Richness in Christ

Words That Burn in My Heart

1. Where and How Does Riches in Christ Begin?
2. Riches in Christ and the Journey into Community
3. Riches, Intimacy and Cornerstone Communities
4. Riches in Christ and Decision Time
5. Riches in Christ and the Journey into Grace
6. Intimacy and Richness
7. My Response to Jesus' Call to Intimacy
8. Three Essentials
9. Riches in Christ and Finishing Well
10. Revisiting My Core Purpose
11. Cornerstone Communities and the Shield of Faith
12. Richness in Christ and Church Pure and Holy

A Simple Plan

Another approach to church pure and holy

Jesus said, "Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there in the midst of them." That's church, gathering. Church is not a place; it is relationship--with Christ and each other.

House2House Magazine (www.house2house.net) offers this short article titled "What Is Simple Church"?

Excerpt:
'Simple Church is about a way of life. It is not about a change of location, but about the way we do church. Here are some of the key components to keep in mind:

FOOD When you get together, eat! It provides a great atmosphere for people to have open, honest communication with each other.

OPEN PARTICIPATION "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." I Corinthians 14; 26. The key is "everyone has…". Everybody should be able to participate.

BIBLE STUDY Keep it simple and interactive. A great technique is to look over a few verses together and then share what each person has learned.

PRAYER "They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer". Acts 2:42. Find out what is happening in each other's lives and take the time to pray for each other. Expect God to move powerfully and to speak to the group as you pray.

SIMPLICITY Make sure that whatever you do can be duplicated. If the church is going to multiply rapidly, it must be kept simple.

Church is not about the weekly gathering; it is about a different way of life. "Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ." Acts 5:42'

End of H2H article

All of the fore-going have come together today, early in the 21st century, to make the simple church movement the single largest movement in the church world-wide, and millions are experiencing richness in Christ in a way they had never considered possible before.

Want to know more? Somewhere close to you are people who can help you to explore simple church in your community. And…there are probably more people around you than you realize who are interested in such an experience and relationship. At the end of this publication is a partial listing of resources for learning more about simple church and issues related thereto.

14. Sustaining Richness in Christ