How do you organise a house church?

house church
Photo by Andreea Ch on Pexels.com

 

In “How to Start a House Church?” we have investigated how we can best proceed to start a house church.

We must realize that to honour God we do not need to have a specific building, but we can freely gather in private homes or even in public places to bring glory to God.

Organising a house church can be a fulfilling and rewarding experience.

If we want to start a house church, we must first find like-minded people who want to take that step. If we have started looking for a group of like-minded individuals who are interested in starting a house church, we can arrange with those friends, family members, acquaintances, coworkers, or neighbours to meet at someone’s home at regular intervals. That doesn’t even have to be every week. There is also no obligation at all to hold those meetings on a Sunday. Any day of the week is just as good.

It is important when starting up the house church or ecclesia that clear boundaries are defined of what the beliefs are and where they want to go. What is acceptable in the community and what is not considered appropriate, such as the worship of multiple gods or so-called saints.

It is also wise to determine what purpose and vision one wants to consider for the house church.

What are your goals, values ​​and beliefs?

What kind of community do you want to create?

To properly manage the organisation of the house church, it is recommended that you choose a leader or leadership team to help guide the group. This person or team will be responsible for planning and leading meetings, organising events, and ensuring that the house church runs smoothly.

Once one has planned to establish a house church, it is important to determine the format and structure of the meetings.

Do you have a worship service, a Bible study, a prayer meeting or a combination of these?

How often do you meet, and where? Do you have a snack or a meal together?

In order for house church meetings to run smoothly, it is advisable to draw up a schedule for meetings and events. For example, it may be advisable to determine in advance a fixed day and time to meet, as well as to indicate any special meetings or activities you want to plan. For example, a good arrangement could be to meet on the first and third Saturday of the month, so that everyone knows clearly when they can drop by or invite friends to come to those meetings as well.

It is also best to develop a system for communication and coordination. This may include setting up a group chat or email list, creating a social media page, or using a platform like Google Calendar to share updates and information. For example, we have provided the ecclesia website and a WhatsApp group for the ecclesia in Anderlecht, and further reporting can be done via e-mail.

Once the house church has been formed and is starting to take shape, it can also be interesting to consider inviting guest speakers or musicians to enhance the meetings. This can help create a new perspective and a sense of excitement and diversity within the group.

In the religious community, an effort must be made to form a lively family spirit. By the way, one is a « brother » or « sister » in Christ to one another. Everyone in the group must be encouraged to contribute to the group.

Encourage active participation from all members. This may include sharing personal testimonies, leading prayers, facilitating discussions, or organizing service projects in the community.

Create a sense of community and responsibility within the group. Encourage members to support and care for each other, ask for help when needed, and hold each other accountable in their faith journey.

Stay open to feedback and suggestions from members. As your house church grows and evolves, be willing to adapt and change to better meet the needs of your community.

Overall, the key to organising a successful house church is creating a welcoming and inclusive environment in which members can grow in their faith, build meaningful relationships, and serve others in love.

 

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Find also to read:

  1. Women in the First Century Church
  2. Looking on what is going on and not being of it
  3. Many looking for the church of the world instead of the Church of God
  4. Looking for a biblically sound church
  5. Good or bad preacher
  6. When not seeing or not finding a biblically sound church
  7. God’s forgotten Word 5 Lost Lawbook 4 The ‘Catholic’ church
  8. Disciple of Christ counting lives and friends dear to them (Our World)Disciple of Christ counting lives and friends dear to them (Some View on the World)
  9. Personal thoughts, communication, establishing ecclesia and guest writings
  10. Germinating small seeds, pebble-stones, small and mega churches and faith
  11. Reasons why you may not miss the opportunity to go to a Small Church
  12. As a small church needing encouragement
  13. Small churches of the few Christadelphians
  14. Who are the Christadelphians
  15. An ecclesia in your neighborhood
  16. Everyone Welcome in our open Ecclesia
  17. The Ecclesia in the churchsystem
  18. Reasons to come to gether
  19. Preaching in a modern UK or modern Europe
  20. How to Form an Ecclesia
  21. The Big conversation – Antagonists

 

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Additional reading

  1. The strugles of Taipei Ecclesia
  2. Explosive growth of Christianity in Iran (Our World)Explosive growth of Christianity in Iran (Some View on the World)
  3. Persecution follows suit as the church in Iran multiplies
  4. Wagner the NAR and new wineskins
  5. Shall Biblestudents in Belgium be able to celebrate their 200th birthday

On the way to the altar of the world

 

When we go on a trek we open our minds and come to a time when we as pilgrims think about the reasons why we go to the ‘altar of the world’. Our intention is to arrive at the « Holy of the Holy » with this long and sometimes not so easy journey. We would prefer to be as close as possible to God with fellow human beings who enter into the same faith as we do.

