House Church (Part 1): Why House Church? Is there a real difference?

The largest and fastest movement of assemblies today is the house church movement; a simple glance at the Chinese Underground House Church speaks volumes to this statement. While North American culture glances at the House Church model with deep suspicion and often times paints house churches as “cultic”, the fact remains that multiplied millions upon millions of house churches exist all across the world, especially in persecuted nations. The house churches which exist in these countries are independent of any outside organization of denomination; no one man or one group dictates what the house churches believe or how they operate; in fact, many of these dear house church leaders don’t have any idea what the words “Calvinism” or “Arminianism” even mean. To the house church leaders in persecuted nations, division, denominationalism and dictatorial edicts sent from a committee to a church are non existent.

If you’re a rational thinker, you’ll realize immediately that the largest cults in the world meet in buildings and have millions of followers who meet in buildings with a primary leader who they look to as God’s chosen vessel… even though they may not term it in such a way. The reality is… have you ever seen cult in a home? I dare say no yet if you have… it’s far and few between. In fact, the house church model, as we will see, has many safeguards against becoming dictatorial and cultic; safeguards which building churches, for the most part, do not have.

While both the house church movement as well as the building movement are used by God and while we should never ever for any reason attack a particular model of ministry, we should at the same time examine, just as Francis Chan did, what we’re calling “the church”. Francis Chan planted a traditional church which had approximately five thousand members… and resigned after reading Scripture without the lens of denominationalism. He now plants house churches. Glory to God! If you’re not aware of who Francis Chan is … I encourage you to look him up; he’s a solid Man of God with a proven track-record of holiness and sound doctrine.

Is the church a place where we gather to hear 5 songs, a 3 point message by the leader and then go home only to go through the entire routine all over again next week? Is it a place where we go, sit down, face the front and give altar calls for deliverance without offering constant discipleship and intimate fellowship with one another all through the week? No… this isn’t the church as I see it in the New Testament. Whether it’s a building church or a house church, there’s much, much more to the corporate Christ Life than what we’ve given to our people.

Being one who wants more than cultural ideas and notions, I’m unapologetic when it comes to house church… because house church is Biblical. The Scripture transcend all cultures and personal ideas of what church should be; thus, while I’m certainly sill learning what it is to “have church”… I praise God that in spite of all of my mistakes and cultural ideas, He continues to lead me into Biblical New Testament gatherings.

Here’s just some of what I see in the Scriptures concerning the gathering of saints:

Acts 2:46 – And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from HOUSE TO HOUSE, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart

Romans 16:5 – Likewise greet the church that is in their HOUSE. Salute my well beloved Epaenetus, who is the firstfruits of Achaia unto Christ.

1 Corinthians 16:19 – The churches of Asia salute you. Aquila and Priscilla salute you much in the Lord, with the church that is in their HOUSE.

Many aren’t aware of the historical fact that the Epistles were written to churches… which were house churches; Paul didn’t write to large building churches; he wrote to house church Pastors; homes can’t seat hundreds of people. In fact, a Pastor – regardless of who he or she is – can’t disciple hundreds of people. It’s impossible. The fact that large assemblies use the cell group and home group models speaks to this truth. The fact is that the traditional church model and the house church are not the same.

In 1 Corinthians 14:26 we read: “Well, my brothers and sisters, let’s summarize. When you meet together, one will sing, another will teach, another will tell some special revelation God has given, one will speak in tongues, and another will interpret what is said. But everything that is done must strengthen all of you.”

Some are gifted in music; they need to bless and edify the body… ALL are able to prophesy in a meeting and are told that they – all of them! – can speak in a service; Scripture says so in 1 Corinthians 14:31 where it states “In this way, all who prophesy will have a turn to speak, one after the other, so that everyone will learn and be encouraged.”

How can “everyone” speak if there are hundreds of people or even 50 people? Clearly, Paul was speaking to a house church with a small enough assembly that “everyone” had a turn to speak and share and encourage the brothers and sisters. It says “one after another” and “everyone”. How is this possible outside of the house church model? It’s not; thus the clear conclusion is Paul was not speaking to an assembly which had a mass amount of spectators staring at a pulpit while “one man only” spoke; he was telling the Corinthians that “everyone” could have a turn speaking.

The above passage of Scripture – if we’re honest with ourselves – doesn’t take place as often as it should… and there’s no excuse for this except a lack of “knowing how”. Further, this passage cannot possibly be operated in within a large format; it’s specifically designed for small gatherings. This is clear and plain from the text. Only within the house church model can the above passage be experienced on a level which is intimate; it allows for more than “one” Pastor who teaches; more than “one” who shares revelation… etc. Because of the validity of the house church format which Paul and all of the other Apostles knew exclusively as the mode of gathering (they had no idea about mass meetings with the exception of one rented building for a temporary period for evangelization in Acts), we too would do well to follow the example of the Early Church.

