That’s a pretty good description of the Christian life. Therefore, since
you ARE The Church, it stands to reason that this would also describe
the typical House or Simple Church.WHY ISN’T OUR CHURCH GROWING?

Sure, a living thing’s a growing thing but where The Church is
concerned, it’s simply NOT about the numbers within any one group.

For starters, who’s keeping score? Surely not God. The typical House
Church might run from 10 to 12 people. In other cases, you might run 5
or 6 folks yet find yourselves regularly ministering to others who pass
through in need of ministry.

Following is a message of EXTREME IMPORTANCE regarding your
spiritual growth.

“Using a computer for online religious activity… could become the
dominant form of religion and religious experience in the next century.”
- Professor B Brasher, author: Give me that Online Religion (Jossey-Bass).

FRIVOLOUS NONSENSE OR POWERFUL EMERGING TREND?

Although the Internet first grew in USA and northern Europe, it is now
no longer a toy for the rich Westerners. Users in China are expected to
reach 100 million in 2003. Only one country in the world bans Internet
usage - N. Korea.

In the mid 90’s, a Presbyterian minister named Steve Brown conducted
an interview with the lesbian Pastor from the largest Gay Church in
America. Steve had already laid the ground rules for their dialogue
regarding the expected, conservative, fundamentalist stance on
homosexuality. Essentially, he agreed not to state the obvious and
refused to “go there.” Instead, Steve displayed one of the most loving,
concerned examples of a Christian that I’ve ever seen as he interviewed
this woman. In so doing, I heard her say, softly and sincerely, that gay
people sin just as any other Christians sin. She explained that when a
person becomes convicted of their sins, godly sorrow leads to
repentance from those sins. She admitted that, as a Christian homosexual
herself, she simply has not been convicted…condemned, yes, by other
believers…but not convicted by the Holy Spirit. Steve replied (paraphrase),
“You realize you sound somewhat like a heretic in the gay community
by saying these things….” She nodded, “Well, it’s the truth.”

What does your church teach regarding the subject of Widows and
Orphans? If we were all being honest, most of us rarely give the matter
a second thought. Or a second sermon. If your ministry, company, or
even your civic group is struggling, or you’re lacking contentment in
your own spiritual life, here’s a tip that’s guaranteed to send any
lackluster routine into hyperspace. Interested?

Here it is: Start reaching out to widows and orphans within your scope
of influence.

Recently, TV’s 700 Club interviewed Heidi Baker of Iris Ministries
which is experiencing phenomenal revival among many African tribes.
To paraphrase Heidi, “If you want to see revival, start ministering to
the widows and orphans.”

Tea-totaling Texans? Them’s fightin’ words!

I live in a small Texas town which is probably not all that different
from a small town anywhere else. At one time, as the town was growing,
much was being reported by the local media and debated at city council
meetings regarding liquor licensing. Whenever these types of issues are
discussed, some self-appointed Christian representatives will speak up,
supposedly on behalf of all the rest of us, and heatedly expound upon the
awful vice of drinking alcohol and what a demon-magnet that can be.

As many of you are aware, I am a strong advocate of The Church, The
Ekklesia. Though many have heard that word, surprisingly few are
aware that it is NOT a religious term. Actually, it is a Greek word that
means “the called out ones.” It referred to a forum of Roman men - a
council - that the Roman Empire would send into any region that its
armies had conquered so that they could teach their captives to become
Roman citizens. Get that? Rather than crush their defeated foes, wipe
them out, they allowed them to remain as farmers, blacksmiths,
shopkeepers, etc. so that they could collect their taxes and assimilate
them into Rome’s culture. Again, Rome’s goal was to make them Roman
Citizens. The early Christians related to the Roman concept of ekklesia
and saw the similarity of their mission. So, they adopted the term for
themselves.The concept was short-lived, unfortunately, as the Empire struck back!
Constantine declared Christianity the state religion and, at that moment,
the ekklesia lost its impact. Through the generations, any time any group
has attempted to return to New Testament Christianity and revive the
ekklesia, they were ostracized, persecuted and murdered by the thousands
- even by others who called themselves ‘Christians.’