At the start of the journey, the trekkers have an intention and want to keep their promise and find more meaning in their lives. The trek one takes is a conscious choice to think intensely about life and where one wants to go. It is a period of reflection to deepen faith, atone for previously committed sins, and reach a point where one can avoid sinning.

There are many reasons to embark on a pilgrimage, and each pilgrim has a different one.

To walk the chosen path is above all a spiritual experience, which requires prior preparation. Sometime before you go on this journey, you should also think about the reasons why you are going on this pilgrimage. You can look at the others who start the journey, but it is important to carefully examine your own motivations.

When taking walks to prepare for your trip, try to think about the reasons why you are heading, about your questions and the answers you are looking for, and about what you plan to achieve by going on this pilgrimage.

During the big trek it will be noticeable how your view of the world can change. You will notice that many people are stuck with certain churches and their traditions, but that they are not really in accordance with Biblical Truth.

If your opinion is that of the majority, it is time to think carefully about whether you are on the right path with that majority. You will also realise that you have also become a victim of that large group of believers who prefer to adhere to the doctrines of that church, instead of feeling free in the world in which Jesus has cut the chains of slavery by rules.

During the journey, there needs to be a lot clearer and you need to realise that there is no point in staying chained to certain churches. Jesus has freed humanity from the human chains and opened the way to the One True God, who is One and not two or three.

With that insight gained, the responsibility also comes to Jesus and his God, to move further in the right direction and to dare to distance himself from the worldly rules of life.

During your pilgrimage, you must realise that not only are you on the road, but others have also entered the quest. You must therefore take them into account and realise that ‘pilgrimage’ is, as it were, also synonymous with ‘sharing’, even if it is an individual experience. Along the way, you will meet other people and you will have the opportunity to address each other and exchange ideas. Exchanging ideas is important to achieve a good learning process. You will also notice that everyone has ended up on the same path through other means as what you are currently on.

Once you meet one and the other, you will be able to see that you are not alone anymore, but that several are looking forward to reaching that same point.

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Previous

  1. What is a Pilgrimage?
  2. Encouraging eachother
  3. Prayer at the beginning of our pilgrimage
  4. Beginning of a Pilgrimage
  5. God’s Words for the Pilgrimage #1 Twentieth Century Man and the Pilgrimage Process
  6. God’s Words for the Pilgrimage #2 Words of God for life
  7. God’s Words for the Pilgrimage #3 A road on a global scale littered with obstacles
  8. A pilgrimage not exactly without obstacles or obstacles #1 Embarking on an important journey
  9. A pilgrimage not exactly without obstacles or obstacles #2 Not a cheap or easy flight but a life journey
  10. A pilgrimage not exactly without obstacles or obstacles #3 Availability, encounters and exposure to change
  11. A pilgrimage not exactly without obstacles or obstacles #4 A good plan or guide to discover the Source of life
  12. Necessary formalities for the trek
  13. Fulfilling formalities for the trek
  14. Choose the right name for your travel registration
  15. A world where one must make oneself clearly known #1 From the first to the 19th century
  16. A world where one must make oneself clearly known #2 Unrest among the working people
  17. A world where one must make oneself clearly known #3 Looking for personal freedom and a better life
  18. There were also loyal persons among the Jews
  19. We must be faithful to God
  20. Faithful to God are baptised

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Additional reading

  1. When discouraged facing opposition
  2. To mean, to think, outing your opinion, conviction, belief – Menen, mening, overtuiging, opinie, geloof
  3. Failing Man to make free choice
  4. You cannot change anything in your life with intention alone
  5. From nothingness to a growing group of followers of Jeshua 3 Korban for God or gods
  6. Being aligned with above (Our World)Being aligned with above (Some View on the World)
  7. Watch out
  8. Knowing where to go to
  9. Sow and harvests in the garden of your heart
  10. God demonstrates his own love
  11. Today’s thought “When in need of encouragement” (May 18)
  12. Motivating me
  13. To find ways of Godly understanding
  14. Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #16 Benefits of praying
  15. May the Lord direct your hearts to …

Fulfilling formalities for the trek

plannen van een reis of trektocht - planning of a voyage or trekking - passport on map, paspoort op landkaart - photo camera on map - fototoestel op landkaart
Foto door Element5 Digital op Pexels.com
passport in bag - paspoort intas
Foto door Vinta Supply Co. | NYC op Pexels.com

Those who have decided to go on a hike must have their luggage packed in time. Once they have collected the necessary items, they must ensure that they have their passports in their pockets, so that they can always prove at the checkpoints that it is them and that they belong to the group of walkers.

As who do people want to do business?

What nationality do people want to take?

In the world of Christianity there are the majority who worship a triple deity. However, those who go on a journey must realize very well that this does not fit a deity into the context of this important journey that must take us to the narrow gate of God’s Kingdom.

To enter that Kingdom you must have the correct passport.

Foto door Dom J op Pexels.com

Even if you want to make progress a little faster during the trip or have to drive a car or drive a boat, you will have to have the appropriate driver’s license.

