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REFLECTION

The theme for our reflection is the house church. A house church is the fellowship of believers in a private residence or home. Unlike our current dispensation, where we have big chapels or buildings specially built to hold hundreds of worshippers, the early church for decades was characterised by house churches. A committed believer who had a spacious house would allow other believers to regularly meet in his or her house. Paul, in his letter to the Romans, acknowledged two people for saving him and also offering their house to be used for a church. He wrote “Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my co-workers in Christ Jesus. They risked their lives for me. Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them. Greet also the church that meets at their house. (Romans 16:3-5). House churches were common in the early church because Christians were being persecuted by the Jews and the Romans right from the establishment of the church, therefore, believers had fellowship in houses. Again, it was expensive to buy big halls or build chapels at the time, keeping house churches was inexpensive and also helped the church to spread faster through their fellowship and evangelism.

In the twenty-first century, we do not have churches modelled on the house church approach of the early church. Some churches may begin from a member’s house or the leader’s house but gradually the church will move from the house church to a permanent location or land with a big chapel building. However, there is an important legacy the house church left us. The house church model of Christian fellowship has taught us that regardless of our number, Jesus assures us that “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” (Matthew 18:20). The house church reminds us that a household can pray and study the Bible regularly apart from joining other believers to worship on Sunday or during midweek service in the chapel. It is the responsibility of Christian parents to lead and train their children in the Lord by seeing their household as a house church for spiritual nurturing. Morning devotions must be a routine with the active participation of members of the house in prayer and Bible study. Unfortunately, many Christian parents have failed in this regard and have become Sunday worshippers.

Again, in urban areas or big cities or towns where the settlements are widely dispersed or scattered, a church can encourage house churches in strategic locations to bring together church members who may be too remote from the chapel. This strategy is possible, if there are competent teachers who can lead Bible studies and outreach activities when the member meet in one person’s house. This strategy is also ideal when a church does not have too many branches within a vast area. A house church will be ideal for bringing together members who live far away from the main chapel or temple but are close to one another in a particular area or location. The house church can embark on evangelism and in the process a new branch of the church may spring out. This is the way some churches were established in some localities. It first started as a house church and grew into a big church that required land acquisition and chapel building. Staying far away from your chapel is not an excuse for staying in the house during midweek services and on some Sundays. You can find some believers in your neighbourhood who also have a similar challenge and start a house church for the purpose the meeting to pray and study the Bible even as you continue to fellowship with your church on Sundays. However, the challenge is that some people are tempted to easily turn the house church into a permanent entity and it usually comes with its challenges. For instance, if a Presbyterian, a Methodist and an Anglican live in a neighbourhood where they are all far from their respective chapels, they can organise a house church in the spirit of ecumenism in one person’s house for the purpose of prayer and studying the Bible, but on Sundays, they will attend their respective churches and fulfil their stewardship responsibilities. This same method is also ideal for members of the same church who live far away from their chapel but in this case, they can continuously meet as a house church and eventually grow into another branch of their mother church. It is part of the growth and expansion of their mother church. It must be noted that the focus of the house church is Christ and nothing else. Shalom.

PRAYER

Dear Lord, we dedicate all we have including our houses for your glory. Make our houses your dwelling place and may we continue to meditate on Your Word day and night as a family and a church. Amen.