Church in Your House

Bill opened the door with a smile as he welcomed the Smith’s from down the street. This was their first visit to Bill’s home meeting and they were a little anxious. But the friendly folks inside soon put the newcomers at ease. The light refreshments at the start of the gathering gave them an opportunity to mingle and get to know other people by name.

Soon, everyone was enjoying the informal fellowship. After a little while, Bill got everyone’s attention and the seats around the room were filled. Bill asked an ice-breaker question to help people tell something about themselves. The answers provoked lots of laughter. Before long, the meeting turned to spiritual matters as Bill guided the discussion toward issues they faced in everyday life.

Bible verses were used to answer the questions that arose. By the end of the meeting, several asked for prayer or expressed concern for others who were facing difficult situations. Anyone wanting prayer was able to receive it with no embarrassment. During prayer, one person volunteered the impressions she sensed were from God. The Smith’s felt genuine love from the group as prayer was offered for their wayward son.

They left the meeting that night planning to return the next week, having felt that they had finally found real relationships with sincere believers in Christ.

This short scenario is a description of a cell meeting. A cell meeting is a small group of believers gathered in a private house to worship God, study the Bible, and edify one another. This kind of event is now happening in millions of lives in thousands of homes in hundreds of nations. Notice, it took on a different flavor due to newcomers being present. If everyone attending was already experienced with life in the Spirit, it might have gone in a different direction.

Paul addressed these variations of small-group dynamics in his letter to the Corinthian church. He said we are to show care for one another and to wait on one another (1 Cor. 11:33, 12:25). But if an unbeliever or someone who is untaught is among us, then we are to focus on the gospel addressing their felt needs and not offend the newcomer with our liberties (1 Cor. 14:23-24). The operative principle is to always show respectful love for all people, while the goal is to edify one another with our gifts of grace as we share Christ (1 Cor. 14:40).

In this context of a small group setting, God’s grace and goodness is ministered one to another effortlessly. Spiritual growth occurs spontaneously. Members realize their gifts and callings. Prayer is offered for friends and neighbors to be saved. Needs are addressed and sharing occurs. The gospel’s power is multiplied as more people are equipped for ministry. These benefits are a natural result of permitting and promoting the church as it meets in homes.

I tell my congregation, "The church is what meets in your house. The Sunday gathering is what the church does." This little statement takes the focus away from "doing church" to "being church." Too much of our mind-set is organizational, rather than organic. The church is a living body, not a building. The Bible says we are the body of Christ. We have to move away from powerless traditions back toward the New Testament emphasis on koinoia, or true fellowship, rather than just assemble as strangers under the same roof. The apostles grew churches around community–life shared in common because of Christ’s salvation.

A question I often ask on Sunday is "When does church begin?" Some folks will answer, "Ten o’clock!" They are partially right. But Jesus said whenever two or three of us gather together, He is present. Therefore, church begins when the second person arrives. As soon as we gather in His name, as soon as we come into agreement, church has begun.

The church is Christ Incorporated, His living body, a sacred assembly. It is growing rapidly on the earth. Under God’s authority, we are free to pray, "Thy will be done," and to model God’s kingdom with our love for one another.

We need to stretch our thinking until we see the mystery of the new wineskin of the church. We need to enlarge our concept of what the Church really is.

More than a building, more than a denomination, more than a confessing creed, it is a living body, a growing temple, a house not made with hands, an international and interracial network of relationships connected to Jesus, designed by God’s creative genius (Eph. 1:22-23; 2:19-22; 4:16). It is Corpus Christi, the Body of Christ. By His Spirit He indwells us individually and connects us corporately (1 Cor. 6:19, 3:16).

We need to understand the building blocks of the church in order to better obey our Lord’s great commission. To grow larger, we need to think smaller.

The New Testament often uses the phrase "the church which is in your house." Paul used it four times— in First Corinthians 6:19, Romans 16:5, Colossians 4:15, and Philemon 2.

Paul greeted a couple, Priscilla and her husband Aquilla, and sent letters to the church that met in their house. This couple held home meetings in both Corinth and later in Rome. Paul sent similar greetings to Nympha, a lady who led a house church in Laodicea. From his prison in Rome, Paul also wrote to Archippus whose home held a church.

