So You Want To Start A House Church

Article # one: Intro

So you want to start a house church. Could be a good idea. But first….

Perhaps it would be wise to inquire of the Lord Jesus, “Lord, I (we) would like to start a house church. Do You approve? Will You give me (us) permission to initiate this work?”

A house gathering having the Lord’s approval will be much more rewarding than the one that doesn’t. Believe me, you don’t want to get involved in something He hasn’t birthed (through whoever). You don’t want to waste more years. More than wanting the Lord to bless your good intention, you want to bless the Lord by your obedience. Obedience can sometimes mean accepting a no. (For me, a non-reply is a no.)

Much is done out of ‘religious ambition’ (a term I picked up somewhere) and there is a huge difference between religious ambition and obedience. Obedience is walking the path Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, has, in His sovereignty, placed before us. Religious ambition is following a path of our own making, noble or otherwise.

This is not to discourage, but to caution. It is quite possible “the head of the church” could approve of you starting (or attending) a house gathering. It certainly is more in accord to His Word than the evangelical way, and has the potential to be much more edifying.

Assuming you feel you have been given the ‘green light’ to begin this new work, I highly recommend caution. A mistake at the beginning may not be easily corrected. I repeat, it’s much easier to get it right at the beginning than to correct later. Change often causes injury and strife.

PLEASE NOTE: I offer my service.

I will come and help the small group intent on establishing a house church – assuming they are of the opinion the Lord Jesus has commissioned them to so do. This I will do at my own expense. Of course I must qualify that….

I will, upon invitation and after sufficient dialog, assist the small group intending to start a house gathering AS THE HOLY SPIRIT SO DIRECTS ME. (I think it is safe to surmise only those having read much of John Fifteen would contact me.)

You see, that’s how I try to live out my christianity – under the governorship of the Holy Spirit. I won’t go where He does not lead. That’s how I obey Jesus – by being sensitive to the Holy Spirit whom He has sent. My function would be to come for a time, perhaps 4-6 weeks (Anyone out there have a Class A motor home for sale?), and then leave again, transferring the full responsibility of the house church onto the group.

PLEASE NOTE: I am not suggesting a group needs me or anyone else to start a house church. “My grace is sufficient for you.” I would be thoroughly blessed just knowing insights from this series of articles could be beneficial to anyone daring this step of obedience to the prompting of the Lord Jesus.

C h a l l e n g e : Jesus said to Peter at the time of His arrest, “Shall I not drink the cup which My Father has given Me?” Soon after He could say, “I have drank the cup which My Father has given Me.” May you one day be able to declare, “I have drank the cup which my Father has given me.” This is only possible to the one submissive to the Holy Spirit.

P r a y e r : Lord Jesus, on our own we will fail. But with You all things are possible. Help us to drink deeply of the cup the Father has given. And anoint this article with Your Holy Spirit. (And hopefully the reader says, “Amen!”)