Practical recommendations regarding house church gatherings
To kick off this topic of the manual correctly, before we get to the practical side of it, I need to explain three fundamental concepts:
Why house churches?
Jesus took the form of a servant and was born in human likeness. He had always been simple. First, He decided to become man, clothed Himself with flesh, and became the son of a carpenter. He came to demonstrate the “servant” attitude. He was born in a stable. He had always shown that He took pleasure in making enormous victories and breakthroughs through the small, the few, the weak, the unknown, and the insignificant.
He became a craftsman and, after Joseph’s death, provided for his family as any other breadwinner would have provided for his family. He experienced family life and was willing to work diligently for them. In the house churches, this family spirit is of invaluable importance and of inestimable value.
He always uses the little ones and the weak for His honor and glory. They are His family. Who can ever forget the story of David and Goliath? So there are also Davids in the house churches, and they too must face their Goliaths.
The house churches speak of ministry. It is synonymous with serving. We serve one another just as Jesus came to show us how to serve others. We all esteem one another higher than ourselves. We all wear aprons, towels, and dishcloths. We are like Jesus.
Jesus, a man of no reputation, was the savior of mankind, the King of kings, and the Son of God. Yet He was a servant. The Jewish leaders were determined to deny any position to this humble man. “He is nobody.” “He is nothing.” They wanted to reject Him because He was a danger to their religion, their positions, and their income. To identify with Him would have cost them their positions. They would have lost prestige. They would have lost income. It was just not a good business decision to acknowledge and accept Him as a “sent” from God the Father.
The Jewish leaders were also afraid of his disciples. Why? They were just unskilled fishermen. Why did they want to condemn the disciples to death and get rid of them as they did with Jesus? The most acceptable reason was again that they had become a threat to the Jewish leaders, who feared losing their influence and control over the people as the disciples spread their message of accessibility to God.
Their “message” and their “gospel” did not fit with the Jewish religion and structures. These disciples brought God closer to the people. The common man now began to have access to God. The Jewish leaders, as intermediaries, were no longer needed, which undermined their authority and influence over religious practices and financial contributions from the community.
This movement was a threat to the Jewish leaders, which posed financial and other complications. They couldn’t match the gospel of Jesus and its pure, unconditional love and freedom. They had to throw everything into the struggle to keep God away from the people, fearing that the message of the gospel would undermine their authority and influence over the community. They, as honored leaders, were the messengers of God. They were “appointed” to represent God to man, but a terrible thing happened; Jesus Christ and his disciples made their existence and the important role they play in society redundant! The house church does the same; it removes the intermediary and promotes a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, the savior of the church Himself.
Institutional leaders may tell you that they are not intermediaries between God and the congregation, but in practice, this is the reality, as they often dictate the interpretation of scripture and the manner in which worship is conducted, thereby influencing the congregation’s relationship with God.
In the generations that followed, this idea, this “God is with us” gospel, this little flame of light spread and dynamically illuminated all of Europe to this day. It was a powerful message, also known as the gospel of the kingdom.
Before they were called Christians, followers of Christ have been called “The Way”. One of the reasons was that they have literally found “the way to live”. The nature of the church is not reflected in a constant series of religious meetings led by professional clergy in holy rooms specially reserved to experience Jesus, but in the prophetic way followers of Christ live their everyday lives in spiritually extended families as a vivid answer to the questions society faces, at the place where it counts the most: in their homes.
– Wolfgang Simson
Where do house churches come from?
Jesus started an intimate relationship with a few chosen people for a reason. There was a purpose behind it. He could have rented a neat building in the middle of Jerusalem and started holding services there if He wanted to. There, He could have started preaching and teaching people about God and the kingdom of God. People could have attended His services regularly and learned about Him. Yet that is not what He did. He gathered a family. Men and women who could live the shared community life with Him as His brothers and His sisters. These were people who could share every aspect of His life with Him.
This environment is where the house church began: in the streets, under trees, and in houses. Here, they practically learned His way of life. They learned the “Jesus life”. They practically saw Him in action. They saw how He acted in all kinds of circumstances that came His way, as well as their way. They did not see or experience Him behind a pulpit. They experienced the Jesus way of life practically.
