House Churches - a PrimerSample

## House Church Resources A key issue for many house churches is a lack of resources. Music, ministry, chorus books, and more, not to mention time and funding, are all issues faced by many house churches. The scriptures clearly state that resourcing the house church will be necessary. You cannot run a church meeting in accordance with 1 Corinthians 11 and 14 without some necessary resources. How can you sing a hymn without music and words to the songs? How do you provide a message if you have no one to give it to or don’t know how to do it? How do you break bread without the necessary elements? Fortunately, there are a number of ways these issues can be overcome these days. The internet can provide many resources for house churches. You just have to find them. There are also house church networks that can connect house churches and share resources and ideas. And, of course, bread and juice can be bought at most supermarkets. There are also many written and recorded resources on the web that house churches can use. There are recorded sermons on YouTube or in podcasts. Some websites provide sermon outlines if someone in your church wants to give their sermons but doesn’t have time to prepare them. Then, there are Bible tracts and materials to download and print. There are online Bible services, such as YouVersion, where many free Bible Plans are available. These can be used for group or personal Bible studies. When looking for teaching resources, stick to the scriptures. Look for those who go into detail to gain a deeper insight into what the Bible teaches. Also, beware of those who twist the scriptures, as some do. Jesus warned against false teachers who preach not for the benefit of the hearers but for their own personal gain and profit. So, how do you find someone who will not lead you astray? First and foremost, pray about it. Pray about the messages that you hear and check the scriptures for yourself. Is the message using the scriptures in the correct context, or are they twisting what the scriptures say? Do not accept anything at face value, and pray for understanding and the guidance of the Lord so that you are not betrayed. Call to Action: Spend some time looking for resources. There is a lot of music and many sermons posted on YouTube and in podcasts. I recommend listening to them before using them in your house church to ensure the message is correct.