Welcome to visit my Site.
Allan Svensson, Sweden
http://www.algonet.se/~allan-sv/INDEX.HTM

Most Christians have not yet begun to prepare
for Jesus’ coming. They can speak and write
about Jesus’ coming, and about the signs of the
time, yet they do not make any preparation to
meet Jesus. How can we make a preparation?
In the first hand God’s people must get the
knowledge of the Assembly of God. The
truth of the Assembly of God has never been
peached in the churches.

People have a sort of love and fellowship that
does not endure the light of God’s word. When
we mention something about churches and
denominations, and compare with what the Bible
teaches about the Assembly of God, then a
remarkable phenomenon appears. Many Christians
become afraid and nervous and point out that we
shall love the assembly and not judge and criticize.
But what is it that they apprehend as criticism?
It is God’s word!

Just these Christians who have prayed for revival
during many years, they are the worst opponents
against revival. They do not endure the light of
God’s word. They do not want to hear the truth of
the Assembly of God. They think that the
Pentecostal churches and other free churches
are Assemblies of God.

They believe that the Assembly of God is constituted
of church systems and many religious organizations.
Can you anywhere in the Bible find any hint that the
Assembly of God is an organized movement or any
church system?

In the time of the apostles any church did not exist, and
therefore the word “church” does not occur in the Bible.
Everywhere in your English Bible where you see the word
“church” it is a grave translation error. Also Matt. 16:18.
It ought to be “assembly”.

In the reality, the word “church” occurs not at all in the Bible.
I have five Bible translations in Swedish, (the oldest from
1703). Nowhere in these Bibles does the word “church”
(kyrka) occur. I have also a reference book where the New
Testament is translated word by word from Greek to Swedish.
Everywhere they translate the Greek word “ekklesia” to
församling (assembly).

Perhaps you want to raise the objection, there are many
bible translations in English which all have the word “church”.
This is a very stupid argument. A translation error does not
become better of repeating. A lie is a lie no matter how many
time it be repeated.

In Col. 1:18 (KJV) we can read: “And he (Christ) is the head
of the body, the church …” And in Eph. 5:23-24, “For the
husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of
the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the
church is subject unto Christ…”

This is a lie! The church is not subjected unto Christ. The
head of the Church is the pope, the black pope, and the devil.
The Bible translators do not make a difference between God’s
true people and Satan’s Church. From the Church’s deeds we
shall know the Church. Matt. 7:15-20. By their fruit we shall
recognize the false priesthood. The Catholic Church has
persecuted, tortured and murdered many millions of Christians.
This is a well-known fact. How could a good tree bear such
an evil fruit?

Why did the Bible translators use the same word “church” also
for God’s people, the Body of Christ? Why did not they see the
difference between the murderer and the victims for the
murderer? The first Christians were no church. Calling the
first Christians “the first church” is a grave insult against these
Christians. The Church is a mass murderer. The devil is the
real church father.

If we use the same name “church” on the murderer as on the
victims for the murderer, how then can we know what that
means when someone says “church”?

Right since the great falling away took place a very long
time ago and the first churches came into existence,
2 Thess. 2:3, God’s people have lived in slavery under
Satan’s churches and denominations. The churches have
all the time served the devil, but pretend to be God’s
servants and representatives. The churches have never
been any God’s assemblies or God’s temples. They have
already from their beginning been harlot beings. They
are born through religious fornication. People have
mixed God’s word with doctrines of evil spirits, and so
new churches appear.

Jesus cannot come today because God’s people are not ready
http://www.algonet.se/~allan-sv/TODAY.HTM

The most powerful revival message of the Lord
to his people in our time
http://www.algonet.se/~allan-sv/INDEX.HTM

A catastrophic course
http://www.algonet.se/~allan-sv/COURSE.HTM

The restoration of the Assembly of God
after the great falling away
http://www.algonet.se/~allan-sv/PREPARE.HTM#restoration

1) I think that it is very possible that we (Christians) can all be using these same words, but meaning different things.
2) I really don't think that love was emphasized enough in your post. We really don't have any idea what this means in context of small groups and church and life as a follower in general. (I am speaking generally as I know there are some who do)
3) I think that it is possible that we have a different idea of preaching than Jesus did. I will break down my thoughts per section of your blog. This is why Google wave is going to be so helpful. We can reply right inside of the article!

What is the most effective environment for making disciples?
- an environment of love. this can't be created. it has to be lived out by someone in the group exemplifying this in life and showing others areas in their lives where they are to be loving as well. We see ways Jesus discipled his people, and then at the last supper, he says that he will show them the FULL EXTENT OF HIS LOVE (more to come on this)

“Are All Teachers? – we have to be careful here. though we are all not gifted in teaching, I think that we are all called to be teachers. Paul said "follow me as I follow Christ". Jesus said to follow him. If we are to make disciples, we are calling people to follow us in our walk with Christ. Our goal is to teach them (through our lives) how to follow Christ in their’s. Thus, making us to some degree…teachers. This is a responsibility that we all share, but we don’t all feel the weight of this like we should.

“The Proper Working of Each Individual Part
- I agree that we are able to help each other best in community, using the gifts of all involved parties. There are several layers to discipleship here though. 1) we are able to see how the disciples are getting deeper truths by how they treat each other in community. The things that you describe are great if they are happening in community. The problem is that most of the time this doesn’t happen in our small groups. If people aren’t treating each other in love then we can be more aware of how to disciple the “individuals”. 2) this leads to the greater problem. We often treat small groups like a church service in that this may be the only time we are together. Love cannot truly happen without living life together. In our culture this is almost impossible. We must search the Scriptures to see what love costs. This CANNOT even be done in small groups alone. We (those calling people to disciple) have to learn the full extent of love in order to give the full extent of love.

Without working in our small groups toward love…hard, sacrificial, bearing with one another, dying for others…complete sacrificial love, then our small groups won’t be able to grow more deeply either.

Nathan, I have a boatload of friends in ministry (like you). Almost all of them have said (whether in mega churches or small house churches) that the problem is getting people to the depths of discipleship…LOVE. Small groups don’t do it, big church doesn’t do it. ONLY an example of LOVE does it. But we don’t like this because its long and its treacherous and it COST SO MUCH! No venue will work without working toward understanding and living love. Then, all the parts (our gifts) will make sense in family (community).

“Jesus took the 12 disciples aside privately and said to them on the way…”
- I wonder if we have a misunderstanding of preaching. I never see examples of Jesus preaching exegetically. I never see examples of a prepared sermon that he delivered. They are almost spontaneous, flowing out of his life and into the lives of whomever he was speaking to. And sometimes, people left because of what he was saying. It seems as if he found arenas where those who were not followers were congregated and used those moments to preach (the Gospel), and used more intimate times with followers for teaching through discipleship relationships. I am still working through this. But we spend the majority of our time and money on 1 hour a week.

Most of this goes to our corporate view of leadership and how we apply that to Scriptures. This is almost another topic, but I do believe that how we view and live all of these things go into not only “how” we do church, but how we live the life as a follower of Jesus as well.

Sorry, so long. Please let me know your thoughts.

I don't have that goal because I want people to think I'm a successful manager or promoter of small groups for their own sake. I have that goal because I think that small group settings are the absolute best place for life-on-life discipleship to happen.