In all of these occasions, the apostle remained in relationship with groups of Christians whose normal mode of gathering was house to house (see Acts 20:20). They had no building or formal hierarchy, but they did have effective ministry based in their homes. And they had a relationship with a spiritual father.

This methodology won whole cities to Christ and changed nations. In fact, so many in the cities were won to Christ by this method that the word for those outside the city, pagans, became synonymous with unbelievers.

Our Lord Jesus set the pattern for the church when He started small. He called twelve disciples. This small group spent time with Him in prayer. Crowds got miracles and parables, but His proteges got personal fellowship, character development, on-the-job training, and strong commandments to walk in love.

They were commissioned to repeat with others what Christ had done with them. We can’t improve on Jesus’ methods. Big programs make a big splash, but lasting fruit comes from a simple plan that loves individuals and equips them for the work of the ministry.

This simple plan was demonstrated by the early apostles. In Acts 2:46, the church gathered in the Temple and in homes. Later, the Jewish element of the church was outnumbered by Gentile converts. Still later, the Temple was destroyed and persecution prevented public gatherings. The house church became the model for Christian lifestyle, the basis for community. The next 300 years was a period of amazing growth.

Acts 2:42 shows four components of the daily life of the early church. They are: 1) doctrine, 2) fellowship, 3) meals, and 4) prayer. Doctrine refers to teaching. Teaching should disseminate from the apostolic office. It explains the Bible, God’s orthodox standard for revealed truth. Fellowship is time spent in each other’s company, enjoying one another, laughing, worshiping, serving. It is what families do. Meals are times spent at each other’s table, inviting newcomers to join the oikos group, blessing one another with our gifts and love. Prayer describes all we do in addressing God the Father in worship, intercession, praise, and giving of thanks.

Small groups facilitate edification, evangelism, and intercession. The church at prayer is the engine of the kingdom. Preaching targets the unconverted. Prayer-Cells are designed for believers.

These four activities were carried out under the supervision of apostles. An independent house church is not a church set in order. The Body of Christ must have organic unity and true accountability with Christ’s governmental gifts, else we model lawlessness to an already lawless world. Isolated cells need to be in the sphere of apostles and prophets, someone with a larger grace gift. In cells, we pray for one another. In Sunday gatherings, we connect with 5-fold ministry.

When I am asked how folks can find their proper spiritual oversight, I ask two diagnostic questions: "Who watches out for your soul (or your cell-group leader’s soul) and feeds you with God’s word?" And, "To whom do you pay tithes?" Apart from a covenant relationship with Five-fold ministries, there is danger of heresy or harshness. Healthy units in the Body of Christ will have a wholesome desire to integrate with the larger part, the rest of the Body.

The apostles preached publicly and taught privately. New groups of disciples learned covenant love and fervent prayer by gathering in each other’s homes. Thus new churches were formed (Acts 14:21-23). Paul ended his ministry in Ephesus by gathering the house-church leaders and charging them to continue the work after his departure (Acts 20:17-32).

He rehearsed his tactics. They had met publicly and from house to house. In those settings, Paul taught them repentance and faith. He bore witness to and demonstrated the power of the kingdom of God. He told the leaders to shepherd (or, feed) the flock among them, those bought with the blood of Jesus.

Our mission remains the same today. God’s power is manifested when we meet for prayer in small groups. This is the new wineskin for the Church of the 21^st Century. These are the little flocks that will receive the kingdom, love the lost, and destroy the gates of hell.

© 2000 by Ron Wood. Ron and his wife, Lana, have been pastors more than 30 years. He has served as a State Coordinator for the U. S. Strategic Prayer Network. Ron is best known for his prophetic writing ministry. Ron & Lana are a ministry team. They are members of Reconciliation Ministries International led by Bishop Joseph Garlington. Ron & Lana were sent to Africa to help equip emerging apostolic leaders in the developing church. If you wish to copy this article for free distribution, permission is hereby granted to duplicate it provided there are no changes or omissions made to this article and this byline is included. The author asserts his moral rights of ownership. For more information or helpful literature, visit our web site at touchedbygrace.org, or e-mail us at ron@touchedbygrace.org.

