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What You May Not Know About House Churches

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.’

Philemon 2, ” …and to the church that meets in your house; Colossians 4
…and the church in her house”; Romans 16, “…also the church that meets at
their house…” Although we read these verses and others, sometimes
wondering what that style of Church-life was like, we forget that,
throughout the planet to this day, Christians STILL gather in homes.
Likewise we forget that, even today, many of these brothers and sisters
still face persecution and even death.

WHAT DO WE MEAN BY “HOUSE CHURCH”?

Some call them Simple Churches. Others use the term “Organic Churches.”
There are other terms as well. The Bible refers to them simply as “The
Church.” By definition, they are rapidly multiplying, simple communities
of believers, meeting in homes, offices, campuses…wherever God is
moving. This is the pattern common to many parts of the globe, and is now
becoming more and more common in the U.S. as well among people of
ALL denominations from Catholics to Pentecostals. According to Barna
Research, nearly 43 MILLION Americans are taking part every month -
and those numbers do NOT reflect Cell groups.

Where are two or more are gathered in His name, there is Church.

The House2House website says, “Where “DNA” is present among
people, there is Church.

“D” stands for Divine Truth (loving God/Jesus)
“N” stands for Nurturing Relationships (loving one another deeply)
“A” stands for Apostolic Mission (being on Jesus’ mission to the world)”

Buildings, programs, titles and professional clergy are NOT essential
elements of a church. Never have been. That happened when the
ekklesia attempted to get organized and even began blending itself with
pagan religions. Let’s bear in mind that Constantine took the title
Pontificus Maximus (highest priest, forgetting that Jesus Himself is
High Priest) and was head of ALL things spiritual, Christian and pagan.
He did what anybody would do, choosing the path of least resistance
and merging the two extremes the best he could. Do you see what
happened to the early Church? She became absorbed in the ways of
the world.

The House2House site continues: “By ’simple church’, we mean a way
of doing and being church that is so simple that any believer would
respond by saying, “I could do that!”

“By ‘house church’, we mean the kind of church that is described in the
New Testament. Not constrained by structure but by the needs of the
extended family of God, and driven by a desire to extend the Kingdom
of God.”

This style of Church can more easily listen to God and mobilize, led by
His Spirit and obeying His commands. One day a gathering can be a
healing center. Another time, a teaching center. Another time a worship
center. Another time, a fellowship hall. Another time, a prayer meeting.
We can mix and match and we can spontaneously load up the cars and
head out to minister to others as well (my first gathering was a dinner
where a woman called threatening to kill herself. We left our meal and
sped over there. She’s doing fine these days.)

We’re describing a family who shares the same Father; not a heavenly
being in the clouds but One who dwells within and works through us.
We have a greater opportunity to become spiritual parents raising
spiritual sons and daughters to establish their own families in their
own realm of influence.

CHURCH AS UNUSUAL

This kind of church may or may not meet in a house. It can meet
anywhere we are because we ARE the Church. Statistics reveal that
people are leaving traditional church to find God. Traditional churches
are shrinking while house churches are growing. Personally, I have met
with groups in coffee shops, hair salons, bank conference rooms, bed
and breakfasts, a spare room over a noisy bar, hotels and nursing homes.

Church Planting Movements (apostling) occur when simple churches
multiply rapidly. And they DO multiply rapidly. Why? because unlike
traditional churches, individuals gathering in homes are free to explain
the concept at their friends’ homes or offices, attracting an entirely NEW
group of people instantly within that sphere of influence. If the individual
has an opportunity but is a novice, no problem! More experienced people
are always available to assist. It’s NOT rocket science, as you can tell.
The spiritual climate is RIPE for this outreach today. People are SO
receptive to this concept of Church and becoming more so all the time.

DOES SIMPLE CHURCH LOWER THE QUALITY OF DISCIPLES?

Absolutely not! While no structure or format can guarantee quality, we
believe that the small, participatory, family-like environment of a simple
church is ideally suited to the goal of helping people become passionate
disciples of Jesus Christ. The proof is in the pudding and there are
multitudes of testimonies to back that claim.

As you see, this is not really a new concept but a very old “new” idea.

Two more examples from Scripture include:
“Greet Priscilla & Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus. They
risked their lives for me. Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles
are grateful for them. Greet also the church that meets AT THEIR HOUSE.”
- Romans 16:3-4

“But when the Jews opposed Paul and became abusive, he shook out his
clothes in protest and said to them, ‘Your blood be on your own heads! I
am clear of my responsibility. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.’
Then Paul left the synagogue and went next door TO THE HOUSE of
Titius Justus, a worshiper of God.” - Acts 18:6-7

Acts 16 shows us examples of others.

DO HOUSE CHURCHES HURT THE LOCAL CHURCH?

Actually, House Churches strengthen the Body of Christ in our nation
because this IS the local Church! Those affiliated with House Church
are allowed to exercise their spiritual gifts and establish more intimate
relationships with other Believers. They are being taught that the
traditional Church is NOT the enemy; they are our relatives in Christ.
Fact is, 1 in 5 American adults do so exclusively. The balance claim
to be Members of traditional denominations (whether they actually
participate or are content to have their name on the role is another
matter). When statistics reveal that “church as we know it” is shrinking
in America and house church affiliates are increasing by around 4%
annually, personally, I see it as a move of God. My recommendation?
If the cloud is moving, move with it; don’t resist.

INTERESTED?

If you’d like to learn more, let’s dialogue today! If you’re within 300
miles of Dallas/Fort Worth, let’s talk about getting together at your
place with your group. We can explain the concept further and allow
“whosever will” to get started. Chances are, we just might be
available to help you plant your own Simple Church. Just ask! At the
very least, please communicate by email. We’re thrilled to assist
whenever possible.

For more on Simple Church, go to Wikipedia at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simple_church

Every blessing,
Michael Tummillo
A servant of God

NOW, FORWARD THIS MESSAGE TO AT LEAST 5 OTHER PEOPLE!
TOGETHER, WE CAN REACH MILLIONS BY DAY’S END!
LET’S FILL THE WORLD WITH HIS DOCTRINE!