In my mind, it’s quite simple. These days, I’m prone to

A deep-voiced announcer declared over the public address system,
“Tackle by number sixty, Mike Too-MEE-yoh!”I smiled from inside my helmet as I heard, above all the crowd noises,
my own dad’s booming voice as he shouted back, “That’s Too- MILL-oh!”
We lived in El Paso, Texas, a border city predominately populated by
Hispanics and, quite naturally, any name with a double “L” in it was
pronounced with a “Y” sound. Problem? My last name, Tummillo, is
Italian. Though I’m also 50% Mexican, I have now become accustomed
to being referred to as “Mr. Too-MEE-yoh” - not just in Texas but
wherever I go. The nationwide growth of the Hispanic population has
caused many to become adept at recognizing what they perceive to be
an Hispanic surname. The fact that there are no double-M’s in the
language is apparently a moot point.

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When a Cowboy preacher friend named Charles Higgs heard that I was going to work as a Workplace Chaplain last September, traveling to ten facilities all over Texas, he smiled and exclaimed, “Like an ol’ Methodist Circuit Rider!” If you aren’t aware of who the Circuit Riders were, they were the Methodist preachers who traveled through wilderness and villages on horseback throughout colonial America, preaching anywhere they could - cabin homes, courthouses, fields, meeting houses, street corners and the like. They traveled with few possessions, carrying only what could fit in their saddlebags; a Bible a blanket and a hymnal, generally. Unlike preachers of settled denominations, Circuit Riders were always on the move (most circuits were so large that it would take 5 to 6 weeks to cover an assignment). This frontier ministry brought the church to the common people of America. It’s said that the Rhett Butler character of Gone with the Wind was actually based upon a rogue named Rhett Turnipseed who became a Circuit Rider and ultimately married the “Scarlet O’Hara” character, opening an Indian orphanage with her as his wife.One Circuit Rider, Francis Asbury (1745-1816), traveled 270,000 miles and preached 16,000 sermons as he made his way through his circuits. Gosh, I’ve traveled only 30,000 since September in an air-conditioned Kia on paved highways and I’m exhausted!

Michael Tummillo

I recently unleashed an article entitled “Church of Christ: Let’s Take Hell!” I sent the article to, literally, hundreds of churches of Christ around the country.

I have received nothing but encouraging responses, among them the following:

“Your “LET’S TAKE HELL” article is powerful, wonderful, exciting, true, convincing, anointed, biblical, easy to read, encouraging, electrifying, convincing, inspiring, conclusive, amazing, terrific, factual, enabling, edifying, strengthening, and just down right good!”
- Robert Fitts”I received an email you sent out recently and was intrigued by the contents as well as your own story. I serve among God’s people who meet
at [church of Christ address and city]. I would very much enjoy visiting with you…look forward to hearing from you.”
- Randy Daugherty, Minister of the Word

Michael Tummillo

May 15 (2 days ago)
I’ll be speaking to the House Church that has been meeting in the home of Andy & Cathie Lopez on Friday, May 18th in Anza, California (HWY 371 north of HWY 79). If you live anywhere near there - or know anyone who does - YA’LL COME!

Call 951.763.0886 for directions and details.

See you there!

Every blessing,
Michael Tummillo
A servant of God
Stephenville, TX
www.YourTown4Jesus.org

SURVIVING AN AMERICAN CHURCH SPLIT
WHY PASTOR LEFT THE CHURCH
AN ARMY OF ORDINARY PEOPLE: REBELS WITHOUT AN EDIFICE
AND NOW, THE GREAT WINESKIN AWAKENING!
THERE’S GONNA BE…AN EVOLUTION?
WHAT YOU MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT HOUSE CHURCHES

By Hannah Elliott-Published July 6, 2006

DALLAS (ABP) — For the first time, advocates of the house-church movement in America have solid facts to back up their enthusiasm — and those stats are shocking: Perhaps one in five American adults attends a house church at least once a month.

