LIVING WATERS from Lightbearers

BORN AT HOME

The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy… John 10:10 NKJV

It was one of the most disturbing sights I’d ever witnessed, ranking right up there with the unkempt pile of skulls, many of them children’s, I’d seen at Gitarama back in ‘98, one of the massacre sites of the Rwandan Genocide…

The roadside sign, white letters on a black background said THERE ARE MANY HUMANS WHO WISH THEY WERE NEVER BORN from a group called stophavingkids.org. Unbelievable! Whether this is the work of one individual, or as they say, a whole group, either way there are some seriously hurting, suffering folks out there who desperately need the gospel of Jesus Christ. The established church, even the good ones, could be ten times more effective in reaching the lost if they would just train and release their people to start house churches, and not seek to control them, or make money from them, just ‘be there’ for them when they need encouragement or instruction. Releasing people from the spirit of management or control allows God to really move!

And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. Acts 2:42 NKJV

Lightbearers was born in a house church. It was the midnineties, and PD had been one of my students in a basic bible class that we had developed. The Lord had transformed his heart and life, and the two of us started to meet on Wednesday nights at his home in the Valley. We prayed and talked and read the Word, and pretty soon twenty-five folks were coming, almost out of the woodwork. The Lord spoke to PD (it wasn’t my idea) and others about supporting RM and I to go into ‘fulltime’ ministry, and thus, in the fall of ’95, Lightbearers Ministries was born. PD, whom God has blessed abundantly – I call him the most loving layman I’ve ever met, and I, and many others from that time, still walk together…

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” Gen 1:26 NKJV

I want to answer something else before we talk about house churches, and that is the question they call ‘the rock of atheism,’ which is “Why would a loving God allow evil in this world?” The reason why this is even a question is because we don’t know or understand the Word. God made man to know Him, to love Him and to have dominion over all the earth. But for love to truly be love, it cannot be coerced, so God gave man freedom of will. Man chose to rebel against God and transferred authority over the earth to God’s arch enemy, allowing him to steal, kill and destroy. God promised a Redeemer. God had to choose a people, Israel, through whom He could keep the righteous bloodline alive until Messiah could come. Thus, the drama of redemption in the OT! Jesus came and took that authority back through His death and resurrection (Mt. 28:18) and gave it to the Church (Eph 2:4-6). Now eternal life is available to all people. Through the law of influence, when truth prevails, the best possible life for all people is brought for – everyone on Paul’s sinking wheat ship lived, although only a handful were saved – even for the unsaved. God is vindicated!

(As we travelled back from Gitarama, we rode in stunned silence. I watched the children playing by the roadside, and I thought with tears about their heads, and the skulls inside…and I resolved, once again, that I was going to stand for the Lord and His truth, with every ounce of my being, with every drop of my blood, with every breath, so that maybe in some small way I can contribute to those babies living, and not being slaughtered…)

Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.  Luke 10:19 NKJV

The corollary question for believers is ‘Why do bad things happen to good people?’ What I’ve seen in Christianity is that we build doctrine on experience and not on the Word alone. Trying to live in the will of God without the Word or the Spirit of God is like a one-legged man trying to run a race. God gave man the gifts of the Spirit, along with the written Word, to enable every man to be more than a conqueror. Have a problem? God has revelation answers to your problem which is called the word of wisdom. Need to know what the devil is doing and how to overcome it? Seek discerning of spirits. Need a miracle? I expect miracles all the time. I live in the realm of miracles. Seek a word of knowledge, a word of wisdom and operate supernatural faith – your miracle will come, as sure as the sunrise. Think of the fruit of the Spirit (Gal5:22-23)! This life, as wonderful as it is, is a light affliction which is but for a moment that works for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory (2Cor. 4:17). God, who is good all the time, has done everything in His power to make our lives as sweet as possible on our journey to Heaven! He just needs – ahem! – our daily cooperation…

When you read Acts, you realize that the closest thing to our modern Sunday centric services was the synagogue system that the Jewish people had. The Jewish believers in Jesus had synagogues, but the Gentile saints never had that system! What did they have? Houses.

Now when he had brought them into his house, he set food before them; and he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household. Acts 16:34 NKJV

So they went out of the prison and entered the house of Lydia; and when they had seen the brethren, they encouraged them and departed. Acts 16:40 NKJV

The churches of Asia greet you. Aquila and Priscilla greet you heartily in the Lord, with the church that is in their house. 1 Cor 16:19 NKJV

Greet the brethren who are in Laodicea, and Nymphas and the church that is in his house. Col 4:15 NKJV

…to the beloved Apphia, Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house: Philem 2 NKJV

Do you see it? Some say houses were a temporary measure until the Church could be established and wealthy enough to build structures. If that’s true, then the Word ought to tell us that! But…it doesn’t. Instead, it tells us that we are God’s building, His temple (Eph.2:19). Why would we substitute something physical for the far greater spiritual reality?

How do house churches work? Think Jesus and food, just like your family. Jesus and His Word are at the center. Every believer is a minister and can have something to share. Meals are sweet times of fellowship and can be the Communion observance, a very real healing experience. Everyone prays and can be prayed for, and the Lord adds to the number daily with those being saved. It’s a family!

How is it then, brethren? Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification. 1 Cor 14:26-27 NKJV

I was once taught that this was a negative statement, that everyone is supposed to shut up and ‘keep things in order.’ Is that how your family works? I hope not! The Holy Spirit leads, everyone shares, everyone has something to bring to the table. Hearts are knit together, even as we deal kindly with the occasional goofiness or mistakes. The elders, men and women, under the Spirit’s leading bring the younger ones up and all are edified. House churches are an elder based ministry with Christ as the head. Do you see it?    

Is there room for ‘fulltime’ ministers among the house churches? Certainly! The need for fivefold ministries among the believers is greater than ever. Those ministries are supported by the love and faith of folks they serve and build relationships with. A real interesting study that not too many mention is ‘How were Jesus and the apostles supported?’ They didn’t ‘live on love.’ There had to be tangible assets that regularly came in. I mentioned how Lightbearers is supported. You’ll find that when God is truly in charge of His church, all these details tend to work themselves out.

…set all the city in an uproar and attacked the house of Jason and sought to bring them out to the people. But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some brethren to the rulers of the city, crying out, “These who have turned the world upside down have come here too. Acts 17:5-6 NKJV

The need to rethink our strategies of how to reach the lost is imperative. Nothing grows up believers spiritually like their personally sharing and ministering, releasing the genius locked in every Christ filled one. Some will win one or two, some will influence and win hundreds and thousands. Ministry will happen in board rooms and coffee shops, in lunchrooms and homes, in schools and parks and hairdressers. Everyone from teenagers, even some preteens, like Carl’s kids and Bill W’s kids, to blue haired grannies and grampies can lead and minister in a family setting in love. Just do it, dear one. Do it for the sake of those poor knuckleheads who wish they were never born – a true CRY for help if I ever heard one! Of course, you won’t know what’s going to happen! Just listen to Holy Spirit and you’ll be fine. Call me +1 503-302-5381on whatsapp or regular phone if you want to talk. Billions are waiting to be saved, to be ‘born (again) at home’ so to speak.  Are you ready to love them in, like DL Moody used to preach? Love you!

Remember dear ones, we must be about our Father’s business…