In seeking to be “non organized” in the denominational sense, we must not go to the other extreme of saying that just because people are having meals together or are in fellowship that “that is the church”. It’s not. 1 Corinthians 14:26 tells us exactly, specifically and directly what a New Testament meeting looks like; apart from this, whether house church or traditional church… it’s not a gathering based on New Testament principles. I disagree with both house church leaders and traditional church leaders that by having a bunch of Christians in a room together “is church”. It’s not; unless the Scripture is being fulfilled in our midst, we may be in the same room together… but we’re certainly not “having church”. Let’s not fool ourselves.

Many today believe that because we’re advanced and culturally different that we should no longer meet in homes; this is a personal opinion and based on cultural dictates; it’s a view which cannot be substantiated in Scripture.

Again, I’m not “against” traditional church; I’m instead “for” house church. There’s absolutely nothing at all wrong with building church believers; it’s the format that concerns me. The format doesn’t allow for active participation but instead relies on the leader, his team and a group of spectators who God wants to become active participants. This is impossible in large fellowships and regardless of how one sees it… people are always left out and forgotten. Without exception.

There’s a large mega-church in our city and yet members of this particular church knocked on our door asking for help with their son. They have a church with fifteen hundred people and yet they come to a house church for help. Why is this?

The same church … one of our leaders spoke with another member of it and she didn’t know what it was to be Born Again and yet this mega-church is supposed to be a Biblical church.

The same mega-church had an attender come to our house church to be baptized. She explained her church (the mega-church) would baptise her but she didn’t like large groups in this context. This young lady is not Born Again; she hasn’t repented of her sin and yet this mega church was going to baptize her, in opposition to Acts 2:38-39.

At a local restaurant I spoke with a waitress who attended a denominational church most of her life, to my recollection. When I asked if she knew what it was to be Born Again, she didn’t know. And this was a church just outside of our city which belongs to a denominational which is historically known for preaching the Gospel. How is it that attending church most of her life she had no idea what it meant to know and follow Jesus Christ?

The above examples are only a handful of many unfortunate testimonies of individuals in traditional churches who have no idea what it means to be a Christ Follower; what it means to be known by first name and to be a part of a vibrant, active community.

This may not, of course, be your experience… but it is the experience of countless forgotten people who attend church week after week without anyone knowing who they are, what they’re going through or even if they know the Lord.

House church is small but can become big enough that even in a home people can be left out and forgotten; if it can happen in a house church, what then of large building formats? God forbid that we – a house church – or traditional formats see people fall by the wayside!

If assemblies were to model the 1 Corinthians 14:26 gathering of Believers, given under the direct inspiration of the Holy Spirit, we’d see a very different Christianity today. Amen? If all members of a body were truly active participants, what would happen in our lives, corporate meetings and in our communities? I dare say a mighty rushing wind of Revival!

When God’s People actually know one another, fellowship regularly, pray together, hurt together, are joyful together… that’s church! When God’s People know one another on a first name basis, that’s church! When prophetic words can be given by anyone; when miracles can be performed by more than just a “special speaker”; when healings can come through the body rather than through a pre- planned “Healing Service”… that’s church!

This is my heart on the church; not on a “better way of church”… but on church “period”. I’m neither for or against certain models; I’m not even all about “house church” being “the best”. I do realize some will read this and feel I’m “promoting house church” and “blasting traditional church”. Nothing could be further from the truth; I’ve written this to explain my heart on what “I” see in the Word of God as being the Biblical grounds for New Testament gatherings. In looking at various ways in which gatherings of New Testament Believers occur, I can only – and must only! – stand with the position most clearly outlined in the Word of God. After-all… Scripture is our guide in all things; should not our gatherings and the model of how we meet be based on the Scripture as much as possible?

I long for the day that our gatherings here at Revival House come into a more fuller expression of New Testament styled meetings; where everyone is prophesying, teaching, exhorting, sharing Biblical revelations, etc. In fact, this is what I long to see in all gatherings; whether here or elsewhere.

I pray you see my heart in this and that all who have taken the time to read this short note will consider the house church as being a Biblically solid alternative to the traditional church format we see in North America. God can and will use many of you to plant house churches if you’ll ask Him to lead you. Why? Because you don’t need a degree or a denomination to be used by God; all you need is a “Yes!”.