Planting Churches Among the City's Poor - Volume 2

240 • P LANTING C HURCHES AMONG THE C ITY ’ S P OOR : V OLUME 2

III. Dialogue and Discussion on Barna and Garrison Readings

How do our readings today coincide with the Nicene theology of the Church as one (biblical identity), holy (shared spirituality), catholic (historic roots and connectivity), and apostolic (representative authority)? John 8.31-32 (ESV) – So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

A. Clarification between the facts and the claims

B. Evaluation of the evidence supporting the claims

1. The facts of the matter

2. The teachings of Scripture

C. Re-evaluation of the claims based on our understanding of the evidence

D. Conclusions to draw

IV. The Church Defined in Terms of Structural Forms: Traditional, Cells, and House Church Networks, Kreider, Foreword-p. 17.

Eph. 4.4-7 (ESV) – There is one body and one Spirit just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call – one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. House churches, and churches of any kind, should never be exclusive entities cut off from the rest of the body of Christ. The litmus test used to discern if a house church is healthy is simple. The healthy house church will focus on loving the Lord, loving each other, reaching the lost and loving the rest of the body of Christ anywhere and everywhere. ~ House Church Networks . p. 16.