The Church in the City

Dr. Peter Wagner says, "The church is God’s power plant to destroy the works of the evil one. It is now waking up to the most powerful weapon in its arsenal–unity." (Breaking Strongholds in Your City, Regal Books, 1993)

Have you ever wondered why your efforts to evangelize your community are frustrated? Why does an area seem resistant to the gospel? A few people might get saved, but overall nothing really changes. Our witness is not working.

The answer lies in the hidden spiritual infrastructure that operates behind the scenes. We have been chopping off the shoot but leaving the root.

God is now preparing the church in each city to wage war against entrenched evil powers. This is not a battle with flesh and blood, but against the devil, a war waged by humble prayer-warriors and committed preachers. (Eph. 6:12)

The victory we envision is not only saved souls, but transformed cities– where drugs, gambling, alcoholism, prostitution, school violence, gangs, bribery, and corruption are greatly reduced; where families are happy; businesses prosper; and churches grow daily. Our weapons are unity, faith, prayer, and proclamation. Jesus wants us to win.

This battle is winnable. But we need to ask ourselves, "Is it worth the effort? Can I pay the price?" "A wise man attacks the city of the mighty and pulls down the stronghold in which they trust." (Prov. 21:22 NIV)

Spiritual warfare, when joined with bold proclamation of the gospel, has the power to transform communities. George Otis Jr. has documented this effect in numerous modern cities in his excellent video, "Transformations." (To order, call The Sentinel Group, 1-800-668-5657)

The battle is more than persuading people. It also requires resisting Satan. The army of the Lord advances on its knees. We gain ground by repenting of corporate sin and ancestral idolatry.

The location for spiritual warfare is geographical and spiritual. Geographically, the focus is your city. Spiritually, the focus is the heavenlies, the invisible angelic realm energizing evil behavior. Effective and concerted prayer can target the unseen dimension where evil remains undisturbed. We can stop its tentacles of spiritual darkness at their source.

To do this, our concept of the church must be revolutionized. Our mentality has to change before our methods can change. If the way we think and perceive reality doesn’t shift, nothing changes.

It is not enough to build a house of worship where we feel safe from a wicked city. We live in our city. God loves our city. We are salt and light in our city. We hold the keys to transforming our city. We must train believers to go to war. And the only way we can do that is by becoming generals in the battle.

Modern English language has reduced the meaning of the word "church." It now describes a building that sits on a street corner or congregations which are mostly segregated from one another. This is incorrect.

The Bible’s picture of the church differs from our current image. For example, each of the New Testament epistles was addressed to the saints at Ephesus, at Corinth, etc.. They were not addressed to the Baptist church, or the Catholic church, or the Pentecostal church. There was only one church in each city. It was not fragmented.

When the Lord looks down from heaven on your city, he sees one church. Yet from the world’s viewpoint, the church is filled with factions. A divided society is looking for unity and not seeing it. We are discrediting our witness.

The original apostles asked, "Is Christ divided?" The answer was, "No." In their day, the church had unity and power. Could the modern church’s decline of power be due in part to its fragmentation?

In many cities today, pastors from different backgrounds are gathering together to pray. Without undoing denominational affiliations, new networks of local leaders are rapidly emerging to facilitate prayer and mutual accountability. This is unity in the Holy Spirit.The New Testament used the Greek word "ekklesia" for church. It meant "an assembly called out." It is composed of all the Christians in the city. It includes all the pastors and their congregations or cells. The church’s unity is real and relational, not theoretical or theological.

A major problem in the modern church is that people are resistant to relating to one another. Strangers show up at a church building, sit on pews beside other strangers, and then depart to their homes with little sense of community. (I call community "common-unity.") Fellowship is missing.

Even pastors are often isolated from the rest of the Body of Christ. The problem begins in the pulpit, not the pew. Pastors model the message, either of unity or sectarianism.

The New Testament church was regional and relational. It was filled with people connected to one another in covenant love and led by pastoral leaders who knew one another.

