Return Of The First Church

When we look at the way our church services are conducted today, and compare that to the New Testament Church, we find we are a long way from the mark. The early church had much more freedom for the members to participate in the service, and to flow in the Spirit, using their spiritual gifts, and fulfilling their callings. But today's church has become a spectator sport, where everyone sits back and provides an audience for the pastor, and does little else to participate. There are songs, announcements, a mini high pressure sermon for the offering, and the sermon.

Many Christians are leaving the traditional church and attending house churches, in order to let God be in charge of the program.  It seems that many people are searching for a deeper experience with the Lord, and haven't been able to find it in traditional church.

This book was actually written by a pastor that felt very disconnected from church, though actively involved.  He found a closer relationship with God outside the traditional church structure. While this may not work for everyone, it was an interesting book.

It seems to me that a home church would only work if you kept it small, and had many home churches for people to attend. There is no way that a house church could accommodate the kind of crowds that fill many of the mega-churches that exist today. However, perhaps that is part of the problem, when Christians get lost in the crowd, and don't experience closeness to God, or relationships with other Christians.  It is a thought-provoking concept, and I enjoyed reading about this man's experience outside the traditional church model.