How do you wish to be known in the world?

That’s why you didn’t give yourself that much in the past. But it is very important in this journey to succeed in building a good religious community.

Where you may have been content to report that you were a Christian before, it now comes down to specifying this better For there are so many Christians who believe very diverse things But most of calling themselves Christians are not actually a true follower of Christ Jesus, but is an idolater, because he believes in more than one god, God the Father, god the son and God the Holy Spirit, along with also often adorns other by-deities or sub-deities or saints.

You will notice that what may have seemed very unimportant in the past now turns out to be important, it is now many small things, previously considered trivial, that have now suddenly become very important, or will have a major impact on the success or otherwise of this important journey.

You will notice that many of those apparent trivial or minor things were right, that you continued to walk in the dark. It is by coming to see more clearly what is or is not responsible that you will experience more and more light during your journey.
The longer you walk and will have to overcome difficulties on this important trek, you will find that you used to carry far too much ballast with you in your life, and there were far too many false doctrines to which you clung and which you are now supposed to reject.

If one examines what the majority of Christians adopt as their beliefs and how they serve their god or gods, one can safely ask whether it is responsible to go on the same path as those Christians.

As one makes this pilgrimage, one will increasingly be confronted with the teachings of those ‘false Christians’ and one will learn the true facts of true faith in Jesus Christ.

 

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Preceding

  1. What is a Pilgrimage?
  2. Encouraging eachother
  3. Prayer at the beginning of our pilgrimage
  4. Beginning of a Pilgrimage
  5. God’s Words for the Pilgrimage #1 Twentieth Century Man and the Pilgrimage Process
  6. God’s Words for the Pilgrimage #2 Words of God for life
  7. God’s Words for the Pilgrimage #3 A road on a global scale littered with obstacles
  8. A pilgrimage not exactly without obstacles or obstacles #1 Embarking on an important journey
  9. A pilgrimage not exactly without obstacles or obstacles #2 Not a cheap or easy flight but a life journey
  10. A pilgrimage not exactly without obstacles or obstacles #3 Availability, encounters and exposure to change
  11. A pilgrimage not exactly without obstacles or obstacles #4 A good plan or guide to discover the Source of life
  12. Necessary formalities for the trek

Necessary formalities for the trek

plannen van een reis of trektocht - planning of a voyage or trekking - passport on map, paspoort op landkaart - photo camera on map - fototoestel op landkaart
Foto door Element5 Digital op Pexels.com

 

Forming an ecclesia is, as it were, like going on a trek or pilgrimage Before an ecclesia can be formed, a lot has to be done, first and foremost, people must be found who want to go out together on a kind of great voyage of discovery or expedition, which can be compared to a great pilgrimage, first and foremost, where people have resolved to use their minds to achieve a certain spiritual attitude in order to come closer to the Divine creator.

For such a pilgrimage to succeed, a lot of preparatory work is necessary. For example, everything must be planned carefully in advance and ensure that one has the right formalities to cross the various countries (or zones).

One of the necessities of being able to enter countries is a valid ID, so one may also put it for the pilgrimage that candidates for an ecclesia must be able to present, one cannot be in it, or not a full member without having registered as a member of the community or of the country to be ‘stayed’.

paspoorten - passports
Foto door Tima Miroshnichenko op Pexels.com

When choosing a passport, it is important that one can present the right nationality. Likewise, if one wants to become a member of a religious community, one must have selected the right religious group.

Also, one must have the right plunge or proper attire for the trek, the hole is not to just put on a grey Maoist suit, and uniform sausage may be preferred in the world, but this does not hold true for this important assignment.

Vaticaan - basiliek - Vatican cathedral
Foto door Kai Pilger op Pexels.com

One can call oneself « Christian », but that covers such a great charge that it may be better to specify more For the church community of Brothers in Christ one certainly cannot be a follower of that church that has a large majority in front when they say « Christians » When one hears talk about « Christians » on television or on popular media channels one usually talks about a Catholic church, and even usually the Roman Catholic Church affiliated with the Vatican.

Participants in our trek are expected to distance themselves precisely from those doctrines of this Roman Catholic Church, for there is no place in the Brethren in Christ for a worship of a three-headed god or the so-called Holy Trinity.

pilgrimage - pelgrimstocht - rondgang rond de zwarte steen in Mecca - Islam
Foto door Yasir Gu00fcrbu00fcz op Pexels.com

The pilgrimage we think of is not a pilgrimage to Mecca either The Islamists may worship the True God, but their system of God-experience is not what we seek.

The purpose of the pilgrimage is that all participants look for The One True God, who is above all gods, the Elohim Hashem Jehovah, the God of Hosts, and that they also look for the extent to which they can use the One True God can best serve.

