House Groups 2 - Experiences ...

Tuesday, Nov 3, 2009. The first time I had contact to a Christian house group was during my studies. I met some people on a party, who told me that they have a house group and that they talk about Christian faith. I was very interested in Christian faith - without being a dedicated Christian. I had tried to be a good person, tried to be honest, I had my interest in this faith, but I had not yet come to a clear breakthrough what to think about God.

It was interesting that time. I remember some occasion where I had prayed to God: I want to get to know you, God! Then, some time later, suddenly two different house groups appeared in my environment. I had never heard of this before. But now I met people who were in two different groups. This first house group was a group of dedicted Christians. They invited me and we spent an evening reading the bible. But I had many questions, and I asked them. That was in principle ok, but I also realized that it was too much for this little group to deal with a philosophically trained young man who was asking many difficult questions and did not share the basics of faith. So I never went again, and I think they were relieved.

The other house group was better suited for me. It was a missionary house group, where some people were willing to discuss all the hard questions with people who were no Christians yet. Of course, their goal was to bring people to faith - but I had no problem with that. I wanted to find faith, but could not really until then. But I had started to read the bible myself and to try to get a well grounded picture. The discussions in this group helped a lot, though I think it was God himself, who then showed himself to me by his words in the New Testament. At some point I was ready to open my heart and my life and ask him to take over the leadership in my life. It was the best thing which ever happened to me (closely followed by getting to know and marrying my wife).

I attended this house group for a few years. Then I went to other groups. I got to know a Christian church, which had many small groups on different levels. There, as a young Christian, I could discuss all the basic and all the deep questions of faith. The others struggled with many things, and it was good to be together and talk about the challenges, pray for one another and find a special type of community with the Lord and his people. I have so many wonderful memories about house groups, about these first years, where faith was full of open questions. I can only recommend to search for an adequate group for you, where your background and your questions find their space, where you can develop and grow, where you are taken serious, where you are loved and where people welcome and appreciate you.

Later, we had our own group. After I married my wife, we started as leaders of a little house group. Over time this group grew, then we split it into two new groups to give it more space to grow further. Then many people finished their studies and moved to other towns, we had to start again with only four members. So we started to invite others to talk to us about faith, people who were not (yet) Christians. There were many interesting sessions where we talked about hot topics, about age or death, about illness and many questions of faith. Some people came, and some of them who came found their own faith. They met Jesus and became Christians. From being little children of faith in a house group we moved to being like parents of such a group, and this experience again was and is fantastic and highly rewarding. I love to talk about basic questions of life and faith in a relaxed and open environment. House groups can provide such an environment. They can be a place where the Lord is present, again and again. Thank you, Lord! [R.W.E.P., jesusnetwork.eu]

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