We are R.E.A.C.H.

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 We are R.E.A.C.H.
We have been convicted by the New Testament writings in Acts about how the first century church looked and functioned, and therefore, R.E.A.C.H. was born.
We desire a purer teaching of scripture based solely on the word of God, and not the confines of a covering.
We seek more direct missions and outreach by rolling our sleeves up and doing it ourselves.
We empower and equip people to be powerful leaders in their own rights in order to efficiently reach a world so desperate for the truth of Jesus Christ.

Below is a list of why we chose a home-based church ministry and the correlating verses.
This is the website where we received much of this information.

1. Churches typically met in homes.  (Acts 2:46-47; 5:42; 8:3; 12:12; 16:40; 20:7-8; 20:20; Rom.16:3-5; 1Cor.16:19; Col.4:15; Philemon 2; 2Jn.9-11)

2. When the number of believers outgrew a home, a new church was formed. (Rom.16:3-5; 14-15; Acts 2:41-47)

3. There were no denominations; instead there was one church in each city, meeting in various homes. (Acts 8:1; 11:26; 18:22; Rom.16:1; 1Cor.1:2; Rev.2:1; Col.4:16; 1Thess.1:1; Rev.2:12; 3:7; 3:1; 2:8; 2:18)

4. Elders were local brothers who arose from within a local church where their life and character were known. (Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5)

5. Church meetings were participatory and interactive – every member had a function and contribution to make. (1Cor.12:4-27; 14:26; Eph.4:15-16; Rom.12:3-8; 1Pet.4:10-11; Heb.10:23-25; Rom.12:15; 1Cor.12:26)

6. Church meetings were characterized by informality, flexibility, and spontaneity. (Acts 20:7-12; 1Cor.14:26-31)

7. The goal of the meeting was mutual edification. (1Cor.14:3,4,5,12,17,26; Eph.4:11-12,16; Heb.10:24-25)

8. The church was led by a plurality of co-equal Elders. (Acts 14:23; 20:28; Phil.1:1; 1Tim.4:17; Heb.10:17; James 5:14; 1Pet.5:1-2)

9. The church was cared for by a team of pastors who were accountable to each other and the church; they were also known as elders or overseers. No one elder functioned as the head of the church. (Acts 20:28; Titus 1:5-7; 1Pet.5:1-2)

10. Some elders might be financially supported, but they were usually bi-vocational (1Tim.5:17-18; Acts 20:33-35)

11. There was no clergy/laity distinction in the church – all the members comprised a fully functioning priesthood. (Heb.13:15-16; 1Pet.2:5,9; Rev.1:6)

12. The Lord’s Supper was observed as often as the church regularly gathered and was the stated purpose for their meetings. (Acts 20:7; 1Cor.11:18-20,33)

13. The Lord’s Supper was observed as a full meal. (Acts 2:42,46; 1Cor.11:20-21; Jude 12)

14. The Lord’s Supper was observed with glad and sincere hearts as the church not only reflected on Christ’s death, but also on the future marriage supper of the Lamb which it depicted. The believer’s horizontal relationship with other believers was emphasized. (Acts 2:46; Luke 22:15-18,30; 1Cor.11:26; Acts 2:42; 1Cor.10:16)

15. New believers were baptized as soon as it was humanly possible. (Acts 2:37-41; 8:12; 8:36-38; 9:17-18; 10:45-48; 16:31-34; 19:5)

16. Baptism was performed by any Christian. (Jn.4:2; Acts 8:12; 8:36-39; 9:18; 22:16; 1Cor.1:17)

17. The church was not always present when someone was baptized. (Acts 8:12; 8:36-39; 16:31-34)

18.Various brothers taught the church, and allowed the congregation the opportunity to question them and/or add their own insights. (Acts 20:7; 1Cor.14:29-35)