 

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Preceding

  1. What is a Pilgrimage?
  2. Encouraging eachother
  3. Prayer at the beginning of our pilgrimage
  4. Beginning of a Pilgrimage
  5. God’s Words for the Pilgrimage #1 Twentieth Century Man and the Pilgrimage Process
  6. God’s Words for the Pilgrimage #2 Words of God for life
  7. God’s Words for the Pilgrimage #3 A road on a global scale littered with obstacles
  8. A pilgrimage not exactly without obstacles or obstacles #1 Embarking on an important journey
  9. A pilgrimage not exactly without obstacles or obstacles #2 Not a cheap or easy flight but a life journey
  10. A pilgrimage not exactly without obstacles or obstacles #3 Availability, encounters and exposure to change
  11. A pilgrimage not exactly without obstacles or obstacles #4 A good plan or guide to discover the Source of life

A pilgrimage not exactly without obstacles or obstacles #4 A good plan or guide to discover the Source of life

 

To discover Source of life

You will begin to notice that there will be one great fixed value in your life, to whom you will eventually become attached. You will begin to notice, if you open yourself to Him, that He will carry you over ditches and valleys over the deep waters.

In « Unavailability », Hartmut Rosa already stated that it is ‘no coincidence that the concept of Democracy braucht Religion, ‘democracy needs religion’, originally originates from a theological context’. According to him, God is fundamentally unavailable, but if certain requirements are met, mutual involvement and accessibility are possible. It is enough to listen to His/Her/The word and get He/She/It available through prayer.

It is on the pilgrimage that the pilgrim wants to open himself to hear the Word of God. It can be reassured that even before the journey, there is not really much room for God in the person. But during the journey, the trekker will learn that it is better to make room in the heart and soul for the Creator of heaven and earth. In fact, « Being God » becomes more important as the journey progresses.

« Whether god exists and the bible is Her/His/The word, Rosa doesn’t care. He is interested in the possibility of resonance, of not being alone in the world. Churches have an arsenal of rites, traditions, gestures, practices and open spaces in which we can allow ourselves to be addressed, to reflect on something. The Bible contains an infinite number of images that evoke resonance. It is one ‘great document of shouting, crying and begging to be heard, to find resonance in the face of a silent starry world.' » Writes Tomas Ronse in his  report on Hartmut Rosa in his book « Unavailability »  – From-the-heights« .

The trek to be started will be a pilgrimage in which the background figure of the whole event will be discovered. It is one of « seeking » and one of « finding » God and His actual Power. An awareness of the Source of life.

Need for a good plan or guide

To make that trip go well, it is essential to bring a good plan and compass. The very best Plan or Guide available for this purpose consists of about 66 books which are brought together in the Book of books, the Bible. In it many questions will be answered and examples will be given of many men and women who traveled through many countries on their way to that Land of God.

It may be helpful to read those accounts of people who have walked the Way before, or to learn more about the place you will be visiting.

It doesn’t even hurt to bring a pen and paper and write down some things along the way. Consider keeping a journal of your pilgrimage to record the discouragements and joys of the journey.

Continues

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Preceding

  1. What is a Pilgrimage?
  2. Encouraging eachother
  3. Prayer at the beginning of our pilgrimage
  4. Beginning of a Pilgrimage
  5. God’s Words for the Pilgrimage #1 Twentieth Century Man and the Pilgrimage Process
  6. God’s Words for the Pilgrimage #2 Words of God for life
  7. God’s Words for the Pilgrimage #3 A road on a global scale littered with obstacles
  8. A pilgrimage not exactly without obstacles or obstacles #1 Embarking on an important journey
  9. A pilgrimage not exactly without obstacles or obstacles #2 Not a cheap or easy flight but a life journey
  10. A pilgrimage not exactly without obstacles or obstacles #3 Availability, encounters and exposure to change

