keep silent in church and speak to himself and to God. Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said. If a revelation is made to another sitting there, let the first be silent. For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged, and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets. For God is not a God of confusion but of peace".

after i read this to the saints, i was Led to do as what those dear saints in Hernhutt, did centuries before...in one accord, we asked Jesus if He could please Pastor this meeting....and you know what?

Glory to God, Jesus came down in Power...the meeting swept onto victory, heart testmonies, praise Reports, Verses of Scripture shared, hymns and songs sung together out of heart memory, tears of repentance, tears of joy....there was NO DISORDER!....none, God the Holy Spirit was leading this meeting...and then after....i dont even remember what the time was, this meeting swept on....there was NO anxious looking at the clock!....i could hear that Small Still Voice saying, "ask him"...i turned to my brother.....eyes brimming with tears, i thought i was caught up in Heaven, asking him, "brother, may i wash your feet?"....and It started....25 people, evenly divided, men to women...wordlessly begin to wash each others feet....and God made THIS right as well...Nobody HUMAN had to say, "men wash men's feet, women wash women's feet......BECAUSE the Holy Spirit told us all! i speak the truth in Christ....you could hear people weeping...(i'm close to tears right now, just remembering this Wonderful Day)

then, after everybody had washed each others feet, we gathered for a closing prayer, hugged, and had a wonderful pot luck love feast,.....the saints stayed till i think 6, it was dark out...nobody wanted to leave.....the Glory of God was that Thick in that dear house.

there is a sad antedote buried in that news article.....i dont even want to talk about it...except to say the devil comes to kill and destroy, and is ruthless, but we know how the story unfolds.

one last thing dear brother...lets say a house fellowship, grew, and maybe needed a small storefront?...as the Lord leads me, the only "sign" on that storefront would be the Name at which every knee shall bow......"JESUS"......that is IT....and His Name is wholly Sufficient, just as the Blood is Wholly Sufficient to cleanse ALL sin...i concur wholeheartedly....no more 'denominations" or "party/sectarian" spirit.....and i havent read "Gospel Fellowships" yet....but as the Lord leds....no more video cameras "taping"...no more audio devices, "taping"....all that does is play into the human spirit performing...the flesh being glorified...we have ENOUGH OF THAT! in this day and age.

i praise God and the Lord Jesus Christ, that ...that meeting i just testified to, lives only in my heart,amen and Praise be to God!!!! neil

Well said brother Andrew. I think you have caught the vision behind what we seek to do very well. We have zero intention of creating another denomination, quite the opposite in fact. Also, this is to reflect the times in which we live as we consider this to be the end of ages, whether that is 10 years or 100 years, it is still in the context of the end of ages. Although I personally feel there is a very real possibility that these things will come to pass in our life time and we are beginning to many things coming to pass in our times.

Religious freedoms in America could very quickly slip away and there has to be a vehicle by which we can meet. And actually, it is not just in America. Europe and Britain are heading the same way. Just the gay marriage issue alone could herald a very real start to a restriction of our ability to gather in traditional churches. The denominational system has to a very great extent, " dumbed," down the brothers and sisters. Every week people gather and are spectators rather than participants. Their studying is done for them. Their worship is done by professional worship leaders. Their is a program for every conceivable need. This organic movement seeks to give believers a venue in which to meet. It will allow them to study and participate in gatherings. God speaks to His people and by blindly following this one man system we have been robbed of a wealth of insight and wisdom and testimony. The gathering, the called out ones, is a Body. And every part of the Body is necessary and all the more so now as we see that day approach. God has a remnant people and God is calling them..............bro Frank

David writes.........

'If the Lord gathers his saints together at South Arkansas,
or any other place, He is Head of the church there and the
members should by the Holy Spirit submit to Him, without
unbdue influence or interference from outside. It is the measure ofthis outside influence which will determine whether it becomes a denomination or a true local church. "

Amen brother David. There is no desire amongst us to have a national leadership. It is servant hearts we seek to give some help and guidance..........bro Frank

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I was busy serving at the recent Zac Poonen conference in Atlanta where the local church we are attending hosted the event. It was a blessed time and brother Zac shared so many great burdens on how a true body of Christ is formed in a local area. We received much revelation and truth from this time and God willing will be encouraged to seek more from the Lord in this vien.

Also has been said in this thread about what Gospel Fellowships is. I want to clarify things so people do not mis-understand this. Though we agree with brother Frank that some meetings of the saints it can be profitable to have all share as they are led, this in no way is the model for Gospel Fellowships as a whole. We actually do not want to have really any model outside the book of Acts primarily and the epistles. We see a few verses speaking of the coporate body sharing all a word, but we also see verses about eldership and preaching and the need for teachers, prophets who will share messages more in assemblies then other saints.

True leadership is always greatly needed and we are not promoting an anti-leadership. Also in many cases there will be one brother who is gifted as a leader in a house church and he will raise up other disciples and leaders. Plurality of elders is benifical and the end goal in a local church but if a fellowship does not have mature brothers who are qualified for this that is fine. Even if there are no qualified reconized leaders the body can still function greatly but it is God's will for elders to be reconized and respected in the body, for this is God's economy to grow His body.

On a spiritual level the reason for Gospel Fellowships is primarily that Jesus Christ would be honored as head of the Church. Fellowship is good and we desire to see brethren connect to have true fellowship but this is not the main goal of Gospel Fellowships nor the Church. The main goal is to have Fellowship with Jesus Christ and to glorify Him.

Sanctifcation, growing in Christ-likeness, fellowship, praying for outpouring of God's Spirit in the midst, and other things are by-products of coming together to allow Christ to be head of the assembly. Jesus Christ must be emphazed,, adored and allowed to lead the group.

It is Christ's will to give gifts to the body as well as servant leaders, so we must trust and look to Him.

As believers gather from the encourgement of the Gospel Fellowships Principles free ebook: www.gospelfellowships.net they will meet in many different ways, different venues. Not all the gatherings will be churches they will simply be times of fellowship for saints but a time to focus on the Lordship of Jesus Christ over His body. In this atmosphere God is able to birth a manifestation of the body of Christ in an area and reconize it as a functioning local church. All true believers are part of the universal body of Christ but it is God's desire to see local manifestations of this.

The need is to un-focus on men who have even great giftings and to put more focus on Jesus Christ the living person.

So the fellowships are all that the brothers mentioned in the past posts and more, as God is going to grow some gatherings into vital represenations of His body on the earth as salt and light for the world to see.

Lastly, the movement is not anti-denomination or anti-church building, we just feel the call of the Lord to gather outside denominations where believers from many of these will meet and most groups at least to start with will not leave their local churches they are involved in. We must only as God leads us, leave our current local church.

Gospel Fellowships is a burden that many share and will share, for it is on God's heart to see local gatherings of believers that actively proclaim the headship of Jesus Christ over His Church. This is not an attempt to start a denomination but rather to build true unity amongst brethren in many of them.

Other spiritual aspects of the book which are important is the encouragement from underground churches around the world and also to prepare the body of Christ for endtimes persecution that will be world-wide.

I also wanted to respond to the brother that stated that the Greenock conference was where this burden was promoted and begun. We did not in anyway have these burdens during that time. That wonderful conference was a pleading and praying for revival in the local churches in that area and amongst the lost.

The teaching given by Ron Bailey at that conference spoke of a revival back to the biblical church pattern of autonomous fellowships, we believe this is important but that session was not the burden of the entire event.

But we do believe those prayers and well as the prayers of the saints for many years are coming more to fruition to see godly gatherings of believers where Christ is honored as Lord.

I trust that helps clarify things.