By the time you see this last e-letter of 2009, the New Year will virtually be upon us. I wonder what God has in store for His people in this coming year. Any pronouncement from me would be pure conjecture! But we do know various things based on His unchanging nature and love toward us. His plans are still to bless, but we are wise to understand that God’s blessing is conditional upon our obedience. It is not so much that God withholds his blessings, but rather that our own actions prevent them. This is part of the mystery of God’s omnipotent power and the freedom that He give us to choose our response to Him. No wonder we need to “choose life.”
In the last e-letter, I made the following statement: 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! This led a number of you to ask, “What do you mean by infrastructure?” I have been pondering that very question for days now. When God is on the move, how do we cooperate with Him? How do we join God in what He is doing rather than just ask Him to bless what we are doing?”
Infrastructure in society is largely unseen but constantly used. It is the platform on which so much else that we need to do is enabled. Roads are a part of a nation’s infrastructure. We don’t really think about them, at least until they have too many pot-holes in them, but we rather presume on them. Communication platforms, such as the telephone and the Internet are similar. They are a part of the fabric of life, that allow many other things to happen. We can only get this email out to so many of you because of the infrastructure that is in place. How does this impact movements, especially movements of the Holy Spirit?
It is a well recognized fact of the early expansion of Christianity across the then known world that the unifying impact of the Roman roads and the almost universally used Greek language had a significant part to play in the rapid spread of the Gospel. Similarly today, the ease of travel, and the remarkable ascendency of English as a “universal” language have greatly enabled the rapid spread of new ideas, including house church movements. So beyond these things, what could infrastructure mean? Let me make a few suggestions:
- Prayer: We don’t see people praying, and we don’t know who the real prayer warriors are, but we can be sure that prayer is undergirding all of what is happening. All of those who have written extensively on times of revival comment on the role of the people who are not seen, but who are praying. This is a foundation that we cannot do without.
- Leadership development is another area that produces rich dividends. I think that much of the power of the Greenhouse Movement is that it is creating an infrastructure of Biblically literate people who understand why organic movements are the way forward. Having seen 20,000+ trained through Greenhouse weekends around the world over the past 10 years, it is not surprising that Neil Cole and the rest of the Greenhouse team now cannot accurately track how many churches are started in any given year through that movement.
- Books and DVDs are again a part of the infrastructure. We have no idea what is the impact of any given book or DVD, but it never ceases to amaze us the places in which a book or magazine or YouTube video will show up, and the impact that it has on a person’s life. It is greatly to the credit of churches like Northland, in Orlando, who have a pattern of making everything they produce freely available, that we and others have been challenged to find ways to make as many of the resources freely available on the web as possible.
So as we look to the New Year, how do each of us contribute to the extension of the infrastructure that the Lord is preparing as He prepares “a highway of holiness” for the King to return. Here are a few ideas that might act as a starting place.
- Pass on to others articles and links to quality videos, etc. that help people to understand what is happening through the spread of simple/organic churches. Here are several new links that you might want to pass on.
- Go here and here for Swedish newspaper articles about house church movements.
- Go to this link for a summary of the recent Delhi World House Church congress. Also see this for another report.
- Go to this link for a dynamic challenge from Loren Cunningham and others to actively reach the “7 mountains” of influence in society.
- Use the tools that have been made available, such as www.house2house.com and www.simplechurch.com. The more they are passed on, the more this infrastructure can help others. We continue to work on both improving these sites, and making them link to other useful sites and blogs that are helping to shape simple church movements around the world.
- Where you know of major initiatives that you believe in, give to those projects and to the people who make them possible.
- For example, we hope to get two more DVDs done this year to put freely on the web, to join the Tidal Wave and the When You Come Together DVDs. These next two will be on Starting A Simple Church and Leadership Within Simple Church Movements. Matching funds have been kindly made available by a friend of H2H for these two projects. Everything given towards these two DVDs will be matched dollar for dollar by this donor.
- There are major training initiatives been led by our brothers and sisters in India to help with new house church movements around the world. Again, we have been given matching funds towards travel associated with these training initiatives. Every dollar given will be matched as we work with the Indians to maximize the impact of the great things that they are bringing to house church movements around the world.
- The www.lk10.com coaching and training site for new house church leaders is proving a great blessing around the world.
- Pray, pray, and they maybe pray some more. We may not always see the results of our prayers, but we know that God somehow, in His own amazing way, put all of our prayer to work. Pray for us, and pray for all others that you know in the front lines of ministry. Pray for those who are writing books that are widely read, such as John Eldredge, Neil Cole, and Frank Viola. The enemy loves to attack those who are willing to risk being visible.
May I bring this e-letter to a close with my heartfelt thanks to the many of you who actually read these e-letters, and who write and comment and encourage us to keep them coming. May 2010 be “the year of the Lord’s favor!”
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.