While attendees themselves have long said that an increasing number of Americans are moving from First Baptist on Main Street to living-room congregations, the very nature of home churches — decentralized, undocumented and unadvertised — has made them difficult to study. Until now.

Working a job and raising kids are difficult tasks that are made even more difficult when we go it alone. I’ve been there, having gone 5 years raising my four children as a single dad. Today, they’re all grown, married and have made me a grandfather of four! Believe it or not, I miss those days. I tried to make the most of them. Following are a few tips that I thought might benefit those women who are juggling parental responsibilities with their job responsibilities. So often, we are sabotaging our own lives and simply making life harder to deal with. Pass it along to any of the ladies you know who may be struggling.

I have been accused of seeing the House Church Movement as being a
mere “alternative” - a Church option, if you will. I wanted to address
this subject for I’m concerned that there are others within the Housea
Church, Simple Church, Organic Church ranks who may be entertaining
this same Sectarian Spirit as well.The Body of Christ is just that; a body fitly joined together. Like the
twelve tribes of Israel, we don’t do everything the same. From house to
house, family to family, despite all our similarities, we will never do
everything exactly alike. With all our habits, ethnic tendencies, regional
differences, something will ALWAYS be different from Christian to
Christian. I fellowship with various house church groups and have read
books written by others telling how they “do church” and no two of them
have been exactly the same yet. I have surmised that they are each
various expressions of God and should be embraced as such. So, I eat
the meat and spit out the bones as I go.

Michael Tummillo

11:26 pm
Does God Exist? The Nightline Face-Off
No-Holds Barred Battle Over the Existence of God
By MARTIN BASHIR, ABC NEWS
May 7, 2007- The members of the Rational Response Squad squared off with Christians Kirk Cameron and Ray Comfort about the existence of God. The debate was moderated by Martin Bashir and is posted on ABCNews.com on Wednesday, May 9 at 1 p.m. and also aired on “Nightline” that night.

“Proving the existence of God is actually a lot easier than you think,” said former child star Kirk Cameron, minutes before taking the stage for the “Nightline Face-Off.”

Michael Tummillo

messages of Jesus?
Interested? Hit REPLY and type “WORK” in Your SUBJECT BAR.
Here’s a sampling, today’s broadcast…
To read this message from DIFFERENT versions of the Bible, click here: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/
Jesus @ Work
TOPIC: DISCIPLESHIP
Mark 4:24 (Amplified Bible)
24 And He said to them, Be careful what you are hearing. The measure [a][of thought and study] you give [to [b]the truth you hear] will be the measure [c][of virtue and knowledge] that comes back to you–and more [besides] will be given to you who hear.

Footnotes:

This House Church Unification dialogue is getting wonderfully out of hand. But, in case this dialogue doesn’t interest some recipients, if you WOULD like to receive the messages as they’re received by me, I will forward them to you if you will…

Following are three recent messages on this subject…one from Dena in Oregon, another from Ken in Canada, and a third from Terri in Arkansas

Thanks!
Michael

————————————————————————-
My thoughts, fwiw:

Not long ago, I was asked my opinion regarding the best ways to establish unification within House Churches. I’d like to hear YOUR opinion as well. I responded (in BLUE) and was CC’d the response of a friend of mine, Robert Fitts (in BLACK). Your thoughts? WARNING: I may use them in a related article. If you prefer your name NOT be used, just say so. Please…no longer than what you see here. Thanks!

MY RESPONSE…

…My opinion? Water runs downhill. The oil ran down Aaron’s beard down to the rest of him. We need to start at the proverbial “top.”

Following is a letter written by a friend named Tommy Musick.

Tommy belongs to a House Church - a spiritual community that
is hungering for all the spiritual gifts and ministry opportunities
that God has to offer. They are receiving BOTH! I fellowship
with this group on occasion and have been immensely blessed
each time. Yesterday, Tommy sent me the following note along
with a message be was burdened to share. He’s a simple man;
a humble, soft-spoken Texan with a sensitive nature and a
heart for helping others. I trust his message will bless you.
He wrote: