The more I read and listen to others who are wading the House Church pool, sadly, the more I see well-meaning Christians inadvertently lifting up the leaders of various "networks" within the movement.
Once again, Dissension appears to be trying to rear its ugly head.
Each House Church group and network seems to have their own philosophy with each placing greater emphasis on one thing or another. One places a strong emphasis on the Lord's Supper while another stresses that any "layman" can start a church in their home. Another group emphasizes signs and wonders while another emphasizes the "Saturation Church" concept. Many groups are merely taking the "big church" format and reducing it to living room scale, while other groups are, unfortunately, becoming elitist and even divisive as they nurture an "Us against Them" mindset against the traditional, or "legacy" churches.
As usual, it doesn't take a Christian very long to revert back to the "holy place of meeting" mentality while giving lip service to the "We are the Church" mantra. But where actual House Church gatherings are concerned, like snowflakes, no two groups will ever be alike.
OUR SURVEY SAYS...
According to a 2006 survey on the movement, researcher/sociologist George Barna compiled the following breakdown of house churches in America today. Which describes YOUR House Church?
The average length of a House Church gathering is 1-1/2 hours. Only 6% of House Churches meet for 3 hours or more.
29% meet on Wednesday, 25% Sunday. For most participants, House Church appears to function as an addendum to their Sunday attendance
60% always follow the same routine.
91% are little more than Bible Studies.
A group's average size: 15 people. 5 Children.
One third (32%) have no children involved.
50% separate kids and adults; 19% have separate and combined; 22% always have kids and adults together.
Other Activities (Shown are the % of House Churches which Practice each)
Video 41%
Offering 43%
Communion 53%
Music 65%
Prophecy 71%
Discussion 75%
Teaching 80%
Sharing needs 83%
Prayer 87%
Eat/talk 8%
Bible Study 91%
Serving 94%
72% of house church participants said they were satisfied with the sense of community they were experiencing. But we can't expect any one House Church to last forever. According to author Frank Viola, 6 months to 2 years is about the maximum lifespan of a House Church.
LEAD ME TO YOUR TAKER
It must be the Adamic nature of man that causes people who confess that the literal presence of God Himself indwells their very being to act in a manner that is contrary to that declaration. We are no different than the elders of Israel who, although they had the prophet Samuel living among them, a man through whom God spoke, insisted upon having a king like all the other nations. Despite God's warning that a king would TAKE their sons off to war, TAKE their daughters for his Kingdom work and TAKE their taxes, the elders persisted. King Saul was given to them, one of the worst kings ever. The rest is history.
So, here we are, this mighty army-on-bivouac called The Church, endued with the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead, still insisting that somebody "lead us" around spiritually. Now, when we gather, some may teach us, but that doesn't make them our leaders. Others may prophecy, but the words they speak forth had better confirm what the REAL leader - Jesus - is already saying to us. Another who is gifted musically might lead us in songs of worship (Those of who cannot carry a note in a bucket say "let them!"). The common tendency, however, is to look to an individual HUMAN's leadership rather than trusting the Holy Spirit to guide His family.
Romans 8:14 tells us, "All who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God."
Led? Wasn't Jesus "led" by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to be tested by the devil (Luke 4:1-2)?
Does that mean our LEADER is the Holy Spirit?
Yes, when the Spirit of God invades the soul of man, a new leader emerges, namely, God. Those who know Him will know His voice. What I've found is that far too few of us actually know Him.
Leave it to mankind, sojourners and aliens, spiritual beings enduring this human experience, to try and get comfortable here. We send Moses up the mountain to hear from God because we're scared spitless. We'll even pay somebody to hear from God on our behalf - even making that his salaried job, complete with a title (pastor, reverend, father, etc.) - so he can report back to us at the next church service. Mankind, made in God's image and intended to be the freest creature in the universe, actually WANTS to be led by someone else. It's crazy!
NOTE: The only thing God NEVER gave mankind dominion over was other people!
REPEAT: The only thing God NEVER gave mankind dominion over was other people!
Those humans whom we allow to take authority over our lives will take our freedoms - including our spiritual freedoms - if only because we surrender them, NOT always because they wrestled them from our grip. They'll take all the power we give them. The word "religion" - according to Funk & Wagnall's - actually means "a return to bondage." Hmmm. Jesus came to set us FREE!
GIVE ME A MAN!
In 1 Samuel 17:10, we read about how Goliath shouted at the Israelites, "Give me a man that we may fight each other!" His taunting rang in their ears, causing paralyzing fear. Even today, many are taunted by that same demonic spirit that simply cannot bear to see Christian people submit directly to God, preferring that we submit to a man instead.
The apostle Paul had to write a letter of correction to the House Churches that were meeting in the Greek city of Corinth. It seems that some who were coming into The Church - specifically, in this case, those who belonged to Chloe's family - were beginning to take a little too much pride in their spiritual pedigrees and becoming a bit cliquish. They had opened the door to a Sectarian Spirit. According to 1 Corinthians 1:12, they were saying things like, "I am a follower of Paul," and "I am a follower of Apollos," and "I am a follower of Peter," along with those who confessed, "I am a follower of Christ."
"I am a follower of Catholicism. I am a follower of the Presbyterians. I am a follower of the Baptists. I'm a follower of (name a preacher, any preacher)."
Jesus said, "I will build MY Church, and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it."
He never told Peter to build his own network of churches. He said "feed MY lambs," not "feed YOUR lambs."
Paul never referred to the churches he planted as "his" churches. Here we read how he pleaded with the Corinthian saints, "Christian brothers, I ask you with all my heart in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to agree among yourselves. Do not be divided into little groups. Think and act as if you all had the same mind."
In verse 13, Paul adds, "Has Christ been divided? Was Paul put on a cross to die for your sins? Were you baptized in the name of Paul? I am thankful to God that I baptized Crispus and Gaius only. No one can say that you were baptized in the name of Paul...Christ did not send me to baptize. He sent me to preach the Good News."
Good News? Yes, the Good News - the Gospel of the Kingdom that Jesus came to preach about (see Matthew 4;23; 9;35; 24:14; Mark 1:14) that is simply this:
1) There is a King.
2) He has a Kingdom.
3) He loves you and wants you in it with Him so that He can care for your needs.
4) He desires to build that Kingdom with you alongside, working WITH Him as He works THROUGH you.
The Queen of Sheba heard about King Solomon and marveled at how he cared for his subjects. From the fine robes they wore, the food they ate, the wisdom the king possessed...he amazed her. "That was some kinda King!"
When God cared for the wandering Children of Israel, for forty years their clothing never wore out, water came from rocks, manna and quail were provided to eat and they were provided shade by day and fire by night. Even their enemies were destroyed and those bitten by serpents were healed. "That was some kinda King!"
Even King Jesus, when preaching to hungry crowds, provided food. He raised their dead loved ones and healed their sicknesses. "That was some kinda King!"
Now, the same Spirit that raised Him from death and led Him in life desires to lead us. But we must submit to Him. We must decrease so that He can increase and shine through us, illuminating our worlds and telling them about the Good News of the Kingdom of God. They, too, once they experience Him, will declare, "That is some kinda King!
The Spirit exalts Jesus, and abases the flesh. If our flesh is screaming out for human leadership, pridefully declaring that we are followers of so-n-so, and if our lives are not centered around Jesus, I question whether or not He is truly the Lord - "kyrios" in Greek, meaning "owner" - of our lives. If Jesus is not central to what your House Church is all about, question its reason for being. If you find yourself following any human being and NOT the Spirit of Christ, I have a Word from God for you: Repent!
We must fight to keep dissension from entering in among us. Our 30,000 manmade denominations aren't doing a very good job of that, it appears. We have been, despite our good intentions, the #1 cause of atheism on the planet.
They will know we are Christians by our love for one another.
So, let's all decide to love one another.
Jesus is Lord...or He's not. Either we submit to Him alone as Lord of ALL, or He isn't our Lord at all.
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