The disciples simply continued with this method and never changed it. This is how house churches began, and this is how true Bible-based house churches still function today.
The house church, first of all, played a very important role in the expansion of the kingdom of God. Paul preached the kingdom of Jesus with tremendous zeal and planted a few of these house church congregations. He actually planted house church “communities”. So did the other apostles. We can understand very well the meaning and richness that house churches brought about. It elevated individuals who, at that time, had no social privileges to the status that every person deserves.
They were precious children of God in a very hostile world. They became like small outposts in the kingdom of God in a world that was very hostile to the truth, serving as beacons of hope and faith for those seeking refuge from societal oppression.
As the “salt” and the “light,” they illuminated society on the “way of eternal life”. The house church illuminates the path that the institutional church could not illuminate because both the pillars of the church were rejected by the institutional church, leading to a disconnect between the spiritual needs of the community and the institutional practices that prioritize business principles over faith. The institutional church stands on pillars of business principles and not on spiritual principles, which can lead to a focus on organizational success rather than genuine spiritual growth and community engagement.
Therefore, Jesus is experienced differently, and his light shines differently. The house church shines a bright light that points to Jesus. Better put, Jesus Christ in the house church is the light that shines brightly in this dark world.
The disciples’ first-hand knowledge of Jesus, his life, his teachings, his sayings, his crucifixion, his resurrection from the dead, and the baptism in the Holy Spirit led to the enlightenment of the Messianic community that we call the church.
Today, Jesus is still building His church and establishing His eternal kingdom of peace and justice in and through us.
And this church, the house church, has brought God close to people again. The early church in houses is what reversed the apostasy of the “synagogues” and the false teachings of the “Pharisees” and the “Sadducees”. Today, the modern-day house church movement has reversed the apostasy of the institutional church. God is once again accessible to everyone who wants to worship Him in spirit and truth. The “Moses” mouthpiece is once again removed from the wayside, and the family of God once again functions as a family and not as an institution.
Then be patient and courageous. Do not underestimate the value of small beginnings.
In Christ, our small efforts to glorify Him can result in eternal meaning and significance.
Jesus is building His church and establishing His righteous, peaceful, and joyful kingdom in us and through us! Therefore, we must be both patient and encouraged, despising not the day of small things! In Christ our feeble efforts to glorify Him can have eternal significance! May we continue and persevere in our labors unto Him in prayerful dedication and bold determination to live under His reign!
– Dan Beaty
It is generally hidden, but this rapidly growing phenomenon is changing our world. This phenomenon affects how people live out their faith practically. People leave the institutional church by the thousands around the world every year to join it.
In many Eastern nations, Christian house churches have long had the largest membership. In America, Christian house churches already have the second-largest membership in the country. Globally, the house church movement is the largest Christian group in the world.
Jesus already told the woman at the well that the time had come when God would no longer be worshipped in a specific place. God wants to be worshipped in spirit and in truth wherever we go. Our whole life is an act of worship. We call it the “worship life”. This actually means that the “service” is never over. We are the church! Not a building. The believers are the church of God. The meeting place is of lesser importance. The meeting is simply an outgrowth of the worship life.
The believers in the New Testament did not go to church. They were the church! They were God’s building. The temple of God. In the New Testament, there are no holy places. They are holy people.
On the day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit made His home in the bodies of the disciples. They individually became the church, the new temples of God. It was now the place, home and shrine within which the Holy Spirit resided. And so we are when we hand over our lives to God and He becomes resident in our bodies. The worship of God is now, as the apostle John said, in His Spirit and also in His Spirit that now resides in you. If you are a child of God, you cannot go to church – you are the church.
– Johan Carstens
His church is a group of believers where each member contributes to the whole. Every special gift, talent, contribution, and participation of each person is an outpouring of Jesus in them. These people live the indwelling Jesus life even when they gather together on a Sunday. The Jesus life in them is ministry life. True ministry is always Jesus in us. True ministry is the outpouring of Jesus from us.