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Additional reading

  1. Concerning Man
  2. First man’s task still counting today
  3. About a human being or not and life
  4. If thousands of years and millions of testimonies about the workings of God are mere foolishness
  5. Wisdom and truth related to each other
  6. Walking the Walk or Stepping on the right Path
  7. Consciously or unconsciously forming a world-view and choosing to believe or not to believe in God
  8. Looking for a primary cause and a goal that can not offer philosophers existing beliefs
  9. The Giver of the Source of light for mankind
  10. Between Alpha and Omega – The plan of creation
  11. Bring praise to the Creator
  12. Are people allowed to have doubts
  13. Gone astray, away from God
  14. The great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me
  15. The truth is very plain to see and God can be clearly seen
  16. Hide and Seek ~
  17. Approachers of ideas around gods, philosophers and theologians
  18. We have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace
  19. When looking for God or wanting to relate to the Most High Divine God
  20. Lenten Season and our minds and hearts the spiritual temple in which God seeks to live
  21. You don’t have to walk through the fire
  22. A man who knows the price of everything but the value of nothing
  23. Daily Spiritual Food To prepare ourselves for the Kingdom of God
  24. Gone astray, away from God
  25. Today’s thought “Folly and Wickedness of Men” (January 06)
  26. Today’s thought “Have you also been deceived” (April 15)
  27. Today’s Thought “To save those who are eagerly waiting for him” (June 02)
  28. Today’s Thought “Witnessing servants of God” (June 19)
  29. Today’s Thought “That they may know that there is none besides Jehovah ” (June 21)
  30. Today’s Thought “God’s servant will succeed! He will be raised up, exalted, highly honoured!” (Weekend of 2020 June 27-28)
  31. Today’s thought “… no more stubbornly follow …” (July 13)
  32. Thought for today November 6: Jews coming with fear unto Jehovah and to His goodness in these latter days
  33. Today’s thought “His goodness in the latter days” (November 6)
  34. Today’s thought “Until they acknowledge their guilt” (November 8)
  35. Today’s thought “On the eternity of God” (December 17)
  36. Wisdom lies deep
  37. A treasure which can give me everything I need
  38. Exceeding Great and Precious Promise
  39. I Only hope we find GOD again before it is too late !
  40. A Tool to shed light over the qualities in our life 3 Menorah and 7 basic emotions
  41. Creator and Blogger God 7 A Blog of a Book 1 Believing the Blogger
  42. Necessity of a revelation of creation 3 Getting understanding by Word of God 1
  43. Necessity of a revelation of creation 6 Getting understanding by Word of God 4
  44. Unread bestseller
  45. All Scripture Has Its Point of Origin In God’s Mind
  46. Bible a guide – Bijbel als gids
  47. Word of God
  48. Bible Word of God inspired and infallible
  49. Bible
  50. Bible guide
  51. May reading the Bible provoke us into action to set our feet on the narrow way
  52. No other god besides Jehovah who gives all explanation
  53. The Almighty Lord, God above all gods
  54. An Eternal, Omnipotent, Omniscient, Omnipresent God for us
  55. An unbridgeable gap
  56. Believe What You Will
  57. Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #8 Prayer #6 Communication and manifestation
  58. Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #16 Benefits of praying
  59. Aim High: Examples of Godly Characters to follow
  60. When having found faith through the study of the Bible we do need to do works of faith
  61. To come to live in the peace of fulfilment of our own Divine Identity
  62. Redemption # 1Biblical doctrine of salvation
  63. Salvation, Baptism and Re-baptism

A pilgrimage not exactly without obstacles or obstacles #3 Availability, encounters and exposure to change

 

Availability and meetings

Paradoxically, the apparent increasing availability of things and people makes our world ‘more unavailable, more unfathomable and more uncertain’. Yet, with so many of us, we want to hold on to it. It seems so unlikely that we would be able to say goodbye to this commercial world. However, going on a journey on this pilgrimage or camino does require that farewell.

For that important journey, it is important that we do not set out alone. We may leave as individuals, but along the way we will meet several people who all have the same dream, to get to where they want to go.

It is during such encounters during the trek that we can be touched by each other. By recognizing that we not only have such questions and that others have similar questions, but also sometimes have answers to what we would like to know. By communicating with each other, we can help each other to come to understand or see things. In this way, a mutual response can take place during the tour. In this way, it can even come to a feeling of being connected. Not appropriating but being moved. By the way, ’emotion’ is derived from emovere: to set in motion. By being open, being accessible, to others, mutual influence can take place and those who meet each other during their pilgrimage can also change with them.

Exposure to change

In this way, everyone’s personality will be exposed to change along the way. There will no longer be a desire for gadgets and knick-knacks, but for what and who that you can never (fully) own.

In our society, far too little attention is paid to the inner self. During a pilgrimage, one is willingly or arbitrarily confronted with the inner self. Each tractor gets to know itself better. As the days go by, the more miles one has travelled, the more the confrontation with one’s self increases. There even comes a time when one can no longer ignore it. One has to confront oneself. Then one may or may not defend oneself, or one may come to the point where one will want to go deeper into oneself and discover that there is a much better self hidden there.

In any case, it is important to think carefully about your pilgrimage before you leave. You can safely consider the how and why.

Hopefully, it has become clear to you that change is needed in your life. Something deep inside you is calling you to take this journey.

What is that urge? What do you desire? Is there something that drives you to undertake this hike? How do you want to change?

Are you willing to change when it counts?

Will you dare to ignore the reactions of those around you and still take your steps?

You may want to choose a special intention for the hike, something or someone you can dedicate your trip to. But eventually you will have to come to realize that the world trip you are about to embark on will not just be a journey to dedicate to others, but that it will initially be about unravelling yourself and fully discovering your own self. But in addition, it will be even more important to discover Who gives your own self a chance to live. The Person behind creation will surely discover you during your trek. You will also notice that that Person will also be able to be your supervisor.

