House to House
Aug 11, 2008
We currently meet in our homes similar to the followers of Christ, from house to house. Acts 5:42, 20:20
Basileia Vineyard is a Church Plant based in Saxonburg, Pa. Basileia is one of a Community of Churches within Vineyard USA. You might be asking why the name Basileia? The simple answer is basileia is the greek word for Kingdom. We believe before church can exist there must be be a community of the kingdom. We believe the Kingdom is when God rules and reigns in our daily lives. We look for his presence when go to work, school, the grocery store or the laundramat.
At Basileia we strive to participate in the Kingdom breakthrough in people's lives. Equipping those who hunger to "DO THE STUFF" with compassion and love as Jesus did.
We believe in living Kingdom oriented lives, bringing the life of Jesus to the people in our community. We seek to enable people to have access to the GOOD NEWS of the gospel in a real way. We want to announce the good news of the kingdom. To live in such a way that people see the Kingdom in us. like Jesus we want to be the friend of sinners. As we journey together we want to understand what it means to live in the kingdom. We want to be captured by the beauty of the kingdom and to demonstrate the glory of the Kingdom to others. Our desire is that you see Jesus in us
Posted by Terrence 2:49 PM
Labels: House 2 House, Who Are We
"What time do you meet on Sunday mornings?
Aug 1, 2008
If you came wondering
"Where is your church building located?"
I'm sorry to disappoint you by telling you we do not have a church building. If you are looking for that type of a Vineyard experience, there is a fantastic Vineyard church in Carnegie,Pa. , and you can visit them online here.
We love the churches that meet on Sunday mornings in a rented space or in their own building and explore together what it means to love God and love each other. For us and for now this is how the Lord seems to be leading us. We have been commissioned by the Lord and the Vineyard to begin a new community. Beginning a new work we are a little different, however very much in his kingdom.
So what does church look like to us? Well, it is somewhat hard to put into words on a blog like this. Probably the best way to begin to explain it is to say this: how about you eMail us, and we can talk about it, or get together over a refreshing drink and a good meal?
One day we'll have had enough meals and hung out with enough people that it will make sense to start having larger gatherings of folks where we all eat a meal together and spend time exploring his kingdom further. Or maybe we'll go do something to impact our local community in a positive way, and then hang out at a coffee shop together and share with one another what we saw God doing in our midst. Along the way we'll be following Jesus and loving Him, each other, and anyone else we encounter along the way.
Sound good to you?
Posted by Terrence 4:23 PM
Labels: Sunday, Where n When
What is Church?
Jun 5, 2008
Before we can have community we need to know who we are and what were to do. Below is a summary from Derek Morphew's book 'KINGDOM BREAKTHROUGH'.
The Kingdom and the Church
The Old Testament expectation was that the arrival of the “Age to Come” would terminate that present age. The mystery Jesus proclaimed was that the end of the world could break through before this world actually ended. The breakthrough of this “age to come” occurred with Christ’s birth, ministry, death, resurrection, ascension, and outpouring of the Holy Spirit. These last two events of the breakthrough set up the nature of this period of waiting and tension between this age and the age to come.
In Acts 1:6 the disciples asked Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?
They were expecting an over throw of the Roman Empire. The disciples /Jews believed the kingdom of this world would be destroyed and replaced by God’s kingdom. The messiah would rule and Israel would be the capitol.
Jesus answer to the disciples announces there will be a delay, eluding what we are to do while were waiting;
But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem,and in all Judea, and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. Acts 1:8This provisional period is therefore a time of the Holy Spirit for the church. We as believers are to be faithful until the end, proclaiming, announcing the kingdom until the close of the age.
So which is the Kingdom and which is the Church?
The traditional Roman’s and the Protestant’s views of the past identified the kingdom with the church. A more recent view is dispensational separating the kingdom and the church. This view assumes a Davidic type kingdom related to the nation of Israel and the body of Christ being the church with a different destiny.
Next up;
The Church is not the Kingdom
The Kingdom creates the Church
The Church is a structure of human relationships
Posted by Terrence 3:29 PM
Church or Kingdom
Jun 4, 2008
The Church is not the Kingdom
By most definitions the church is a people or gathering of those who serve Jesus as the Lord. The kingdom is the personal, dynamic reign of God in the heavens and in the affairs of man upon the earth. We might reign with him in the sense that we share in His triumph but the dominion and lordship belongs to God. Furthermore God reigns over all; the whole universe, the stars, angels and the redeemed of the earth. The kingdom is therefore much wider than the church.
The Kingdom Creates the Church
Mathew 18:18-20 shows the inseparable link between the church and the kingdom. The building of the church is discussed in terms of the keys of the kingdom of God. Those who enter the kingdom automatically enter the church. As the rule and reign of God breaks into this world, men are confronted with the demands of God the king. They are called to give their allegiance to Jesus. The moment they accept his Lordship, they become part of the company that has already accepted his Lordship, the Church
Kingdom Breakthrough, Derek Morphew & The Presence of the Future, George Eldon Ladd
Posted by Terrence 3:24 PM
Church or Kingdom
Jun 3, 2008
The Church is a structure of human relationships
Brothers and sisters, shepherds and sheep, teachers and pupils, servants, exhorters, leaders and followers. This structure is created wherever the kingdom [of God] breaks into society. The life of the kingdom brings the church into being; the resulting network of human relationships must seek to contain, express, and transmit the presence of the kingdom. However, sometimes this structure impedes ad even resists the power of the kingdom.
The kingdom is illustrated by the analogy of a snail and its shell. The secretions of the snail create the shell which the snail inhabits. Many shells lie empty and lifeless. As church history has progressed, God has given successive interventions of his kingdom. Each time, a shell has been created appropriate to the life of the church. But church history is strewn with empty shells where the structure remains but the life has disappeared. The kingdom perspective should cure us of a preoccupation with shells. Different outpourings of God's presence take on various modes of expression. Our eye should be fixed on the event of the kingdom. Where is God intervening? Where are his mighty deeds being performed? Where can we see the power of the age to come? Our interest in the shells should be functional. The shell is holy while the snail is there. The shape of the shell is not holy and neither is the shell once the snail has disappeared.
Kingdom Breakthrough, Derek Morphew
Posted by Terrence 3:21 PM
What to Expect When you Visit
Apr 18, 2008
Good fellowship
Good discussions
We expect that at any given moment He might show up.
We enjoy worshiping our Lord and seeking His presence.
We love to read the Word of God and have some discussion.
We spend some time praying for one another.
Sometimes we go out looking for people to bless.
Feel free to come check us out, fellowship, have some food and refreshing drinks.
Posted by Terrence 7:14 PM
Labels: what to expect
Our History
Mar 29, 2007
Vineyard USA 25th Anniversary from Vineyard USA on Vimeo.
Posted by Terrence 10:08 AM
Labels: History