What we should see when we come together is the “ministry of the people and not of leaders,” through them we see the “expression of Jesus”. Mechanical spiritual leaders are information ministers. They minister the letter. They do not minister the spirit. Their motives, no matter how pure, do not matter.
They confront the soul. They bring knowledge to the mind. Make no mistake, they do it very well, and God uses it after all. But it is not perfect. There is a better way, a more excellent way, the way of the Spirit. We call it “spirit ministry” or “Jesus ministry.” The structure, spiritual principles, and mechanisms that govern house churches promote Spirit ministry or Jesus ministry in us, fostering a community where every member actively engages in worship, service, and spiritual growth.
It promotes the all-participating and all-functioning dimension of Christianity in the congregation and in the church of God, encouraging every member to actively engage in worship, service, and community building.
Romans 12:4-8
For as in one body we have many members, and all the members do not have the same function, so we are all one body in Christ and individually members one of another, having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: whether prophecy, according to the proportion of faith; or ministry, according to the work of the ministry; or he who teaches, in doctrine; or he who exhorts, in exhortation; or he who distributes, in sincerity; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.
1 Corinthians 14:26
What is the matter then, brothers? When you come together, each of you has a psalm, or a teaching, or a tongue, or a revelation, or an interpretation; let everything be for edification.
1 Peter 2:5, 9
And you also, like living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, and a people for his own possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
Connected to the above-mentioned Scripture passages, we read the following words every time: “as the Spirit wills”, “but it is the same Spirit”, “but all these work one and the same Spirit, distributing to each one individually as He wills.”
Being a congregation describes the function of what we do. It has no reference to who, what, or where we are. It is not the place we go to or the franchise we belong to. It is rather what we are in Jesus. This is the reason we gather, and this defines us as an Ekklesia. It is while we assemble that we minister to one another through the different gifts the Holy Spirit has imparted amongst us. In this way, we encourage and are encouraged by learning from the different experiences to which God is exposing us and the road we are traveling on. We share wisdom, prophecy, healing, and intercessory prayer. We bear witness to what we have seen and experienced, a witness of our lifestyle and work ethic, our challenges, and our victories. So when the Ekklesia congregates, each participant has something to contribute to build up His body. We give and we receive, and in the process we all become more complete. The gathering is always small enough to give all an opportunity to give and receive but always big enough to make a difference. It is for this reason that Paul urges us not to neglect our coming together. When we meet, we discover amongst ourselves more of what and who God is and His dream for our lives.
– Johan Carstens
The biggest reason why believers flock to the house church movement is the following:
They want to personally experience the New Testament realities they read in the Bible.
They want to experience a deeper dimension of worship life.
They are looking for something more in their walk with God and with their fellow man.
They want to be more committed to biblical truths than to be loyal to traditions.
Paul’s epistles to the New Testament churches were all addressed to house churches. This is how and where believers gathered:
Romans 16:3-5
Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, who risked their own necks for me. Not only do I give thanks to them, but also all the churches of the Gentiles. Greet the church that is in their house.
Colossians 4:15
Greet the brothers in Laodicea and Nymphas and the church in his house.
House churches and the development of disciples
Disciples must be cultivated, nurtured, and educated. Spiritual growth must occur. The divine character of Jesus Christ must be embodied in His disciples.
According to Ephesians 4:13, we must all achieve unity in faith and knowledge of the Son of God, reaching maturity and the full stature of Christ.
We only get the above during “fellowship” with each other, on a daily basis, as we gather around Jesus. To experience Him in His full form within us, there is a crucial requirement: intimate interaction with Him and with your fellow believers in the Lord. This relationship is triangular and cannot be pulled apart or separated. True divine fellowship is the unique interaction that is only possible in this relationship framework and provides the elements and the building blocks that ensure spiritual growth, such as mutual encouragement, shared worship, and collective prayer among believers.
The institutional church has removed two very important elements of interaction between God and man: The gifts of the Spirit, when in unlimited and uncontrolled form, could never develop to the dimensions and divine heights that God planned, and the shared community life of the saints could not serve as building blocks to promote spiritual growth.