 

Next: To discover Source of life

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Preceding

  1. What is a Pilgrimage?
  2. Encouraging eachother
  3. Prayer at the beginning of our pilgrimage
  4. Beginning of a Pilgrimage
  5. God’s Words for the Pilgrimage #1 Twentieth Century Man and the Pilgrimage Process
  6. God’s Words for the Pilgrimage #2 Words of God for life
  7. God’s Words for the Pilgrimage #3 A road on a global scale littered with obstacles
  8. A pilgrimage not exactly without obstacles or obstacles #1 Embarking on an important journey
  9. A pilgrimage not exactly without obstacles or obstacles #2 Not a cheap or easy flight but a life journey

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Additional reading

  1. Messages leading to an earthly utopia
  2. About the Cosmological argument for proving that there is a Creative Deity
  3. Creation of the earth and man #22 Man in the image and likeness of the Elohim #6 Spirits, spiritual bodies and illusory perception
  4. Creation of the earth and man #23 Man in the image and likeness of the Elohim #7 Corporeal and spiritual change
  5. Mind-messing stuff reason for things to change
  6. When you are at your lowest point,
  7. Within despair
  8. Blaming others
  9. Doest thou well to be Angry?
  10. Do we need to learn to accept ourselves as we are?
  11. Responsible for what we are
  12. Becoming Conscious
  13. Altar everything in life
  14. Choices
  15. Ability
  16. Control and change
  17. Control your destiny or somebody else will
  18. Losing or getting in control
  19. Change
  20. Being the change that you wish to see
  21. Change will not happen if we do not start getting involved
  22. Let go of what you cannot change
  23. Start with small steps
  24. Yourself changing positively
  25. Getting fate in your change to positiveness
  26. A Living Faith #8 Change
  27. Only I can change my life
  28. Every man’s work is always a portrait of himself
  29. We all have to have dreams
  30. Following a Person or a Belief
  31. Growth in character
  32. Being aligned with above
  33. We will all be changed
  34. Sacred Rhythms – Longing for a deep, fundamental change in your life with God
  35. A Bible Falling Apart Belongs to Someone who isn’t
  36. Writing the Law on the Heart
  37. Matthew 18:1-6 Reborn and pliable as a child
  38. A strange thing might happen when you come under Christ
  39. How should we worship God? #9 Christian Behaviour
  40. How should we worship God? #11 New Life in Christ
  41. How should we worship God? #12 Renewing the Mind

A pilgrimage not exactly without obstacles or obstacles #1 Embarking on an important journey

 

A pilgrimage not exactly without hurdles or obstacles

Embarking on an important journey

When you are planning to go on a hike or on a pilgrimage, there is a preparation that is part of it.

It is important to prepare yourself physically and psychologically for your pilgrimage. It’s not that you have to have trained intensively for such a trip. But it is true that you have already done small and somewhat larger walks a few times before. It is a help if you have done several hikes in advance, where you could put your mind to zero for a while. For it will be a matter of being able to draw your thoughts away from the worries of this world.

So make sure you’ve already walked some distances. The distance you will walk every day, you should have already walked physically.

If you are going on a hike, it is important that you start well prepared and take the necessary equipment with you. I’m sure you’ll need good footwear for this. Not only trekking shoes to walk through the loose sand, but also all-terrain shoes and decent mountain boots or ankle boots.

It is very important to make sure that you have the right footwear, wet weather equipment, and appropriate clothing. You have to be aware that it will not always be flat terrain. On your journey you will encounter a lot of obstacles, pointed and rocky roads. You will regularly face obstacles that you have to overcome.

It is also best to take any medication you use with you. One must realize that when one sets out to get to know God better, the adversary of God (Satan) is lurking around the corner. Regularly evil will try to try you. Even if it is with illnesses and other inconveniences.
Several times you will be tempted to put an end to the trek, which seems easy to do in the beginning, but becomes more difficult as you get closer to the goal and in the end it will not be so easy, or will not be so easy to end well. – Many have already started it,  But few were able to hold on until the end, and thus did not reach their goal.

Next: Not a cheap or easy flight

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Preceding

  1. What is a Pilgrimage?
  2. Encouraging eachother
  3. Prayer at the beginning of our pilgrimage
  4. Beginning of a Pilgrimage
  5. God’s Words for the Pilgrimage #1 Twentieth Century Man and the Pilgrimage Process
  6. God’s Words for the Pilgrimage #2 Words of God for life
  7. God’s Words for the Pilgrimage #3 A road on a global scale littered with obstacles

