"House to House"

Active participation in the life of a local church meets any number of personal and corporate needs that cannot be met any other way. It all begins with a discernment process, asking God to clarify where our spiritual family is to be found, and then submit to the Lord as he “plants us,” puts our roots down, and connects our hearts to real brothers and sisters in a real time and place.

After that, a shared life begins. We are able to experience important spiritual and personal growth and development as we share our lives with our church family. We find out about the gifts God has given us and the various ways in which they can be used to glorify God. We discover opportunities to meet each other needs in personal and practical ways. We also present a powerful Kingdom witness to the world around us.

As “an Acts two church” we see that the real life of a local church “on the ground” is actually quite practical. Here’s how the book of Acts speaks about it: “They continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts” (2:46). The lifestyle of this first church involved spending a fair amount of time together in a variety of contexts, large and small. “Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah” (5:42). Once again we see the “day after day” life of the church described. “You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house” (20:20). Paul testified about his consistent “house to house” strategy.

In his letters the apostle Paul acknowledged the various ways in which local churches were meeting in smaller fellowship contexts. “Greet also the church that meets at their house” (Romans 16:5). Priscilla and Aquila carried on a “house to house ministry.” “Aquila and Priscilla greet you warmly in the Lord, and so does the church that meets at their house” (1 Corinthians 16:19). “Give my greetings to the brothers and sisters at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house” (Colossians 4:15). The church at Laodicea had a similar ministry context. (Unfortunately, busybodies and trouble makers also had a house to house ministry, 1 Timothy 5:13; Titus 1:11).

The fact is this: the church is the church only as it gathers together. But the full-orbed life of the local church requires more than one gathering context. To experience the abundant life that is available in the context of a local church it is necessary to meet both in a larger, mass gathering, as well as in smaller communities. Each gathering context meets specific and unique needs that cannot be met in any other way. I like to think of this in terms of “Celebration” and “Cells.”

Celebration. In Acts 2 the church met “daily in the temple.” These larger gatherings met certain needs in the shared life of the community:

1.   Corporate Worship. We highly value times when all of us can combine our hearts and voices together to worship God, to give God thanks, to honor God as a congregation, to make it clear that the church is primarily about drawing attention to Jesus.

2.   Gospel Demonstration. The local church needs opportunities to represent and present the Gospel to the larger community. While this can be done in more intimate settings, the larger gathering of the church has a powerful Gospel potential.

3.   Pastoral Instruction. In order to grow and go in a healthy manner the whole church needs to be regularly instructed in the ways of the Lord. The gathering of the whole church affords an opportunity for pastoral leaders to instruct the members.

4.   Community Witness. When the world sees we are “one,” then the world will recognize that God is at work in the congregation and will glorify God.

Cells. In Acts 2 we also see the church breaking bread together in their homes. There were many opportunities for those who were “members of one another” to share life in more intimate ways. These smaller gatherings did not attempt to duplicate the larger gatherings or to meet the needs that were being fulfilled in the larger gatherings. Instead, the smaller groups met specific needs that could not be met in any other way.

1.   Fellowship. An authentic “shared life” cannot really be experienced in a mass gathering. It’s only in smaller, face-to-face settings that this kind of life can be experienced.

2.   Body Ministry. It is the relational connections between the members of the Body that provide the strength and life needed for health and growth (see Ephesians 4:16). Our lives need to connect in ways that will make a personal contribution to the well-being of each one.

3.   Pastoral Care. While pastoral instruction is best accomplished in larger settings, the hands-on shepherding needed in the congregation requires a smaller, relational context.

4.   Personal Witness. The quality of our relationships in smaller groups, when shared by “outsiders” and “newcomers,” is contagious. When people see how we love each other, they will become hungry and thirsty for what only Jesus can supply.

Our commitment to the local church, and our desire to receive the life found as a result of that commitment, includes regular gatherings and connections, in larger and smaller group contexts. May God give us grace to experience both this year.