The institutional church does not have the necessary revelation of these two important “elements”. The gifts of the Spirit and the shared community life are both of inestimable value in the church. These are the two pillars on which church experience stands. This combination ensures the all-participating and all-functioning way of life of the child of God on all levels of congregational interaction.
The congregation members engage in meetings and daily interactions, replacing both with human liturgy, programs, and methods was a very big mistake, as it undermined the spiritual engagement and active participation that are essential for a vibrant congregational life. The congregation’s life transformed into a theoretical religion, rendering it ineffective in practice. It made congregation members passive.
The unique nature of the house church makes this possible in its most natural form. This is also why the house church “naturally” carries out the “Great Commission” of Jesus Christ.
Matthew 28:19
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.
In the house church setting, all the elements of God-driven evangelism are a natural and spontaneous process. The new convert immediately becomes a disciple; he immediately becomes a full member of the congregation and immediately becomes part of the growth and development process.
The gifts of the Spirit are the instruments in God’s Acts with which He equips His disciples for their ministry and builds them up spiritually to maturity in Christ. The house church naturally creates the spiritual atmosphere to develop and use the gifts of the Spirit. The congregations are small, everyone can participate, and the gifts of the Spirit enjoy the priority they should have.
Our home church meetings are proving to be very fertile ground for the planting of the Lord. By His Word and Spirit we are beginning to function in the spiritual gifts that build up the Body, for both nurturing newborn children and the reproductive process. Individual and corporate spiritual growth is Kingdom growth.
– Dan Beatty
God also uses the fivefold ministry of shepherd, teacher, apostle, prophet, and evangelist throughout the house church network to bring about greater effectiveness. It is used in a dynamic way to equip the saints for their ministry, helping them to develop their spiritual gifts and engage more fully in the mission of the church (the Great Commission).
However, these ministries are functions and not positions. The practical application of the functions of all five of these ministries also differs significantly from what we see in the institutional church today, as they emphasize active service and community engagement rather than hierarchical roles and formal titles.
There are, of course, factors within the house church, including human nature, that sometimes make interaction between brothers and sisters challenging and not always pleasant.
People are still just people. We are all “under construction,” and no one is perfect. The good news is that this imperfection is precisely necessary to promote spiritual growth! We must be tested. Iron sharpens iron! From a divine point of view, this trial is not something we should avoid but is precisely necessary to cultivate love, patience, and trust.
The question is always: “Are you willing to expose yourself to the grace of your fellow brothers and sisters who, just like you, are not yet perfect on their spiritual path of sanctification and spiritual growth”? If the answer is yes, then you qualify to be polished, beautified, and polished by the Holy Spirit until you shine in the full stature of Jesus Christ. If the answer is no, then you will never become a mature child of God. It is your choice. There is no other way. It is this interaction that tests our faith. We do not need to be afraid or shy away from it. Just like trials, this negative interaction also purifies and refines our faith. This is why the absence of this interaction restricts spiritual growth.
Some benefits of house churches
Reaching missed segments of society
Discipleship/godly character development
Loving accountability
Close fellowship
Conducive to more rapid and consistent spiritual growth
Encourage us in our roles in the Great Commission
Free up finances for the Great Commission
Training and multiplication of servant leadership
Help prevent burnout of leaders
A built-in form of protection against persecution
Multiplication of churches
Provide a sense of family/belonging
Conducive to reaching unsaved people
Ideal model to ‘disciple the nations’
Biblical Christianity lived out in daily life
Others can know us by our love
The model is by nature reproducing
House churches are much more able to hold/disciple the coming harvest
Multiplication of churches leading to people movements
Able to contain and disciple the growing harvest
Spiritual gifts and five-fold ministry are developed/exercised
Fivefold Ministries equips next generations of leaders
Every member of the family important
Every member of the house church is involved in ministry
House churches are poised to be flexible with what God is doing
House churches are poised to respond to needs
Natural as “Houses of Prayer”
Natural sender of missionaries
Natural ‘missionary care/support’ function
Low administrative needs
Low costs to function
Conducive to God-led worship
Conducive to evangelism/discipleship
Conducive to reaching the poor
Conducive to ministering to the hurting
The Practical House Church Manual was written by ASR Martins