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Additional reading

  1. Dark times looking like death is around the corner – but Light given to us
  2. Dealing with worries in our lives
  3. Today’s thought “Counted worthy to suffer dishonour” (April 25)
  4. Today’s thought “Who cause divisions and create obstacles” (August 05)
  5. Anxiety is the gap between the now and the later
  6. Philippians 4:4–7 – Do Not Be Anxious
  7. When things run differently than expected
  8. Look It Squarely In The Eye, And Say….
  9. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail
  10. It continues to be a never ending, exhausting battle for survival.
  11. Misleading world, stress, technique, superficiality, past, future and positivism
  12. Matthew 6:1-34 – The Nazarene’s Commentary on Leviticus 19:18 Continued 5 Matthew 6: 24-34: e) Anxiety and neighbor love
  13. Reason to look excited about the coming future
  14. No insurmountable obstacles to come to know God
  15. On the Affirmation of Scripture
  16. Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #4 Transitoriness #1 Prosperity
  17. Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #4 Transitoriness #3 Rejoicing in the insistence
  18. A cheerful heart filled of hope good medicine
  19. Counted worthy to suffer dishonour
  20. Home-stayers and their to do list
  21. Knowledge of Christ and fear for God
  22. Let Jesus carry your heavy burdens
  23. Forgiveness always possible
  24. Back from gone #2 Aim of godly people
  25. Back from gone #4 Your inner feelings and actions
  26. Safety Net
  27. Be vigilant with a view to prayers
  28. Praying is surrendering in all circumstances
  29. How to Live Beyond the Ordinary
  30. Something Needs to Change!
  31. See the conquest and believe that we can gain the victory
  32. A Tool to shed light over the qualities in our life 2 Jews for a Messiah
  33. A Tool to shed light over the qualities in our life 3 Menorah and 7 basic emotions

Beginning of a Pilgrimage

 

2024 didn’t just bring us the start of a new year. It was also the point where some people shook hands and expressed their desire to join a brotherhood together.

On January 6, 2024, we could rejoice that the start was given in Anderlecht to form an ecclesia and to set off together from there to get to know and serve the One True God better.

The third week of January 2024 is the time to take the first step in the pilgrimage to the foundation of God’s Son, the Church of God.
A pilgrimage refers to going to a place to pray there. In our case, we set out for an ecclesia of Brethren in Christ under the direction of Jesus Christ, the son of God and with the blessing of his Heavenly Father, Jehovah the God above all gods.

Here today we find people who have decided to travel with us. They want to undertake the journey that will bring them to greater freedom and security in life, even if some do not yet fully realise the freedom and blessings that await them if they succeed in completing that journey.

To get to that endpoint where God would like us to arrive, we will have to climb many mountains and cross many valleys. Sometimes it might take sweat and tears. But today we find here people who are eager to travel, and who are eager to travel with their life experiences, and who want to share their experiences with their fellow travellers. They can expect a very rich, but not always easy expedition. But because there are several of us, we will be able to help each other and help over the most difficult cliffs and deepest waters.

There are business trips, pleasure trips, play trips, fairground trips, candy trips, day trips, night trips, leave trips, vacation trips, art trips, company trips, summer trips, winter trips, land and sea trips. Our journey is just about all of that, while we are allowed to oversee a real voyage of discovery and research.

Together we will walk to get to know God better. To this end, we will make good use of the Guide He Himself has provided. His Word, written down in the Bible, is our best companion, which we will make good use of in the coming weeks and months.

Just as a traveller takes travel goods, packing or luggage with him, everyone here present, also takes his ballast or packing goods with him. Everyone has experienced some things in life that can have been pleasant but also very unpleasant. Every one of us has been up to things that aren’t so kosher. Not everything we do is according to the wishes of the Divine Creator. During our pilgrimage, we will have plenty of time to think about what God wants, to meditate and to work on ourselves.

Provided that we are not going to walk over ice in one day, we must dare to take the time to let ourselves be put back in the right folds. All creases need to be smoothed out.

During our long journey (or pilgrimage) it is important to finally get rid of our old self and put on a new self. At the end of the day, we must be able to present ourselves to God, cleared of all blame. In the meantime, some may decide that they are ready to enter into the « water of life » and ask God to “whitewash” them so that they may be redeemed from their past sins, in order to be cleansed, to continue the important journey. For this baptism is not an endpoint, but a starting point of a new life, in which the baptized person has decided to live completely according to the will of God.

That baptism is then a passage through the Reed Sea (or Red Sea) where God’s People were also freed from slavery. But as we can read in Scripture, they still went in the wrong direction a few times and did things that God did not like. That can happen to us too. For this, we need to pay attention and support each other.
As soon as we see someone deviate, we have to show them back the right way to the Path. All together, as in the first centuries, the followers of Jesus must follow « The Way« . To this end, the regular meetings will be a helping hand. But that won’t be enough. Each person will also have to take initiative and examine the scriptures daily. Without regular Bible reading and study, the road will be much more difficult.

If we are willing to listen to God’s Word, He will be willing to listen to us. Then the time has come for us to talk to Him. In the same way, we will regularly enter into dialogue with God through our prayers, requests, praises and songs.

Hopefully, we will be able to talk to more lost people on our trek and let them go with us to a point where it will be wonderful to stay.

All those who will succeed in ending the pilgrimage, will be able to look back with satisfaction at what they have been able to leave behind as ballast along the way. Freed from all these burdens, they will be allowed to step into a new life, with many to walk together to and through that narrow gate of the Kingdom of Christ.

 

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Preceding

  1. What if’s
  2. Gathering and meeting for God
  3. A new yeshiva or studyplace to be
  4. January 6, 2024 official opening of the Anderlecht ecclesia
  5. A new ecclesia = a new beginning
  6. The intentions of our Brussels ecclesia
  7. What is a Pilgrimage?
  8. Encouraging eachother
  9. Prayer at the beginning of our pilgrimage

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Additional reading

  1. The Right One to follow and to worship
  2. Gods, God of the Bible and believers
  3. The Almighty Lord, God above all gods
  4. Bible a guide – Bijbel als gids
  5. Bible – Basic intro
  6. Bible
  7. Bible power to change
  8. Word of God
  9. Bible Word of God inspired and infallible
  10. Facing our existence every day
  11. Many looking for the church of the world instead of the Church of God
  12. Get the lenses out to getting closer again
  13. Being aligned with above
  14. Self-development, self-control, meditation, beliefs and spirituality
  15. Sometimes we face trials
  16. The beginning of a new life
  17. 2023 December 3 A Day in two ways important
  18. Possibly a bright prospect for the Belgian community of Brothers in Christ
  19. Sunday night Zoom Meetings
  20. Concerning prayer and thought for the day
  21. Prayer at the opening of the year 2024
  22. The Way of God or the way of the world?
  23. Looking for a spiritual new life
  24. Feeling-good, search for happiness and the church
  25. Know Who goes with us and don’t try to control life
  26. Cross-bearing
  27. After darkness a moment of life renewal
  28. Genuine message of salvation
  29. In the night His song shall be with me
  30. In the springtime it’s easy to see God’s love
  31. Belief of the things that God has promised
  32. Today’s thought “That is not the way you learned Christ” (April 6)
  33. How should we worship God? #11 New Life in Christ
  34. How should we worship God? #12 Renewing the Mind
  35. Wanting for more than you need or hearing the Inviting encouragement
  36. Rebirth and belonging to a church
  37. How to set your mind
  38. Knowing The Truth and Loving The Truth
  39. A Living Faith #8 Change
  40. When having taken a new direction in life, having become a Christian

Prayer at the beginning of our pilgrimage

 

 

We pray to the great Spiritual Power

Jehovah, Lord of hosts, we rejoice to be here together in Anderlecht for the beginning of a very important journey that we want to undertake together.

We would like to come to your sanctuary where it is wonderful to stay.

We long to be in Your sanctuary. With all that is in us, we shout for the living God.

We are aware that close to You, Lord of the armies of heaven, our King and our God, it is wonderful for people to live very close to You. They praise you all the time.
It is wonderful for people to trust in You and serve You. In the same way, we look forward to being able to  make You, Jehovah, our God, our source as we go through barren, dry valleys of difficulty.

Let us be inspired and filled by Your Spirit, so that we can walk more and more full of Your strength and avoid the risks. That we can go on boldly until we come to You in Jerusalem. »

Jehovah, Lord, God of armies, please listen to our prayer!
Hear how we cry out to You, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob! God, You who protect us like a shield, do You want to act as a Good Reliable Guide for all of us and be our Compass to continue on our way.

Lord, You are the sun of our lives, You are a shield that protects us. You forgive and restore. You will always be good to the people who live the way you want them to.
It is glorious for people to trust in You, in You Jehovah God, the Lord of armies.

 

 

Prayer for all the members of the new ecclesia in Anderlecht

 

 

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Preceding

  1. What is a Pilgrimage?
  2. Encouraging eachother

Encouraging eachother

Artist Credit : Kurti Andrea

Before we came together to go on a trek, we had all completed a certain parcours.

The journey we have to make is totally different for each other. Though at one point on our way we can meet eachother and find that we can go together to continue our way.

If we meet eachother on a certain path, it opens doors and we could decide not to walk alone anymore. Deciding to go together on a track laid out in front of us, we may encourage each other …

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Preceding

  1. Gathering and meeting for God
  2. A new yeshiva or studyplace to be
  3. The spiritual “garment” for our souls
  4. A new ecclesia = a new beginning

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Valuable additional reading

  1. Missional hermeneutics 5/5
  2. Soar to Places Unknown
  3. Decrease in church attendance not only a recent feature #5 Necessity of attendance
  4. Atonement And Fellowship 1/8
  5. Atonement And Fellowship 3/8
  6. Disciple of Christ counting lives and friends dear to them
  7. That what we do and those we meet
  8. Go outside. Let the world in.
  9. The Journey Begins
  10. Even with a few gathering
  11. Let us meet in any suitable place
  12. How should we worship God? #6 Preachers and Teachers
  13. Good or bad preacher
  14. Two Ways, Revisited
  15. A House for God in our 21st century
  16. Sunday Observance
  17. Letting others know about the wedding invitation
  18. A Living Faith #11 My place in the body of Christ and my ecclesia
  19. Difference between a Messianic Gentile, a Messianic Jew and a Christian
  20. Internet and practice of religion
  21. See God in everyone you meet