Relational participatory church like commanded in the New Testament?

Be discerning!

Some will take advantage of what God is doing by trying to use it to peddle their own influence, “programs,” courses or agendas.

Often, they lack any real history of successfully starting, sustaining or even being part of an actual local church back home – or lack having done it for any meaningful length of time needed to prove their abilities and their concepts – like they now want to sell to others.

Unlike them, Paul never asked those God sent him to help …

To pay for his help, cover his expenses, or provide for his income.

Rather, he appealed to those he previously helped and were now viably established by asking them to contribute to his costs and expenses so he wouldn’t be a burden on new churches and believers to whom God was sending him.

Which begs the question:

If these modern day house church marketers – and what they’re peddling – are so successful, then where are the established, viable churches and believers they previously helped bring forth …

Who should be able to now help cover their ongoing costs and expenses so they don’t need to seek payment and contributions from new or emerging believers and churches to whom they keep promoting themselves and their wares?

Typically, there are none …

Or their past endeavors have not yet become truly viable and thus proven.

I’ve seen it all too often:

What they’re peddling and their own lack of verifiable, tested experience over time …

Plus their own failure to ever develop the ability to actually support themselves through their own skills and labor (even if they legitimately need temporary support while going on mission to help others, and thus are away from their own successful careers back home) …

Inevitably leads to failure among themselves and those they’ve promised to help.

Maybe not right away, but over time it never turns out well.

I’ve seen it time and again, and again, and again …

I’m not saying they are necessarily insincere. Some, but not all, have good intentions.

But they lack experience, proven over sufficient time, to confirm their gifting and abilities through established churches that are able to now help them – without financially burdening or trying to monetize those they’re proposing to help.

So before turning to anyone for assistance or advice – or paying for resources like books, courses, and conferences – on viable discipleship and how to start or sustain a relational participatory church like the New Testament actually teaches, ask and verify:

Because you can’t get to viable discipleship and churches with those needing to sell themselves and their wares …

Nor get to authentic from phony.