19. The church gave primarily to relieve the poor and assist Christian workers, often beyond their means; they had very little if any administrative expenses. (Acts 2:44-45; Gal.6:9-10; 1Jn.3:17; 1Tim.5:17-18; 1Cor.9:6-14; 2Cor.8:3; Phil.4:15-18; Lk.12:33-34; Eph.4:28; James 1:27)

20. Believers gave voluntarily as God had blessed them and they had purposed in their heart; tithing was not carried over into the NT church. (2Cor.8:3-4; 9:7)

Re-purposed People

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DIYers all over the world love to take something of seemingly little value and create something with a new purpose and of greater value. Whether it is an old tv cabinet or a broken wooden pallet; we all love to watch the transformation of some old worn out item into a priceless work of art! I guess the old saying still rings true "One mans trash is another mans treasure".

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2 Cor. 5:17 explains that once a life has been entrusted to God, the old man has been transformed to a new life with a new purpose and a fresh beginning. When the grace of God is poured out on a life whose world has been shattered, they are forever changed. Whether it is a wife who has suffered abuse at the hands of a drunken husband, a child who has been abandoned by a single mother or man whose wife just left him for his best friend are all able to be re-purposed so that they might see their greater value.

Many people will travel the world over in search of things to cover their scars or to help them forget their pain but they will never find it. Many will seek the arms of a stranger or an old flame to try to be reminded of their worth, but they will never find their true sense of worth and purpose in this world. It must be found in the One who gave His life so that we might have life as is spoken of in John 10:10.

Whether your heart has been hardened by countless years of abuse and ridicule, or if you are just in search of something better...God is simply waiting for you to turn complete control of your life over to Him. He requires you to sacrifice everything so that He can give your life meaning and purpose.
Romans 12:1-2 explains that we need to offer our lives as a living sacrifice to God and to allow Him to transform us and renew our mind.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 reminds us that we are no longer the lord of our life, but we have been bought with the blood of Jesus Christ and our new life should bring glory to God.

We cannot allow the devil or the world to remind us of our history. Once we have been transformed, we have been re-purposed. Our life is now of endless worth and we have been given a higher purpose.

Feb 15th's Praises!

We had such an amazing day of worship this morning! Our home became a place of worship as some incredible people filtered in bringing food and love. Our boys ran around and entertained everyone for a little while, which filled our home with an overwhelming joy and sense of family.

After while, we gathered in the living room for worship. We all had the opportunity to share how God revealed Himself to us over the course of our week, and we were in awe when we realized our encounters all connected in some way.
It was wonderful to sing God's praises in unison, and to feel His Spirit fill our humble space.

We got into our teaching which was about the sacrificial cost of discipleship. We discussed how we ought to trust God with our finances when were called to step out in leaving jobs, places of worship, etc.
We are called to live a life of simplicity as talked about in Matthew 6:25-34.
The world will make lists of "things" you need, however, God has clearly called us to a life of simplicity. 

We had the privilege of one man sharing something he had studied about trials, and how they aren't always bad. Sometimes trials are good in order to teach us something. We learn humility in times of blessings and abundance, and all good trials are learning tools that are given to us in order to shape our character. This all allows our lives, money and  homes to be tools for God to use to further His kingdom.

This ISNT us, but this IS what we look like. Picture Credit

After our fellowship time, we prayed and never even realized that TWO HOURS had passed. We had been so swept away by the Holy Spirit that time literally became irrelivant.
We continued on to lunch where we laughed, told stories and played with our children. It was warm and intimate and everything God intended the church body should be!
Our fellowship continued late into the afternoon, and here is where something amazing happened...

No one wanted to part ways.

We were so satisfied just being together that we weren't worried with our schedules or chores or TV shows that we may have been missing. Some were ready to settle in for a nap with our boys...and we would have been just fine with that:)

We believe this is what God intended His Sabbath to be like. A day of rest, singing praises to His name and loving one another in His name.

If you did not have an experience like this, this morning...and would like to have this experience. We encourage you to try REACH. We'd love to have you!

Pictures will come soon. Until then, be blessed. God is everywhere.

Who we are.