Most our church members have probably heard about the 4 pillars and 3 axes of the house church but many are not quite sure exactly what they mean. As members of the first implemented house church, our members should know.
The 4 pillars are the 4 principles on which the house church is built. The first pillar is that the purpose of church is to reach non-believers and make them disciples of Jesus (Matt. 28:19-20). The second is that the church should make disciples not solely through instruction but by modeling life as Jesus did (Mark 3:14-15). The third is that church ministry must be divided among pastors and lay people according to Scripture; pastors must focus on prayer, teaching, exercising leadership, and preparing church members so that they can minister and build the church (Eph. 4:11-12). The fourth is that church leaders must be servant leaders who help people around them become successful in their ministries (Mark 10:44). These are the 4 pillars of the house church.
Human beings have three capacities – thinking, feeling, and wanting. To help people become Christians or disciples of Jesus, all three must be addressed. Campus ministries tend to emphasize thinking, often producing intellectuals instead of disciples. Revival meetings focus on feelings. They move people through exciting words and moving stories, but these often produce superficial Christians rather than true disciples. Christian social ministries focus on serving people but rarely show true conversions.
The house church addresses feeling, thinking and wanting. That’s why many conversions occur in house churches. The house church touches non-believers’ feelings through sacrificial service, which removes fear and prejudices about Christianity. The Living Life Bible study series addresses their intellect by providing information on the Gospel message. The Sunday worship touches their will so that they can make commitments to become Christians or disciples of Jesus. These 3 – house church meetings, the Living Life Bible Study series, and Sunday worship – are the 3 axes of the house church.
Our intellect, emotion, and will must be nurtured for us to experience true spiritual growth. If you want to find out whether your spiritual walk is balanced or not, ask yourselves these three questions: Does my spiritual life have lots of ups and downs? If so your Christian walk is probably too centered on emotion. Is my main interest in church Bible Studies? If so, your Christian walk may be too intellectual. Is my Christian walk centered around church activities? If so, your Christian walk may be too ministry-oriented.
You need to nurture all three aspects of the Christian walk to become balanced Christians.
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