On rare occasions, when a well-meaning Christian discovers that I prefer home churches to traditional denominational christian mysticism with any particular group – although I’m asked to minister in many – it has happened that their discovery is met with a negative response, assuming I must have been hurt and require a ministerial tourniquet.
Truth is, just as it is with so many others, yes, I was hurt. But Jesus, my Redeemer and Healer, ministered to me, bound up my wounds and turned me loose on the enemy. The Father has used certain negative, manmade circumstances over the years to get me to recognize that what I was calling “The Church” had no semblance to anything described within the pages of Scripture, nor does it bare any resemblance to the Church in the third world, the persecuted corners of the Earth – the ONLY places on the planet where Christianity is actually thriving, by the way. In his multi-faceted, multi-purposeful, loving way, God also used the situations in which I had been placed to help me realize a few things about myself. Perhaps, as you read this message, you may realize a few of those things about yourself as well.
I was once the Singles Pastor of a church with nearly 3,000 people on the role. One outdoor event we held had hundreds of singles attend. I baptized 16 in a river that cool October day. I left that church after 5 years with a much-beloved couple who felt led to start a House Church. We grew so fast we felt compelled to find a building and establish “Church as usual,” in accordance with the prescribed methods we had all been taught. We grew to 300 in no time. It lasted eight years. I served there as the Assistant Pastor and left after seven years when I was asked to step down from serving in the thriving Children’s ministry.
I won’t elaborate, but it was political. I had thirty volunteers serving with me and the kids were being trained to minister and were active in all capacities of Church-Life from ushers to musicians. They LOVED outreaches in the poorest of neighborhoods, manning the puppet shows, passing out groceries and praying door-to-door. Finally, I moved two hours south to be nearer to my family. Within a year after I left, the church closed its doors. There were less than twenty attending by then, I was told. My ministry, health, family and personal life have flourished ever since.
These days, I am an avid House Churcher who, through relationships and the leading of the Holy Spirit, find myself being invited to speak to Christians of many denominations in a variety of settings. In our House Church, we have seen miracles, deliverances, and lives changed regularly. Something I attribute to one thing: we love each other. There is unity there and it commands a blessing from on high.