dermasse

Thanks for the welcome Bonnie. My name is a long story, but I'll make it short. Der Masse is actually two German words, which roughly translated into English would be "to the nth degree", if you're familiar with that phrase. That's what we're called to in Christ. We're called to perfection, to the nth degree, farther than we ever thought possible. Just when we think we've become "spiritual," the Lord will reveal another layer of sin. His desire is that we deal with that sin, submitting to His authority and enabling Him to complete that work in us. In theological terms, it's called sanctification, the process of becoming more and more Christ-like that never, ever ends.

Homechurching just seemed a natural thing for us. We've been doing it for years. I'm a preacher. I love to preach. Unlike most modern American pastors, I don't prepare a message with appropriately timed jokes, human interest stories from the news, etc. I get up on Sunday morning and ask God, "What's the message Lord?" First He leads me to a passage, and then He reveals the message. We sit down in our living room at around 10am, we sing, we pray, and I deliver the message. Unlike most sermons you'll hear in institutional churches, I ask questions along the way. I allow those attending to ask questions. Occasionally, I sense a need arise that wasn't part of the original message, so I submit to the Holy Spirit's leading and divert the message to take care of that need. It's all quite open and free-flowing. The key is that although we have a loose structure, it is loose. When anyone senses the Holy Spirit's leading to do something impromptu like pray or sing or discuss a particular issue, we do it. The message is conversational. I want to give everyone the opportunity to have their questions answered before they forget them. I don't know how many times I've sat listening to a sermon, had a question about something the preacher said, but I couldn't stop the sermon to ask the questions without being ostracized. I also couldn't write down the question in the context of the point being made without missing what was being afterward. The point of the message should be to meet the church's needs, not let the pastor feel he's doing his job or pay his bills. Which by the way, we do not handle any money. Tithing is up to the individual. If someone wants to give, that's fine, but it isn't expected that anyone give any money to me. Having been a church pastor, I've played that game where I was actually told what to preach to keep my "job."

Anyway, that's it in a nutshell. I'm thrilled that you've come to know our Lord Jesus. Trials and struggles await you, but they do not compare to the blessings of a life of obedience. God is good!