The Agony and The Ecstacy: This 1961 best-seller by Irvine Stone, later made into a famous Hollywood movie, is the story of Michaelangelo. I love the title, and I have used it hear because I think that it explains the dilemma and the dissonance that many of us within house church movements live with when it comes to effective missions. We all know that real outward movement of the gospel can only come as the Holy Spirit reveals and then draws people to Christ. But we also know that God has chosen to put the message in our hands and to both solicit our involvement and to often limit His own involvement so as to draw out our response.
This is the challenge that I touched on in last week’s e-letter when I mentioned that the Lord has been challenging Felicity and I to help prepare an infrastructure on which the good news can be disseminated by house church movements around the world. The Indian Christians, who are seeing such explosive growth within their house church movements, are very clear that if God is going to give the increase, we had better prepare the infrastructure to channel and then disciple that increase!
A few weeks ago I received the following email from a friend in S. Africa. “ In the past 6 months we have seen an explosive growth of over 60 new Simple and House Churches planted in South Africa. 95% of these have been amongst unchurched people. These churches have been started by small church planting teams and many are also 2nd, 3rd and 4th generation churches started by the existing churches. We are only counting the churches we can confirm through the teams and that continue to thrive. Nothing is named or owned by any person. By the end of this year we are expecting about 75 new churches to have started.
The sad part of this story is that we have had more mission happen from IC people than from House Church people. Almost all our teams are made up of people from Congregational churches. When we approach House Church people, we find a pride and insular theology that makes it impossible to work with them. There is no interest in mission and no understanding of team values. There is also an incredible obsession with promoting House Church theology rather than the gospel. We have found that when we stick with the gospel and take people to the Bible, they have no problem with adopting Simple Church methodology.
Is this not ironic? We are seeing an explosive movement of House Churches take place, but we cannot get participation from the existing House Churches!? “
Such comments are not isolated for those of us who have the privilege of traveling and seeing some of the amazing things that God is doing around the world. What is it about those of us in a house church setting that we can be so sure we have everything right, and yet often need to find ourselves led by those filling the pews of traditional settings into simple obedience to the word of God?
As you know, I like to keep these newsletter brief, so I will explore this some more next week. Feel very free to write in response to anything that I say here. I will also be posting these e-letters on my blog site at www.simplechurch.com because I want any responses you make to be public and stir up debate in an open forum where we can all see what each other are saying. So don’t be too hard on me in your responses!!
Each week when I send this out, I link you to an article or two that has proven helpful to me. This week let me link you to a radio interview. Mark and Debbie Nichols sent me this link to them being interviewed over the loss of 3 children (interview starts after the into and small talk). As we come up to this wonderful time of Christmas, this interview may help us to understand something of our Father’s love, who was willing to send His only begotten Son, knowing that he would lose Him, to gain us. What love this speaks of. Thank you Mark and Debbie for being willing to share your hearts with all of us.
Until next week’s e-letter,
Tony and Felicity and the H2H team.
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Recent Stories:
Each week H2H publishes a story/article about simple church and/or living out our life in the Kingdom. Recent stories include:
- House Church and the “Pareto Principle” By William T “Bill” Faris, MPC
- What I would have done differently By Guy Muse
- SIMPLE / HOUSE CHURCH REVOLUTION By Roger Thoman
- The Collective Power of the Weakest Parts By Mark Willis
The Rabbit and The Elephant We match Amazon’s Price!By Tony & Felicity Dale and George Barna
Today’s Western culture is indifferent to church and Christians. Yet the early church existed in far harsher conditions—and it thrived. Much like a new litter of rabbits, the infant faith quickly grew and spread. And the result was a world transformed.
In The Rabbit and the Elephant, Tony and Felicity Dale (Simply Church) and George Barna (Revolution) say that the same thing is happening today. As Christians, we are the church – whether we meet in office buildings, college dorm rooms, coffee shops, factories, or homes – and the Holy Spirit uses us to expand that church to the far reaches of the globe. By practicing “simple church,” we’ll find that a small gathering of friends loving Jesus together and reaching out to the community around them can help us to be the church, the way God intended.
The rabbit and the elephant. Something small and something big. Find out what lessons they hold for you, for the body of Christ, and for the future of church as we know it.
From Eternity to Here: Rediscovering the Ageless Purpose of God
By Frank Viola
Deep within God’s Word lies a wondrous story like no other. A drama that originated before time began. An epic saga that resonates with the heartbeat of God. A story that reveals nothing less than the meaning of life and God’s great mission in the earth. From Eternity to Here presents three remarkable stories spanning Genesis to Revelation. Each story traces a divine theme that is woven throughout Scripture. Seen together, they offer an extraordinary glimpse into God’s highest passion and grand mission. What you discover will forever change your view of life, the church, and our magnificent God.
Organic Leadership
by Neil Cole
What are the weeds that hinder the natural growth of godly leadership? Are programs, people, and money truly the signs of a successful church? Where can you find an unlimited source of leaders? How do you mentor others so that they multiply? In Organic Leadership, Neil Cole asks these questions and more, boldly challenging many of the ideas about leadership and church life that we all take for granted.
House2House is a donation supported ministry.