The church is a living organism, not merely an organization. Its unity is brought about by the Holy Spirit. His principle ministry is to bear witness to Jesus, to the truth, and to gather us together under Christ, the head of the church. (See Eph. 1:10 NIV)

The Holy Spirit joins believers to Christ and indwells them. He relates members together, giving them community. The church is the product of the corporate effects of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit knits members together in their respective flocks. He also joins pastors together within a region or a city, creating unity for the church.

Perhaps the greatest revelation of the church is in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. In Acts 20:17 and 20:28, he addresses the elders of the church of Ephesus with words that easily apply to us today. He says the church is not divided but is one body organized by one Spirit (Eph. 4:4). This one church is governed by one Head, manifesting His ministry to the church through his apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. In their office of government, these ministers are elders or overseers in the city.

The Ephesian church was exhorted to maintain its unity "in the Spirit." This meant unity was already present. The church’s birth had unity in its DNA. Disunity is an aberration.

This Ephesian pattern of church development was repeated in other cities. In Crete, Paul told Titus to finish the work by setting in elders in each city. The apostolic call is concerned with cities, not just congregations.

Unity affects authority. Elders in a united church in the city have spiritual authority. It affects the whole city when they pray. They sit at the gates of the city. Divided elders have diminished authority, or none at all. Disunity prevents effective corporate prayer.

Reconciliation repairs the breaches in the walls of our cities. Racial and denominational barriers will diminish as pastors make a determined effort to walk together. (Core beliefs can exclude heresy. For example, "Jesus is the Son of God" and "the Bible is God’s Word.")

Unity of purpose makes us proclaim the gospel to the lost instead of talking about each other. Conversion growth instead of transfer growth will be the result. Real evangelism causes a net increase for the kingdom of God in a city.

What are the requirements to have a whole church in a city? Begin with prayer. Two levels of prayer must emerge: strategic, at the leadership level, and cell-church level, block by block. This involves the pastors and the people.

1) Pastors in a city need to know one another. Developing close ties between area leaders requires time and work. We need to fellowship beyond our comfort zones. This is for the sake of Christian unity, to obey the prayer of our Lord that "they all might be one." While healthy diversity is the norm, as with the tribes of Israel, there is "one Lord, one faith, one baptism." Christ only has one bride, his church. There is only one gospel to share with the lost and only one enemy, the devil. We can love each other without sacrificing our traditions. We can make friends of fellow pastors.

2) Pastors in a city need to pray together in order to tear down spiritual strongholds. This is the only way we can preach the gospel with power. The devil mocks our pitiful efforts at spiritual warfare when we are divided behind denominational barriers or racial walls. A divided army can’t win a fight. A house divided can’t even stand, much less pull down evil principalities.

3) Pastors in a city need to have a relationship of mutual accountability among themselves. This is not only for their own benefit, but also for the safety of the flocks, to deal with issues of discipline or heresy. As Paul said at Ephesus, "Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock..." Pastors need to be spiritually related to other pastors. While accountability to an ecclesiastical organization or to an apostolic team is good, we must also embrace covenant relationships among shepherds in a geographical area.

4) All the pastors need to accept responsibility as a team to evangelize their whole city. One congregation may have abilities or gifts that another lacks. God gives different parts of the task to different congregations. Together, we can break down barriers so we can better share Jesus with our community. When believers and church leaders love one another, a powerful testimony impacts the unsaved. It takes a whole church to take a whole city for God.

© 2000 by Ron Wood. Ron and his wife, Lana, have been pastors more than 30 years. He has served as a State Coordinator for the U. S. Strategic Prayer Network. Ron is best known for his prophetic writing ministry. Ron & Lana are a ministry team. They are members of Reconciliation Ministries International led by Bishop Joseph Garlington. Ron & Lana were sent to Africa to help equip emerging apostolic leaders in the developing church. If you wish to copy this article for free distribution, permission is hereby granted to duplicate it provided there are no changes or omissions made to this article and this byline is included. The author asserts his moral rights of ownership. For more information or helpful literature, visit our web site at touchedbygrace.org, or e-mail us at ron@touchedbygrace.org.